PRESENTED BY: CHINO JAY P.

JARO, LPT
LESSON 1: WHAT IS ART?
UNIT 1: THE NATURE OF ART
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
• Articulate the definitions of art;
• Identify and differentiate the various views on art;
• Recognize the values of art;
• Distinguish among different types of art forms;
• Clarify misconceptions about art;
• Differentiate an artist from an artisan;
• Analyze and critique artworks for their formal qualities
and artistic organization; and
• Categorize works of art by citing personal experiences.
WAYS OF DEFINING ART
BY LISA MARDER
• There is no one general definition
of Art.
• There is a general consensus that
art is the conscious creation of
something beautiful or
meaningful using skill and
imagination.
• The definition and perceived value
of works of art have changed
throughout history and in “Untitled” (Scull/Skull) by Jean-
different cultures. Michel Basquiat (1981) – sold at
Sotheby’s Auction in May 2017 for
$110.5M
ETYMOLOGY
• The term “art” is related to the Latin word
“ars” meaning art, skill, or craft.
• Comes from 13th-century manuscripts.
• The word art and its many variants
(Artem, eart, tc.) probably existed since
the founding of Rome.
PHILOSOPHY OF ART
• “How do we determine what is defined as
art?” This implies two subtexts: the essential
nature of art, and its social importance (or lack
of it).
• General Categories of Art:
• Representation
• Expression, and
• Form
ART AS REPRESENTATION: MIMESIS
• Plato first developed the idea of art as
“mimesis,” which in Greek, means
copying or imitation.
• The Primary meaning of art for centuries
was defined as the representation or
replication of something that is beautiful
or meaningful. This is until the end of the
18th century.
• Representational art still exists today, but “The Ugly Duchess” Quentin Massys
it is no longer the only measure of value. (1513)
ART AS EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONAL CONTENT
• Expression became important
during the Romantic
Movement with artwork
expressing a definite feeling,
as in the sublime or dramatic.
• Audience response was
important as the artworks
intended to evoke emotional
response. “American Gothic” Grant Wood (1930)
ART AS FORM
• Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was one of
the most influential of the early theorists
toward the end of the 18th century. He
believed that art should not have a
concept but should be judged only on its
formal qualities because the content of a
work of art is not of aesthetic interest.
• Formal qualities became particularly
important when art became more abstract
in the 20th century, and balance, rhythm,
harmony and unity were used to define
and assess art.
“The Arnolfini Portrait” Jan Van Eyck
(1434)
HISTORY OF HOW ART IS
DEFINED
• “…we cannot escape viewing works of art in the
context of time and circumstance, whether past or
present. How indeed could it be otherwise, so long
as art is still being created all around us, opening
our eyes almost daily to new experiences and thus
forcing us to adjust our sights?” (H.W. Janson, The
History of Art)
• In Western culture, from the 11th Century through to the
end of 17th century, art was defined as anything done with
skill as a result of knowledge and practice.
• The epitome of this occurred during the Dutch Golden Age
when artists were free to paint in all sorts of different
genres and made a living off their art in the robust
economic and cultural climate of 17th century
Netherlands.
• During the Romantic Period (18th Century), as a reaction
to the Enlightenment and its emphasis on Science,
empirical evidence, and rational thought, art began to be
described as not just being something done with skill but
something that was also created in the pursuit of beauty
and to express the artist’s emotions.
• The Avant-garde art movement began in the 1850s with
the realism of Gustave Courbet, followed by other art
movements such as cubism, futurism, and surrealism, in
which the artist pushed the boundaries of ideas and
creativity.
QUOTES
• “Artevokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.”
– Rene Magritte
• “Art is a discovery and development of elementary principles of
nature into beautiful forms suitable for human use.” – Frank Lloyd
Wright
• “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same
time.” – Thomas Merton
• “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”
– Pablo Picaso
• “All art is but imitation of nature.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
• “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” –
Edgar Degas
• “Art is the signature of civilizations.” – Jean Sibelius
• “Art is a human activity consisting in this, that one man
consciously, by means of certain external signs, hands on
to others feelings he has lived through, and that others
are infected by these feelings and also experience them.”
– Leo Tolstoy