FINE ART SOOTHES THE SOUL AND STIMULATES THE SENSES. Is it any wonder that fine-art calendars continue to outsell calendars with cars and trucks — or even calendars of sports teams? Think about it this way: Once you’ve seen Monet’s water lilies or Van Gogh’s sunflowers, you’ll never want a kitty-cat calendar again: Fine art is just plain better than regular calendars.

Happily, 2012 was a great year for the fine arts: From major museum retrospectives, to black & white movies, to performance art that raised fundamental questions about “is this art,” 2012 saw a new Renaissance that could compete head-to-head against any other Renaissance from art history with real artists and painters going for the gold.

We must continue to support the arts! Here, then, is the BEST OF FINE ART OF 2012:

10. Art that made us think

9. Art that made us weep or cry

8. Record-setting auctions

7. Museum attendance through the roof for classic art

6. Instant classics

5. Sculpture

4. (TIE) Paintings / Art that made us come together

3. Rebellious art we shall grow to love

2. The art of female nudes

1. Wonderful art