Whitechapel Gallery, London, U.K.; photo courtesy of www.whitechapelgallery.org

Studying Fine Art means you are learning how to hone your skills in creating visual art – you get to learn not only how to apply yourself to your medium and acquire inspiration, but also about the historical side of art and the discussions surrounding the practical and philosophical rationales of art through the ages.

Fine Art includes not only drawing and painting, but also visual productions such as the use of video and film, as well as performance and studio presentation.


In the U.S., a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts implies a more general study – and will also contain a general liberal arts component, as well as a component for performance arts and theatre study. In the rest of the world, a Fine Art degree will focus on visual creativeness and it's history.

What can one do with a degree in Fine Art?

Studying Fine Art is primarily for those who with an interest in the practical art scene – but who also have a flair for the creative, and a solid basic grounding in the practice of artistic skills. Generally, those wanting to pursue this path are required to submit their own original works of art as part of the entry process (which varies from school to school).

Those who pursue Fine Art are able to either go on to pursue a graduate program in Fine Art – but are also given enough grounding to go on to become professional artists, teachers, critics, film-makers, professional photographers and even enter the fields of advertising and marketing, as well as the publishing industry. Further graduate studies in graphic design or other design-related fields is also a possibility, as is pursuing further study in Art History or even Education.

Some famous Fine Art Graduates

Damien Hirst, Artist – famous for his works which include suspending dead animals in formaldehyde, and a diamond encrusted skull – said to be the wealthiest living artist. (BA Fine Art, Goldsmiths, University of London).

Edward Carlos Plunkett, the 20^th Lord Dunsany, Artist & Sculptor – initially famous for his portraits and geometrical abstractionist works, sculpture and later co-founded de Marsillac Plunkett with his wife. (Slade School of Fine Art, University College London; Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris).