Art Appreciation Module 2 standards.

We are able to distinguish what is fine and beautiful from what is not and
Name: _____________________________________________________________
Year and Course: _______________
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
1. differentiate art from nature;
2. characterize artistic expression based on personal experiences with art:
3. discuss the nature of art's preliminary expression; and,
4. categorize works of art by citing personal experiences.
what is good quality from poor. This gives us a role in the field of art appreciation.
Let's Get Started
In one of your encounters with art through museum visits, musicals, and
plays, among others, have you ever felt disconnected from an artwork? Was there a
point in time when you did not understand what message the art was trying to
convey? If yes, write the name of the artwork in the box and attach an image of the
artwork, if possible. Explain why you think you did or did not understand the art
using the space provided for your answer.

LESSON 2
ART APPRECIATION: CREATIVITY, IMAGINATION , AND EXPRESSION

INTRODUCTION
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.
No matter how perfectly blended the colors of a sunset are and no matter how
extraordinarily formed mountains are, nature is not considered art simply because it is
not made by man. Not even photographs or sketches of nature, though captured or
drawn by man, are works of art, but mere recordings of the beauty in nature (Collins
& Riley, 1931). An artwork may be inspired by nature or other works of art, but an
artist invents his own forms and patterns due to what he perceives as beautiful and Let's Get Down to Business
incorporates them in creating his masterpiece.
Art Appreciation as a way of Life
Perhaps not everyone can be considered an artist, but surely, all are spectators
of art. In deciding what pair of shoes to buy, we carefully examine all possible Jean-Paul Sartre, a famous French philosopher of the twentieth century,
choices within our budget and purchase the one that satisfies our beauty and practical described the role of art as a creative work that depicts the world in a completely
different light and perspective, and the source is due to human freedom (Greene,
1995). Each artwork beholds beauty of 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 same way the artist did. Because of this, numerous artworks go
unnoticed, artists are not given enough credit, and they miss opportunities. It
sometimes takes a lifetime before their contribution to the development of art is
recognized. Hence, refining one's ability to appreciate art allows him to deeply
understand the purpose of an artwork and recognize the beauty it possesses (Collins
& Riley, 1931).
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 (Collins & Riley, 1931). This continuous demand for aesthetically valuable
things influences the development and evolution of art and its forms.
Frequenting museums, art galleries, performing arts theaters, concert halls, or
even malls that display art exhibitions that are free in admission during leisure time
will not only develop an understanding of the art, but will also serve as a rewarding
experience. Learning to appreciate art, no matter what vocation or profession you
have, will lead to a fuller and more meaningful life (Collins & Riley, 1931).
The Role of Creativity in Art Making
Creativity requires thinking outside the box. It is often used to solve problems
that have never occurred before, conflate function and style, and simply make life a
more unique and enjoyable experience. In art, creativity is what sets apart one
artwork from another. We say something is done creatively when we have not yet
seen anything like it or when it is out of the ordinary. A creative artist does not simply
copy or imitate another artist's work. He does not imitate the lines, flaws, colors, and
patterns in recreating nature. He embraces originality, puts his own flavor into his
work, and calls it his own creative piece.
Yet, being creative nowadays can be quite challenging. What you thought was
your own unique and creative idea may not what it seems to be after extensive
research and that someone else has coincidentally devised before the idea in another
part of the world. For instance, the campaign ad "It's More Fun in the Philippines"
used by the Department of Tourism (DOT) boomed popularity in 2011, but later on it
was found out that it was allegedly plagiarized from Switzerland's tourism slogan "It's
More Fun in Switzerland," back in 1951. In DOT's defense, former DOT Secretary
Ramon Jimenez Jr. claimed that it was "purely coincidental." Thus, creativity should
be backed with careful research on related art to avoid such conflicts.
Art as a Product of Imagination, Imagination as a Product of Art
Where do you think famous writers, painters, and musicians get their ideas?
Where do ideas in making creative solutions begin? It all starts in the human mind. It
all begins with imagination German physicist Albert Einstein who had made
significant and major contributions in science and humanity demonstrated that
knowledge is actually derived from imagination. He emphasized this idea through his
words:
"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."
Imagination is not constrained by the walls of the norm, but goes beyond that.
That is why people rely on curiosity and imagination for advancement. Through
imagination, one is able to craft something bold, something new, and something
better in the hopes of creating something that will stimulate change. Imagination
allows endless possibilities.
