In a broad sense, art is skill in making or doing. The word art is used in more specialized way. Activities such as painting a picture, writing and composing music are often called fine arts.

Human beings are makers of many things and they make them for many purposes. Some creations serve obvious practical needs. For example, people have always needed tools for cutting, digging, killing and eating. But people also seem to have felt too less obvious purposes. First, they want to make something that is worth looking at or worth hearing. Second, people want to make an object that will remind other people of certain memorable things.

People who love music, who can lose themselves in books, or who can spend hours painting a picture of a mountain know deep satisfaction that can be found in art. But works of art are of higher value in our lives.

A fine piece of music, a masterpiece of painting or a first rate play has the power to capture and hold our fullest and most concentrated attention. We are completely wrapped up in it, and everything works out right. When we enjoy the arts, we perceive harmony in the object and feel harmony within ourselves. When the aesthetic experience has ended, we often feel uplifted and refreshed. Our eyes and ears or our insights into other persons may be sharpened and refined. We may feel more at home with ourselves. Works of arts have value for us in some such way as this.