An artist is defined as an individual involved in activities that pertain to the creation of art, the practice of artistic disciplines, or the exhibition of artistic works. In common parlance and academic discussions, the term predominantly refers to practitioners within the visual arts.
Sadequain was also an well known artist and due to his unique style of paintings he was recognized as the biggest artist ever in Pakistan.
Nevertheless, the term is frequently applied within the entertainment industry, particularly in commercial contexts, to denote musicians and various performers, though it is less commonly associated with actors. The French term “artiste” has been adopted in English in this context, although its usage has diminished over time. While it is appropriate to refer to writers as artists, this application is less prevalent and is typically confined to specific contexts, such as critical reviews; the term “author” is more commonly employed in general usage.
The Greek term techně, frequently rendered as “art,” signifies a mastery of various crafts. The Latin adjectival form, technicus, has given rise to the English terms technique, technology, and technical.
In Greek mythology, each of the nine Muses presided over distinct domains of human creativity:
- Calliope (the ‘beautiful of speech’): the foremost Muse and patroness of epic or heroic poetry
- Clio (the ‘glorious one’): the Muse of history
- Erato (the ‘amorous one’): the Muse of love, erotic poetry, lyrics, and wedding songs
- Euterpe (the ‘well-pleasing’): the Muse of music and lyric poetry
- Melpomene (the ‘chanting one’): the Muse of tragedy
- Polyhymnia or Polymnia (the ‘[singer] of many hymns’): the Muse of sacred song, oratory, lyricism, singing, and rhetoric
- Terpsichore (the ‘[one who] delights in dance’): the Muse of choral music and dance
- Thalia (the ‘blossoming one’): the Muse of comedy and pastoral poetry
- Urania (the ‘celestial one’): the Muse of astronomy
Notably, no Muse was associated with the visual arts of painting and sculpture. In ancient Greece, sculptors and painters were often viewed with disdain, their work typically performed by slaves and regarded as mere manual labor.
The term art is derived from the Latin “ars” (stem art-), which, while literally meaning “skill method” or “technique,” also carries an implication of beauty.
During the Middle Ages, the term artist was already in use in certain regions, such as Italy, but it denoted a meaning akin to craftsman, while the term artisan was not yet established. An artist was perceived as someone who could produce work of superior quality compared to others, emphasizing skilled excellence over the specific field of activity. During this era, some “artisanal” goods, such as textiles, were valued far more highly than paintings or sculptures.
The initial classification of arts into major and minor categories can be traced back to the writings of Leon Battista Alberti (1404–1472), particularly in works like De re aedificatoria, De statua, and De pictura, which emphasized the significance of the artist’s intellectual capabilities over their manual skills.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies many visual artists as either craft artists or fine artists. A craft artist makes handmade functional works of art, such as pottery or clothing. A fine artist makes paintings, illustrations (such as book illustrations or medical illustrations), sculptures, or similar artistic works primarily for their aesthetic value.
The main source of skill for both craft artists and fine artists is long-term repetition and practice Many fine artists have studied their art form at university, and some have a master’s degree in fine arts. Artists may also study on their own or receive on-the-job training from an experienced artist.
The number of available jobs as an artist is increasing more slowly than in other fields.[5] About half of US artists are self-employed. Others work in a variety of industries. For example, a pottery manufacturer will employ craft artists, and book publishers will hire illustrators.
In the US, fine artists have a median income of approximately US$50,000 per year, and craft artists have a median income of approximately US$33,000 per year. This compares to US$61,000 for all art-related fields, including related jobs such as graphic designers, multimedia artists, animators, and fashion designers.[5] Many artists work part-time as artists and hold a second job.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines the older, broader meanings of the word “artist”:
- A learned person or Master of Arts
- One who pursues a practical science, traditionally medicine, astrology, alchemy, chemistry
- A follower of a pursuit in which skill comes by study or practice
- A follower of a manual art, such as a mechanic
- One who makes their craft a fine art
- One who cultivates one of the fine arts – traditionally the arts presided over by the muses
