In European academic traditions, fine art is all about the aesthetics and creative expression. It’s different from decorative art or applied art, which has a practical purpose like pottery or metalwork. Back in the Italian Renaissance, they believed that the best art was the one that let the artist’s imagination run wild, without worrying about practical stuff like making a teapot. They also thought it was important that one person did the whole artwork without dividing the work among different skilled individuals, like with furniture-making.

The main fine arts used to be painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and poetry. They also included other arts like theatre and dance, which were considered ancient and universal. But nowadays, the term “fine arts” is mostly used for visual arts. Things like film, photography, and video production/editing are also considered fine arts nowadays, along with traditional stuff like pottery and glass-making.

One definition of fine art is that it’s visual art created for aesthetic and intellectual purposes. It’s judged for its beauty and meaning. It includes things like painting, sculpture, drawing, watercolour, graphics, and architecture. This is different from decorative or applied arts, which cover similar things. Basically, people with good taste appreciate fine art, while popular art and entertainment are for everyone.

The word “fine” doesn’t necessarily mean the quality of the artwork. It refers to the pure discipline according to traditional Western European standards. Originally, it didn’t include the practical applied or decorative arts, and crafts were seen as separate. But nowadays, these distinctions don’t really matter. What matters is the artist’s intention, no matter how they express it.

The term “fine arts” is mostly used for Western art from the Renaissance onward, but similar genre distinctions can apply to art from other cultures, especially East Asia. They sometimes call the “fine arts” the “major arts,” while the decorative arts are the “minor arts.” This is more common for medieval and ancient art.