Arts. The arts refers to the theory and physical expression of creativity found in human cultures and societies. Major constituents of the arts include literature, performing arts, and visual arts. Some art forms combine a visual element with performance or artwork with the written word. From prehistoric cave paintings to modern day films, art serves as a vessel for storytelling and conveying humankind's relationship with the environment. In its most basic abstract definition, art is a documented expression of a sentient being through or on an accessible medium so that anyone can view, hear or experience it. The act itself of producing an expression can also be referred to as a certain art, or as art in general. If this solidified expression, or the act of producing it, is good or has value depends on those who access and rate it and this public rating is dependent on various subjective factors. Merriam-Webster defines the arts as painting, sculpture, music, theatre, literature, etc., considered as a group of activities done by people with skill and imagination. Similarly, the United States Congress, in the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act, defined the arts as follows: The term the arts includes, but is not limited to, music, dance, drama, folk art, creative writing, architecture and allied fields, painting, sculpture, photography, graphic and craft arts, industrial design, costume and fashion design, motion pictures, television, radio, film, video, tape and sound recording, the arts related to the presentation, performance, execution, and exhibition of such major art forms, all those traditional arts practiced by the diverse peoples of this country. and the study and application of the arts to the human environment. Main article: History of art In Ancient Greece, all art and craft was referred to by the same word, techne. Thus, there was no distinction among the arts. Ancient Greek art brought the veneration of the animal form and the development of equivalent skills to show musculature, poise, beauty, and anatomically correct proportions. Ancient Roman art depicted gods as idealized humans, shown with characteristic distinguishing features. In Byzantine and Gothic art of the Middle Ages, the dominance of the church insisted on the expression of biblical truths. Eastern art has generally worked in a style akin to Western medieval art, namely a concentration on surface patterning and local colour. A characteristic of this style is that the local colour is often defined by an outline. This is evident in, for example, the art of India, Tibet and Japan. Religious Islamic art forbids iconography, and instead expresses religious ideas through geometry. Classifications In the Middle Ages, the Artes Liberales were taught in universities as part of the Trivium, an introductory curriculum involving grammar, rhetoric, and logic, and of the Quadrivium, a curriculum involving the mathematical arts of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. The Artes Mechanicae were practised and developed in guild environments. The modern distinction between artistic and non-artistic skills did not develop until the Renaissance. In modern academia, the arts are usually grouped with or as a subset of the humanities. Some subjects in the humanities are history, linguistics, literature, theology, philosophy, and logic. The arts have also been classified as seven: painting, architecture, sculpture, literature, music, performing and cinema.Some view literature, painting, sculpture, and music as the main four arts, of which the others are derivative; drama is literature with acting, dance is music expressed through motion, and song is music with literature and voice. Main articles: Visual art and Fine art Further information: Plastic arts and Work of art Main article: Architecture Architecture is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. The word architecture comes from the Greek arkhitekton, master builder, director of works, from-chief + builder, carpenter. A wider definition would include the design of the built environment, from the macrolevel of town planning, urban design, and landscape architecture to the microlevel of creating furniture. Architectural design usually must address both feasibility and cost for the builder, as well as function and aesthetics for the user.