NORTHERN ZAMBALES COLLEGE INC.

INHOBOL, MASINLOC, PHILIPPINES 2211

LESSON 1

What Is Art: Introduction and

Assumptions

REPORTERS:

FAJARDO, FEBBIE

SISON, KATHLEEN GRACE

BERJA, NOIME

INSTRUCTOR:

MRS. ROSALINDA PICAZO

 NORTHERN ZAMBALES COLLEGE INC.
INHOBOL, MASINLOC, PHILIPPINES 2211
Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

 Understand the role of humanities and arts in man’s attempt at fully realizing his end;
 Clarify misconceptions the arts;
 Characterize the assumptions of arts; and
 Engage better with personal experiences of and in art.

INTRODUCTION:

Art is something that is perennially around us. Some people may deny having to do with the arts but it is
indisputable that life presents us with many forms of and opportunities for communion with the arts.

Despite the seemingly overflowing instances of arts around people, one still finds the need to see more and
experience more, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Why Study the Humanities?

For as long as man existed in this planet, he has cultivated the land, altered the condition of the fauna and
flora, in order to survive. Alongside these necessities, man also marked his place in the world through his
works. Through his bare hands, man constructed infrastructures that tended to his needs, like his house. He
sharpened swords and spears. He employed fire in order to melt gold. The initial meaning of the word “art”
has something to do with all these craft.

The word “art” comes from the ancient Latin, art which means a “craft or specialized form of skill, like
carpentry or surgery” (Collingwood, 1938). Art then suggested the capacity to produce an intended result
from carefully planned steps or method.

Assumptions of Art

1. Art is Universal.

Two greek epics THE LLIAD and THE ODYSSEY

1. THE LLIAD – describes the Trojan war and fall of Troy.

2. THE ODYSSEY – describes the VOYAGES of ODYSSEUS on his way back from the Trojan War.

The Sanskrit pieces Mahabharata and Ramayana are also staples in this field.
 NORTHERN ZAMBALES COLLEGE INC.
INHOBOL, MASINLOC, PHILIPPINES 2211
Mahabharata – is an ancient Indian epic where the main story revolves around two branches of a family,
“The Pandavas and Kauravas” who in the kurukshetra war battle for the throne of Hastinapura

Pandavas – five powerful and skilled sons of Pandu, the king of Hastinapur

Five sons of Pandu:

1. Yudhishthra
2. Bhima
3. Arjuna
4. Hakula
5. Sahadeva

Kauravas – is a Sanskrit term which refers to descendants of kuru, a legendary king of India who is the
ancestor of many of the characters of the epic Mahabharata.

Ramayana – is an ancient Sanskrit epic which follows Prince Rama’s quest to rescue his beloved wife Sita
from the clutches of Ravana with the help of an army of monkeys.

Dudley et al. (1960) – “Art is not good because it is old, but old because it is good.”

Humanities is the art has been crafted by all people regardless of origin, time, place and that it stayed on.
Because it is like and enjoyed by people continuously, a great pieces of work will never be obsolete.

2. Art is not Nature.

In the Philippines, it is not entirely novel to hear some consumers of local movies remark that these movies
produced locally are unrealistic. They contend that local movies work around certain formula to the
detriment of substance and faithfulness to reality of the movies. These critical minds argue that a good
movie must reflect reality as closely as possible. Is that so?

One important characteristic of art is that it is not nature. Art is man’s expression of his reception of nature.
Art is man’s way of interpreting nature. Art is not nature. Art is made by man, whereas nature is a given
around us. It is in this juncture that they can be considered opposites. What we find in nature should not be
expected to be present in art too. Movies are not meant to be direct representation of reality. They may,
according to the moviemaker’s perception of reality, be a reinterpretation or even distortion of nature.