What is Art?
The human mind possesses the three faculties of intellect, emotion, and will, corresponding to which there are different fields of cultural activity. Through intellectual activity, such fields as philosophy, science, and so on are developed; through volitional activity, such practical fields as morality and ethics are formed; and through emotional activity, the diverse areas of art come into being. In this way, art can be defined as “the emotional activity of creating and appreciating beauty.”
Then, connected with this, what is the purpose of art? The purpose for which God created human beings and the universe was to obtain joy through loving object partners. Likewise, it is for the purpose of obtaining joy that works of art, which are artists’ objects, are created. Therefore, art can also be described as the “activity of creating joy through creation and appreciation.”
The British art critic Herbert Read (1892-1968) held that, “All artists have this same intention, the desire to please; and art is most simply and most usually defined as an attempt to create pleasing forms.” 4 This sentiment is in solid agreement with the definition of art in Unification Thought.