Introduction

Throughout history, technological inventions have shaped the development of graphic

art. In 2500 BC, the Egyptians used graphic symbols to communicate their thoughts in a
written form known as hieroglyphics. The Egyptians wrote and illustrated narratives on rolls
of papyrus to share the stories and art with others.
During the Middle Ages, scribes manually copied each individual page of manuscripts
to maintain their sacred teachings. The scribes would leave marked sections of the page
available for artists to insert drawings and decorations. Using art alongside the carefully
lettered text enhanced the religious reading experience.
Johannes Gutenberg invented an improved movable type mechanical device known as
the printing press in 1450, the first outside Asia. His printing press facilitated the mass-
production of text and graphic art and eventually, replaced manual transcriptions altogether.
Again during the Renaissance years, graphic art in the form of printing played a major
role in the spread of classical learning in Europe. Within these manuscripts, book designers
focused heavily on typeface.
Due to the development of larger fonts during the Industrial Revolution, posters became
a popular form of graphic art used to communicate the latest information as well as to
advertise the latest products and services.
The invention and popularity of film and television changed graphic art through the
additional aspect of motion as advertising agencies attempted to use kinetics to their
advantage.
The next major change in graphic arts came when the personal computer was invented
in the twentieth century. Powerful computer software enables artists to manipulate images in
a much faster and simpler way than the skills of board artists prior to the 1990s. With quick
calculations, computers easily recolor, scale, rotate, and rearrange images if the programs are
known.
The scientific investigations into legibility has influenced such things as the design of
street signs. New York City is in the process of changing out all of its street signs bearing all
capital letters for replacement with signs bearing only upper and lower case letters. They
estimate that the increased legibility will facilitate way-finding and reduce crashes and
injuries significantly.
Graphic Art

The term 'graphic art' (a derivation from the German Graphik, originating
from graphikos, the Greek for drawing) commonly denotes those forms of visual expression
that depend for their effect on line and tone (disegno), not colour (colorito). The main
classical type of graphic art is drawing, which includes cartoons, caricature, comic strips
and animation, as well as line drawings and sketching with pencil or charcoal, and pen and
ink. Graphic art also denotes those art forms involved in printmaking, such
as etching and engraving, including drypoint. Postmodern forms include the word art of
Christopher Wool (b.1955) - characterized by monumental black stencilled letters arranged on
a geometric grid - and the conceptual graphic art of Barbara Kruger (b.1945).

