What does Monaco mean by the “Spectrum Of Arts”?

In How To Read A Film, Monaco presents a spectrum of arts, each point on the spectrum related to how distant from reality the art feels to the observer.

The first point Monaco presents on the spectrum is performance arts, art which happens in real time. This ranges from being told a story to theatre, and in all instances the observer is aware of the artists, the performers.

The next point on the spectrum is the representational arts. The representational arts is defined by Monaco as art which uses language or images to convey meaning to the observer. This is further up the spectrum from the performing arts, as while the presence of an artist is still present due to the knowledge that the art was written or drawn or sculpted by an artist, the artist themselves is not present.

The final point on the spectrum, so far, is the recording arts. The recording arts are, plainly, recordings of our world, either through picture or video and film. The recording arts are at the top of the spectrum as the presence of the artist can be hard to see. Viewing the recording arts is viewing our world as it is, just on a screen or in a frame.