Ge5 Art Appreciation Handout 2

Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE

F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines
GEC 5: ART APPRECIATION
LESSON 2: FUNCTION AND PHILOSOPHY
1. Functions of Arts
a. Art and Individual.
b. Art, Culture and Society
c. Art and the Physical World
2. Philosophy of Art
a. Art as an Imitation (Plato).
b. Art as Representation (Aristotle).
c. Art as Disinterested Judgement (Kant).
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
1. Explain the functions of art for the individual as well as how art is significant for cultures
and societies.
2. Explain and discuss some of the key philosophical perspectives on art.
Compiled by:
Enrico Daryl S. Francisco
Instructor
Vision: CNSC as a premier higher education institution in the Bicol Region

Mission: The Camarines Norte State College shall provide higher and advanced studies in the fields of education, arts and sciences, economics, health, engineering,
management, finance, accounting, business and public administration, agriculture, natural resources development and management and ladderized courses. It shall
also respond to research, extension and production services adherent to progressive leadership towards sustainable development.
LESSON 2
ART: FUNCTION AND PHILOSOPHY
TOPIC 1: FUNCTIONS OF ART

Compared to other activities of man, art is generally regarded as impractical, not
meant to meet the requirements of day-to-day living. Architecture, weaving, furniture
making, and a few other crafts have obvious purposes and are therefore classified as
functional. But painting, sculpture, literature, music, and the theater arts seem to serve no
other end than to amuse or provide a pleasant escape from life’s daily problems. Thus,
they are classified as non-functional. However, all arts have a function, for man, the maker,
creates things because he has a particular need for them (Ortiz et al., 1976).
We may consider art as having the general function of satisfying:
1. Our individual needs for personal expression
2. Our social needs for display, celebration, and communication
3. Our physical needs for utilitarian objects and structures.
To know the function of a particular work of art, you must be able to answer the question,
“WHAT IS IT FOR?” (Ortiz et al., 1976).
When it comes to function, different art forms come with distinctive functions. There is
no one-to-one correspondence between an artwork and its function. Some art forms are
more functional than others. Architecture, for example, as an art, is highly functional, just
like most applied arts.
Roughly and broadly, the functions of art are classified into three: personal (public
display or expression), social (celebration or to affect collective behavior), and physical
(utilitarian).
ART AND THE INDIVIDUAL (THE PERSONAL FUNCTION)

The personal functions of art are varied and highly subjective. This means that its
functions depend on the person- the artist who created the art. An artist may create artwork
out of the need for self-expression. This is the case for an artist who needs to communicate
an idea to his audience. It can also be mere entertainment for his intended audience. Often,
the artist may not even intend to mean anything in his work.

Arts are vehicles for the artists’ expression of their feelings and ideas. Likewise, for
us, layman or non-artists, the arts also serve as a means of expression for us. Art helps to
educate our senses and sharpens our perception of colors, forms, textures, designs, sounds,
rhythms, and harmonies in our environment. Art makes us more aware and appreciative of
the things around us. Visual and auditory “literacy” through contact with the arts can lead us
to an intensified awareness of the beautiful in life. It can thus make our existence less
humdrum; it can refine and elevate our aesthetic taste.
Works of art make us aware of other ways of thinking, feeling, and imagining that
have never occurred to us before. They offer us fresh insights into nature and human nature
so that we gain a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us. They help us
improve our lives. This is especially true of literature, drama, and cinema, which capture and
vivify human experience (Ortiz et al., 1976).
ART, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY (THE SOCIAL FUNCTION)

One cannot conceive of a society without art, for art is closely related to every aspect
of social life (Ortiz et al., 1976).
Art performs a social function when:
It seeks or tends to influence the collective behavior of a people (INFLUENCING SOCIAL
BEHAVIOR)
• Many works of art influence the way we think, feel, or act.
• They can bring about in us decisions to collectively change, correct, or improve
upon the human condition.
• Paintings, photographs, posters, and cartoons have been used to express
humanitarian concerns as well as ideological or political comment.
It is created to be seen or used primarily in public situations (DISPLAY AND
CELEBRATION)
• One function of sculpture and painting is a commemoration of important
personages in society.
• Often, they serve to record important historical events or reveal the ideals of
heroism and leadership that the community would want the young to emulate.
• The arts are also linked to rituals. Rituals have played an important role in people’s
lives and have influenced the growth of certain arts as well.
• Public celebrations, such as festivals, involve rituals of some kind, and these, in turn,
employ the arts.
It expresses or describes the social or collective aspect of existence as opposed to

individual and personal kinds of experiences (SOCIAL DESCRIPTION)
• Artworks are vital historical documents. They describe aspects of existence
at

certain periods. Because many of them focus on facets of daily life, they tell us
what the societies that produced them were like.
INFLUENCING SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
Guernica (Spanish: [ɡeɾˈnika]; Basque: [ɡernika]) is a large 1937 oil painting on canvas by Spanish
artist Pablo Picasso. It is one of his best-known works, regarded by many art critics as the most
moving and powerful anti-war painting in history.
Image Source: https://amuraworld.com/en/topics/history-art-and-culture/articles/7237-past-and-
future-of-el-guernica.
DISPLAY AND CELEBRATION

