What is "Fine Art"?

Roger Cole · Jan 16, 2012

It's like a Supreme Court justice once said of obscenity (someone will know who this was, I don't feel like looking it up,) "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it."

That's less true of "fine" art than obscenity, I think, but the definition of "art for the sole purpose of display, not applied art" makes good sense to me.

I agree to avoid the term. The real problem with using this as a descriptive term for one's own work is that "fine" implies excellent quality in most people's minds, even though it isn't meant that way in this term. There ought to be a value-neutral term meaning "art solely for display." Then again, there is - art. Various "applied art" are sub-categories, and if isn't any of those, it's just art. Maybe.

batwister · Jan 16, 2012

Vilk said:
I'll have to tell the Fine Art Dept at our university... Poor souls, I bet they have no idea!

I'm willing to bet that half the students don't!

David A. Goldfarb · Jan 16, 2012

Three threads, merged and stuck.

benjiboy · Jan 16, 2012

"Fine Art Photography" to me is what other people aspire to produce, I'm still struggling with photography.

willy13664 · Jan 21, 2012

It means most of them discovered they could put their crayons in a pencil sharpener.

In the case of Photography, I'm sure if Stiglitz Flat Iron building is anything to go by, he forgot to focus first!

What do I know, I'm not a fine art student, just a photography student trying to take pictures people might like, but I don't read the right books, the emperor is naked and his balls are turning blue.

ronlamarsh · Jan 21, 2012

thefizz said:
I see more and more people setting up web sites (I plan to do one myself some day) to show and sell their photographs. A lot of them describe their work as Fine Art Photography whether it is darkroom produced or from an inkjet printer. Some of these people may be experienced and some not so.

So can someone define "Fine Art Photography" for me please? Does it matter how it is produced? Are we all Fine Art Photographers?

Peter

p.s. Apologies if this is in the wrong forum section.

REad James joyces' "portrait of an artist as a young man". Briefly there is didatic art, that which attemps to teach or comment, such as photojournalism: there is pronograrphic art, that which attempts to focus attention on a beautiful object i.e. landscape filled with color etc. and what the hero of the book described as pure art, that which is inspired from an inner knowing and connects with the viewer such that they are similiarly inspired but cannot define it. It is like a Zen spiritual experience in which the meditator experiences reality but cannot define it.
I had an experience once while viewing an original Dali painting. I could not tell you what it meant but viewing it started a chilling vibration in my feet that ran through my entire body.

Roger Hicks · Jul 11, 2012

Go to Arles, the biggest gathering of fine art photographers in the world. First week in July: this year's has just finished.

Cheers,

R.

noacronym · Mar 28, 2013

Regular art is what you do that people like it and want to buy it. Fine art is when you refinish the hardwood floors and vote for liberals.

praktica · Apr 7, 2013

It's fine art if it's really good.

French_chemist · Jan 25, 2014

Roger Hicks said:
Go to Arles, the biggest gathering of fine art photographers in the world. First week in July: this year's has just finished.

Cheers,

R.

You were there this year - 2013 - mainly balck and white ?
What was your favorite ?

I was really impressed by moon lights from Dead Link Removed and by Fauquet (a very intimate installation) http://jmfauquet.weebly.com/

Concerning the discussion about fine art, I think in France it is important to make distinction from "l'art" which sound like "lard" ( https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/...1zO1zVqLHZpiTzo9uJbW1SloJju4t6hYDIY_G81BlwI7g )

benjiboy · Jan 28, 2014

Why are photographers so angtious if their work is " fine art"', most of the work that they produce these days that I see I don't even consider competant photography. Anybody can call themselves "artists", and their work " fine art", but to me self advertisement is no recommendation.

Mainecoonmaniac · Jan 28, 2014

In terms of art, there are applied arts and fine arts. Applied arts is used in practical application like commercial photography while fine arts is displayed in galleries and museums. But they are not mutually exclusive. Some photographers as most know do both.

RalphLambrecht · Jan 28, 2014

to me it means:traditional subjectsproduced withe utmostcare and the very best materials, including mounting ,matting and framing

RalphLambrecht · Jan 28, 2014

mortimer said:
Not that I'm any expert, but lurking through all the old forum posts last night I actually came across this answer to this very question, posted by David Hall:

it's art if you say it is, as the artist. It's fine art of the rest of the world agrees.

