An Open Secret – Internet Art
Art is a broad spectrum of human activities involving physical creativity, aesthetic beauty, verbal creativity, technical skill, artistic ability, or emotional power to express unique personal concepts. The word ‘art’ is derived from the Greek word ‘aktor’ and refers to the visual arts. The visual arts include painting, drawing, architecture, jewelry, photography, and dance. Creative skills in any of these areas can be used to create original visual presentations. They are also collectively referred to as ‘arts’.
Today, people from all walks of life enjoy some form of art. Children and adults have been sharing their thoughts for centuries by the use of art forms such as painting, drawing, architecture, jewelry, photography, and dance. The visual arts encompass a vast field of human experience. These diversified efforts have produced works of extraordinary quality, which are seen around the world in museums, galleries, and private collections around the globe.
Art continues to develop as an important medium for communicating and expressing societal needs. The explosion of the Internet has increased access to online art galleries and exhibits. These websites allow for the unlimited sharing of artists’ work and allow users to contribute to the artistic process by viewing and commenting on other users’ works.
In recent years, online art has become a prominent feature on social networking sites. Blogs, micro-blogging sites, and online forums are all popular venues for sharing creative works of others. Online art is particularly influential in the visual arts because it allows artists to showcase new works on a much larger scale than would be possible without the assistance of a digital camera or a printer. Artists may choose to sell their work directly to the general public, exhibit their work in various galleries and public settings, or perform public speaking events to share their art with the public.
One of the most common types of art that is shared online is image blogging, also referred to as web graffiti. This type of art involves someone concealing an original photograph or graphic within a piece of online art. The “art” is typically not viewed directly; instead, a viewer who becomes aware of the presence of the “scratched out” artwork will be able to comment on the work via text.
New media technologies such as the Internet, camera phones, and the ability to share images on the Internet have created a massive expansion of possibilities for artists. The ability to upload art directly onto the Internet opens up endless new arenas for artists to display their work. As more artists gain exposure through Internet exhibitions and websites, the possibilities for new art expressions are only limited by the artist’s imagination. Artistic expression is the only true measure of a musician’s talents and this ability is very much necessary if the artist wishes to create meaningful and unique music pieces.