THE

SUBJECT
OF ART
Prof. Zefra T. Reamillo
◦The primary stage of engaging art
is its perception. Looking at art is
much like any instance of taking
information or stimulus that
originates from the world around
us.
◦To majority of people, the appeal of most works of
art lies in the representation of familiar objects.
Their enjoyment of painting, sculpture and
literature comes not from their perception of the
meaning or composition but from the satisfaction
they get out of recognizing the subject or
understanding the narrative content.
 WHAT SUBJECT IS?
◦The subject of art refers to any person, object, scene or
event described or represented in a work of art.
◦Some arts have subject, others do not. The arts that
have subject are called representational. Those who
do not have subject are known as non-
representational.
 REPRESENTATIONAL ART
◦These types of art have subjects that refer to
objects that refer or events occurring in the real
world.
◦Also termed figurative art because the figures
depicted are easy to make out and decipher.
 Mona Lisa
Leonardo Da Vinci
(1503)
 NON-REPRESENTATIONAL ART

◦Art forms that do not make a reference to the real

world, whether it is a person, place, thing, or even a
particular event.
◦It is stripped down to visual elements, such as
shapes, lines, and colors that are employed to
translate a particular feeling, emotion, and even
concept.
 Number 1A
Jackson Pollock
(1948)
 Ways of Representing Subject
◦ Realism
When things are depicted in the way they would normally appear in nature, the
representation is said to be realistic.
Example:
1. Painting
Strictly speaking, no work of art is truly realistic, since no work of art is an
accurate copy of what exist in the natural world. Anyone who was watched a
painter at work knows how many details he leaves out, alters, and adds,
departing from recording optical reality. Many great artists have been able to
create the illusion of reality through a selective use of details.
2. Novel (Narrative)
A realistic novel is not just a narration of events which actually
took place. Rather, it is an imaginative narrative, the details of
which the author has so manipulated that the situation appears
as something that could have really happened or may possibly
happen.
Abstract
Some paintings seem to be photograph renderings of facts. But
most paintings and sculptures are abstract to a certain degree.
Abstraction is the process of simplifying and/or reorganizing
objects and elements according to the demands of artistic
expression. The artist selects and renders the objects with their
shapes and positions altered.
Distortion
When figures have been so arranged that proportions
differ noticeable from natural measurements, the objects
are said to be distorted. Distortion could also mean
twisting, stretching or deforming the natural shape of the
object.
Example:
1. Surrealism
We generally regard surrealism as realism plus distortion.
 NON-
REPRESENTATIONAL
ART AND ABSTRACT
ART
◦Is non-representational art the
same with abstract art?
◦There is no clear-cut divide, rather,
they exist in a spectrum.
Non Representational Art Abstract Art Representational Art
 Head of a Woman,
Mougins Pablo Picasso
(1962)
 Kinds of Subject
◦ Landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes
◦ Still Lifes
◦ Animals
◦ Portraits
◦ Figures
◦ Everyday Life
◦ History and legend
◦ Religion and mythology
◦ Dreams and Fantasies
Die Ebene von Auvers (Wheat Fields
Near Auvers
Vincent van Gogh
(1890)
Discobolus Myron
(Roman, 2nd
Century AD)
Sistine Chapel Michelangelo
(1508-1512)
 Shah Jahan Receiving Dara
Shikoh Folio
from the Late Shah Jahan Album
(circa 1650)
 El Tres de Mayo
Francisco de Goya
(1814)
CONTENT IN ART
◦The meaning or message that is
expressed or communicated by the
artwork.
◦In understanding the content of art, it is
important to note that there are various
levels of meaning:
 Factual meaning
◦The most rudimentary level of meaning for it
may be extracted from the identifiable or
recognizable forms in the artwork and
understanding how these elements relate to
one another.
 Conventional meaning
◦Pertains to the acknowledged interpretation of
the artwork using motifs, signs, and symbols and
other cyphers as bases of its meaning.
◦These conventions are established through time,
strengthened by recurrent use and wide
acceptance by its viewers or audience and
scholars who study them.
 Subjective meaning
◦ When subjectivities are consulted, a variety of meanings
may arise when a particular work of art is read.
◦These meanings stem from the viewer’s or audience’s
circumstances that come into play when engaging with art
(what we know, what we learned, what we experienced;
what values we stand for).
◦ Meaning may not be singular, rather, multiple and varied.
Creation of Adam (from the ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel)
Michelangelo
(1814)
 Analysis
◦Subject: biblical art
◦Factual meaning: Creation Story (creation of man)
◦Conventional meaning: man was created in the
image and likeness of God
◦Subjective meaning: endowment of intellect to
man from God