What is the difference between Fine Arts and Visual Arts?

What is the difference between Fine Arts and Visual Arts?

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Updated on Dec 18, 2023 13:34 IST

Fine Arts is a broader term which includes visual arts, performing arts, applied arts which vary from painting to sketching to dance, film making, animations, design and graphics to music.  Candidates often gets confused about what is the difference between Fine Arts and Visual Arts? Is it the same? What are the similarities and what separates the two courses? Read the article to know about the difference between Fine Arts and Visual Arts, the colleges offering admission, the admission process and what course you can take up. 

What is the difference between Fine Arts and Visual Arts

Fine Arts is a broader term which includes visual arts, performing arts, applied arts which vary from painting to sketching to dance, film making, animations, design and graphics to music.  Candidates often gets confused about what is the difference between Fine Arts and Visual Arts? Is it the same? What are the similarities and what separates the two courses? Arts in a whole is a combination of creativity, innovation and talent and where students apply their skills to create artistic work and products. Anything which appeals to our senses is known as an art and there are three different categories of Arts which are:

Fine Arts

Performing Arts

Visual Arts

Fine Arts is a broader term which includes visual arts, performing arts, applied arts which vary from painting to sketching to dance, film making, animations, design and graphics to music. So, if you are opting to take up a course in Fine Arts, you are taught about various subjects while in Visual Arts, students can opt to specialize in a subject when it comes to visual arts. We will help you understand the difference by splitting the two courses, talking about each course separately, the colleges which offer the two courses and the differentiation between the two.

Fine Arts: Highlights

Fine Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts course is a popular course amongst students who have cleared Class 12. The below-mentioned table gives an insight into the course-types, course level, fees, top recruiters and job profiles. Given below are some of the major highlights of Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Major Highlights of BFA
Name of the course Bachelor of Arts [BA] (Fine Arts)
Course level Graduate
Duration 3 years, full time
Stream Fine Arts
Examination Type Semester System
Eligibility 10+2 qualification in any stream with minimum 50% marks aggregate
Admission Process Either based on entrance test or marks secured in the higher secondary level or both
Average Course Fee INR 85K to 6 Lakh
Top Institutes LPUChandigarh UniversityVisva Bharti UniversityRabindra Bharti University
Average Starting Salary INR 2 Lacs to 9 Lakhs
Top Job Profiles Actor, Painter, Animator, Art Conservator, Fine Artist, Musician
Entrance Exams PUBDET, SETCUET, BHU UET etc.
Top Recruiters Advertising agencies, Publishing houses, TV and Film studios, Design firms, Museums

What is Fine Arts?

Fine Arts is a form of art which deals with the aesthetic value such as drawing, painting, literature, pottery, ceramics, murals and more. Fine Arts is the broader term for all the other forms of art. Students who have an artistic side and love painting, drawing, sketching, pottery making, murals, can opt to take a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). There are numerous universities and colleges in India which offer courses in Fine Arts which help students fine-tune and refine their skills to use professionally. On completing the course, the candidate will know what to do thereafter and what to specialize in. Other than the specialisation, the student will also know other aspects of fine arts which can be applied. Under fine arts, the following specialisations are taken up.

Drawing

Painting

Charcoal

Tempera painting

Chalk

Oil painting

Pastel

Water Colour painting

Pencil

Gouache

Pen and Ink

 

 

Caricature

Sculpture

Printmaking

Bronze

Engraving

Stone

Lithography

Wood carving

Etching

About BFA

A Bachelor of Fine Arts is a three-year programme and students and is a full-time course. Students can choose their area which they want to specialize and want to work on refining and honing their skills and talent. In order to get admission to BFA, students are required to meet the eligibility criteria and need to complete the admission procedure in order to secure admission and get into the programme. There are Universities which offer postgraduate courses in Fine Arts (MFA) and students generally take the programme if they want to specialize in a subject and want to learn more.

Eligibility Criteria: The student should have done their Class 12 from a recognised Board in any stream and should have secured a minimum of 45% marks. However, the candidate receives a major boost if they have Art as a subject in their Class 12.

