Name: Kenny James Abellanosa Year and Block:1-9

Course:BEED

Lesson 3: Functions and Philosophical Perspectives on Art

Module 4

This lesson will help you realize that art has remained relevant in our daily
lives. This module will help you to know the different philosophers and their
perspectives on art. Also, you will encounter in this chapter the different functions of art.

At the end of the module, you are expected to:

1. explain and discuss the basic philosophical perspectives on the art

2. realize the function of some art forms in daily life
3. apply concepts and theories on beauty and aesthetics in real life scenarios

Greek philosopher Aristotle claimed that every particular substance in the

world has an end, or telos in Greek which translates into “purpose”. Every substance,
defined as a formed matter, moves according to a fixed path toward its aim.

According to Aristotle, “telos”, is intricately linked with function. For a thing to

reach its purpose, it also has to fulfill its function. In Aristotle’s view, man is bound to
achieve a life of fulfilment and happiness. or in Greek, eudaimonia. All men move
toward this final end. The supposed end of man is happiness which is linked with his
function as being rational. Man’s natural end, telos, is connected with his function,
which is his rationality.

The telos and function of a thing are both related to a thing’s identity. What
makes a table a table is the fact that it does perform its function and reaching its telos,
same goes for the human being, according to some schools of thought, his capacity for
thinking is his supposed function. The telos, the function and the “whatness” of a thing
are all interconnected.

In contemporary life, the connection between the end, the function and the
“whatness” of a thing has become closer and more interlaced, suggesting that the end
is the function and vice versa and that they determine what kind of thing a thing is.

Using the table below, list down three (3) different artworks that you
Task 1 have witnessed. On the second column, identify what it is for.

ARTWORK WHAT IS IT FOR?

1.Daraga Church It is for the people who wants to get close
to God.

2.Rizal Monument or Luneta Park
3.Ibalon Monument
To show the patriotism and bravery of Dr.
Jose Rizal against the Spaniards.
It is also for the people who wants to know
the story of the three epic heroes in
Ibalong.

Functions of Art

When we talked about the word function, one is practically talking about the
use of the object whose function is in question. An inquiry on the function of art is an
inquiry on what art is for. (Example: What is the Rizal monument for? Why was it
erected in Rizal Park?) In these questions, the inquirer is hoping to get the function of
the piece of art in Rizal Park.
 When it comes to function, different art forms come with distinctive functions.
There is no one-to-one correspondence between an art and its function. Some art forms
are more functional than others.

Architecture – as an art it is highly functional just like most applied arts. A building as a
work of art is obviously made for a specific purpose.

• Taj Mahal – a massive mausoleum of white marble built in Agra was

constructed in memory of the favourite wife of the emperor, Shah Jahan.

Jewelry Making – as an art it is known by its product.

In this and other such functional arts. “function is so important that it has
usurped the name of the art on the identification of individual works” (Dudley et al.,
1960). Other examples are paintings, poems and statues. The name of the art basically
points toward the product or its function.

On the other end of the spectrum, one can only think of painting and
literature as forms of art that have least to do with purely practical values. When one
examines and thinks of painting or a work of literature such as a poem or a novel, one
looks at the value of the art in itself and not because of what it can do and benefit us.
Unlike practical arts where the value of the art (pottery, jewelry-making, architecture) in
question lies in the practical benefits one gains from it ( a pot, a jewelry or a house or
building) with painting and literature, one can only look at the value of the product of art
in and for itself. A poem is beautiful regardless of its possible ramifications in the
society.

• Joyce Kilmer’s “Trees”, maintained its popularity through the years

regardless of its application or practical benefit.
• The two masterpieces of our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, (Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo) served as a catechist for Filipino
revolutionaries to gather strength in rejecting the oppressive forces of the
Spaniards in the Philippines in the nineteenth century

This function as it turns out, may be over and beyond its literary worth. They
are functional “in so far as they are designed to accomplish some definite end” (Dudley
et al., 1960). The functions of art are classified into three: personal (public display or
expression), social (celebration or to affect collective behaviour) and physical
(utilitarian).
Personal Functions of Art

The personal functions of art are varied and highly subjective. This means
that its functions depend on the person – the artist who created the art. An artist may
create an art out of the need for self-expression. The artist needs to communicate to
communicate an idea to his audience. It can also be mere entertainment for his
intended audience. An art may also be therapeutic.

