Arts and Humanities

Hum 121
BTVTED – 2
THE MEANING, IMPORTANCE AND SCOPE OF HUMANITIES

Humanities comes from the Latin word humunus which means human, cultures and refined.
To be human is to have or to show qualities like rationality, kindness and tenderness.

Humanities refers to the arts – visual arts such as architecture, painting and sculpture, music, dance,
the theater or drama and literature.

They are the branches of learning concerned with human thought, feelings and relations. The
importance of human being and his feelings and how he/she expresses those feelings have always
been the concern of humanities.

Art is very important in our lives. It constitutes one of the oldest and most important means of
expression developed by man.
Art, like love, is not easy to define. It concerns itself with the communication of certain ideas and
feelings by means of sensuous medium – color, sound, bronze, marble ,words, and film. This medium
is fashioned into symbolic language marked by beauty of design and coherence of form. It appeals
to our minds, arouses our emotions, kindles our imagination and enchants our senses.

Wherever we go, there is always art in every age of country, whether it be a city or a province , here
or in abroad, we surely have to pass buildings of various sorts – houses, schools, churches, stores,
and others. Some of them appear attractive and inviting, some do not. In viewing all these buildings,
however, we are being concerned with architecture which is one of the oldest and most important of
the many areas of art.

The art that we perceive through our eyes is called visual art and architecture is one part of it. It
involves not only painting and sculpture but include such as things as clothes, household appliances,
and furnishing of our homes, schools, churches and other buildings. Visual arts include much more
than painting, sculpture and architecture. Out of the many common things we use in our daily lives,
we derive real pleasure.

Music is another form of the more important art. This art of combining and regulating sounds of
varying pitch to produce composition expressing various ideas and emotions. Entertaining its primary
function. Music is one of the great arts of our civilization, along with literature, painting, sculpture,
architecture and dance. As an art, it bases its appeal on the sensuous beauty of musical sounds.
Like other arts, it deals with emotions. Its being a “ a pure art” enables it to convey emotions with
great intensity and can affect people directly. It is broad to convey emotions with great intensity and
can affect people directly. Great music especially, radiates infectious joy, and many who are
receptive to great music find it exhilarating.

Dance is another form of art that is common to man even during the earliest times. It is the most
direct of the arts for it makes use of the human body as its medium. It’s spring from man’s love for
expressive gestures, his release of tension through rhythmic movement. Dance heightens the
pleasure of being, and at the same time mirrors the life society.

The area of the theater or drama is another of the important arts. Dramatic activities are usually part
of every school and community program. The play may be a comedy, tragedy, mystery, musical or
melodrama.
The motion picture is popular addition to the various forms of the theater. Through it, a great
number of people are able to see dramatic performances every day.

The play itself is a form of literature. Scenery and costumes provide the visual arts, and music may
serve as a background to set the mood or to serve as part of the plot. The opera is a drama set to
music. It is a form of the theater in any musical shows, dancers are also important performers. It
combines several of the arts.

An Artist is a person who exhibits exceptional skills in design, drawing, painting, and the like who
word in one of the performing arts, like actors or musicians, they are more sensitive and more
creative. He possesses to an unusual degree, the knack for interpreting ideas into artistic form
through the use of words, pigments, stone, notes, or any of the other materials used by artist.

Two kinds of artist – creators and performers.

The work of the Creative Artist

Creativity is an artist’s trait developed in the course of his life to solve problems or express his
feelings. His continuing reaction to emerging conditions of nature and social life gives birth to new
ideas and new methods.
The process of creativity is threefold, with the artist as the prime mover, communicating his ideas
through the performer , as his interpreter to the audience. Each participates actively in the creative
process, although in the case of the reader, observer or listener, the intensity of the activity may be
less than of the artist who produces the work.
The process of Creation. Experts on the subject are one in their view that there are three
major phases in the process of creation.
 The artist must have an idea;
 He must a material in which to work on;
 He must give form to his idea.

The Idea. Artist are highly sensitive persons especially aware of the things that surround them. They
notice the sounds, color, and movements of people and things. Art expression is based on the so –
called higher senses of sight and sound, with the other senses playing more or less indirect roles. A
particular experience may impress an artist so much that he decides to use the basis for picture, a
poem, a play or a dance.
The Material and Process. The second phase of creation in art concerns the materials which the
artist uses to give form to his idea.
Organization and Form. The third phase in creating is organizing the idea and giving it form in the
selected materials. Artist have developed a host different forms to express the idea they work on. In
some of the arts, particularly the time arts, certain forms of organization are standard and widely
accepted.

