“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see”, as perfectly said by Edgar Degas, a French Impression Artist, helps us to understand how Visual Arts can help you create powerful objects of art that make others think, imagine, and get lost inside a world completely created in their minds. As beautiful and marvelous as it sounds, visual arts have become the epitome of any career related to the creative industry. Visual Arts in the simplest form can be defined as art that you can see. Visual expressions have changed throughout the long term. During the middle ages, specialists made artistic creations, models, or prints and became renowned. Today visual arts have grown into various types and forms and serve as an in-demand career for anyone who is creative and passionate.
So What Actually Is Visual Arts
The visual arts generally deal with works that are principally visual in nature, like ceramics, drawing, painting, form, printmaking, plan, creative, photography, video, filmmaking, and design.
These definitions ought not to be taken too strictly as numerous imaginative disciplines include parts of the visual arts along with crafts of different sorts. For example, modern plan, visual depiction, style plan, inside plan, and brightening workmanship.
The ongoing utilization of the expression “Visual Arts” incorporates compelling artwork as well as the applied, brightening expressions and specialties, yet this was not generally the situation.
Prior to the Arts and Crafts Movement, the term ‘craftsman’ was frequently confined to an individual working in the expressive arts. The qualification was accentuated by specialists of the Arts and Crafts Movement who esteemed vernacular artistic expressions as much as high structures. Visual art schools made a qualification between the expressive arts and the specialties keeping up with that. A craftsperson was then viewed as a professional of human expression.
How is Visual Arts Different from Other Arts?
One meaning of Visual Art is “a visual workmanship considered to have been made basically for tasteful and scholarly purposes and decided for its excellence and significance, explicitly, painting, drawing, watercolour, illustrations, and engineering.”. While there is a very thin line of difference between visual art and other types of arts, Fine arts are the more extensive term for each of the various styles of work of art. A part of Fine Arts, Visual Arts offers work that is apparent including ceramics, painting, drawing, printmaking, plan, creates, photography, filmmaking, and designs.
All types of visual art can be termed fine arts but all types of fine arts cannot be termed visual art. While Fine Arts include art forms like drawing, painting, sculpting, photography, and music, Performing Arts take all those arts that need to be performed such as dance, drama, music, poetry, and Visual Arts hold most of these that have a respective visual value.
Numerous specialists might imagine that Visual Art is a too organized and not genuine fine art. The fundamental construction of visual depiction and compelling artwork is indeed the very same.
Career Options and Scopes after Studying Visual Arts
There are a plethora of career options in visual arts for graduates. During their course of study, they get theoretical and practical experience on subjects like Applied Arts, Calligraphy, Cartooning, Dance, Digital Arts, Drama & Theatre, Graphics Designing, Illustration and many more. Any work related to these subjects can be opted for. If proper education is received along with decent experience, one can even opt for better and suitable work posts like Art Director, Professor of Arts, Multimedia Artist, etc.
Visual Arts Jobs In The Tech Sector
Nowadays, in this progressing digital age, everything has gone digital, even art. This also allows creators and artists to promote their art digitally earn revenue. NFTs would be a prime example of digitally created art which earns a lot of revenue if promoted properly. The technology industry grows at a rapid rate every year. With the invention of Meta, the digital age is soon to take over the normal off-line world.
Similarly technology keeps changing how media and art is created and shared. In this digital age, everything is related to visuals, something that can be seen online. Graphics, videos, and anything created for the online age is needed by every other sector and company in this market especially in the tech world. Tech experts have slowly drifted from the main stream work towards graphic and visual oriented work which isn’t as complex as coding for hours but pays the same. Read how A.I and Digital Transformation are creating job opportunities for the arts graduates.
Eligibility for Studying Visual Arts
The degree for newly passed out high school students would be Bachelor of Visual Art (B.V.A) which generally offers a 4-year course based on the learning of various art forms. This kind of degree also offers specialization in subjects like Painting, Sculpture, Film-Making, Animation, Art-History, Applied Arts, etc. For PG students, the general Master’s degree is there (M.A) but the subjects changes from Visual Arts (M.V.A) to Visual Communication (M.V.C).
Eligibility criteria for anyone willing to study Visual Arts:
- Interested Candidates must have passed 10+2 from a recognized board.
- A minimum aggregate of 50-60% marks must be obtained in 10+2.
- Some universities can have other eligibility criteria as well such as Merit Exam or a University level Entrance Exam.
- If you have any experience in any of the subjects of study in their curriculum, you will be given a distinct preference.