Social Functions of Art

Art is considered to have a social function if and when it addresses a

particular collective interest as opposed to a personal interest. Political art is very
common example of an art with a social function. Art may convey message of protest,
contestation or whatever message the artist intends his work to carry. Art can also
depict social conditions. Photography, as an art form, delivers this kind of function by
taking photos of subjects. Performance art like plays or satires can also arouse
emotions. The social function of art is apparent

Physical Functions of Art

The physical functions of art are the easiest to spot and understand. Also, it
can be found in artworks that are crafted in order to serve some physical purpose.
Example: Japanese raku bowl, architecture, jewelry-making and interior design.

Other Functions of Art

Music in its original form was principally functional. Music was used for
dance and religion. Unlike today, when one can just listen to music for the sake of
music’s sake, the ancient world saw music only as an instrument to facilitate worship
and invocation to gods. Music also was essential to dance.

Today, music has expanded its function and coverage. Music is listened to
and made by people for reasons that were foreign to early civilizations. There is now a
lot of music that has no connection to dance or religion (e.g. Serenade). People
compose hymns of love to express feelings and emotions. Music is also used as a
wonderful accompaniment to stage plays and motion pictures.

Sculpture is another functional art form that has long existed for various
purposes. It has been made by man most particularly for religion. Sculptures were made
in order to commemorate important figures in history.

• Jose Rizal’s monument in Rizal Park

• Andres Bonifacio’s Monumento in Caloocan
• Oblation by Guillermo E. Tolentino in UP
• Coins
• Commemorative coin (Pope Francis and the Jesuit, Horacio de la Costa)

Another art form is architecture. It is the most prominent functional art. A lot
of investments is put into making megastructures like the pyramids of Giza, the
acropolis or the great cathedrals of the Middle Ages. In planning out an architectural
structure, one has to consider the natural conditions like the topography and climate of
the place, and the social conditions.

Does Art Always Have to be Functional?

It has been shown that most arts are functional, still there are some which
are not. The value of a work of art does not depend on function but on the work itself.
(e.g. plays of Aeschylus and the poetry of Robert Frost and Edgar Allan Poe) A
functional object cannot be claimed to be beautiful unless it can perform its function
sufficiently.

What art form/artwork has changed something in your life? Why?

Task 2
Account for the experience.

I think every time I see an artwork it changes, or moves me in some way. Visual art is very
potent for me and makes me think about things outside of myself. But I have also been
moved deeply by music in terms of memories.
Philosophical Perspectives of Art

Art as an Imitation

Plato (2000) in his masterpiece, The Republic, particularly paints a picture of

artists an imitators and art as mere imitation. In his description of the ideal republic,
Plato advises against the inclusion of art as a subject in the curriculum and the banning
of artists in the Republic. In Plato’s metaphysics or view of reality, the things in this
world are only copies of the original, the eternal and true entities that can only be found
in the World of Forms. Human beings endeavour to reach the Forms all throughout this
life, starting with formal education in school. From looking at “shadows in the cave” men
slowly crawl outside to behold the real entities in the world.

Plato was deeply suspicious of arts and artists for two reasons: they appeal
to the emotion rather than to the rational faculty of men and they imitate rather than lead
one to reality. Likewise, Socrates is worried that art objects represent only the things in
this world, copies themselves of reality. A painting is just an imitation of nature, which is
also just an imitation of reality in the World of Forms.

Art as a Representative

Aristotle, Plato’s most important student in philosophy, agreed with his

teacher that art is a form of imitation. In contrast, Aristotle considered art as an aid to
philosophy in revealing truth. Talking about the tragedies, example, Aristotle (1902) in
the Poetics claimed that poetry is a literary representation in general. For Aristotle, all
kinds of art including poetry, music, dance, painting and sculpture do not aim to
represent reality as it is. Aristotle conceived of art as representing possible versions of
reality.

In the Aristotelian worldview, art serves two particular purposes. First, art
allows for the experience of pleasure. Secondly, art also has an ability to be instructive
and teach its audience things about life.