To me, that about sums it up.

priceless answer

irvd2x · Jan 28, 2014

Fine Art is to the eyes what Fine Dining is to the palate.

Sent from my LG-P509 using Tapatalk 2

Mainecoonmaniac · Jan 29, 2014

I like that!

irvd2x said:
Fine Art is to the eyes what Fine Dining is to the palate.

Sent from my LG-P509 using Tapatalk 2

You might like this.

http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2009/10/28/who-needs-the-french-laundry-when-we-have-dennys/

irvd2x · Jan 29, 2014

Mainecoonmaniac said:
You might like this.

http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2009/10/28/who-needs-the-french-laundry-when-we-have-dennys/

Love it!

Sent from my LG-P509 using Tapatalk 2

Burkards · Jul 15, 2014

I think fine art is basically a synonym to a masterpiece. Meaning, a work that has been produced in order to show off the skill of the artist, done with the greatest care and attention to detail from actually creating the work and then presenting it. It's possible to analyze what makes a specific work of art "fine art", but there's not a lot to analyze when it comes to fine art in general.

snapguy · Aug 10, 2014

Fine art? A bunch of so-called experts who don't know anything throws out chicken bones and studies the pattern the bones make, and decides if it is fine art or not. If you see somebody advertising his/her work as fine art it probably means the person hopes the photos transcend mere snapshots or quickie journalism. Not that they do transcend, necessarily, but that is the rough idea.

benjiboy · Aug 22, 2014

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_art

RalphLambrecht · Aug 25, 2014

mortimer said:
Not that I'm any expert, but lurking through all the old forum posts last night I actually came across this answer to this very question, posted by David Hall:

it's art if you say it is, as the artist. It's fine art of the rest of the world agrees.

To me, that about sums it up.

... and is willing to pay for it!

TheFlyingCamera · Aug 25, 2014

Sometimes... sometimes "fine art" is a code word for "non-pornographic pictures of naked women". I use the specific gender because it covers the vast majority of the abusers of the term 'fine art', but it can apply to "pictures of naked men" as well. Regardless of the gender, it usually has a certain, distinctive look to it, that like pornography, is very hard to define but you know it when you see it.

Sirius Glass · Oct 28, 2014

Ray S said:
- Hi, I've read only a topic...
- By my understanding fine art is not reproducible... - and it very much doesn't have to be artifacts of b&w...
- If my photo can be reproduced by somebody ells - it is most likely a rubbish, - no matter how well it is done...

Welcome to APUG

Arklatexian · Oct 28, 2014

David A. Goldfarb said:
It is difficult to define "art," but it is easy to define "fine art."

"Fine art" is art for display only, not for illustration, document, journalistic purposes, commercial applications, advertisement, etc. "Fine art" does not mean "art" or "good art" or "great art."

"Fine art" is opposed to "applied art." Specific works of "fine art" may be crap, and specific works of "applied art" or "illustration" may be great art, but there is nothing in the terms "fine art" or "applied art" that suggests one or the other.

"Fine artist" is something you can put on your tax forms. "Artist" is something that it is up to future generations to decide.

So, David, how does this differ from the old term we used in the past called "Pictorial"? They sure look about the same to me. In fact wouldn't PICTORIAL PHOTOGRAPHER look better on your business cards than Fine Art Photographer? Maybe not the "In" term anymore but a lot more "classy"......Regards

digital&film · Oct 28, 2014

Fine Art: http://lenscratch.com/

What is "Fine Art"?

Roger Cole

batwister

David A. Goldfarb

Moderator

benjiboy

willy13664

ronlamarsh

Roger Hicks

noacronym

praktica

French_chemist

benjiboy

Mainecoonmaniac

RalphLambrecht

RalphLambrecht

irvd2x

Mainecoonmaniac

irvd2x

Burkards

snapguy

benjiboy

RalphLambrecht

TheFlyingCamera

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Sirius Glass

Arklatexian

digital&film

What is "Fine Art"?

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