Lesson 2: Assumptions of Art

Common misconceptions about art

Common misconceptions about Art Basic assumptions of Art

1. Art is a visual concept.
2. Art depends on the talent and imagination of
the artist.
3. Art rules need to be followed.
4. Art is patience and hard work.
5. Individual Artists’ Style is difficult to
accomplish.
1. Art has been created by all people at all
times, , in all countries and it lives because it is
well-liked and enjoyed.
2. Art involves experience; there can never be
appreciation of art without experience.
3. Art is not nature; nature is not art. Art is made
by man.
4. Art is everywhere.
5. Art is man’s oldest means of expression.

6. Not everybody can understand art.

7. Art have to be in track with the fashion.

8. The more expensive an artwork is, the better

quality it is.
9. Art Subject matter is limited.

10. The purpose of art is mainly decorative.

“Art tries to replicate things natural but nature will always remain supreme.”

Functions of Art

Motivated Functions of Art Non-motivated Functions of Art

1. Communication 1. Basic human instinct for harmony, balance,
rhythm.
2. Art as entertainment 2. Experience of the mysterious.
3. The Avante-Garde 3. Expression of the imagination.
4. Art as a “free zone”, removed from the action 4. Ritualistic and symbolic functions.
of the social censure
5. Art for social inquiry, subversion, and/or
anarchy
6. Art for social causes
7. Art for psychological and healing purposes
8. Art for propaganda or commercialism
9. Art as a fitness indicator
Lesson 3: Subjects of Art

Subject – The subject of art refers to any person, object, scene or event described or represented in
a work of art.

Representational or Objective – Arts that have subject (eg Painting, Sculpture, Graphic Arts,
Literature and Theatre Arts)

Non-Representational or Non-Objective – Arts that do not have subject. Music, Architecture and
many of the Functional Arts – Program Music

 Many contemporary painters have turned away from representational to non-objective

painting. They have shifted their attention to the work of art as an object in itself, an exciting
combination of shapes and colors that a Subject fulfills an aesthetic need without having to
represent images or tell a story.

Ways of Representing Subject

The manner of representing subject varies according to the intent and inventiveness of each artist.

Realism – when things are depicted in the way they would normally appear.

 Strictly speaking, no work of art is realistic. Since no work of art is an accurate copy of what
exists in the natural world.
 Some paintings seem to be photographic renderings of facts or anchored on historical facts.
 Fernando Amorsolo. A Basket of Mangoes.1949. oil in canvas . 20x16 (frame 24x20)

Abstraction – it is the process of simplifying and/or reorganizing objects and elements according to
the demands of the artistic expression.

 The artist selects and renders the objects with their shapes, colors and positions altered. In
some abstract works, enough of a likeness has been retained to represent real things.
 In others, the original objects have been reduced to simple geometric shapes and they can
be rarely identified unless the artist named it in title. His concern is the rendering of the
essence of the subject rather than the natural form itself.
 George Braque
Distortion – is when the figures have been so arranged that proportions differ noticeably from
natural measurements.

 It could also mean twisting, stretching or deforming the natural shape of the object.
 It is usually done to dramatize the shape of a figure or to create an emotional effect.
 Caricatures employ distortions so that their targets of ridicule would appear grotesque and
hateful.
 Joan Miro. Carnival of Harlequin. 1924

Surrealism – it is realism plus distortion.

 It is a method where the artist in giving expression to what it is in the subconscious

composes dreamlike scenes that show an irrational arrangement of objects.
 The images are recognizable, sometimes drawn from the nature but they are so combined in
utterly fantastic and unnatural relationships.
Things that affect an artist’s choice of subject

 Medium
 Time in which he lives and or the patronage he gets
 Developments in Science and Technology

The value of a work of art does not depend on the artist’s choice of subject. It does not mean that
the more profound the subject, the greater the work of art. Rather, the worth of any
representational work of art depends upon the way the subject has been presented.

Kinds of Subject

1. Landscapes, 4. Portraits 8. Religion and

Seascapes, and Mythology
5. Figures
Cityscapes
9. Dreams and
6. Everyday Life
2. Still Life Fantasies
7. History and Legend
3. Animals

Subject and Content

Subject – refers to the objects depicted by the artist.