To lift the spirits of the locals and bring back the smiles on their faces, the MassKara Festival was
created.
Image Source: https://thehappytrip.com/2013/09/bacolod-city-2013-masskara-festival-schedule-of-
activities/
SOCIAL DESCRIPTION
John Singleton Copley

The Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781 1783
Tate
Image Source: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/h/history-painting
TOPIC 2: PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE S ON ART
Three (3) philosophers have their different takes on the nature, function, and purpose
of arts to human beings (Caslib et al., 2018 pp. 31-33).

PLATO: ART AS AN IMMITATION

In The Republic, a renowned masterpiece of Plato, he described the
artists as imitators and art as mere imitation or mimesis.
• Plato was convinced that artists merely reinforce the belief
in copies and discourage men to reach for the real entities in the
World of Forms.
• For Plato, when one ascribes beauty to another person, he
refers to an imperfect beauty that participates only in the form of
beauty in the World of Forms.
• Plato was deeply suspicious of arts and artists for two reasons:
o They appeal to the emotion rather than the rational faculty of men.
o They imitate rather than lead one to reality.
• For Plato, art is dangerous because it provides a petty replacement for the real
entities that can only be attained through reason.
ARITOTLE: ART AS REPRESENTATIVE

• Aristotle considered art as an aid to philosophy in revealing
truth.
• It allows for the experience of pleasure. art also has an ability to
be instructive and teach its audience things about life; thus, it is
cognitive as well .
• For Aristotle, all kinds of art, including poetry, music, dance,
painting, and sculpture, do not aim to represent reality as it is.
What art endeavors to do is to provide a vision of what might
be or the myriad possibilities of reality.
• Unlike Plato who thought that art is an imitation of another imitation, Aristotle
conceived of arts as representing possible versions of reality.
• Art serves two particular telos or purpose:
o Art allows for the experience of pleasure.
o Art also has an ability to be instructive and teach its audience things about life;
thus it is cognitive as well.
KANT: ART AS DISINTERESTED JUDGMENT

• Kant considered that the judgment of beauty, the

cornerstone of art, as something that can be universal
despite its subjectivity.
• Judgment of beauty, and therefore, art, is innately
autonomous from specific interests.
• Even aesthetic judgment is a cognitive activity.
• For Kant, when one judges a particular painting as
beautiful, one in effect is saying that the said painting
has induced particular feeling of satisfaction from
him and that he expects the painting to rouse the
same feeling from anyone.
ART AS A COMMUNICATION OF EMOTION

- Art plays a huge role in communication to its audience’s emotions that the artist
previously experienced.
REFERENCES
Caslib, B. N. Jr., Garing, D. C., and Casaul, J. A. R. (2018). Art Appreciation. First Edition. Manila: Rex
Book Store
Ortiz, M. A., Erestain, T., Guillermo, A., Montano, M., and Pilar, S. A. (1976). Art: Perception and
Appreciation. University of the East. ISBN 97111-0933-6
Mittler, G. A. (2006). Art in Focus. USA: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
Bascara, L. R., and Avillanoza, A. T. (2006). Humanities and the Digital Arts. First Edition. Manila: Rex
Bookstore, Inc. ISBN 978971-23-4628-6.
Magararu, R. et. al. (2020). A Learning Module in Art Appreciation.



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Republic of the Philippines

CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE

GEC 5: ART APPRECIATION

LESSON 2: FUNCTION AND PHILOSOPHY

Vision: CNSC as a premier higher education institution in the Bicol Region

TOPIC 1: FUNCTIONS OF ART

ART AND THE INDIVIDUAL (THE PERSONAL FUNCTION)

Vision: CNSC as a premier higher education institution in the Bicol Region

ART, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY (THE SOCIAL FUNCTION)

It expresses or describes the social or collective aspect of existence as opposed to

Vision: CNSC as a premier higher education institution in the Bicol Region

INFLUENCING SOCIAL BEHAVIOR

DISPLAY AND CELEBRATION

Vision: CNSC as a premier higher education institution in the Bicol Region

John Singleton Copley

TOPIC 2: PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE S ON ART

Vision: CNSC as a premier higher education institution in the Bicol Region

PLATO: ART AS AN IMMITATION

ARITOTLE: ART AS REPRESENTATIVE

KANT: ART AS DISINTERESTED JUDGMENT

Vision: CNSC as a premier higher education institution in the Bicol Region

• Kant considered that the judgment of beauty, the

ART AS A COMMUNICATION OF EMOTION

Mittler, G. A. (2006). Art in Focus. USA: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

Magararu, R. et. al. (2020). A Learning Module in Art Appreciation.

Vision: CNSC as a premier higher education institution in the Bicol Region

Vision: CNSC as a premier higher education institution in the Bicol Region

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