A form of fine arts that includes drawings and printed works of art (for example, engrav
ings and lithographs), which are based on the art of drawing but have their own representation
al means and expressive possibilities.
The term “graphic art” was originally applied only to writing and calligraphy. It acquire
d a new meaning at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century in connection wi
th the rapid development of printing and the widespread use of calligraphically clear, contrasti
ng line drawing, which was extremely well suited to photomechanical reproduction in books a
nd magazines. Graphic art then became defined as an art form based on lines or as the art of b
lack and white. This concept was later expanded. In addition to the contour line, graphic art m
akes use of the stroke and the spot, which also contrast with the white (more rarely, colored or 
black) surface of the paper, the main material of graphic art. Tonal nuances can be created by 
combining these means. The use of color is not excluded.
The most general distinguishing characteristic of graphic art is the special relationship o
f the object being drawn to space, which is primarily represented by the paper background
—“the air of the white sheet.” in the words of V. A. Favorskii. a Soviet master of graphic arts. 
The sense of space is not created only by the sections of the paper not covered by the design. 
Often (for example, in watercolor drawings), it is created by the background of the paper that 
is visible through the layer of color. Because of the flatness of the sheet of paper, the graphic i
mage is. to some extent, flat. Graphic art is not as well equipped as painting to create the spati
al illusions of the real world: nevertheless, it is able to vary the degree of space and flatness w
ith great freedom and flexibility.
A graphic artist may produce works distinguished by careful volume and spatial constru
ction, narrative interest, detailed study of nature, and exposure of the structure of the object. H
owever, he may also limit himself to a cursory impression and a conventional delineation of t
he object—an allusion to it, which addresses the viewer’s imagination. In such works the unfi
nished, terse quality is one of the chief means of expression. Depth of imagery in graphic arts 
is often attained by economy and concentration of artistic means and use of graphic metaphor
s, suggesting a comparison between graphic art and poetry. Thus, in graphic art, in addition to 
finished compositions, sketches from nature and impressions of paintings, sculpture, and archi
tecture have value (the drawings of Michelangelo and L. Bernini in Italy. Rembrandt in Holla
nd, V. I. Bazhenov in Russia, and A. Rodin in France).
The capacity of the graphic arts for a harsh sharpening of images resulted in the widesp
read development of black and white satirical and grotesque works (the etchings of Goya in S
pain, the lithographs of Daumier in France, and the drawings of G. Grosz in Germany and of 
Kukryniksy in the USSR). An active role is played in graphic arts by the texture of the materi
als used and the specific characteristics of graphic techniques and methods. A special place is 
occupied by nonrepresentational elements—purely decorative motifs, ornamental design, and 
the text, which represents the system of graphic signs.
The graphic arts have a very broad range of functions, types, genres, and artistic means. 
Taken together, they offer unlimited possibilities for the representation and figurative interpre
tation of the world and the expression of the feelings and thoughts of the artist. The viewers’ c
ontacts with graphic art works also vary—from the mass impact of the poster to the intimate r
esponse to the sketch, illustration, or miniature, which require close scrutiny. Important prope
rties of graphic art are that it can be used for a quick response to topical events, it is easily rep
roduced, and it can be used to reveal a concept consistently in a number of pictures (the series 
of engravings by the Englishman W. Hogarth, the Belgian F. Masereel, and the Soviet graphic 
artists I. I. Nivinskii, A. I. Kravehenko, and V. I. Kasian. lithographs by A. F. Pakhomov. and 
drawings by B. I. Prorokov, E. A. Kibrik, and D. A. Shamarinov). These qualities of graphic a
rt were extensively used in black and white works devoted to political agitation and satire, wh
ose stormy development coincides with the dates of great historical events (the fliers of the Pe
asant War of 1524–26 in Germany, the engravings of the Great French Revolution, the cheap 
popular prints of the Patriotic War of 1812, the posters of the Civil War and Great Patriotic W
ar). In the 20th century the graphic arts developed as a democratic, socially resonant art form 
addressed to mass viewers. At the same time, there has been a tendency toward individualistic 
aestheticism and narrowly formal, technical experiments in graphic arts.
In terms of technique, the graphic arts are divided into drawing and prints. The most an
cient and traditional form of graphic art is drawing, whose origins can be seen in prehistoric r
ock paintings and writing on ancient vases, in which lines and silhouettes form the basis of th
e design. Drawing has many of the same aims as painting, and the barriers between them are 
merely formal: watercolor, gouache, pastels, and tempera may be used to create works that ha
ve the quality and style of graphic works and paintings. Drawings are similar to paintings in t
heir uniqueness: prints—engravings and lithographs—can be reproduced in many equally val
uable copies. Engraving has been known since the sixth and seventh centuries in China and si
nce the 14th and 15th centuries in Europe. Lithography developed only in the 19th century. Pr
ior to the development of photomechanical methods of reproduction, printing was used to repr
oduce paintings and drawings.
Black and white works are classified as easel, book, and newspaper and magazine art, a
pplied graphic art. and poster art. Easel graphic works became widespread chiefly after the Re
naissance. For a long time this form of graphic art addressed itself to traditional genres of the 
fine arts—thematic compositions (engravings by A. Dürer in Germany, J. Callot in France, R
embrandt in Holland, and K. Kollwitz in Germany, lithographs by E. Delacroix and T. Steinle
n in France, and drawings by I. E. Repin and V. A. Serov in Russia) and portraiture (drawings 
by F. Clouet and D. Ingres in France and O. A. Kiprenskii. engravings by N. I. Utkin in Russi
a, and lithographs by G. S. Vereiskii in the USSR). Graphic works were also devoted to the tr
aditional genres of the landscape (engravings by the Japanese artist Hokusai and the Soviet art
ist A. P. Ostroumova-Lebedeva and drawings by P. V. Miturich and N. N. Kupreianov) and st
ill life (drawings by M. A. Vrubel’ in Russia and H. Matisse in France and engravings by D. I
. Mitrokhin in the USSR). Because of the ease with which they can be reproduced and purcha
sed, as well as their decorative qualities, which stem from the materials used (wood, metal, or 
linoleum in engraving and stone in lithography), prints are widely used in modern interior dec
oration. Specific mass-produced types of graphic art are cheap popular prints and cartoons tha
t appear in newspapers and magazines.
One of the principal fields in which the graphic arts are applied is book publishing. The 
history of drawing is in many ways connected with ancient and medieval manuscripts, and the 
development of engraving and lithography is associated with book printing. The script that ap
peared in ancient times was also related to the graphic arts, insofar as letters are also graphic s
ymbols. In books the graphic arts include illustrations, which help interpret the literary work, 
the type design, and the overall structure and design of the book. (Those involved in the graph
ic arts in book publishing include W. Morris of England. V. A. Favorskii, E. E. Lansere, V. V.
Lebedev.S. M. Pozharskii. and S. B. Telingater of the USSR, and W. Klemke of the German 
Democratic Republic.) A relatively new branch of the graphic arts is the poster, which develo
ped in its modern form in the 19th century as a method of commercial and theatrical advertisi
ng (playbills by J. Cheret and A. Toulouse-Lautrec), and later as an instrument of political agi
tation (posters by D. S. Moor, V. V. Mayakovsky. and A. A. Deineka in the USSR and T. Tre
p-kowski in Poland). In addition to drawing, posters make use of photomontage, which is also 
used in books and magazines (the works of J. Heartfield in Germany and G. G. Klutsis in the 
USSR).
Applied graphic arts, including industrial arts (for example, works by L. M. Lisitskii an
d A. M. Rodchenko of the USSR), have a broad range of functions and introduce artistic princ
iples into the designing of utilitarian objects, including postage stamps, bookplates, trademark
s, and labels. The ties between the graphic arts and modern life and the possibilities inherent i
n the development of printing are creating the conditions for new kinds of graphic arts.

