Topic 2: Understanding the Arts

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the session, you will be able to:
a. Evaluate the perspectives behind the meaning of art;
b. Demonstrate understanding on the basic concepts and
assumptions about art; and
c. Point out works of art in the past that are still very much admired
and treasured today.

Presentation of Content

What is art?

We can say that art is the lifeblood of humanities because it conveys

one’s feelings and expressions. Art is the essential factor which motivates an
individual to create and appreciate “a thing of beauty.”
But before we formally discuss art, let’s look at the etymological
meaning as well as the different meanings of art given by the experts.
Etymologically, art is derived from the Latin word “ars”, meaning ability or
skill. Art is from an Italian
“artis” defined as a human or skill. Further, Webster’s New Collegiate
dictionary defines art as “The conscious use of skill and creative imagination
especially in the production of aesthetics objects.”

Writers and philosophers defined arts in different ways:

“Art is not, as the metaphysicians say, the manifestation of some

mysterious idea of beauty of God: it is not, as the aesthetical
physiologists say, a game in which man lets off his excess of stored-
up energy; it is not the expression of man’s emotions by external
signs; it is not the production of pleasing objects, above all, it is not
pleasure; but it is a means of unions among men, joining them
together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the life and
progress toward well-being of individuals and humanity.” Russian
novelist Leo Tolstoy
 “Art teaches nothing, except the significance of life.” American
writer Henry Miller

“Art is higher type of knowledge than experience.” Greek

philosopher Aristotle

“The object of art is to give life a shape.” French dramatist Jean

Anouilh

“Art is science in the flesh.” French poet and playwright Jean Couteau

“All art is social,” because it is the result of a relationship between an

artist and his time.” Historian James Adams

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has
known.”
Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde
“Art is a discovery and development of elementary principles of
nature into beautiful forms suitable for human use.” American
architect, interior designer, writer, and educator Frank Lloyd Wright

Assumptions about Art

1. Art is everywhere.
"Your surroundings, home,
personal care, pets, clothing and body are
all reflections of how you see and express
yourself." - Dr. Christiane Northrup
The Invention of Clothing

2. Art is not nature.

Art is not nature because art is man-made. It is the creature of man

that may reflect a profound skillfulness and craftsmanship. Art can never
be natural because nature is evanescent, in constant transformation of
change, and yet art is permanent.

3. Art is imitating and creating.

 Creation in art is the act of
combining or re-
ordering already existing
materials so that new objects will
be formed. An artist only copies
the things in nature he believes
would express his thought and
feelings. Art is a process
1Lake in Tuao, Cagayan of imitating
involving personal
assimilation through mind, feeling and style (Barrios, 2012).

4. Art perfects nature.

Artists only enhance things they like and eliminate the undesirable
elements in nature to convey their message of beauty and love.
5. Art is universal.
It transcends cultures, races,
and civilization. As long as human
beings exist, art is feasible, alive, and
dynamic.

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

6. Art is timeless
Art is timeless because it goes beyond the time of our existence. It is
present in every corner of the world to serve basic needs of mankind, from
ancient time to modern world. Further, art is timeless because it continually
evolves. Aside from artists birthing new artworks, they also never stop
innovating, recreating, reinventing, and reviving works of art.
Art defines time. In watching film, for example, even when you do
not have the idea when it was created, the style of directing and filming, the
clothing and bearing of the characters, musical scoring and the setting and
the plot of the story would make the viewer’s guess the period when it was
produces.
While art defines time, time also defines art. It identifies the artwork
that would “click” in a particular time for the particular audience.
Aside from the assumptions about arts discussed, other universally accepted
ideas about arts are the following:
Art as Expression and Communication
Art has grown out of man’s need to express himself. Expression is
limited to the revelation of emotions alone. The personal and social values
of the artist and his penetrating psychological insight into human reality are
also conveyed through arts. The artist uses symbols which he organizes into
some comprehensible equivalent of the experience that he is trying to
convey. If the symbols are understood by his audience, then communication
has been established.

Art and Experience

Three major kinds of experience are involved in the artistic activity.
(1) It starts as an experience which the artist wants to communicate. (2) The
act of expressing this experience –that of creating that art object or form. (3)
When the work is done, there is the artist’s gratifying experience of having
accomplished something significant.
On the part of the onlooker or listener, he may kindle an experience
which is similar or related to that which the artist tried to express. These
include sensory, emotional, and intellectual responses.

Art and Beauty

A thing of beauty is one which gives us pleasure when we perceive
it. The delight that we experience is called aesthetic pleasure. Beauty in
terms of art refers to an interaction between line, color, texture, sound, shape,
motion, and size that is pleasing to the senses.

Sometimes beauty is not the artist’s ultimate goal. Art is often

intended to appeal to and connect with human emotion. Artists may express
something so their audience is stimulated in some way-creating feelings,
religious faith, curiosity, interest, identification with a group, thoughts, or
creativity. For example, performance art often does not aim to please the
audience but instead evokes feelings, reactions, conversations, or questions
for the viewer. In these cases, aesthetics may be an irrelevant measure of
“beautiful” art
(https://courses.lumenting.com/boundeless-arthistory/chapter/what-is-art/).