In an 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 (Collingwood, 1938). Take for
example a musician who thinks of a tune in his head. The making of this tune in his
head makes it an imaginary tune, an imaginative creation, an imaginary art
(Collingwood, 1938). It remains imaginary until he hums, sings, or writes down the
notes of the tune on paper. 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,
Imagine being in an empty room surrounded by blank, white walls, and floor.
Would you be inspired to work in such a place? Often, you will find coffee shops,
restaurants, and libraries with paintings hung or sculptures and other pieces of art
placed around the room to add beauty to the surroundings. This craving and desire to
be surrounded by beautiful things dates back to our early ancestors (Collins & Riley,
1931).
Art as Expression
There may have been times when you felt something is going on within you, you try
to explain it but you do not know how. You may only be conscious about feeling this
sort of excitement, fear, or agitation, but you know that just one word is not enough to
describe the nature of what you truly feel. Finally, you try to release yourself from
this tormenting and disabling state by doing something, which is called expressing
oneself (Collingwood, 1938). Suppose this feeling is excitement. It is frustrating to
contain such feeling, so you relieve it by expressing through shouting or leaping in
excitement. An emotion will remain unknown to a man until he expresses it.
Robin George Collingwood, an English philosopher who is best known for his
work in aesthetics, explicated in his publication The Principles of Art (1938) that
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. Collingwood further illustrated that expressing
emotions is something different from describing emotions. In his example, explicitly
saying "I am angry is not an expression of an emotion, but a mere description. There
is no need in relating or referring to a specific emotion, such as anger, in expressing
one's emotion. Description actually destroys the idea of expression, as it classifies the
emotion, making it ordinary and predictable. Expression, on the other hand,
individualizes. An artist has the freedom to express himself the way he wants to.
Hence, there is no specific technique in expression. This makes people's art not a
reflection of what is outside or external to them, but a reflection of their inner selves.
There are countless ways of expressing oneself through art. The following list
includes, but is not limited to, popular art expressions.
Visual Arts
Creations that fall under this category are those that appeal to the sense of
sight and are mainly visual in nature. Artists produce visual arts driven by their desire
to reproduce things that they have seen in the way that they perceived them (Collins
& Riley, 1931). We will not be too strict on the definition since there are other artistic
disciplines that also involve a visual aspect, such as performance arts, theater, and
applied arts, that will be discussed in detail later on. Visual arts is the kind of art form
that the population is most likely more exposed to, but its variations are so diverse—
they range from sculptures that you see in art galleries to the last movie you saw.
Some mediums of visual arts include paintings, drawings, letterings, printing,
sculptures, digital imaging, and more.
Film
Film refers to the art of putting together successions of still images in order to
create an illusion of movement. Filmmaking focuses on its aesthetic, cultural, and
social value and is considered as both an art and an industry. Films can be created by
using one or a combination of some or all of these techniques: motion-picture camera
(also known as movie camera), animation techniques, Computer-Generated Imagery
(CGI), and more. Filmmaking simulates experiences or creates one that is beyond the
scope of our imagination as it aims to deliver ideas, feelings, or beauty to its viewers.
The art of filmmaking is so complex it has to take into account many
important elements such as lighting, musical score, visual effects, direction, and
more. That is why in famous film festivals and awards such as the Metro Manila Film
Festival and Oscars, a long list of categories is considered to recognize excellence in
the art of filmmaking.
Performance Art
Performance art is a live art and the artist's medium is mainly the human body
which he or she uses to perform, but also employs other kind of art such as visual art,
props, or sound. It usually consists of four important elements: time, where the
performance took place, the performer's or performer's body, and a relationship
between the audience and the performer(s) (Moma Learning, n.d.). The fact that
performance art is live makes it intangible, which means it cannot be bought or traded
as a commodity, unlike the previously discussed art expressions.
Poetry Performance
Poetry is an art form where the artist expresses his emotions not by using
paint, charcoal, or camera, but expresses them through words. These words are
carefully selected to exhibit clarity and beauty and to stimulate strong emotions of
joy, anger, love, sorrow, and the list goes on. It uses a word's emotional, musical, and
spatial values that go beyond its literal meaning to narrate, emphasize, argue, or
convince. These words, combined with movements, tone, volume, and intensity of the
delivery, add to the artistic value of the poem. Some poets even make poems out of
their emotions picked up from other works of art, which in turn produce another work
of art through poetry.
Architecture
As discussed, art is the pursuit and creation of beautiful things while
architecture is the making of beautiful buildings. However, not all buildings are
beautiful. Some buildings only embody the functionality they need, but the structure,
lines, forms and colors are not beautifully expressed. Thus, not all buildings can be
considered architecture. Take, for example, the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux (Figure
11) where the functionality of the theater remains, but the striking balance of the
lines, colors, and shapes completes the masterpiece. Buildings should embody these
three important elements-plan, construction, and design—if they wish to merit the
title architecture (Collins & Riley, 1931).