Content – refers to what the artist expresses or communicates on the whole of his work.

- Is the meaning
- Reveals the artist’s attitude toward his subject

Subject Matter’s Different Levels of Meaning

1. Factual Meaning – the literal statement or the narrative content in the work which can be directly
apprehended because the objects presented are easily recognized

2. Conventional Meaning – refers to the special meaning that a certain object or color has a
particular culture or group of people.

Examples: Flag- symbol of a nation, cross for Christianity, crescent moon – Islam

3. Subjective Meaning – any personal meaning consciously or unconsciously conveyed by the artist
using a private symbolism which stems from his own association of certain objects, actions or colors
with past experiences.
Lesson 4: Artists and Artisan

Artists – makes large quantities of artworks of the same nature and be reproduced in industrial
ways.

Artisan – makes unique handicrafts.

Traditional arts – are living traditions and are produced up to the present in modified ways.

Philippines National Living Treasures (PNLT) – are more formally known as the awardees of the
Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) are from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts
or NCCA.

National Artist Award (NAA) – is the highest form of recognition to Filipino artists for their
significant contributions in arts and letters.

NCCA – National Commission for Culture and the Arts

GAMABA – Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan – Is an award that recognizes the folk and indigenous
artists of the Philippines who has remained true to their traditions.

1. Sumaon Sulaiman (1993) – Kutyapi master and teacher

2. Masino Intaray (1993) – A prolific and pre-eminent epic chanter and story teller. Recognized
mastery in Basal, Bagit, and Kulilal.
3. Ginaw Bilog (1993) – Hanunoo Mangyan poet. Master of the Ambahan Poetry.
4. Salinta Monon (1998) – Tagabanwa- Bagobo traditional weaver. Woven fabrics using distint
abaca fabrics.
5. Lang Dulay (1998) – T’boli traditional weaver of “tinalak” (cloth made of colorful abaca
fabrics)
6. Uwang Ahadas (2000) – Yakan musician.
7. Federico Caballero (2000) – Documentation of the oral literature, particularly the epics of his
people.
8. Alono Saclag (2000) – Kalinga master of dance and the performing arts.
9. Haja Amina-Appi (2005) – Master mat weaver among the Sama indigenous community.
10. Eduardo Mutuc (2005) – dedicated his life to creating religious and nonreligious art in silver,
bronze, and wood.
11. Darhata Sawabi (2005) – Tausug weaver (Pis Syabit – the traditional cloth tapestry worn as a
head cover)
12. Teofilo Garcia (2012) – a “tabungaw” or gourd casque maker
13. Magdalena Gamayo (2012) – Master Inabel weaver from the Ilocos region.
Lesson 5: Elements of art

Elements of art – are the basic components of art-making.

- Are sort of like atoms in that both serve as “building blocks” for creating
something.
- A person can’t create art without utilizing at least a few of them. No elements,
no art—end of story.

Elements of Art

1. Color - The visible range of reflected light. Color has three properties: hue, value, and
intensity (brightness or dullness).
2. Line - The one-dimensional path of a dot through space used by artists to control the
viewer’s eye movement; a thin mark made by a pencil, pen, or brush.
3. Shape - A closed space made when a line connects to itself
4. Texture - An element of visual arts that portrays surface quality: actual texture is how
something feels; visual texture is how something appears to feel.
5. Value - The lightness and darkness of a line, shape, or form.
6. Space - An element of visual arts; the area above, below, around, and within an artwork; the
illusion of depth or space on a flat surface, created by means of the following techniques:
rendering shapes and forms so that they overlap and using size, detail, value, color, and
linear perspective.
7. Form - A three-dimensional object that has height, length, width, and depth.

Principles of design (BEAMCUPP)

1. Balance – a distribution of equal visual weight.

2. Emphasis – an accentuation of importance.
3. Alignment – an arrangement forming a straight line.
4. Movement – a directed path of optical motion.
5. Contrast – a juxtaposition that accentuates difference.
6. Unity – a harmonious arrangement of elements.
7. Proportion – scaling of objects in relation to each other.
8. Pattern – an orderly repetition of an object.