Although always a type of visual art, graphic artworks can also (depending on the
application) be classified as applied art (if design-oriented), or fine art (if stand-alone).
Careers:
 One of the most common career paths for a graphic artist today is web design. With
the popularity of the World Wide Web, the demand for web designers is huge. Graphic artists
use their creativity with layouts, typography, and logos to market the products or services of
the client's business. In addition to creating graphical designs, graphic artists also need to
understand hypertext, web programming, and web page maintenance to successfully create a
web page. The responsibility for effective communication also falls under the auspices of the
graphic designer.

Example of Graphic Art

Calligraphic Art

The supreme type of graphic art is surely calligraphy, the art of stylized writing,
originating in the Far East.

The two great forms of calligraphic art derive from the Arabic and Oriental languages
(Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean), although the art has been consistently practised
in the languages of India, Tibet, Persia, Latin and others.

Abstract Designs

Another exemplar of decorative graphics is Celtic style designwork. This derives from
the Ancient Celts, and from Hiberno-Saxon Insular art. Its curvilinear motifs had a strong
influence on the development of modern styles of artistic design like Art Nouveau.

Illustration

Another form of graphic art is simple illustration, involving black and white drawings
or sketches which explain a piece of text, although a better example of textual graphic work is
monochromatic illumination - the art of embellishing text through the use of complex
typographical and alphabetical symbols.

Poster Design

Peaking during France's Belle Epoque (1890s), poster art was made possible by Jules

Cheret (1836-1932) and his invention of his "three stone lithographic process", and
popularized by the Post-Impressionist Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), the Czech
artist Alfonse Mucha (1860-1939), and a number of decorative artists and designers including
Theophile Steinlen (1859-1923), Eugene Grasset (1845-1917), Albert Guillaume (1873-
1942), Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947), Edouard Vuillard (1868-1940), Leonetto
Cappiello (1875-1942), Lucian Bernhard, William Bradley and Edward Penfield. For more
information, see: History of Poster Art.

Computer Graphics

In the era of postmodernist art, the term 'graphics' has come to denote computer-
generated imagery, as used for example on television in the form of expository diagrams, in
commercial printing and on the Internet. It is what used to be called commercial art, and is not
confined to black and white works. In this commercial sense, graphic artists inhabit an area
close to graphic design, as practised in areas of applied art such as textiles, wallpapers, tiles
and so on. For the latest exponents of graphic art, please see: Top Contemporary Artists.
 8 types of graphic design

Graphic design uses visual compositions to solve problems and communicate ideas
through typography, imagery, color and form. There’s no one way to do that, and that’s why
there are several types of graphic design, each with their own area of specialization.

Though they often overlap, each type of graphic design requires specific set of skills
and design techniques. Many designers specialize in a single type; others focus on a set of
related, similar types. But because the industry is constantly changing, designers must be
adaptable and lifelong learners so they can change or add specializations throughout their
careers.

Whether you are an aspiring designer or seeking design services for your business,
understanding the eight types of graphic design will help you find the right skills for the job.

1. Visual identity graphic design

A brand is a relationship between a business or organization and its audience.

A brand identity is how the organization communicates its personality, tone and essence, as
well as memories, emotions and experiences. Visual identity graphic design is exactly that:
the visual elements of brand identity that act as the face of a brand to communicate those
intangible qualities through images, shapes and color.

Designers that specialize in visual identity graphic design collaborate with brand
stakeholders to create assets like logos, typography, color palettes and image libraries that
represent a brand’s personality. In addition to the standard business cards and corporate
stationary, designers often develop a set of visual brand guidelines (style guides) that describe
best practices and provide examples of visual branding applied across various media. These
guidelines help to ensure brand consistency throughout future applications.

Visual identity design is one of the most common types of design. Visual identity
graphic designers must possess a general knowledge of all types of graphic design in order to
create design elements that are suitable across all visual media. They also need excellent
communication, conceptual and creative skills, and a passion for researching industries,
organizations, trends and competitors.

2. Marketing & advertising graphic design

When most people think of graphic design, they think of designs created for marketing
and advertising.

Companies depend on successful marketing efforts to tap into their target audience’s
decision-making process. Great marketing engages people based on the wants, needs,
awareness and satisfaction they have about a product, service or brand. Since people will
always find visual content more engaging, graphic design helps organizations promote
and communicate more effectively. 

Marketing designers work with company owners, directors, managers or marketing

professionals to create assets for marketing strategies. They might work alone or as part of an
in-house or creative team. Designers can specialize in a specific type of media (vehicle wraps
or magazine ads, for example) or create a broad assortment of collateral for print, digital, and
beyond. While traditionally print-centered,this type of design has grown to include more
digital assets, especially for use in content marketing and digital advertising.
 Examples of marketing graphic design

 Postcards and flyers

 Magazine and newspaper ads

 Posters, banners and billboards

 Infographics

 Brochures (print and digital)

 Vehicle wraps

 Signage and trade show displays

 Email marketing templates

 PowerPoint presentations

 Menus

 Social media ads, banners and graphics

 Banner and retargeting ads

 Images for websites and blogs

Marketing designers need excellent communication, problem-solving and time

management skills. In addition to being proficient in several graphic design, layout and
presentation apps, they must also be familiar with production for print and online
environments. Entry-level positions in this area are a great way for new designers to learn
processes and acquire valuable skills and experience.

