By its original and broadest definition,
art (from the
Latin ars, meaning "skill" or "craft") is the product or process of the effective application of a body of knowledge, most often using a set of skills; this meaning is preserved in such phrases as "
liberal arts" and "
martial arts". However, in the modern use of the word, which rose to prominence during the
Renaissance,
art is commonly understood to be the process or result of making material works (or
artwork) which, from concept to creation, adhere to the "
creative impulse"—that is, art is distinguished from other works by being in large part unprompted by necessity, by biological drive, or by any undisciplined pursuit of
recreation. By both definitions of the word, artistic works have existed for almost as long as
humankind, from early
pre-historic art to
contemporary art.