Traditional agrarian society in the past does not distinguish between art, science, technology and religion, but more integrated in social and religious life itself.

The word techniques derived from the Greek word techne paired with ars (Latin), meaning a useful skill. This is the forerunner of the name of art, science and technology.

Before the Industrial Revolution in Europe, says ars includes disciplines of grammar and logic of astrology. In medieval Europe occurred distinction Artes liberates the ars group or groups of high art which consists of areas of grammar, dialectics, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy. While Artes serviles or arts groups that rely on low-power and connotes rough “carpentry”. Of the seven areas of expertise, only the music that goes high art, while painting, sculpture, architecture, manufacture of weapons and the means of transportation, including the category of low art.

Then Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian painter of the Renaissance, spearheaded the struggle and managed to enter or raise painting to the status of high art. As one who versatile and has the ability as an architect and scientist, Leonardo argued that the painting also requires theoretical knowledge such as mathematics, perspective and anatomy, as well as poetry has a moral purpose through the depiction of the attitudes and facial expressions in the painting.

A phenomenon then occurs simultaneously with the Industrial Revolution in Europe end of the 18th century until the beginning of the 19th century, in which the newly emerging industrial society demanded the division of labor and specialization of work in developing the production process. In industrial societies the status of art into three groups: high art (high art), art medium (middle art), and low art (low art).

This category still shows the continuation of the classical tradition, ie the higher the position of art in an increasingly close or high level of integration with the industry. Vice versa, the more distant relationship with the industry level the lower the position of art as well. The meeting of art and industry resulted in a lot of impact. Discoveries of mass production machinery encourage the industry to develop production techniques and just paste reproductions of classical works of art are standard on the shape of the resulting product. Some footnotes could be found to complete the articles about arts and its origins.

When art has become a commodity and subject to the laws of supply and demand economics, the arts are considered to fall at the low mass taste and art becomes cheesy or kitsch art. Inferior status is because art has lost its “spirit” or “soul”. It was clear that current understanding of art and art is commensurate with the arrival of the Western World are formed in the 18th century until the 20th century.