3. User interface graphic design

A user interface (UI) is how a user interacts with a device or application. UI design is
the process of designing interfaces to make them easy to use and provide a user-friendly
experience.

A UI includes all of the things a user interacts with—the screen, keyboard and mouse—
but in the context of graphic design, UI design focuses on the user’s visual experience and the
design of on-screen graphic elements like buttons, menus, micro-interactions, and more. It’s a
UI designer’s job to balance aesthetic appeal with technical functionality.

UI designers specialize in desktop apps, mobile apps, web apps and games. They work
closely with UX (user experience) designers (who determine how the app works) and UI
developers (who write code to make it work).

Examples of user interface graphic design

 Web page design

 Theme design (WordPress, Shopify, etc.)

 Game interfaces

 App design

Graphic design uses visual compositions to solve problems and communicate ideas
through typography, imagery, color and form. There’s no one way to do that, and that’s why
there are several types of graphic design, each with their own area of specialization.

Though they often overlap, each type of graphic design requires specific set of skills
and design techniques. Many designers specialize in a single type; others focus on a set of
related, similar types. But because the industry is constantly changing, designers must be
adaptable and lifelong learners so they can change or add specializations throughout their
careers.

Whether you are an aspiring designer or seeking design services for your business,
understanding the eight types of graphic design will help you find the right skills for the job.

4. Publication graphic design

Publications are long-form pieces that communicate with an audience through public
distribution. They have traditionally been a print medium. Publication design is a classic type
of design—think books, newspapers, magazines and catalogs. However, there’s recently been
a significant rise in digital publishing.

Graphic designers that specialize in publications work with editors and publishers to
create layouts with carefully selected typography and accompanying artwork, which includes
photography, graphics and illustrations. Publication designers may work as freelancers, as
creative agency members or in-house as part of a publishing company.

Examples of publication graphic design

 Books

 Newspapers

 Newsletters

 Directories

 Annual reports

 Magazines

 Catalogs

Publication designers must possess excellent communication, layout and organizational

skills. In addition to graphic design expertise, they need to understand color management,
printing and digital publishing.
 5. Packaging graphic design

Most products require some form of packaging to protect and prepare them for storage,
distribution, and sale. But packaging design can also communicate directly to consumers,
which makes it an extremely valuable marketing tool. Every box, bottle and bag, every can,
container, or canister is a chance tell the story of a brand.

Packaging designers create concepts, develop mockups and create the print-ready files
for a product. This requires expert knowledge of print processes and a keen understanding of
industrial design and manufacturing. Because packaging design touches so many disciplines,
it’s not uncommon for designers to find themselves creating other assets for a product such as
photography, illustrations and visual identity.

Packaging designers may be a jack-of-all-trades or specialize in a specific type of

packaging (like labels or beverage cans) or a specific industry (like food or children’s toys).
Their work requires top-notch conceptual and problem-solving skills in addition to a strong
working knowledge of print and industrial design. They must be flexible to meet the demands
of clients, marketers and manufacturers and be aware of current trends. 

6. Motion graphic design

Simply put, motion graphics are graphics that are in motion. This can include
animation, audio, typography, imagery, video and other effects that are used in online media,
television and film. The medium’s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years as technology
improved and video content became king.

“Motion graphics designer” is a somewhat new specialty for designers. Formally

reserved for TV and film, technological advances have reduced production time and costs,
making the art form more accessible and affordable. Now, motion graphics is one of the
newest types of design and can be found across all digital platforms, which has created all
sorts of new areas and opportunities.

Examples of motion graphic design

 Title sequences and end credits

 Advertisements

 Animated logos

 Trailers

 Presentations

 Promotional videos

 Tutorial videos

 Websites

 Apps

 Video games

 Banners
 GIFs

Motion graphics designers begin by developing storyboards and then bring their
concepts to life with animation, video and traditional art. Depending on the industry, a strong
working knowledge of marketing, coding and 3D modeling can be definite assets.

7. Environmental graphic design

Environmental graphic design visually connects people to places to improve their

overall experience by making spaces more memorable, interesting, informative or easier to
navigate. Environmental design is a broad type of design, here are some examples:

Examples of environmental graphic design

 Signage

 Wall murals

 Museum exhibitions

 Office branding

 Public transportation navigation

 Retail store interiors

 Stadium branding

 Event and conference spaces

Wayfinding is a specific type of environmental graphic design that consists of strategic

signage, landmarks and visual cues that help people identify where they are and where they
need to go so they can get there without confusion.

Environmental graphic design is a multidisciplinary practice that merges graphic,

architectural, interior, landscape and industrial design. Designers collaborate with people in
any number of these fields to plan and implement their designs. Because of that, designers
typically have education and experience in both graphic design and architecture. They must
be familiar with industrial design concepts and able to read and sketch architectural plans.

Traditionally, environmental graphic design has produced static print pieces, but digital
interactive displays continue to rise in popularity as a means of creating a more engaging
experience.

8. Art and illustration for graphic design

Graphic art and illustration are often seen as being the same as graphic design, however
they’re each very different. Designers create compositions to communicate and solve
problems, graphic artists and illustrators create original artwork. Their art takes a number of
forms, from fine art to decoration to storytelling illustrations.
 Even though graphic art and illustration are not technically types of graphic design, so
much is created for commercial use within the context of graphic design that you can’t talk
about one without the others.

