FB: The College of Maasin

THE COLLEGE OF MAASIN Website: www.cm.edu.ph

“Nisi Dominus Frustra” Email: bsba@cm.edu.ph
Tunga-tunga, Maasin City, So. Leyte Contact No.: 09662544178

ART APPRECIATION

COURSE ORIENTATION

I. Course Content Guide in ART APPRECIATION

II. Course Overview

Art 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 a broad knowledge of the practical, historical, philosophical, and social relevance
of the arts in 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. The course aims to develop
students' genuine appreciation for Philippine arts by providing them opportunities to explore
the diversity and richness and their rootedness in Filipino culture

III. Course Study and Assessment Schedule from August 24 - December 17

WEEK TOPIC ASSESSMENT TASK DUE DATE
Week 1 Syllabus discussion Pretest
8/17-8/22
Week 2 Art appreciation: art, creativity, Essay August 29
8/24-8/29 imagination and expression Exercise
Week 3 Functions of art
8/31-9/5
Week 4 Assumptions of art
9/7-9/12
Week 5 Reading: Formalism and Content
9/14-9/19
Week 6 Visual arts week
9/21-9/26
Week 7 Philosophical import of art
9/28-10/3
Week 8 Subject and content
(0/5-10/10
Week 9 Reading the image
10/12-10/17
Week 10 Art history: Asian, Western, Philippines
10/19-10/24
Week 11 Art and artisan: production, process
10/26-10/31 medium, technique, curation
Week 12 Elements and principles of arts
11/2-11/7
Week 13 Principles of design
11/9-11/14
Week 14 Soul making: (soul, sound, structure) `
11/16-11/21
Week 15 Improvisation
(11/23-11/28
Week 16 installation
11/30-12/5
Week 17 transcreation
12/7-12/12
WEEK 18 Local arts
12/14-12/19

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IV. Academic Policies
1. The school/ department will adopt different learning modes depending on the needs of the
students.
a. Online Learning - (through the CM Moodle and synchronous discussion using the
Zoom App)
b. Modular Learning the instructor will provide the printed module through the office of
the program heads. Students or any representative will pick-up the printed modules
once a week.
2. Please take note of the deadlines set for the learning tasks. Failure to submit during the
specified due date, is not credited.
3. As future educators/ teachers always remember that: True intelligence can only be measured
with the amount of knowledge, not the marks of an academic test. A student who works hard
can actually get fewer marks than a student who studies selectively if he or she gets common
questions in the paper. In fact, marks can be earned easily by doing some last-minute study but
intelligence, that’s special (Suvojit Mitra).

V. Technical Support
(For ODL modality)
➢
Log-in to the school website
www.cm.edu.ph Click E – Learning
Enroll in Assessment in Learning 1 Course for College Department
➢
Inform the instructor through text of FB messenger or in GC if not able to access the CM
Moodle (do not forget your password)

(Support for MDL)

➢
Printing of Module is already charge to your miscellaneous fees
➢
Pick – up the module to the office of your respective program heads once a week and
return it the next week for checking.
VI. Netiquette Guide
1. Modules and other Learning Materials in the CM Moodle are constructed for Learning Purposes
only and exclusive for the students enrolled in the course at The College of Maasin. Printing and
duplication of the Learning Materials is prohibited.
2. Taking screenshots while the discussion is going on and post it in social media is not allowed.
3. Wear proper attire during the class discussion (through Zoom App).

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 MODULE 1: ART APPRECIATION: ART, ART HISTORY, CREATIVITY, IMAGINATION AND EXPRESSION

Learning Outcomes:
 Define what is art
 Recognize and summarize changing perceptions and definitions of art throughout history
 Differentiate art history from art appreciation
 Define creativity and its role and association in art in general
 Understand and explain how art is used as an expression by most artists and artisan

INTRODUCTION

Rembrandt's art is more difficult to understand than Picasso's, although neither is simple and both are
of high rank. It is one of the chief burdens of this book to show why that is so. We find that a normal sensitive
child can respond fairly quickly to a good Picasso and—to a considerable extent—even tell you why. The
child's response to a Rembrandt is likely to be slower and of a different order. Furthermore, the average
layman if confronted with an original Picasso and a Rembrandt alongside clever imitations of the two, will as
quickly judge the difference with Picasso as he will with Rembrandt. All this has little to do with the relative
stature of the two artists. If Rembrandt is supreme among painters, Picasso is also a giant—and it is difficult to
think of anyone more talented. The difference between Rembrandt and Picasso is mainly one be- tween the
kind of painting characteristic of the 17th century—usually called Baroque—and that of the 20th—usually
called (like any contemporary art throughout history) Modern.
Explain WHAT IS ART AND WHY DOES IT MATTER
How would you define ‘art’? For many people art is a specific thing; a painting, sculpture
or photograph, a dance, a poem or a play. It is all of these things, and more.   They
are mediums of artistic expression. Webster’s New Collegiate dictionary defines art as “The
conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic
objects.”  Yet art is much more than a medium, or words on a page. It is the expression of our
experience. Joseph Brodsky hints at a definition of art in his poem “New Life”:

“Ultimately, one’s unbound 

curiosity about these empty zones, 
about these objectless vistas, 
is what art seems to be all about.”

Whether an artist creates two-dimensional or three-dimensional art, works in a

traditional medium like painting, or makes art using the latest technology, all artists use the
same basic visual building blocks of form (elements) and strategies of visual organization
(principles) to achieve visual unity.

It takes an artist to make art. One may perceive beauty on a daily basis. However, not
every beautiful thing that can be seen or experienced may truly be called a work of art. Art is a
product of man’s creativity, imagination, and expression. Not everyone can be considered an
artist, but all are spectators of art. We are able to distinguish what is fine and beautiful from
what is not and what is good quality and from poor. This gives us a role in the field of art
appreciation.

WHAT IS ART?

Art is a highly diverse range of human activities engaged in creating visual, auditory, or
performed artifacts— artworks—that express the author’s imaginative or technical skill, and
are intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power.

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 The oldest documented forms of art are visual arts, which include images or objects in
fields like painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and other visual media. Architecture
is often included as one of the visual arts; however, like the decorative arts, it involves the
creation of objects where the practical considerations of use are essential, in a way that they
usually are not in another visual art, like a painting.

Art may be characterized in terms of mimesis (its representation of reality), expression,

communication of emotion, or other qualities. Though the definition of what constitutes art is
disputed and has changed over time, general descriptions center on the idea of imaginative or
technical skill stemming from human agency and creation. When it comes to visually
identifying a work of art, there is no single set of values or aesthetic traits. A Baroque painting
will not necessarily share much with a contemporary performance piece, but they are both
considered art.

Despite the seemingly indefinable nature of art, there have always existed certain formal
guidelines for its aesthetic judgment and analysis. Formalism is a concept in art theory in which
an artwork’s artistic value is determined solely by its form, or how it is made. Formalism
evaluates works on a purely visual level, considering medium and compositional elements as
opposed to any reference to realism, context, or content.

Art is often examined through the interaction of the principles and elements of art. The

principles of art include movement, unity, harmony, variety, balance, contrast,
proportion and pattern. The elements include texture, form, space, shape, color, value and line.
The various interactions between the elements and principles of art help artists to organize
sensorially pleasing works of art while also giving viewers a framework within which to
analyze and discuss aesthetic ideas.
According to H.W Janson, author of the classic art textbook, The History of Art, “. We
cannot escape viewing works of art in the context of time and circumstance, whether past or
present. How indeed could it be otherwise, so long as art is still being created all around us,
opening our eyes almost daily to new experiences and thus forcing us to adjust our sights.
Throughout the centuries in Western culture from the 11th century on through the end of the
17th century, the definition of art was anything done with skill as the result of knowledge and
practice. This meant that artists honed their craft, learning to replicate their subjects skillfully. 
During the Romantic period of the 18th century, as a reaction to the Enlightenment and
its emphasis on science, empirical evidence, and rational thought, art began to be described as
not just being something done with skill, but something that was also created in the pursuit of
beauty and to express the artist’s emotions. Nature was glorified, and spirituality and free
expression were celebrated. Artists, themselves, achieved a level of notoriety and were often
guests of the aristocracy

ART APPRECIATION AS A WAY OF LIFE

Art has a way of reaching deep inside our souls and connect what is inside us, our
thoughts, feelings, and perceptions, with outer realities and with our own experiences. Being such
a deep experience on a personal level, art can help us understand who we are and
enhance life through self-expression. Below are some salient points of how art has become a way
of life for everyone:

 “The role of art as a creative work is to depict the world in a completely different light and
perspective” – Jean-Paul Sartre. This quote by the famous artist has always ring up bells on
all the unknown Van Gogh, Picasso or even Michael Angelo. This gives challenge to every
aspiring artist to put in creativity, emotion and imagination to put in some life to their

