Defining Genre

The base word for genre is general. Genre thus is a general group opinion used to categorize and define specific types of art. The purpose of genre is to group art together and keep it separate for aesthetic purposes such as, time period, culture, or art movement. Who defines genre is a very good question and probably not one person has been the sole creator of the purpose genre has. A specific artist could, by accident of repetition or style or subject create a genre in the "art scene". When artists in the dark ages or even before that were creating art they were making their work like everyone else's because there was no way else to do it. Nowadays art is much more open to interpretation. Genre was created so people could feel like they understood the artists work. Art is categorized into different genres for business purposes as well. Think, if there were no generes then how would the art galleries put on shows or move art with all the countless number of peices. After all professional artists don't do their work for free. When there is a specific type of art or scheme it is easier to display the art and then sell it. Sometimes art becomes trapped in a genre (like Andy Warhol's pop art) and it is hard for the artist to escape and move on. Art has to many dimensions to have genres, all the socialites or art conasouers who define art can only try and put peices together that mesh and look similar.