Art is a term that has grown to encompass innumerable creative processes and activities. Among these are the visual arts, performing arts, writing arts, and virtually anything creative. As such, painters, sculptors, photographers, actors, dancers, musicians, writers, filmmakers and other creative individuals each can be referred to as artists. Today, the meaning of the term “art” has expanded to the point that any “true” definition of art has become a topic for debate.
Human beings have been making art for nearly as long as they have been walking the earth. Archeologists have attributed the earliest artistic discoveries to the Paleolithic Age, and some works are believed to be 25,000 years old. Although the oldest known artistic renderings consisted of crude sculptures and cave paintings, such works have been primary historical sources through which modern generations have culled most of the existing knowledge about the earliest history of humankind.
Essentially, prehistoric art works are the first historical “texts,” and their discoveries have allowed modern people to learn about many important aspects of ancient societies and cultures. Throughout history different works of art have been used for instructive, sacred, political, celebratory, record keeping, and purely aesthetic purposes. Whatever the purpose, art has always been an important form of human expression.
The artwork that one can view through free online art magazines is incredibly diverse, and to some folks, challenging to understand. This is particularly true when it comes to modern and contemporary art, which many people do not consider art at all. These people would argue just because paint splashed on canvas appears in a random online arts magazine does not mean it is art. However, supporters of contemporary art contend that the definition of art is in the eye of the beholder, and that modern and contemporary art is more about “concept” and “idea,” as opposed to traditional notions of form and technique.
Jackson Pollock is a prime example of the controversial modern artist. The artistic merit of Pollock’s infamous drip paintings have long been a topic of debate. More traditionally-minded art aficionados believe “true” art should take time, practice, and skill, none of which, they claim, are apparent in his paintings. Nevertheless, Pollock’s paintings are among the most famous works regularly featured in modern art galleries and online art magazines.
Regardless of your individual taste in art, there are many free magazines covering different styles of art online. Whether you are looking to purchase art, explore different styles of art, or conducting research for a paper, free online art magazines offer something for everyone from art connoisseurs to curious neophytes.