In several of the time arts, the works generally have three –part structure: an introductory section
which “sets the stage” for what follows; middle section which develops the plot, the melody, or the
story; and a concluding section which is the final working out of the forces and ideas which the
artist has set in motion.

Style is a term which refers to the development of forms in art is related to particular historical
periods. Forms in the space arts often Symmetrically balanced in their design; that is, the two sides
of the object are identical. It tends to emphasize the center, creating a logical focal point for
something one wishes to emphasize. Asymmetric balanced is the kind of organization found in most
paintings and other two-dimensional graphic works. The forms and colors on one side are balanced
by different forms and colors on the other.
The Scope and Humanities
The humanities is a many-faceted subject.

Visual Arts are those that we perceive with our eyes.

They may be classified into two groups

- Graphic ( flat, or two-dimensional surface)
- Plastic arts (three-dimensional)

A. The Graphic Arts. This term covers any forms of visual artistic representation, especially
painting, drawing, photography and the like or in which portrayals of forms and symbols are
recorded on a two-dimensional surface. Printers also use the term graphic arts to describe all
processes and products of the printing industry.
1. Painting. This is the process of applying pigment to a surface to secure effects involving forms
and colors.
2. Drawing. Is the art of representing something by lines made on a surface or the process of
portraying an object, scene or forms of decorative or symbolic meaning through lines, shading,
and textures in one or more colors.
3. Graphic Processes. These are processes for making multi-reproduction of graphic words. All
processes involve the preparation of a master image of the drawing or design on some durable
materials such as wood, metal, or stone, from which printing is done. Processes may be
classified by the nature of the surface from which the printing is done: raised (relief);
depressed (intaglio);or flat (surface, or plane).
a. Relief printing is process whereby unwanted portions of design are cut away on the master
image. Printed image is formed by the remaining surface.
b. Intaglio printing is a method of printing from a plate on which incised lines, which carry the
ink, leave a raised impression.
(1) Dry point. Here the artist draws directly on a metal plate with a sharp needle and
scratches lines, or grooves, into the metal. For each print, ink is rubbed into the grooves
and the unscratched surface is wiped clean. In printing, the ink in the grooves is
transferred to paper.
(2) Etching. This is the art or process of producing drawings or designs on metal paltes
covered with wax. The needle penetrates wax to the surface of the plate. The plate is
then dipped in acid, which eats the lines into the metal. For printing, etched(bitten) lines
are filled with ink which is transferred to the paper.
(3) Engraving. This is done on a metal plate with a cutting tool called a barin, which leaves
a V-shaped trough. Drawing or design on the plate are entirely composed of lines and
/ or dots.
c. Surface printing includes all processes in which printing is done from a flat (plane) surface.
(1) Lithography is a the art or processes of printing from a flat stone or metal plate by a
method based on repulsion between grease and water.
(2) Silkscreen. Silk is stretched over a rectangular frame and unwanted portions in the
design are blocked out.
4. Commercial Art. This includes designing of books, advertisements, signs, posters, and other
displays to promote sale or acceptance of product, service or idea.
5. Mechanical Processes. These are developed by commercial printers for rapid, large-quantity
reproduction of words and pictures in one or more colors.
6. Photography. This is a chemical-mechanical process by which images are produced on
sensitized surfaces by action of light.
B. The Plastic Arts. This group includes all fields of the visual arts in which materials are
organized into three-dimensional forms.
1. Architecture is the art of designing and constructing buildings and other types of structures.
2. Landscape Architecture is planning outdoor areas for human use and enjoyment, especially
gardens, parks, playgrounds, golf courses.
 3. City Planning. This refers to planning and arranging the physical aspects of a large or small
community.
4. Interior design. The term used to designate design and arrangement of architectural interiors
for convenience and beauty.
5. Sculpture refers to the design and construction of three-dimensional forms representing
natural objects or imaginary(sometimes abstract)shapes.
6. Crafts. The term refers to the designing and making of objects by hand foe use or for pleasure.
7. Industrial design refers to design objects for machine and production.
8. Dress and Costume Design. This covers the design wearing apparel of all types – dresses,
