An artist is someone who creates work with the goal of creating a work of art. They create with the goal of expression, not genre. Artists often work with musicians to create works of art that evoke emotions and describe the sounds in their heads. These artists often use unconventional instruments, unusual timbres, and other creative means to achieve their goals. A typical artist’s work may be influenced by pop culture, science, or history, and can be both abstract and figurative.

Kristeller’s 1951 list of five arts was arbitrary. In reality, no two art forms share the same characteristics, and these list of five overlaps. This list does not take into account that the number of art forms has increased substantially since the eighteenth century. Thus, Kristeller’s 1951 work might suggest that the definition of art in the modern world differs from the definition of art in the eighteenth century. Hence, it is difficult to say whether art should be reduced to a single definition, or to a broader category.

The term “artist” was originally used to describe a person who excelled in the arts. Over time, it referred to people who were proficient in human craftsmanship and visual arts. In fact, the word “artist” was even used to describe someone who performed a craft better than the average person. However, as time progressed, the word became more generalized to include people who were skilled in all sorts of artistic fields, including painting, drawing, music, and photography.