ALMORADO, J.M.
GEC106 Art Appreciation
Lesson 3: Soul-making, Improvisation,
and Appropriation
SOULMAKING
- Art of making
- Is primarily based on drawing out
or depicting the experiences and
practices in an individual and
transforming these into images
either into a painting, a sculpture,
a composition, or a production.
- Has emotion, value, concept to
uphold
- Art=image of soul/self
- John Keats: I say “soul-making”,
souls as distinguished from an
INTELLIGENCE.
o Soul has to acquire identity
by suffering. Once you
suffer, the better you
understand
- Our experiences shape us into a
certain kind of person, and this
becomes who we are—our soul.
- Soul making is letting out our soul,
we can do it by turning to art
- Takes time because you are
shaping yourself
- Converting an experience,
whether a short moment or life-
long encounter, into images and
symbols
- Long process, non-motivated to
motivational
- An exploration and application of
the imagination in an active way.
We use our imagination or an
inspiration to connect our soul
- But imaginations will stay
intangible until the artist converts
said thoughts into form
Categories:
o Creating Images
o Crafting Stories
o Crafting instruments
o Crafting movements
CRAFTING TECHNIQUES
What is mindfulness?
- Mindfulness is a mental state
achieved by focusing one’s
awareness on the present
moment, while calmly
acknowledging and accepting
one’s feelings, thoughts, and
bodily sensations, used as a
therapeutic technique
- Extending one’s mindfulness state
to expressing imagination,
inspiration, or creativity allows a
relaxing hobby like crafting to
come in
Why is switching off so important?
Allowing your mind to enter a playful
state, as it does when creating and
crafting, is essential to our general well-
being. Always remaining in a state of
high alert, as we can do in our day to day
lives, doesn’t allow our minds and bodies
the opportunity to slow down, pause and
catch up. The key to looking after your
mental health is being in the moment.
Becoming engrossed in a crafting activity
draws the mind away from life’s problems
and busies it with creativity, imagination,
or fun. It awakens the senses—
something that can only happen in the
present moment. Crafting enables us to
enter a mindful state without having to
focus on doing so. We merely enjoy the
experience and mindfulness comes as a
bonus.
How to think like Leonardo Da Vinci
(CAPTURING THE ESSENCE OF
LEONARDO DA VINCI’s GENIUS by
MICHAEL GELB)
Curiosita – an unrelenting quest for
continuous and constant learning in life
Dimostrazione – testing knowledge by
experience, persistence, and willingness
to learn from mistakes.
Sensazione – continual refinement of the
senses

Sfumato – willingness to embrace
paradox, ambiguity, and uncertainty
Arte/Scienza – balance between science
and art, logic and imagination
Corporalita – cultivating grace,
ambidexterity, fitness, and poise
Connessione – recognition and
appreciation that all things and
phenomena are interconnected
IMPROVISATION
- The art and act of improvising or
of composing, uttering, executing,
or arranging anything without
previous planning or preparation.
It is producing something from
whatever material/resources
available.
Examples:
o In performing arts, it is a
very spontaneous
performance without
specific or scripted
preparation
o in music, composing a song
impromptu, or an
impromptu solo
performance during a
concert
o In theater, a stage actor
may play dramatic scenes
without any pre-written
dialogue (like an adlib when
a co-actor forgets his or her
line)
- Also called improved, described
as “spontaneous, unplanned, or
otherwise free-ranging activity”
- Spontaneous, unplanned, sudden
- In improvising, you let your
creative ideas flow onto your
hands while you are painting to…
@@@
- Can be individual – painter or solo
dancer
- Can be group – jazz bands and
theater actors
ALMORADO, J.M.
- Superior skill artists naturally
possess and have acquired after
extensive and constant practice
APPROPRIATION
- Artist borrows idea from a pre-
existing art and adds twist (modify)
the borrowed art
- Involves borrowing and changing
existing materials or works
- Started in the 1900s
- Pablo picasso, gorges Braque,
and the father of improvisation,
Marcel Duchamp
- Also done in music, theatre,
dance, and even cultural items
and practices
- Salvador Dali: In art and history, it
refers to the practice of artists
using pre-existing objects or
images in their art with little
transformation of the original
ISSUES ON OWNERSHIP AND
APPROPRIATION IN RELATION TO
ART
Ownership: generally pertains to the
general right of a person or an individual
to control an object purchased or in his
possession
Copyright Laws: give the owner
the copyright—the exclusive rights to
produce, to display publicly, to make and
distribute copies, and to prepare
derivative works based on the original
artwork.
APPROPRIATION—IS IT STEALING
ANOTHER’S ARTWORK?
Using another’s artwork in the
artist’s new context. In appropriation, the
artist does not seek to deceive the
viewers of the new art piece for there is
no prohibition to bring the original
message and intention of the original
artwork; rather it is merely establishing
the original art piece in a new “light” or
context
2 WAYS TO APPROPRIATE ART
 ALMORADO, J.M.

1) Artistic content
 Artistic elements: motif, genre,
style
2) Cultural Appropriation
 Object
- Happens when a tangible artwork
previously owned by people from
one culture was taken and
adopted by a person or a group of
persons from another culture
- Example: Totem Pole
 Content
- Refers to the adoption of works
that are intangible. Examples are
short stories, poetry, and musical
compositions
Examples:
- Salbakuta’s “Stupid Love” song
(categorically, it’s sampling)
- Mashup song of Mariah Carey’s
“All I want for Christmas is you”
and My Chemical Romance’s
“Welcome back to the Black
Parade”
 Subject
- Occurs when a subject matter
from another culture is
appropriated
- Example: In the animated fil
Moana, the character of Maui is
not a fictional character but a
Polynesian cultural hero with both
human and godly characteristics.
There are numerous views of the
particular origins and feats of Maui
(from family to family), but it is
generally agreed that he is a figure
of dignity, strength, and
intelligence. The Maui in the
Disney trailer, however, appears
to be frivolous, vain, and
humorous. It is unsettling that a
demigod known for his magnitude
is the comic relief of the film