Fine art painting refers to a European academic tradition in which artistic works are produced primarily for their beauty or aesthetic appeal rather than for any practical purpose such as works that are merely decorative or have applied functions (such as pottery or metalwork). It originated in the Italian Renaissance and referred to painting that was created as purely as the product and expression of an artist’s creativity without any practical considerations for its use.
Such a definition is problematic since all art has a functional purpose (including classics in the fine art tradition which were painted for patrons or religious purposes). In essence all painting consists of an artist arranging lines, shapes, colours, textures and so on, on a two-dimensional canvas to create an image that critics may or may not define as fine art.
The distinction that fine art is that which is produced primarily for its beauty (or aesthetic appeal) is also problematic since what is regarded as ‘merely decorative’ in one period may subsequently become fine art in another. Sometimes the art of the ancient Greeks and representations of it in the 18th century are classified as fine art but, once again, this comes down to a definition that emphasizes one group of creators and subject matter over another. It could easily be argued that the artistic traditions of Asia and China can be considered fine art even though they are unconnected to the European tradition.
Historically, the term fine art is applied mainly to the visual arts, and usually painting (although sculpture, drawing, architecture and other mediums are also sometimes regarded as part of the fine art tradition). In modern usage fine art painting need no longer be representational, have a religious purpose or be composed using oil on canvas. Today fine art paintings can be created in a range of media and include widely varying subject matter ranging from representing landscapes and portraits of people to purely abstract shapes and colors on canvas. Essentially, today fine art is what critics and the artworld define as fine art. What was a creation of the early modern period in the West to distinguish art produced after the early masters today refers to a wide range of artefacts and practice which comes down to a subjective assessment of what is, and is not, fine art as opposed to merely decorative, commercial or graphic art and which is constantly changing.
