artform
Mode of creation
A form of creative expression recognized as having aesthetic value: painting, sculpture, music, dance, literature, film.
The term validates something as worthy of serious attention: She treats cooking as an artform.
Often spelled as two words (art form).
Calling something an artform elevates it above mere craft or entertainment.
Venue for live drama
- danceRhythmic bodily movement
- actingTemporarily holding position
- balletClassical dance on pointe
- mimeWordless expressive performer
puppetry · burlesque · cabaret · circus · drag · kathak · capoeira · flamenco
Pigment on canvas
- sculptureShaped three-dimensional art
- photographyCreating images from light
- drawingMarks forming a picture
- illustrationPicture explaining something
printmaking · collage · mosaic · fresco · muralism · calligraphy · installation · ceramics
Created manually, not mechanically
- artisanSkilled manual tradesperson
- masterpieceSupreme artistic achievement
- skillAcquired ability through practice
- woodworkingCraft of shaping lumber
pottery · weaving · metalwork · glassblowing · carving · embroidery · leatherwork · ceramics
Creating motion pictures
- cinematographyMotion picture visual craft
- animationTechnique creating movement illusion
- documentaryFactual film about reality
- experimental filmUnconventional artistic motion picture
motion graphics · stop-motion · rotoscoping · montage · screenwriting · directing · editing · visual effects
Arranged elements forming whole
- symphonyExtended composition for orchestra
- operaTheatrical art combining song
- concertoSolo-and-orchestra composition
- sonataMulti-movement instrumental composition
jazz · classical · folk · choral · chamber music · electronic · gamelan · raga
Metrical literary composition
- novelNew and unusual
- proseUnversified language
- fictionImagined narrative work
- playwritingAuthoring theatrical scripts
essay · screenwriting · libretto · haiku · sonnet · epic · memoir · satire
Distilling to essential qualities
- surrealismIrrational, dreamlike aesthetic
- expressionismDistorting reality for emotion
- minimalismAesthetic of reduction
- happeningEvent in progress
theater
Venue for live drama
mime · puppetry · burlesque · cabaret · circus · drag · kathak · capoeira · flamenco · kabuki
painting
Pigment on canvas
- sculptureShaped three-dimensional art
- photographyCreating images from light
- drawingMarks forming a picture
illustration · printmaking · collage · mosaic · fresco · muralism · calligraphy · installation · ceramics · stained glass
handmade
Created manually, not mechanically
- artisanSkilled manual tradesperson
- masterpieceSupreme artistic achievement
- skillAcquired ability through practice
woodworking · pottery · weaving · metalwork · glassblowing · carving · embroidery · leatherwork · ceramics · quilting
filmmaking
Creating motion pictures
- cinematographyMotion picture visual craft
- animationTechnique creating movement illusion
- documentaryFactual film about reality
experimental film · motion graphics · stop-motion · rotoscoping · montage · screenwriting · directing · editing · visual effects · short film
composition
Arranged elements forming whole
- symphonyExtended composition for orchestra
- operaTheatrical art combining song
- concertoSolo-and-orchestra composition
sonata · jazz · classical · folk · choral · chamber music · electronic · gamelan · raga · flamenco
poetry
Metrical literary composition
playwriting · essay · screenwriting · libretto · haiku · sonnet · epic · memoir · satire · allegory
abstraction
Distilling to essential qualities
- surrealismIrrational, dreamlike aesthetic
- expressionismDistorting reality for emotion
- minimalismAesthetic of reduction
happening · readymade · site-specific · mixed media · new media
artformhackery
Lazy, mercenary writing
trade · manual labor · drudgery · grunt work · busywork