Portal:Arts

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For a topic outline on this subject, see List of basic art topics. For the main article, see The arts.

The Arts Portal

Art is the expression of creativity or imagination. The word art comes from the Latin word ars, which, loosely translated, means "arrangement". Art is commonly understood as the act of making works (or artworks) which use the human creative impulse and which have meaning beyond simple description. While art is often distinguished from crafts and recreational hobby activities, this boundary can at times be hard to define. The term creative arts denotes a collection of disciplines whose principal purpose is the output of material for the viewer or audience to interpret. As such, art may be taken to include forms ranging from literary forms (prose writing and poetry); performance-based forms (dance, acting, drama, and music); visual and "plastic arts" (painting ,sculpture, photography, illustration); to forms that also have a functional role, such as architecture and fashion design. Art may also be understood as relating to creativity, æsthetics and the generation of emotion.

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Featured article

Pink Floyd performing at Earls Court, 1973

Pink Floyd were an English rock band from Cambridge. The band initially earned recognition for their psychedelic and space rock music, and--as they evolved--for their progressive rock music. Pink Floyd were known for philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album cover art, and elaborate live shows. One of rock music's most successful acts, the group have sold over 200 million albums worldwide including 74.5 million albums in the United States alone. Pink Floyd influenced progressive rock artists of the 1970s such as Genesis and Yes; and contemporary artists such as Nine Inch Nails and Dream Theater.

Pink Floyd had moderate mainstream success and were one of the most popular bands in the London underground music scene in the late 1960s as a psychedelic band led by Syd Barrett; however, Barrett's erratic behaviour eventually forced his colleagues to replace him with guitarist and singer David Gilmour. After Barrett's departure, singer and bass player Roger Waters gradually became the dominant and driving force in the group by the late-1970s, until his eventual departure from the group in 1985. The band recorded several albums, achieving worldwide success with The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), and The Wall (1979).

In 1985, Waters declared Pink Floyd "a spent force", but the remaining members, led by Gilmour, continued recording and touring under the name Pink Floyd. Waters sued them for the name and eventually they reached a settlement out of court, under which Gilmour, Mason and Wright would continue as Pink Floyd. They again enjoyed worldwide success with A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987) and The Division Bell (1994). Waters performed with the band for the first time in 24 years on 2 July 2005 at the London Live 8 concert.

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Featured Picture

Credit: by 663highland (edited by Laitche)

A colouful dougong supporting Sagami Temple, a Shingon Buddhist temple located in Kasai, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The doungong is a unique structural element of interlocking wooden brackets, one of the most important elements in traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean architecture.

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Did you know...

... that Frank Lloyd Wright said of the Millard House (pictured) that he "would rather have built this little house than St. Peter's in Rome"?
... that Henny Moan acted in the Oscar-nominated Ni liv, later named the best film in the history of Norwegian cinema?
... that Voltaire's 1730 poem about Joan of Arc, The Maid of Orleans, was banned in most of Europe?
... that Leon "Pee Wee" Whittaker, an African American trombonist from the Mississippi River delta country, played at least five instruments in a 74-year musical career?
... that Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Thomas Hall cites J. R. R. Tolkien as a key influence and re-reads The Lord of the Rings trilogy every year?
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Selected quote

“	[t]he standards of comics include inventiveness, originality, and consistency. The best comics really are great artworks — great by the intrinsic standards of that art form.	”
—David Carrier, The Aesthetics of Comics

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