What does Monaco mean by the term “The Spectrum of the Arts”?
James Monaco’s concept of the “spectrum of the arts” refers to the idea that art comes in many forms, varying sensory inputs and executions – whether that be history, music, poetry, comedy, tragedy, dance or astronomy (these were what the ancients considered to be art). In the Roman and Greek times, only three were recognised: Lyric, Dramatic and Epic, their muses were Euterpe, Melpomene, and Calliope. By the 16th century, art equated to skill, such as musicians, craftsmanship or medicinal skills; In the late 17th century the range narrowed down to what we now know to be ‘Fine Arts’, this included painting, sculpture, drawing, architecture.
With the rise of modern science, astronomy and geometry were no longer regarded as an art form.
The 19th century introduced the ‘avant-garde movement’, this means new and experimental, so things such as plays rose to popularity. Back then all arts were in ‘real-time’, meaning it was all performed live and produced live, elements like post-production and recording weren’t implemented until the 1910/20s. The adaption of novels and playwrights into performances (theatre and film) allowed a new perspective on stories, for example, using sound effects and facial expressions from the actors to imply background sounds and emotions – instead of just reading the description of them on paper. Film is an art form which incorporates sound and sight, making it stand out from poetry, music, comedy and dance.