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 artwork.
 Each artwork beholds beauty in its own kind, the kind that the artist sees and wants the
viewers to perceive
 More often than not, people are blind to this beauty and only those who have developed a
fine sense of appreciation can experience and see the art the way the artist did
 Refining one’s ability to appreciate arts allows him to deeply understand the purpose of an
artwork and recognize the beauty it possesses
 In cultivating an appreciation of art, one should also exercise and develop his taste for
things that are fine and beautiful.
 This allows individuals to make intelligent choices and decisions in acquiring necessities
and luxuries, knowing what gives better value for time or money while taking into
consideration the aesthetic and practical value
 Learning to appreciate art no matter what vocation or profession you have, will lead to a
fuller and more meaningful life

THE ROLE OF CREATIVITY IN ART MAKING

Creativity focuses on the process of forming original ideas through exploration and
discovery. In children, creativity develops from their experiences with the process, rather than
concern for the finished product. Creativity is not to be confused with talent, skill, or intelligence.
Creativity is not about doing something better than others, it is about thinking, exploring,
discovering, and imagining. Creativity is found in the obvious art and music, but can also be found
in science and play.

What is Creativity?
Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity is characterized
by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between
seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to generate solutions. Creativity involves two processes:
thinking, then producing.
The arts develop ways of thinking that can be nonlinear and visual rather than verbal. In
addition to the role of the arts in fostering creative thinking, the arts give us a venue for dealing
with the complexities and ambiguities of human existence, helping to build a bridge between
diverse cultures and experiences. So how does creativity pave its way into the art world? Below
are some reasons why creativity is equally important in art:
 Creativity requires thinking outside the box
 In art, creativity is what sets apart one artwork from another
 Nowadays, being creative can be quite challenging
 Creativity is to art what the spirit is to the soul. Subtract the spirit and we have simply a
body—a form, if you will—which though possessing a pulse is otherwise devoid of
expression, emotion, motivation, or purpose
 Creativity is the measure of our level of spontaneity
 Creativity is essential in art. Without it, there is just technique

When can we say that something is creative?

 When we have not seen anything like it
 When it is out of the ordinary
 When it is not just a copy or imitation of someone’s work
 When there is originality

ART AS A PRODUCT OF IMAGINATION, IMAGINATION AS A PRODUCT OF ART

According to Albert Einstein “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For
knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire
world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

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  Imagination is not constrained by the walls of the norm, but goes beyond that
 Through imagination, one is able to craft something bold, something new, and something
better in the hopes of creating something that will stimulate change.
 In artist’s mind sits a vast gallery of artworks
 An artwork does not need to be a real thing, but can be something that is imaginary
 However, something imaginary does not necessarily mean it cannot be called art. Artists
use their imagination that gives birth to reality through creation
 In the same way that imagination produces art, art also inspires imagination

ART AS EXPRESSION

According to Robin George Collingwood “What an artist does to an emotion is not to

induce it, but express it. Through expression, he is able to explore his own emotions and at the
same time, create something beautiful out of them.”
 Expressing emotions is different from describing emotions
 This makes people’s art not a reflection of what is outside or external to them, but a
reflection of their inner selves.

In the generations of art, it has served and continues to serve as a form of communication
and expression, allowing artists to tell stories and spark revolutions through canvas, or a blank
space. While some artists use their tools as a means to showcase their ancestral roots, others use
art as a response to political issues — this is known as art as activism or simply, artivism.

History of art as a form of expression

Across multiple platforms, including, but not limited to social media, the news, and text,
artivism is a mix of art and activism. Art as activism can be traced back to many historic events.
One of its most expressive eras was the 1960s, in which many responded to the Vietnam War and
civil rights movement through their music and art. This movement inspired young people of all
backgrounds to speak up and has continued to do so in the present. Whether it is through music,
dance, art or physical murals, all different types of artists are forming a voice through their
passions.

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 EXERCISES: TRY THIS

Use a separate sheet to answer Exercise, Assessment and Feedback. (Limit your answer to not more than 50
words. A corresponding deduction will be implemented for every word in excess.)

1. Identify one local artist within your community and conduct an interview of their chosen field of arts

Discuss the following briefly.

1. What is creativity?
2. Why is creativity necessary in artmaking?
3. When can you say that a person is creative?
4. If you were an artist, what kind of artist would you be?
5. What art field will you explore? Why?
6. How can you utilize the arts to express yourself, your community, and your relation to others and with
the earth?
7. Why do people create works of art?

One word that best describe your

learning in this chapter. Why?
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HAENG-UN-EUL BIBNIDA
-daekeul -

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