ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Fourth dimension in art

Okay, let's pretend you are looking at a painting on your wall. This painting only has three parts to it- up and down, side to side, and how close or far things are from you.

But did you know that there is something called the fourth dimension in art? It's like an invisible part of the painting that you can't see with your eyes- you can only feel it.

The fourth dimension in art is time. You might be thinking, "But time isn't something you can see or touch, how can it be part of art?" Well, when an artist creates a painting, they are capturing one specific moment in time. That painting exists in the present moment, but it also captures the past and future.

Have you ever seen a painting of a sunset or a sunrise? The artist has captured one fleeting moment where the sun is just in the perfect spot in the sky. Even though you are looking at the painting in the present, it makes you feel like you are seeing that exact moment in the past.

The fourth dimension in art can also create movement. In a painting, things can appear like they are moving even though they are not actually moving. This is called "implied movement." For example, imagine a painting of a horse running. The artist has captured one specific moment in time where the horse's legs are in mid-stride. Even though the horse isn't really moving, the painting makes you feel like he's running right out of the canvas!

So even though time is something we can't see or touch, it's an important part of art that artists use to create amazing paintings that make us feel all sorts of emotions. And that's the fourth dimension in art!