Examples of art and illustration for graphic design

 T-shirt design

 Graphic patterns for textiles

 Motion graphics

 Stock images

 Graphic novels

 Video games

 Websites

 Comic books

 Album art

 Book covers

 Picture books

 Infographics

 Technical illustration

 Concept art

 Graphic artists use any combination of media and techniques to create their work as they
collaborate with writers, editors, managers, marketers and art directors across all graphic design
types. They’ll often have a foundation in fine arts, animation or architecture. Overlapping skills and
apps make it possible to find graphic designers who also work as graphic artists and illustrators (and
vice versa). 

 Use the right types of graphic design for the job

 Graphic design is an ever-growing field, and the demand for specialized and skilled designers
is on the rise. When you’re looking for the right person to take on a design job, knowing the different
types of graphic design will help you identify the specialist you need.

VISUAL ARTS

The visual arts are art forms such

as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, desi
gn, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art,
and textile arts also involve aspects of visual arts as well as arts of other types. Also included
within the visual arts are the applied arts such as industrial design, graphic design, fashion
design, interior design and decorative art.
 Current usage of the term "visual arts" includes fine art as well as
the applied or decorative arts and crafts, but this was not always the case. Before the Arts and
Crafts Movement in Britain and elsewhere at the turn of the 20th century, the term 'artist' had
for some centuries often been restricted to a person working in the fine arts (such as painting,
sculpture, or printmaking) and not the decorative arts, craft, or applied Visual arts media. The
distinction was emphasized by artists of the Arts and Crafts Movement, who valued
vernacular art forms as much as high forms. Art schools made a distinction between the fine
arts and the crafts, maintaining that a craftsperson could not be considered a practitioner of
the arts.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. Museums constitute a primary forum

for the display of visual arts.
The increasing tendency to privilege painting, and to a lesser degree sculpture, above
other arts has been a feature of Western art as well as East Asian art. In both regions painting
has been seen as relying to the highest degree on the imagination of the artist, and the furthest
removed from manual labour – in Chinese painting the most highly valued styles were those
of "scholar-painting", at least in theory practiced by gentleman amateurs. The
Western hierarchy of genres reflected similar attitudes.

Drawing
Drawing is a means of making an image, illustration or graphic using any of a wide
variety of tools and techniques available online and offline. It generally involves making
marks on a surface by applying pressure from a tool, or moving a tool across a surface using
dry media such as graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color
pencils, crayons, charcoals, pastels, and markers. Digital tools, including pens, stylus, Apple
pencil that simulate the effects of these are also used. The main techniques used in drawing
are: line drawing, hatching, crosshatching, random hatching, scribbling, stippling, and
blending. An artist who excels in drawing is referred to as a draftsman or draughtsman.
Drawing and painting goes back tens of thousands of years. Art of the Upper
Paleolithic includes figurative art beginning between about 40,000 to 35,000 years ago. Non-
figurative cave paintings consisting of hand stencils and simple geometric shapes are even
older. Paleolithic cave representations of animals are found in areas such as Lascaux,
France and Altamira, Spain in Europe, Maros, Sulawesi in Asia, and Gabarnmung, Australia.
In ancient Egypt, ink drawings on papyrus, often depicting people, were used as models
for painting or sculpture. Drawings on Greek vases, initially geometric, later developed to the
human form with black-figure pottery during the 7th century BC.
With paper becoming common in Europe by the 15th century, drawing was adopted by
masters such as Sandro Botticelli, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci who
sometimes treated drawing as an art in its own right rather than a preparatory stage for
painting or sculpture.

Painting
 Mosaic of Battle of Issus
Main article: Painting

Nefertari with Isis
Painting taken literally is the practice of applying pigment suspended in a carrier
(or medium) and a binding agent (a glue) to a surface (support) such as paper, canvas or a
wall. However, when used in an artistic sense it means the use of this activity in combination
with drawing, composition, or other aesthetic considerations in order to manifest the
expressive and conceptual intention of the practitioner. Painting is also used to express
spiritual motifs and ideas; sites of this kind of painting range from artwork depicting
mythological figures on pottery to The Sistine Chapel to the human body itself.
Origins and early history
Main article: History of painting
Like drawing, painting has its documented origins in caves and on rock faces. The
finest examples, believed by some to be 32,000 years old, are in
the Chauvet and Lascaux caves in southern France. In shades of red, brown, yellow and black,
the paintings on the walls and ceilings are of bison, cattle, horses and deer.
 Raphael: Spasimo (1514–1516)
Paintings of human figures can be found in the tombs of ancient Egypt. In the great
temple of Ramses II, Nefertari, his queen, is depicted being led by Isis.[11] The Greeks
contributed to painting but much of their work has been lost. One of the best remaining
representations are the Hellenistic Fayum mummy portraits. Another example is mosaic of
the Battle of Issus at Pompeii, which was probably based on a Greek painting. Greek and
Roman art contributed to Byzantine art in the 4th century BC, which initiated a tradition in
icon painting.[12]
The Renaissance
Main article: Italian Renaissance painting
Apart from the illuminated manuscripts produced by monks during the Middle Ages,
the next significant contribution to European art was from Italy's renaissance painters.
From Giotto in the 13th century to Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael at the beginning of the
16th century, this was the richest period in Italian art as the chiaroscuro techniques were used
to create the illusion of 3-D space.[13]

Rembrandt: The Night Watch, 1642

Painters in northern Europe too were influenced by the Italian school. Jan van
Eyck from Belgium, Pieter Bruegel the Elder from the Netherlands and Hans Holbein the
Younger from Germany are among the most successful painters of the times. They used
the glazing technique with oils to achieve depth and luminosity.

