art form

American  

noun

1. the more or less established structure, pattern, or scheme followed in shaping an artistic work.

   The sonata, the sonnet, and the novel are all art forms.

2. a medium for artistic expression.

   ballet, sculpture, opera, and other art forms.

3. a medium other than the artistic regarded as having highly developed or systematized rules, procedures, or formulations.

   international diplomacy regarded as an art form.

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art form British  

noun

1. a conventionally established form of artistic composition, such as the symphony or the sonnet

2. a recognized medium of artistic expression

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Etymology

Origin of art form

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Today, the movement known as land art continues to be a quintessential American art form—and has more to say than ever.

From The Wall Street Journal

At the ceremony, Zane, a governor on the Academy’s casting-directors branch, will be among those in attendance watching for what the first winner will signal about how the art form is judged.

From The Wall Street Journal

But a series of ill-advised comments, most recently dismissing ballet and opera as art forms that "no one cares about," have seen the 30-year-old golden boy's chances plummet.

From Barron's

Those art forms cost more to produce and can’t be widely distributed like films can, which necessitates higher price points.

From Salon

For four days each year, it transforms this college town in the middle of Missouri into a fantasy land for lovers of nonfiction cinema, the art form this festival was founded to champion.

From The Wall Street Journal