By the term the spectrum of the arts, monacco sees different arts in different ways, he sees the arts as if they are on a spectrum, ranging from practical to musical, and then different arts fit into different categories. The spectrum of the arts it’s a way to visualise how different types of art fit into and reflect our society in different ways. For example there is the performance arts, which happen in real time. There is the representational arts which rely on established codes and conventions of language. And there is the recording arts, which form a more direct path between subject and observer. However he also talks about one of the oldest theories of art which is the spectrum of abstraction. The spectrum represents how art imitates reality through a medium, and how different types of arts fit into different mediums. There is practical, with things such as architecture in it, then there is environmental, followed by pictorial  with things like painting and graphics in it. Next is dramatic with stage drama in it, followed by narrative with novels and stories fitting into it. Then lastly there is musical which obviously contains music but also partly poetry.