The Functions and Meanings of Art

Why do people make art? The answers are as varied as human societies, and understanding the many purposes art can serve is a key part of studying visual arts in context. This lesson examines the major functions of art and the ways meaning is created and received.

The major functions of art

Art has served a remarkable range of purposes across history and cultures. Religious and spiritual functions include images for worship, meditation, and the marking of sacred space. Commemorative functions preserve the memory of people and events, as in portraits, monuments, and memorials. Political and social functions assert power, promote ideologies, protest injustice, or build identity; art can flatter rulers or challenge them. Didactic functions teach or inform, as in works that illustrate stories o