Painting is the art of creating pictures by applying color to a surface. Paintings can record events; capture a likeness of a person, place, or object; tell stories; decorate walls; and illustrate texts. Paintings can express emotions and ideas, or simply be enjoyed for their beauty.

Some artists paint aspects of the visible world, such as people, landscapes, still-life of tableware, fruit, and flowers, or scenes from history, literature, and the imagination. Such paintings are realistic—they look like something real. Other paintings are abstract—they are not supposed to look like anything from the real world, but use colors, shapes, and lines to express feelings, moods, or ideas.