Dance
Dance is a series of movements that follows the rhythm of the music
accompaniment. It has been an age-old debate whether dance can really be considered
an art form, but here we primarily describe dance as a form of expression. Dancing is
a creative form that allows people to freely express themselves. It has no rules. You
may say that choreography does not allow this, but in art expression, dancers are not
confined to set steps and rules but are free to create and invent their own movements
as long as they deem them graceful and beautiful.
Literary Art
Artists who practice literary arts use words-not paint, musical instruments, or
chisels-to express themselves and communicate emotions to the readers. However,
simply becoming a writer does not make one a literary artist. Simply constructing a
succession of sentences in a meaningful manner is not literary art. Literary art goes
beyond the usual professional, academic journalistic, and other technical forms of
writing. It focuses on writing using a unique style, not following a specific format or
norm. It may include both fiction and non-fiction such as novels, biographies, and
poems. Examples of famous literary artists and their works include The Little Prince
by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
Theater
Theater uses live performers to present accounts or imaginary events before a
live audience. Theater art performances usually follow a script, though they should
not be confused with literary arts. Much like in filmmaking, theater also considers
several elements such as acting, gesture, lighting, sound effects, musical score,
scenery, and props. The combination of these elements is what gives the strongest
impression on the audience and the script thus becomes a minor element. Similar to
performance art, since theater is also a live performance, the participation of the
viewer is an important element in theater arts. Some genres of theater include drama,
musical, tragedy, comedy, and improvisation.
Applied Arts
Applied arts is incorporating elements of style and design to everyday items
with the aim of increasing their aesthetical value. Artists in this field bring beauty,
charm and comfort into many things that are useful in everyday life (Collins & Riley,
1931) Industrial design, interior design, fashion design, and graphic design are
considered applied arts. Applied is often compared to fine arts, where the latter is
chiefly concerned on aesthetic value. Through exploration and expression of ideas,
consideration of the needs, and careful choice of materials and techniques, artists are
able to combine functionality and style.
Let's Wrap It Up
Art is a product of a man's creativity, imagination, and expression. An artwork
may be inspired by nature or other works of art, but an artist invents his own forms
and patterns due to what he perceives as beautiful and incorporates them in creating
his masterpiece. Perhaps not everyone can be considered an artist, but surely, all are
spectators of art, which gives us all a role in the field of art appreciation. Refining
one's ability to appreciate art allows him to deeply understand the purpose of an
artwork and recognize the beauty it possesses.
Creativity is what sets apart one artwork from another. A creative artist does
not simply copy or imitate another artist's work. He does not imitate the lines, flaws,
colors, and patterns in recreating nature. While through imagination, an artist is able
to craft something bold, something new, and something better in the hopes of creating
something that will stimulate change. In the same way that imagination produces art,
art also inspires imagination. Lastly, through expression, an artist is able to explore
his own emotions while at the same time, create something beautiful out of it.
Expressing emotions is something different from describing emotions. Description
actually destroys the idea of expression, as it classifies the emotion, making it
ordinary and predictable. Expression, on the other hand, individualizes the artist.
Some forms of art expression include visual arts, film, performance art, poetry
performance, architecture, dance, literary arts, theater arts, and applied arts.
Let's Work On This
Answer the following questions as precisely yet as thoroughly as possible.
1. What art field will you explore? Why?
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2. How can you utilize the arts to express yourself, your community, and your
relation to others?
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3. What is a visual art?
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4. What is a poetry performance?
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5. What is a literary art?
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REFERENCE
Collingwood, R.G. (1938). The Principles of Art. Worcestershire: Read Books Ltd.
Collins, M.R. and Riley, O. (1931). Art Appreciation for Junior and Senior High
Schools. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.
Greene, M. (1995), Art and Imagination: Reclaiming the Sense of Possibility.
Indiana, USA: Phi Delta Kappa International.
Moma Learning, (n.d.). "Conceptual Art." Accessed October 14, 2017. Retrieved
from https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/conceptual-art/
performance-into-art
The Arts Center (n.d.). "Poetry is Art Form." Accessed October 14, 2017. Retrieved
from http://www.theartscenter.org/art-exhibitions/poetry-art-form.html.
Unbound Visual Arts, (n.d.). "What is Visual Art?" Accessed October 15, 2017.
Retrieved from http://www.unboundvisualarts.org/what-is-visual-art).