Admission Process: The candidate will have to follow the below-mentioned steps which are as follows:

  • Fill and Submit the Application Form: The candidate will first have to apply online on the official website of the University or college which is offering a course in Fine Arts. The candidate is required to register and apply online by entering the details required and paying the application fee to complete the application process.
  • Entrance Exam: For admission, there are some Universities and Colleges which conduct Entrance Exams or Aptitude Tests. Generally for the course, students are offered admission on the basis of merit that is judging the marks secured in the qualifying examination.
  • Results: Results are declared in the form of merit lists, Candidates who clear the entrance exam or make the list based on merit, are offered admission to the University or college.
  • Counselling: Students who make the merit list are required to attend the counselling session to complete the admission formalities by submitting their documents and paying the first semester/year fees to secure a seat.

Top Colleges Offering Fine Arts

Rabindra Bharati University (RBU)

Banaras Hindu University (BHU)

DOT School of Design

Chandigarh University

Lovely Professional University (LPU)

College of Fine Arts

University of Mumbai

More Colleges >>

What is Visual Arts?

A branch of Fine Arts, Visual Arts deals with the work which is actually visual in nature such as ceramics, painting, drawing, printmaking, design, crafts, photography, film making, design and graphics. Even Architecture is a form of visual art as all of the mentioned topics deals with visuals. Also, Design is included in visual arts which have applied arts such as Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Interior Design and more.

By opting a course in Visual Arts, students can take up a specialisation and begin their course by refining their skills and also have the options to take an elective and study the subject as well. In art, all subjects and topics go hand in hand as it requires creativity, innovativeness and an aesthetic sense. After Class 12, students can opt to take up a Bachelor in Visual Arts. The duration of the course is generally three or four years.

BVA: Highlights

Candidates can check the table below to know all about BVA course. Candidates can check course highlights such as course level, course duration, entrance exams, average salaries, course fees, top recruiters and top job profiles. Candidates can refer to highlights for a quick reference:

Highlights

Details

Course Level

Undergraduate

Duration 3- 4 years

Admission Process

 Merit/Direct Admission

Examination Type

Semester-wise

Course Fee

INR 50K-2 LPA

Top Institutes

MSUAmity University, Parul University, Bangalore UniversityPearl Academy

Average Starting Salary

INR 3-10 LPA

Job Positions

Actor, Drama Artist, Choreographer, Musician, Therapist, Theatre Director, Cinematographer, Community Arts Worker, Theatre Teacher

Entrance Exam

PUBDETCUETURATPG

 Top Recruiting Companies

Film and Television Institute of India, Balaji Telefilms, YRF Studios, Universal Arts, Iris Media

Popular Courses

Graphic Design, Production Design, Textile Design, Visual Communication, Acting, Cinematography, Editing

About BVA

A Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) is a three or four-year course which are offered by various Universities and Colleges in the nation. Students can opt to take a specialisation in the above-mentioned courses. Students are required to meet the eligibility criteria and follow the admission process in order to secured admission to the University interested in.

Eligibility Criteria: The candidate needs to have done their Class 12 from a recognised board and should have secured a minimum of 45% to be eligible. If the candidate has Art as a subject their Class 12, the subject acts as a major boost in the admission process.

  • Fill and Submit the Application Form: The candidate will first have to select the University or college which is offering a course in Visual Arts. The candidate is required to register and apply online by entering the details required and paying the application fee to complete the application process.
  • Entrance Exam: For admission, there are some Universities and Colleges which conduct Entrance Exams or Aptitude Tests. Generally for the course, students are offered admission on the basis of merit that is judging the marks secured in the qualifying examination.
  • Results: Results are declared in the form of merit lists, Candidates who clear the entrance exam or make the list based on merit, are offered admission to the University or college.
  • Counselling: Students who make the merit list are required to attend the counselling session to complete the admission formalities by submitting their documents and paying the first semester/year fees to secure a seat.

Top Colleges Offering BVA

MSU of Baroda

Vogue Institute of Art and Design

Bangalore School of Design

NIMS University

St. Paul’s College

Parul University

Poornima University

>>Check More Colleges

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