"Fine Art": What makes an image "fine Art"?

BobSchwabk Loc: Roanoke Virginia area

What makes an image "fine Art"?

claytonsummers Loc: Orange County, CA

I don't know, but I know it when I see it. :)

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

BobSchwabk wrote:

What makes an image "fine Art"?

Fine Art is "art for art's sake" to differentiate it from commercial art, illustration or craft. Some people seem to think the "fine" aspect means it has some level of quality that sets it apart, but I don't buy that. There is great fine art as well as lousy fine art.

gwilliams6

From the Oxford Dictionary: Fine Art

noun
plural noun: fine arts
1.
creative art, especially visual art whose products are to be appreciated primarily or solely for their imaginative, aesthetic, or intellectual content.
"the convergence of popular culture and fine art"
2.
an activity requiring great skill or accomplishment.
"he'll have to learn the fine art of persuasion"

Peterfiore Loc: Where DR goes south

JohnSwanda wrote:

Fine Art is "art for art's sake" to differentiate it from commercial art, illustration or craft. Some people seem to think the "fine" aspect means it has some level of quality that sets it apart, but I don't buy that. There is great fine art as well as lousy fine art.

100%.................

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

BobSchwabk wrote:

What makes an image "fine Art"?

This question arose in a discussion I was having with an art teacher a couple of months ago. The art she currently creates is mostly at the "craft" end of the spectrum.

She says that "craft" implies an element of utility, whereas "art" exists primarily for its esthetic value (aesthetic, for our British brothers and sisters). "Fine art" adds elements of skill and competence on the part of the artist as well as creating interest among the observing community. They don't necessarily have to like the art, though.

bkwaters

BobSchwabk wrote:

What makes an image "fine Art"?

For the purpose of photography club image judging, it has more to do with the universal appeal of the photograph than anything else. For example, a technically excellent photograph of my grandson playing soccer would be dismissed as NOT fine art. An otherwise identical photograph of Lionel Messi would be fine art. It also implies visual artistry over subject matter, with street photography being an exception. This is why trite photos of birds, butterflies and the Amalfi coast often receive high scores, while a unique image that tells a story does not. None of the above comments are meant to be negative criticisms.

leftj Loc: Texas

BobSchwabk wrote:

What makes an image "fine Art"?

Very elusive term. Different definitions to different people. For me, don't know how to define fine art but I know it when I see it. LOL

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

I believe it is the same as fine wine, a fine cigar, or "You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille."😜

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

Fine Art in photography is something we strive for, and for me it's always ahead. Neve give up for striving for it and raising the bar.

nikonbrain Loc: Crystal River Florida

BobSchwabk wrote:

What makes an image "fine Art"?

If you have to ask what is "Fine Art Photography" you probably are not creating it And your work is not in a Fine Art Gallery ! Canon Large Format Printers and Epson are considered Fine Art Printers They use the best Stable inks "Pigmented" giclee or Standard wet Processed enlarger created prints using museum Quality Materials , frames low acid free and no OBAs canvases and paper and are assembled in a manner that is of Premium Quality . It usually is a type of Photography that creates a mood or feeling in the observer and transmits that feeling .Usually one of a Kind or Limited and Numbered . Ansel Adams , Clyde Butcher , Peter Lik , Ken Duncan ,Annie Leibovitz are but a few that have elevated Photography to an ART form .

13 Loc: I am only responsible to what I say..not what

gwilliams6 wrote:

From the Oxford Dictionary: Fine Art

noun
plural noun: fine arts
1.
creative art, especially visual art whose products are to be appreciated primarily or solely for their imaginative, aesthetic, or intellectual content.
"the convergence of popular culture and fine art"
2.
an activity requiring great skill or accomplishment.
"he'll have to learn the fine art of persuasion"

Horseart Loc: Alabama

I am an artist and I think that fine art doesn't have to be "art". It can be the fine art of music, quilting, cooking, almost anything one does. That's MHO and I'm sticking to it.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

Horseart wrote:

I am an artist and I think that fine art doesn't have to be "art". It can be the fine art of music, quilting, cooking, almost anything one does. That's MHO and I'm sticking to it.

As you can see from the people who posted definitions, that is the second definition of "fine art", and a valid one at that. I think the OP was probably asking about the first definition, which is the one the art world uses, which doesn't have to do with how good the art is, but rather its purpose, which is to be appreciated for its aesthetic qualities rather than to sell products, illustrations, or practical purposes, like a vase.

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

The price?
Whether it is hung in a gallery?
If its creator says that it is fine art?