Artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art.
The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only.
However, the term is also often used in the entertainment business, especially in a business context, for musicians and other performers (although less often for actors).
"Artiste" (French for artist) is a variant used in English in this context, but this use has become rare.
The use of the term "artist" to describe writers is valid, but less common, and mostly restricted to contexts such as critics' reviews.
Dictionary definitions
The Oxford English Dictionary defines the older broad meanings of the term "artist":
- A learned person or Master of Arts.
- One who pursues a practical science, traditionally medicine, astrology, alchemy, chemistry.
- A follower of a pursuit in which skill comes by study or practice.
- A follower of a manual art, such as a mechanic.
- One who makes their craft a fine art.
- One who cultivates one of the fine arts – traditionally the arts presided over by the muses.