Many laypersons and even art industry participants unify visual and fine arts into one category. Yet, there is a delicate “visual arts vs. fine arts” difference that every person engaged with art activities in this or that way should understand. Here is a guide on the differences, similarities, and notable examples that illustrate how these two aspects differ from each other.

The Scope

Fine art – be it theater, dance, sculpture, or painting – is more narrowly focused on beauty and esthetic expression. Visual art, in turn, uses a variety of mediums for different visual artistic expressions, from painting and digital art to animation and art installations.

The Purpose

While fine art is exclusively focused on the aesthetic and artistic value of the artwork, visual art is more encompassing in terms of purposes and use cases. Therefore, some objects of visual arts may serve aesthetic and practice purposes at the same time. This way, fine art is often used synonymously with high art, while visual art may also belong to the areas of interior décor, fashion design, and commercial photography.

Professional Training

Creatives who plan to pursue a career in fine arts usually enroll in classical art courses and programs that presuppose mastering art techniques in studios. These include painting and sculpture, along with other art practices. A career in visual arts is open to students from both arts programs and other specialties, including technology-based courses, such as video production and multimedia technologies.

Visual Arts vs. Fine Arts: Notable Examples

To illustrate the distinction between fine arts and visual arts, we have compiled a set of examples.

• Fine arts: paintings on canvas and other surfaces, three-dimensional works (e.g., sculpture and installations), music, theater performances, dance, and literary works.
• Visual arts: paintings on canvas and other surfaces, three-dimensional artworks (e.g., sculpture and installations), prints, collages, digital art items, calligraphy works, animation products, and mixed-media art.

As you can see, some examples overlap to illustrate that these two art terms are highly related. Yet, some of them differ, showing that not all visual artworks can be regarded as fine art, though there can always be exceptions.

Hopefully, this illustration of the “visual arts vs. fine arts” difference will help you experience less confusion about these two art terms. Use this guide to navigate your journey through the diverse forms of artistic expression.