The fine arts

The fine arts
Art Art ([aum]rt), n. [F. art, L. ars, artis, orig., skill in joining or fitting; prob. akin to E. arm, aristocrat, article.] 1. The employment of means to accomplish some desired end; the adaptation of things in the natural world to the uses of life; the application of knowledge or power to practical purposes. [1913 Webster]

Blest with each grace of nature and of art. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

2. A system of rules serving to facilitate the performance of certain actions; a system of principles and rules for attaining a desired end; method of doing well some special work; -- often contradistinguished from science or speculative principles; as, the art of building or engraving; the art of war; the art of navigation. [1913 Webster]

Science is systematized knowledge . . . Art is knowledge made efficient by skill. --J. F. Genung. [1913 Webster]

3. The systematic application of knowledge or skill in effecting a desired result. Also, an occupation or business requiring such knowledge or skill. [1913 Webster]

The fishermen can't employ their art with so much success in so troubled a sea. --Addison. [1913 Webster]

4. The application of skill to the production of the beautiful by imitation or design, or an occupation in which skill is so employed, as in painting and sculpture; one of the fine arts; as, he prefers art to literature. [1913 Webster]

5. pl. Those branches of learning which are taught in the academical course of colleges; as, master of arts. [1913 Webster]

In fearless youth we tempt the heights of arts. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

Four years spent in the arts (as they are called in colleges) is, perhaps, laying too laborious a foundation. --Goldsmith. [1913 Webster]

6. Learning; study; applied knowledge, science, or letters. [Archaic] [1913 Webster]

So vast is art, so narrow human wit. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

7. Skill, dexterity, or the power of performing certain actions, acquired by experience, study, or observation; knack; as, a man has the art of managing his business to advantage. [1913 Webster]

8. Skillful plan; device. [1913 Webster]

They employed every art to soothe . . . the discontented warriors. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]

9. Cunning; artifice; craft. [1913 Webster]

Madam, I swear I use no art at all. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Animals practice art when opposed to their superiors in strength. --Crabb. [1913 Webster]

10. The black art; magic. [Obs.] --Shak. [1913 Webster]

{Art and part} (Scots Law), share or concern by aiding and abetting a criminal in the perpetration of a crime, whether by advice or by assistance in the execution; complicity. [1913 Webster]

Note: The arts are divided into various classes.

{The useful arts},

{The mechanical arts}, or

{The industrial arts} are those in which the hands and body are more concerned than the mind; as in making clothes and utensils. These are called trades.

{The fine arts} are those which have primarily to do with imagination and taste, and are applied to the production of what is beautiful. They include poetry, music, painting, engraving, sculpture, and architecture; but the term is often confined to painting, sculpture, and architecture.

{The liberal arts} (artes liberales, the higher arts, which, among the Romans, only freemen were permitted to pursue) were, in the Middle Ages, these seven branches of learning, -- grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. In modern times the liberal arts include the sciences, philosophy, history, etc., which compose the course of academical or collegiate education. Hence, degrees in the arts; master and bachelor of arts. [1913 Webster]

In America, literature and the elegant arts must grow up side by side with the coarser plants of daily necessity. --Irving. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Science; literature; aptitude; readiness; skill; dexterity; adroitness; contrivance; profession; business; trade; calling; cunning; artifice; duplicity. See {Science}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • (the) fine arts — the fine arts art phrase activities in which people create beautiful or interesting objects, for example painting and sculpture Thesaurus: artistic activitieshyponym Main entry: fine art …   Useful english dictionary

  • the fine arts — Painting, poetry, music, etc • • • Main Entry: ↑art …   Useful english dictionary

  • The Fine Arts Center — of Greenville, SC (colloquially called The FAC by students and teachers) was established in August of 1974 as the first specialized arts school in the state of South Carolina. Classes are available at the Center for students to study theatre,… …   Wikipedia

  • The Fine Arts Society of Indianapolis — infobox Organization name = The Fine Arts Society of Indianapolis image border = size = 20% caption = msize = mcaption = abbreviation = FAS formation = 1969 extinction = type = 501 (c) (3) status = purpose = To provide opportunities for the… …   Wikipedia

  • Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts — The Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, based in Chicago, supports the arts, architecture, and institutions through public programs, and grants for projects.* [http://www.grahamfoundation.org/ Graham Foundation website] …   Wikipedia

  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts — Infobox nrhp | name =Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts nrhp type = nhl caption = Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts location= SW corner of Broad Cherry Sts. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania lat degrees = 39 lat minutes = 57 lat seconds = 18 lat… …   Wikipedia

  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts — Charles Willson Peale, The Artist in His Museum, Selbstporträt …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts — Frances MacDonald McNair: Poster for the Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts (1895) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • On Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts — is an essay by Thomas De Quincey first published in 1827 in Blackwood s Magazine. The essay is a fictional, satirical account of an address made to a gentleman s club concerning the aesthetic appreciation of murder. It focuses particularly on a… …   Wikipedia

  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts — 39° 57′ 18″ N 75° 09′ 50″ W / 39.955, 75.16388889 …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”