Top Institutes in India Offering Visual Arts Courses
We have narrowed down the best and most renowned colleges offering this subject, whose degree will have a great impact on your CV:
- Hindu College, University of Delhi
- Miranda House, University of Delhi
- Christ University, Bangalore
- Ramjas College, University of Delhi
- St. Stephens College, New Delhi
- Lady Shriram College for Women, New Delhi
- St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
- Madras Christian College, Chennai
- Hansraj College, New Delhi
- Loyola College, Chennai
- Gargi College, New Delhi
- Fergusson College, Pune
- Stella Maris College, Chennai
- Academy Of Fine Arts, Kolkata
- NIMS University, Jaipur
- St. Joseph College of Communication (SJCC), Changanassery
- Cosmic Institution of Neo Entertainment, Media & Arts (CINEMA), Ghaziabad
- Assam University, Silchar
- SNDT Art & Commerce College, Pune
- Chitkara University, Patiala
Editor’s Note:
High school is a wonderful time if you make good use of it. Again, your academic performance will always be the prime focus, but that’s not the only focus; every youngster should focus on building themselves up to be a value-adding person to the University ecosystem they want to get into. Not only will all these extracurriculars help you grow as a person, but they will also get you ready for the years to come when you’re abroad.
Maitrayan will be teaching the “Visual Arts & Graphic Design” Module in the upcoming Liberal Arts Summer Program for Grade 8 – 12 Students. The 3-Week Online program includes Visual Arts, Mass Communication & Journalism, Storytelling, Creative Writing, Graphic Design, Academic Research, Entrepreneurship & Finance, College Essays, Liberal Arts College Admissions Guidance, and Electives around STEM subjects. If you are interested, feel free to Apply Here.
We are conducting a Liberal Arts Summer Program
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Top Foreign Universities to Study Visual Arts
If you’re willing to go the extra mile to get the perfect quality education for you, here is our list of the best international college and universities that offer Visual Arts as a subject of study:
- Royal College Of Art, London
- University Of The Arts, London
- Parsons School of Design at The New School, New York
- Rhode Island, School Of Design (RISD), United States
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge
- Politecnico Di Milano, Milan
- Aalto University, Finland
- Instiute of Chicago, Chicago
- The Glasglow School Of Art, UK
- Pratt Institute, New York
- Art Centre College Of Design, US
- Delft University Of Technology, Netherlands
- Design Academy Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Tongji University, Shanghai
- Goldsmiths, University Of London, UK
- RMIT University, Australia
- California Institute Of The Arts, US
- Carnegie Mellon University, US
- Stanford University, US
- The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (KADK), Denmark
- Tsinghua University, China
- Konstfack University of Arts , Crafts and Design, Sweden
- Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), China
- Loughborough University, UK
- Emily Carr University Of Art & Design, Canada
- California College Of The Arts, Oakland
- Savannah College Of Art & Design, US
- Umea University, Sweden
- Zurich University Of The Arts, Switzerland
- University Of Oxford, UK
Best Cities to Get a Job in Visual Arts
One of the many advantages of being an expert visual artist is the opportunity to do it at any place. Getting an international occupation could appear to be overwhelming, yet an expressive arts work abroad may be easier than you naturally suspect! Here are the best places to work and live in as an artist:
- Santa Fe, USA
- Melbourne, Australia
- Vancouver, Canada
- Dublin, Ireland
- Edinburgh, UK
- Jurong Island, Singapore
- Wellington, New Zealand
- London, UK
- New York, USA
What Does It Take To Be a Successful Visual Artist ?
Visual artists are vital to the progress of companies and organizations in a wide range of ventures. To be an effective visual craftsman, competitors ought to have the following abilities:
- Good Communication
- Time Management
- Determined & Committed
- Networking
- Understanding of Perspective
- Knowledge of Proportions
- Colour Theory & Composition
- Critical Thinking
Best Jobs after Studying Visual Arts
Whenever individuals ponder about a profession in the Visual Arts, the picture that rings a bell is as a rule of a craftsman, photographic artist or crafter offering their art to support themselves. There are numerous different vocations that utilize this kind of craftsmanship that may not promptly ring a bell. A career in visual arts can be very versatile and thrilling. It provides a lot of potential careers directly or indirectly.
Here are a few Job Roles that a degree in Visual Arts can offer:
- Graphic Designer
- Fashion Designer
- Artist
- Cinematographer
- Art Director
- Illustrator
- Exhibition Designer
- Animator
- Cartoonist
- Architect
NOTE– Some of the jobs mentioned here do need extra education and preparation through internships, programs, courses and exams.
Salary Structure in This Industry
Even though salary might not be the lookout for someone who’s starting his or her career afresh but it remains an essential part of the whole system. Here is how the average salary structure of someone who has studied and completed Bachelors or Masters in Visual Design, would look like:
- Fresher in India: ₹0.2 Lakh per year (₹1.7k per month)
- Fresher Internationally: ₹0.9 Lakh per year (₹7.65k per month)
- Mid-Career Professionals in India (3-5 years of work experience): ₹2.4 Lakh per year (₹20k per month)
- Mid-Career Professionals Internationally: ₹10.8 Lakh per year (₹90k per month)
- Senior Professionals in India (6-10 years of work experience): ₹7.4 Lakhs per year (₹60.0k per month)
- Senior Professionals Internationally: ₹ 14.2 Lakh per year (₹120k per month)
Featured Image Source: World University Of Design