Art has long held a special place in human society. It can evoke emotion, inspire action, and challenge paradigms. It can also be used as a tool to bring awareness and visibility to issues that may otherwise remain unseen. Art can be found in a variety of forms, from paintings and sculptures to music and movies. Regardless of its medium, the common goal of all art is to communicate an idea or feeling in a way that is uniquely its own.
Classical definitions of art – such as representational, expressive and formal definitions – typically take a piece of artwork to be characterized by a particular type of property, such as its ability to represent, its ability to express, or its ability to convey a sense of beauty. These properties are said to be essential to the status of a work of art and distinguish it from mere real things.
A different approach to the question of what makes something art is to treat it as a question of philosophical ontology and epistemology, rather than just a question of aesthetics. In this view, the notion of a work of art is based on the idea that there is some kind of a thing that exists in a culture that is distinct from the objects in that culture and that enables a community to see its own world more clearly. This idea is based on the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, who described art as an expression of the element of truth in a culture and as the means by which that truth can be revealed.
Heidegger was not the first to formulate a philosophical account of art. The origin of artistic expression dates back to prehistoric times, when Homo sapiens painted the walls of caves for narrative, shamanic and ritual purposes using natural pigments. But the emergence of more refined art forms like paintings and sculptures really began to gather momentum around 3500 BCE in Ancient Egypt, where artists started to employ sophisticated techniques to create works that reflected more complex ideas about Gods, kings and everyday life.
Creating art, either for enjoyment or as part of therapy, has been shown to have health benefits — both physically and emotionally. Studies show that expressing yourself creatively can help reduce stress and anxiety, and can even lead to improved cognitive function.
At Mayo Clinic, the arts are integrated into patient care through a number of ways, including art for enjoyment and as an element of creative arts therapy. The arts can benefit patients in a wide range of ways, from providing enjoyment and distraction to helping people stay calm during an operation.
Art in healthcare can also improve the experience of family members and healthcare providers, who often feel stressed during shifts. And research has shown that a few minutes of painting can reduce cortisol levels, a hormone that helps fight stress.