Artist

In the visual arts, the applied arts, the performing arts, literature and music, artists today are people who are creatively active and produce artistic products known as works or works of art. The sum of all the works of an artist is referred to as his or her oeuvre.

In the context of German intellectual history, however, being an artist is more than just a profession. For Goethe and Schiller, the artist was the epitome of an educated person. This philosophical conception runs as a thread from the Classical period to Wilhelm von Humboldt, to Thomas Mann and many others. The general social reduction of the comprehensive concept of the artist as a creative, educated individual of the art of living to the sole occupational title did not take place until the 20th century.

The demarcation of artistic activity from craft and artisanry is fluid. The degree of originality of an artistic idea, design, execution or representation can be decisive. Likewise, the borderline to "useful" technique cannot always be clearly determined.