Art, a Brief Overview Art; a disciplined activity that may be limited to skill or expanded to include a distinctive way of looking at the world. The word art is derived from the Latin ars, meaning "skill." Art is skill at performing a set of specialized actions, as, for example, the art of gardening or of playing chess. Art in its broader meaning, however, involves both skill and creative imagination in a musical, literary, visual, …showed first 75 words of 865 total…

…showed last 75 words of 865 total…were usually ranked above actors, dancers, musicians, painters, and sculptors who used physical skills. From the Renaissance on, as all aspects of the human personality came to be valued, those skilled in the visual and performing arts gradually gained greater recognition and social prestige. Today art in all its categories is considered an essential part of human achievement, and some of its many, varied creators are ranked among the most celebrated citizens of the world.