Claude Monet: Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe (1866)

Dutch masters
Main article: Dutch Golden Age painting
The 17th century witnessed the emergence of the great Dutch masters such as the
versatile Rembrandt who was especially remembered for his portraits and Bible scenes,
and Vermeer who specialized in interior scenes of Dutch life.
 Baroque
Main article: Baroque
The Baroque started after the Renaissance, from the late 16th century to the late 17th
century. Main artists of the Baroque included Caravaggio, who made heavy use
of tenebrism. Peter Paul Rubens, a Flemish painter who studied in Italy, worked for local
churches in Antwerp and also painted a series for Marie de' Medici. Annibale Carracci took
influences from the Sistine Chapel and created the genre of illusionistic ceiling painting.
Much of the development that happened in the Baroque was because of the Protestant
Reformation and the resulting Counter Reformation. Much of what defines the Baroque is
dramatic lighting and overall visuals.
Impressionism
Main article: Impressionism
Impressionism began in France in the 19th century with a loose association of artists
including Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne who brought a new freely
brushed style to painting, often choosing to paint realistic scenes of modern life outside rather
than in the studio. This was achieved through a new expression of aesthetic features
demonstrated by brush strokes and the impression of reality. They achieved intense colour
vibration by using pure, unmixed colours and short brush strokes. The movement influenced
art as a dynamic, moving through time and adjusting to new found techniques and perception
of art. Attention to detail became less of a priority in achieving, whilst exploring a biased
view of landscapes and nature to the artists eye.

Paul Gauguin: The Vision After the Sermon (1888)

Edvard Munch: The Scream (1893)

Post-impressionism
Main article: Post-Impressionism
Towards the end of the 19th century, several young painters took impressionism a stage
further, using geometric forms and unnatural colour to depict emotions while striving for
deeper symbolism. Of particular note are Paul Gauguin, who was strongly influenced by
Asian, African and Japanese art, Vincent van Gogh, a Dutchman who moved to France where
he drew on the strong sunlight of the south, and Toulouse-Lautrec, remembered for his vivid
paintings of night life in the Paris district of Montmartre.
Symbolism, expressionism and cubism
Main article: Modern art
Edvard Munch, a Norwegian artist, developed his symbolistic approach at the end of
the 19th century, inspired by the French impressionist Manet. The Scream (1893), his most
famous work, is widely interpreted as representing the universal anxiety of modern man.
Partly as a result of Munch's influence, the German expressionist movement originated in
Germany at the beginning of the 20th century as artists such as Ernst Kirschner and Erich
Heckel began to distort reality for an emotional effect.
In parallel, the style known as cubism developed in France as artists focused on the
volume and space of sharp structures within a composition. Pablo Picasso and Georges
Braque were the leading proponents of the movement. Objects are broken up, analyzed, and
re-assembled in an abstracted form. By the 1920s, the style had developed into surrealism
with Dali and Magritte.

Printmaking

Ancient Chinese engraving of female instrumentalists

Main article: Printmaking
Printmaking is creating, for artistic purposes, an image on a matrix that is then
transferred to a two-dimensional (flat) surface by means of ink (or another form of
pigmentation). Except in the case of a monotype, the same matrix can be used to produce
many examples of the print.

Albrecht Dürer: Melancholia I (1541)

Print Making (screen printing and digital printing)
 Also, printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper.
Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints that have an element of
originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the
case of monotyping, the process is capable of producing multiples of the same piece, which is
called a print. Each print produced is considered an "original" work of art, and is correctly
referred to as an "impression", not a "copy" (that means a different print copying the first,
common in early printmaking). Often impressions vary considerably, whether intentionally or
not. The images on most prints are created for that purpose, perhaps with a preparatory study
such as a drawing. A print that copies another work of art, especially a painting, is known as a
"reproductive print".
Prints are created by transferring ink from a matrix to a sheet of paper or other
material, by a variety of techniques. Common types of matrices include: metal plates, usually
copper or zinc, or polymer plates and other thicker plastic sheets for engraving or etching;
stone, aluminum, or polymer for lithography; blocks of wood for woodcuts and wood
engravings; and linoleum for linocuts. Screens made of silk or synthetic fabrics are used for
the screen printing process. Other types of matrix substrates and related processes are
discussed below.

