Sining Prelude Video
Since the birth of civilization, man had purposefully arranged elements into newer things that could interact with the most significant hallmark of man -- the soul. The innate aesthetic sense of man is the primary cause in the creation of art, and since man has walked this planet for over half a hundred millenia, as our scientists say, art created by man has also been around for that much time. However, it seems that such a long period of time still isn't enough for man to clearly grasp the entirety of its meaning. Many great minds, though, tried to develop theories about its essence.
Plato says that art is a strong shaper of the character. From this, art can be seen as one of the instigators of human actions, and as one of the many aspects that affect our consciousness. Leo Tolstoy reinforces this idea by stating that art is a method of communication serving as the medium between the artist and the viewer.
However, other men support the idea that the aesthetic beauty which art possesses is sufficient in itself in affecting the soul.
Now, the modern meaning of art encompasses its nature as a thing that affects man. We may have reached a general agreement on parts of its nature, but we have only unlocked the mystery of its existence as we have unlocked the mystery of our own existence -- we know almost none of it.