Humans have always been making all kinds of objects. We call them works, products, but not all of them are considered to be works of art. Why? Because a work of art isn't just an object. A painting isn't simply a piece of cloth with paint on it. It is something more. Art pieces cannot just be taken visually, although that is unfortunately the way most people take it. The difference between a so called craft product or even daub, trash and a work of art is quite difficult to define. It is however possible. Stanislaw Ossowski (1897 - 1963), a Polish sociologist and culture theorist stated the following: "Each original work of art creates new values, new forms and motives to the world of human perceptions." [1] This thought is indeed very valid, because every piece of art is always something new, surprising, presenting us something that we have never seen before. It widens our vision of the world by showing regions that we could never see in a different way than thanks to art. In art valuable are those things which say things in an original, unique way. The most beautiful are the rarest matters, often unique in the entire world. Paul Klee once said: "I don't paint people the way they are, but the way they could be" [2].

Why do works of art exist?

Do we need art? Why does it exist? Lew Tolstoj (1828 - 1910), a famous Russian writer and thinker once stated that: "To define art we must stop seeing her as a means of obtaining pleasure, but consider it as one of the conditions necessary to stay alive. If we see art in such a way we cannot help noticing that it is a method for people to contact each other... (..) people use art to explain each other their feelings" [3].

Art is something extremely important to artists (a true artists creates, because he cannot do otherwise) but not only to them. Is it possible to live without art? Of course! It isn't indispensable but ... it makes life richer, more interesting, it often gives life a meaning. It is possible to just live an easy, shallow life, but one can also go beyond that (the majority consideres this pointless). This is most probably the difference between an animal and a human being. Every person has the need to have constant contact with art. People, who trained their eye, as well as ones that didn't. One can only be sensitve to art when he spends a lot of time contemplating it (for example by often visiting galleries). If he does that then he as if "unintentionally" gains the ability and will to see the need for contact with art in his life.

We often don't realise that we are surrounded by art. We don't necessarily have to go to a gallery or museum to see it (although we can of course see valuable and appreciated by critics and historians works of art there). Art has always been a part of our daily lives. Simply go out on the street and you will most certainly sooner or later come across a work of art. By art we also mean architecture (many buildings have an interesting form), good posters (for example an advertisement of a movie or play), graffiti (painted walls often have a great artistic value - as long as it isn't just common vandalism), instruments used daily (furniture, utensils or even cars or salt-cellars designed by famous artists), fashion (mannequins often are dressed in real art pieces - outstanding, innovatory fashion designers are artists as well), artistic photographs in various magazines. Works of art aren't just paintings and sculptures but also many objects that we see every day.