Republic of the Philippines

CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY

TanzaǀTreceMartires City ǀ Gen. Trias City Campus
 235-7997 ǀ 410-5247 ǀ 437-0693
www.cvsu.edu.ph

INSTRUCTIONAL AND LEARNING MODULE

First Semester, A.Y. 2020-2021

COURSE CODE: GNED01 COURSE TITLE: Art Appreciation

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Arts Appreciation is a three-unit course that develops students’ ability to
appreciate, analyze and critique works of art. Through interdisciplinary and multimodal approaches, this
course equips students with knowledge of the practical, historical, philosophical, and social relevance of the
art order to hone students’ ability to articulate their understanding of the arts. The course also develops
students’ competency in researching and curating art as well as conceptualizing, mounting and evaluating
art productions.

A. TOPIC: Introduction to Art Appreciation

B. CHAPTER/ WEEK: Chapter 1 and 2/Week 2 and 3
C. OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the unit, the learners will be able to:
1. Explain the importance of art in humanities.
2. Appreciate art forms.
3. Explain the perspectives from different philosophers.
D. MATERIALS: Laptop/ Computer, Presentation Deck, Art Appreciation textbook, Learning module,
guided questions for activity, Internet connection for research activity.
E. INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY:

Answer the following questions:

1. Why do you think it is important to have a philosophical perspective of the arts?

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2. Choose one philosopher below whose perspective of the arts you can relate.
Explain how you share similar perspectives.
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F. DISCUSSION:

 Nature of Human Arts

o The word art etymologically comes from the Aryan root ar, which means ‘to join’ or ‘put together’.
o The Latin term ars, artis, mean everything that is artificially made or composed by man.

 Art
o Art constitutes one of the oldest and most important means of expression developed by man.
o Art particularly refers to the skilful arrangement or composition of some common but significant
qualities of nature such as sounds, colors, line, movements, words, stones, and wood to express
feelings, thoughts, imaginations, and dreams in an enjoyable way.

 Arts functions can be classified into:

1. Motivated (functional)
Examples: Architecture, weaving, furniture-making.
2. Non-motivated (Non-functional)
Examples: Painting, sculpture, literature, music.

 All art forms generally have the following functions:

1. The human need for expression.
This seems to be built-in the human psyche: this need to express, to show, to exhibit what is
hidden in man’s inner world. His thoughts, emotions, imaginations, dreams and aspirations are
expressed in his art.
2. The social need for display, celebration and communication. It is not enough for man to
express his inner world through his art, he needs to share and convey it to others too. In this way,
others may know, may empathize and may realize that people are interconnected.

3. The physical needs for functional objects. All art is man-made. In the effort to make human
life better, objects are created (like the wheel) which is also classified as art. All of technology is art.
It is careful combination of form and function. This is based on the premise that if an object is to
perform its function, its form (design) should also allow it to do so.
 Art as viewed by Philosophy
 Philosophy as a field of discipline has attempted to explain almost all aspects of human existence.
 Philosophy comes from 2 Greek words Philo “To Love” and Sophia “Wisdom”
 Aesthetic is the philosophical study of beauty and taste.

 Plato
o Aristocles (428-348 BCE)
o Born in Athens
o He was nicknamed Plato because of his physical built which means “wide/broad”.
o Plato left Athens for 12 years after death of Socrates.
o He believes that Philosophy is more than analyses but rather is a way of life.

 Philosophical perspective on Arts

o In Plato’s The Republic, paints a picture of artists as imitators and art as mere imitation.
o In his description of the ideal republic, Plato advises against the inclusion of the art as a subject in
the curriculum and the banning of artists in the Republic.

o In Plato’s metaphysics or view of reality, the thing in this world are only copies of the original, the
eternal, and the true entities that can only be found in the World of Forms.
For example, the chair that one sits on is not a real chair. It is an imperfect copy of the perfect
“chair” in the world of forms.

Plato was deeply suspicious of arts and artists for two reasons:
1. They appeal to the emotion rather to the rational faculty of men.
2. They imitate rather than lead one to reality.

 Aristotle (384-322 BCE)

o He was student of Plato.
o Famous philosopher of Ancient Greece.
o He distinguished between what is good and what is beautiful.
o He stated that the good always presents itself in some action while a thing of beauty may exist even
 in motionless objects or things.
o According to Aristotle, universal elements of beauty are manifested by order, symmetry and
definiteness.
o In his Poetics, he stated that physical manifestation of beauty is likewise affected by its size. (not big
and not small).

o Aristotle considered art as imitation or a representation of nature.

o His emphasis was on poetry. He stated that poetry was more philosophic and serious than
philosophy itself. Poets imitated 3 things.
1. Things and events which have been or still are;
2. Things which are said to be seen and are probable; and
Things which essentially are.

 Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

o Was a German, Enlightenment Philosopher.
o In 1763, he wrote a treatise on Aesthetics entitled, Observation on the Feelings of the Beautiful and
the Sublime.
o His main interest was not in art itself but on beauty.

 Subjective and universal according to Immanuel Kant

 Subjective taste does not focus on the properties of the object itself but rather on the pleasure on
experiences as he responds to it.
 Example: When looking at a painting, what matters is not what the painting is all about or how it is
organized but rather on the emotions that the painting is able to successfully arouse.
 Universal taste is non-aesthetic and does not consider the beauty of the work or the mastery of the
artist, but rather, the artwork is appreciated for what it is.
 Example: the painting of the Mona Lisa is admired because of its popularity and because it was
created by Leonardo Da Vinci.
 For Immanuel Kant, beauty is a question of form and color is not important. Color, for him has
nothing to do with the properties of the object but is only used for its decorative function.
 2 kinds of aesthetic responses
1. Beauty results in pleasure if there is order, harmony and symmetry.
2. Beauty leads to a response of awe that overwhelms the viewers of the art.

