1. the more or less established structure, pattern, or scheme followed in shaping an artistic work: The sonata, the sonnet, and the novel are all art forms.
2. a medium for artistic expression: ballet, sculpture, opera, and other art forms.
3. a medium other than the artistic regarded as having highly developed or systematized rules, procedures, or formulations: international diplomacy regarded as an art form.
[ 1865-70 ]