Historically, the major techniques (also called media) involved are woodcut, line

engraving, etching, lithography, and screenprinting (serigraphy, silkscreening) but there are
many others, including modern digital techniques. Normally, the print is printed on paper, but
other mediums range from cloth and vellum to more modern materials.
Prints in the Western tradition produced before about 1830 are known as old master
prints. In Europe, from around 1400 AD woodcut, was used for master prints on paper by
using printing techniques developed in the Byzantine and Islamic worlds. Michael
Wolgemut improved German woodcut from about 1475, and Erhard Reuwich, a Dutchman,
was the first to use cross-hatching. At the end of the century Albrecht Dürer brought the
Western woodcut to a stage that has never been surpassed, increasing the status of the single-
leaf woodcut.
Chinese origin and practice

The Chinese Diamond Sutra, the world's oldest printed book (868 CE)

Main article: Woodblock printing
In China, the art of printmaking developed some 1,100 years ago as illustrations
alongside text cut in woodblocks for printing on paper. Initially images were mainly religious
but in the Song Dynasty, artists began to cut landscapes. During the Ming (1368–1644)
and Qing (1616–1911) dynasties, the technique was perfected for both religious and artistic
engravings.
 Development in Japan 1603–1867

Hokusai: Red Fuji from Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (1830–1832)

Main article: Woodblock printing in Japan
Woodblock printing in Japan (Japanese: 木 版 画 , moku hanga) is a technique best
known for its use in the ukiyo-e artistic genre; however, it was also used very widely for
printing illustrated books in the same period. Woodblock printing had been used in China for
centuries to print books, long before the advent of movable type, but was only widely adopted
in Japan during the Edo period (1603–1867). Although similar to woodcut in western
printmaking in some regards, moku hanga differs greatly in that water-based inks are used (as
opposed to western woodcut, which uses oil-based inks), allowing for a wide range of vivid
color, glazes and color transparency.

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Plastic arts is a term for art forms that involve physical manipulation of a plastic
medium by moulding or modeling such as sculpture or ceramics. The term has also been
applied to all the visual (non-literary, non-musical) arts.
Materials that can be carved or shaped, such as stone or wood, concrete or steel, have
also been included in the narrower definition, since, with appropriate tools, such materials are
also capable of modulation.[citation needed] This use of the term "plastic" in the arts should not be
confused with Piet Mondrian's use, nor with the movement he termed, in French and English,
"Neoplasticism."
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard
or plastic material, sound, or text and or light,
commonly stone (either rock or marble), clay, metal, glass, or wood. Some sculptures are
created directly by finding or carving; others are assembled, built together
and fired, welded, molded, or cast. Sculptures are often painted.[24] A person who creates
sculptures is called a sculptor.
Because sculpture involves the use of materials that can be moulded or modulated, it is
considered one of the plastic arts. The majority of public art is sculpture. Many sculptures
together in a garden setting may be referred to as a sculpture garden. Sculptors do not always
make sculptures by hand. With increasing technology in the 20th century and the popularity
of conceptual art over technical mastery, more sculptors turned to art fabricators to produce
their artworks. With fabrication, the artist creates a design and pays a fabricator to produce it.
This allows sculptors to create larger and more complex sculptures out of material like
cement, metal and plastic, that they would not be able to create by hand. Sculptures can also
be made with 3-d printing technology.

Photography
Main article: Photography
 Photography is the process of making pictures by means of the action of light. The light
patterns reflected or emitted from objects are recorded onto a sensitive medium or storage
chip through a timed exposure. The process is done through mechanical shutters or
electronically timed exposure of photons into chemical processing or digitizing devices
known as cameras.
The word comes from the Greek φως phos ("light"), and γραφις graphis ("stylus",
"paintbrush") or γραφη graphê, together meaning "drawing with light" or "representation by
means of lines" or "drawing." Traditionally, the product of photography has been called
a photograph. The term photo is an abbreviation; many people also call them pictures. In
digital photography, the term image has begun to replace photograph. (The term image is
traditional in geometric optics.)
Photography (film making and video)
Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by
recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of
a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed in many fields of science,
manufacturing (e.g., photolithography), and business, as well as its more direct uses for art,
film and video production, recreational purposes, hobby, and mass communication.
Typically, a lens is used to focus the light reflected or emitted from objects into a real
image on the light-sensitive surface inside a camera during a timed exposure. With an
electronic image sensor, this produces an electrical charge at each pixel, which
is electronically processed and stored in a digital image file for subsequent display or
processing. The result with photographic emulsion is an invisible latent image, which is later
chemically "developed" into a visible image, either negative or positive depending on the
purpose of the photographic material and the method of processing. A negative image on film
is traditionally used to photographically create a positive image on a paper base, known as
a print, either by using an enlarger or by contact printing.

Architecture
Main article: Architecture

Saint Basil's Cathedral from the Red Square in Moscow. Its prominent onion-shaped

domes, painted in bright colors, create a memorable skyline, making St. Basil's a symbol both
of Moscow and Russia as a whole.
 Tenements, by Jörg Blobelt, in Dresden (Germany). These buildings are decorated
with Neoclassical motifs, giving them elegance, balance and refinement
Architecture is the process and the product of planning, designing,
and constructing buildings or any other structures. Architectural works, in the material form
of buildings, are often perceived as cultural symbols and as works of art. Historical
civilizations are often identified with their surviving architectural achievements.
The earliest surviving written work on the subject of architecture is De architectura, by
the Roman architect Vitruvius in the early 1st century AD. According to Vitruvius, a good
building should satisfy the three principles of firmitas, utilitas, venustas, commonly known by
the original translation – firmness, commodity and delight. An equivalent in modern English
would be:

1.Durability – a building should stand up robustly and remain in good condition.