 Artists and Artisan

o An artist is a person who exhibits exceptional sills in the visual and/or the performing arts.
o Artist are more sensitive very perceptive and more creative.
o Artisan, on the other hand, is a person who is in a skilled trade that involves making things by hand.

 The Art Forms

o Painting - this is best described as the application of pigment to a surface.
o Sculpture – Sculptors creates a solid form using molding, carving, welding, casting and
assembling.
o Architecture – It involves creating designs for buildings and infrastructures.
o Music – This is the art of sound expressed through a song, through the use of instruments or a
combination of both.
o Dance – The art of body movements that is attuned to a musical piece.
o Literature – the art of using words to express, ideas and feelings.
o Theatre – The performance of drama. Actors perform on stage in front of live audience.

 What is appreciation?
o Recognition of good qualities of person or something.
o A full understanding of a situation.
o Synonyms = respect, esteem, comprehension.

 What is Art Appreciation?

o Recognition of the good qualities and understanding of Art.
o Acquiring knowledge leads to appreciation.
o Knowing vocabulary, concepts, themes, processes, materials.
o Knowing context.
o Does not require liking or loving.

 How to Appreciate Art When You're Not an Artist

o Learn a Little Bit Every Day.

o Try an Art Project.
o Take a Class.
o Try going to a paint night or
o Write What You Know....
o Visit a Museum. ...
o See Through Different Angles. ...
o Analyze One Thing. ...
o Think About Your Feelings.
G. TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES (TLA):

Name: ____________________________ Course/Section: ___________________

Instructor: ________________________ Score: ___________________________

Directions: Gaze at the picture of the painting for a few seconds, then answer the following
questions: (activity will be processed in the worksheet)

1. What do you think is the painting all about?

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2. Why do you think did artists created this painting?

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3. Did this painting affect your thoughts and feelings? In what ways?
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4. Was the artist successful conveying his message to you? Why? Why not?
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5. Do you consider this work good? Why? Why not?

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6. Should you even care about this painting? Explain your answer?
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NOW READ THE BACKGROUND OF THE PAINTING…

The Scream, by the Norwegians artists Edvard Munch. It is the second most famous image in art history,
after Leonardo’s Mona Lisa. The painting presented here is one of four version, from 1893, is in Os;o’s
National Gallery. Elsewhere in the city, the Munch Museum boasts the other painted version, from 1910 as
well as a rendition in pastel from 1983.

An entry in Munch’s diary dated 22 January 1892, recorded the inspiration for The Scream: “I was walking
along the road with two friends- the sun went down – I felt a gust of melancholy – suddenly the sky turned a
bloody red. I stopped, learned against the railing. Tired to death – as the flaming skies hung like blood and
sword over the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends went on – I stood there trembling with anxiety –
and I felt a vast infinite scream through nature”.

The figure in The Scream, then, may be a kind of self-portrait of the artist, whose older sister, Sophue, had
died when he was 13. Art historians have also suggested another source for it – a Peruvian mummy that
Munch saw at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1889.

Looking closely at the painting it is hard to fully explain its universal appeal. According to scholars its
success as an image articulated an important shift that occurred within Western culture around the turn of
the 20th Century.

“The Scream is one of those images that sum up a changing point in history. It presents man cut loose from
all the certainties that had comforted him up until that point in the 19 th Century: there is no God now, no
tradition, no habits or customs – just poor man in a moment of existential crisis, facing a universe he
doesn’t understand and can only relate to in a feeling of panic.

A pastel-on-board version from 1895, still in its original frame, is the only one of the four that remains in
private collection. In 2012, this version set the record for the most expensive artwork ever to sell at action.
After just 12 minutes of bidding.

Worksheet 1: Introduction: Humanities and the Arts

Evaluating Yourself: To do this activity, you would first have to answer all the questions on the painting
presented on page it.

1. After discussing the lesson and reading the background of the painting, do you think you gave the
painting enough credit? Explain your answer.
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2. Why do you now think that it is important to know more about the work before judging it?
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3. Now that you know more about this painting and about its artist, would interpret it and understanding it
be different from your first interpretation? In what way?
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4. What insights have you gained from this activity? How can you apply it to how you relate to people?
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Worksheet 2: The Vitruvian Man: Research on this work by da Vinci, then answer the following questions:

1. How did the statement of Protagoras (“Man is the measure of all things….?”) support what is being
conveyed by the Vitruvian man?
Explain your answer.
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2. Why do you think artists like Da Vinci and Michaelangelo created beautiful artworks that are oftentimes
controversial or open to various interpretations?
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3. Would adding a little mystery into an artwork, intensify interest in the viewers? Support your answer.
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4. What insight have you gained from this activity? How can you apply it to how you relate to people?
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H. REFERENCE: Geron C., Santos M., Velasco V., Trinidad J. (2018) Art Appreciation. Philippines.
Panday Lahi publishing house, Inc.

Prepared by:

JOHN RIEL B. LABIANG

Instructor I, Department of Arts and Science
Cavite State University – General Trias City Campus
John.labiang@cvsu.edu.ph