A Critical Inquiry into the Concept of Art

Abstract

Art is the medium of entertainment which should be experienced within an awaken mind. There are various forms of art including drama, poetry, music, sculpture, dance, literature, films etc. The modern day scholars have classified all these forms of art into numerous categories such as Visual Arts, Auditory Arts, Verbal Arts, Mix Arts, Fine Arts and Applied Arts. All these forms of art used for the same purpose, i.e. providing an aesthetic experience in order to heighten the wisdom. Various factors and incidences in society make contributions for a production of art to be made. Among them, people's life styles, beliefs, religion, the need to address the mental excitements of artists and environmental as well as geo-political factors are of enormous importance. Hence, it could be safely argued that a production of art is inevitable a property of the whole society and that such productions of art should address the conditions of the contemporary society. Since, art is one of the most important moving factors of culture, any study of the historical background of any country could not disregard art. Even though the primary purpose of art is to enlighten the mind, it appears that in the present society, it is primarily used only for personal satisfaction and entertainment. Given this background, the present study seeks to inquire into the phenomenon of art in a comprehensive way especially with regard to the functions and purpose of art and the ways in which forms of art could be used for the betterment of the society.