2.Utility – it should be suitable for the purposes for which it is used.
3.Beauty – it should be aesthetically pleasing.
Building first evolved out of the dynamics between needs (shelter, security, worship,
etc.) and means (available building materials and attendant skills). As human cultures
developed and knowledge began to be formalized through oral traditions and practices,
building became a craft, and "architecture" is the name given to the most highly formalized
and respected versions of that craft.

Filmmaking
Main article: Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a motion-picture, from an initial conception and
research, through scriptwriting, shooting and recording, animation or other special effects,
editing, sound and music work and finally distribution to an audience; it refers broadly to the
creation of all types of films, embracing documentary, strains of theatre and literature in film,
and poetic or experimental practices, and is often used to refer to video-based processes as
well

Computer Graphics
Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today,
computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone
and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great deal of specialized
hardware and software has been developed, with the displays of most devices being driven
by computer graphics hardware. It is a vast and recently developed area of computer science.
The phrase was coined in 1960 by computer graphics researchers Verne Hudson and William
Fetter of Boeing. It is often abbreviated as CG, or typically in the context of film as  computer
generated imagery (CGI). The non-artistic aspects of computer graphics are the subject
of computer science research.
Some topics in computer graphics include user interface design, sprite
graphics, rendering, ray tracing, geometry processing, computer animation, vector
graphics, 3D modeling, shaders, GPU design, implicit surfaces, visualization, image
processing, computational photography, scientific visualization, computational
geometry and computer vision, among others. The overall methodology depends heavily on
the underlying sciences of geometry, optics, physics, and perception.

Computer art
Main article: Computer art

Desmond Paul Henry, Picture by Drawing Machine 1, c. 1960

Visual artists are no longer limited to traditional Visual arts media. Computers have
been used as an ever more common tool in the visual arts since the 1960s. Uses include
the capturing or creating of images and forms, the editing of those images and forms
(including exploring multiple compositions) and the final rendering or printing (including 3D
printing). Computer art is any in which computers played a role in production or display.
Such art can be an image, sound, animation, video, CD-ROM, DVD, video
game, website, algorithm, performance or gallery installation. Many traditional disciplines are
now integrating digital technologies and, as a result, the lines between traditional works of art
and new media works created using computers have been blurred. For instance, an artist may
combine traditional painting with algorithmic art and other digital techniques. As a result,
defining computer art by its end product can be difficult. Nevertheless, this type of art is
beginning to appear in art museum exhibits, though it has yet to prove its legitimacy as a form
unto itself and this technology is widely seen in contemporary art more as a tool rather than a
form as with painting. On the other hand, there are computer-based artworks which belong to
a new conceptual and postdigital strand, assuming the same technologies, and their social
impact, as an object of inquiry.
Computer usage has blurred the distinctions between illustrators, photographers, photo
editors, 3-D modelers, and handicraft artists. Sophisticated rendering and editing software has
led to multi-skilled image developers. Photographers may become digital artists. Illustrators
may become animators. Handicraft may be computer-aided or use computer-generated
imagery as a template. Computer clip art usage has also made the clear distinction between
visual arts and page layout less obvious due to the easy access and editing of clip art in the
process of paginating a document, especially to the unskilled observer.
Book binding
Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book of codex format from an
ordered stack of paper sheets that are folded together into sections or sometimes left as a stack
of individual sheets. The stack (signature) is then bound together along one edge by either
sewing with thread through the folds or by a layer of flexible adhesive. Alternative methods
of binding that are cheaper but less permanent include loose-leaf rings, individual screw posts
or binding posts, twin loop spine coils, plastic spiral coils, and plastic spine combs. For
protection, the bound stack is either wrapped in a flexible cover or attached to stiff boards.
Finally, an attractive cover is adhered to the boards, including identifying information and
decoration. Book artists or specialists in book decoration can also greatly enhance a book's
content by creating book-like objects with artistic merit of exceptional quality.
Before the computer age, the bookbinding trade involved two divisions. First, there
was stationery binding (known as vellum binding in the trade) that deals with books intended
for handwritten entries such as accounting ledgers, business journals, blank books, and guest
log books, along with other general office stationery such as notebooks, manifold books, day
books, diaries and portfolios. Computers have now replaced the pen and paper based
accounting that constituted most of the stationery binding industry. Second
was letterpress binding which deals with making books intended for reading, including library
binding, fine binding, edition binding, and publisher's bindings. A third division deals with
the repair, restoration, and conservation of old used bindings.

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References:

1. Jump up to:"Graphic art." Encyclopædia Britannica. Britannica.com.

Retrieved 21 February 2016.
2.  Jump up to: "Graphic art." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 3rd ed. Ed. Ian
Chilvers. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. p. 309.
3. Mayer, Ralph (1992). "Graphic arts, or graphics." The HarperCollins
Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques. 2nd ed. Revised and edited by Steven Sheehan. New
York: Harper Perennial. p. 182.
4.  Jump up to:Meggs, Philip B. (5 March 2014). "Graphic
design". Encyclopædia Britannica. Britannica.com. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
5. Jump up to:McGuire-Lyle, Erin. Careers in the Graphic Arts and Computer
Graphics (Career Resource Library). June 2000. New York: Rosen Publishing Group, 1999.