Art as a Disinterested Judgment

Immanuel Kant wrote , the “Critique of Judgment”, he considered the

judgment of beauty, the cornerstone of art, as something that can be universal despite
its subjectivity. He mentioned that art is innately autonomous from specific interests.
Even aesthetic judgment for Kant is a cognitive activity.
 Kant recognized that judgment of beauty is subjective. For Kant, when one
judges a particular painting as beautiful, one in effect is saying that the said painting has
induced a particular feeling of satisfaction from him and that he expects the painting to
rouse the same feeling from anyone. There is something in the work of art that makes it
capable of inciting the same feeling of pleasure and satisfaction from any perceiver,
regardless of his condition.

For Kant, every human being, after perception and the free play of his
faculties, should recognize the beauty that is inherent in a work of art. This is the kind of
universality that a judgment of beauty is assumed by Kant to have.

Art as a Communication of Emotion

The author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy, provided
another perspective on what art is. In his book, What is Art (2016), Tolstoy defended the
production of the sometimes truly extravagant art like operas. For him, art plays a huge
role in communication to its audience’s emotions that the artist previously experienced.
Art then serves as a language, a communication device that articulates feelings and
emotions that are otherwise unavailable to the audience.

Tolstoy is fighting for the social dimension of art. As a purveyor of man’s

innermost feelings and thoughts, art is given a unique opportunity to serve as a
mechanism for social unity. Art is central to man’s existence.

Among the different perspectives on art, which ideas do you agree

Task 3 with?

Art as Communication of Emotion Art is something we do, a verb. Art is an expression of our thoughts,
emotions, intuitions, and desires, but it is even more personal than that: it's about sharing the way we
experience the world, which for many is an extension of personality.

• Art has remained relevant in our daily lives because most of it has played some
form of function for man.
 • Since the dawn of the civilization, art has been at the forefront of giving color to
man’s existence.
• The different functions of art may be classified as personal, social or physical.
• An art’s function is personal if it depends on the artist herself or sometimes to the
audience of the art.
• Social function in art is when it addresses a collective need of a group of people.
• Physical function has something to do with direct, tangible uses of art.
• Art may serve either as imitation, representation, a disinterested judgment or a
communication of emotion.

Task 1 Using the table below, list down three (3) different artworks that you
have witnessed. On the second column, identify what it is for.

ARTWORK WHAT IS IT FOR?

1.Daraga Church It is for the people who wants to get close
to God.

2.Rizal Monument or Luneta Park To show the patriotism and bravery of Dr.
Jose Rizal against the Spaniards.

3.Ibalon Monument It is also for the people who wants to know

the story of the three epic heroes in
Ibalong.

Task 2 What art form/artwork has changed something in your life? Why?
Account for the experience.

I think every time I see an artwork it changes, or moves me in some way. Visual art is very
potent for me and makes me think about things outside of myself. But I have also been
moved deeply by music in terms of memories.
 Among the different perspectives on art, which ideas do you agree
Task 3
with?

Art as Communication of Emotion Art is something we do, a verb. Art is an expression of our thoughts,
emotions, intuitions, and desires, but it is even more personal than that: it's about sharing the way we
experience the world, which for many is an extension of personality.

Look around your house and identify a product of art. In the box
below, draw a product of art in your household. Trace the beginnings of this
item and identify what functions it has played in history.

The history of advertising can be traced to ancient civilizations. It became a major force
in capitalist economies in the mid-19th century, based primarily on newspapers and magazines. In
the 20th century, advertising grew rapidly with new technologies such as direct
mail, radio, television, the internet and mobile devices. The function of advertising is to create the
symbolism and imagery around the product which will result in a relationship between the brand and
the consumer.

For the next module, please read about Subject and

Content
 Tick the box before the word which corresponds to your choice.

Self-Evaluation Module Evaluation

I learned a lot from this module Module is friendly, comprehensive and easy
to understand.
I learned just right Module is clear but lacks few details
I still need guidance in this topic Module has vague points that require
revisions
I don’t understand anything discussed Module does not cater my learning needs

Caslib,B.N., Garing, D., and Casaul, J.A., (2018). Art Appreciation. Rex Book Store, Inc. pp. 25-
36

GENEVIEVE L. CASULLA

Instructor