coats, suits, coats, ties, and the like.
9. Theater Design is the design of setting for dramatic productions.
Literature
The art of combining spoken or written words and their meanings into forms which have artistic
and emotional appeal.
1. Drama is a form of literature.
2. Essay. This is non-fiction, expository (descriptive or explanatory) writing ranging from informal,
personal topics to closely reasoned critical treatments of important subjects.
3. Prose Fiction includes narrative (stories) created by the author, as distinguished from true
accounts. The word fiction comes from a Latin word which means “to form”, “to invent”, or “to
feign”. Fiction is generally divided into novel, novelette, and short-story forms. A novel or a
short story describe characters and events which the author has invented.
4. Poetry is literature of a highly expressive nature using special forms and choice of words and
emotional images. Narrative(storytelling) poetry includes epics, romances, and ballads. Lyric
forms include the sonnet, ode, elegy, and song.
Music
Music is the art of arranging sounds in rhythmic sound in rhythmic succession and generally
in combination. Melody results from this sequence, and harmony from the combinations. Music is
both creative and a performing art. Musical compositions fall into three groups.
1. Vocal Music is composed primarily to be sung. The voice or voices are generally accompanied
by one or more instruments.
2. Instrumental Music. Music of this kind is written for instruments of four general types –
keyboard(piano, organ, etc.); stringed (violin, cello, guitar, etc.); wind(flute, clarinet, etc.);
brass winds, (trumpet, saxophone, etc.); percussion (drums,xylophone).
3. Music Combines with Other Arts
a. Opera is a drama set to music. It is mostly or entirely sung with orchestral accompaniment.
It is spectacularly staged with accomplished singers, elaborate scenery and costumes.
b. Operetta and Musical Comedy. This is also adrama set to music but is light, popular,
romantic, and often humorous or comic. Operette use spoken dialogue instead or
recitative.
c. Oratorio and Cantata are sacred musical drama in concert form. These are made up of
recited parts(recitative), arias, and choruses, with orchestral accompaniment. No action,
sets, and costumes are used. Oratories are usually based on Biblical themes.
4. Other forms of arts the ballet music and background music for motion pictures.
Drama and Theater
A drama, or play, is a story re-created by actors on a stage in front of an audiences.
The following are the most common types of drama.
1. Tragedy. This is one of literature’s greatest dramatic art form. It is drama of serious nature in
which the central character comes to some sad or disastrous end. All tragedies portray
sufferings.
2. Melodrama. In this type of drama, the emphasis is on action rather than on character. The
action is sensational or romantic and usually has a happy ending.
3. Comedy generally includes all plays with happy endings.
a. The Romantic Comedy is alight, amusing tale of lovers in some dilemma which is finally
solved happily.
 b. Farce is a light, humorous play. The emphasis in a farce is on jokes, humorous physical
action, ludicrous situation, and improbable characters.
c. Comedy of Manners sometimes called “drawing room comedy” is sophisticated,
sometimes satirical. The characters are usually high-society types, and situations have
little to do with real life. The emphasis here is on witty dialogue.
4. Miscellaneous
a. Tragicomedy. A drama blending tragic and comic elements but which end happily.
b. Miracle and Mystery Plays are dramatized stories from the Bible and of the lives of saints.
c. Morality Plays are those in which characters represent specific vices and virtues.
d. Closet Drama is a term used to designate plays written for reading rather than for staging.
e. Piano Drama is based on piano works which revolve around the musical pieces composed
under the inspiration of a literary work. This “piano drama” which is recent innovation is
combining the interpretation of music with the recitation of poetry and literary source of the
music.
Dance
Dance involves the movement of the body and the feet in rhythm. Some important types
include.
1. Ethnologic. This includes folk dancing associated with national and cultural groups.
2. Social or Ballroom Dances. These are popular types of dancing generally performed by
pairs.
3. The Ballet. This is the formalized type of dance which originated in the royal courts in the
Middle Ages.
4. Modern. Sometimes called contemporary or interpretative dance. These dances represent
rebellion against the classical formalism of ballet.: they emphasize personal
communication of moods and the theme. In the past, movements were natural and
untrained. Today, there are varied styles of movements usually based on the current trend.
5. Musical Comedy refers to those dances performed by soloist, groups, choruses in
theaters, night clubs, motion pictures, and television.