Colegio De San Gabriel Arcangel

Founded in 1993
Level 1 Accredited - PACUCOA
Area E, Sapang Palay CSJDM Bulacan
Recognized by DepEd, TESDA, and CHED

LAS No. 2

NAME: _________________________________ Course and Section:

__________________________

ACTIVITY TITLE: ART APPRECIATION: Creativity, Imagination, and Expression

LEARNING TARGET: 1. Differentiate art from nature.
2. Characterize artistic expression based on personal experiences with art.
3. Categorize works of art by citing personal experiences.
REFERENCE: Art Appreciation
AUTHOR: Ernesto Solmerano;/ Bernardo Caslib; Dorothea Garing; Jezreel Anne Casaul

It takes an artist to make art. One may perceive beauty on a daily basis. However, not every beautiful
thing that can be seen or experienced may truly be called a work of art. Art is a product of man’s creativity,
imagination, and expression. No matter how perfectly blended the colors of a sunset are and no matter how extra
ordinarily formed mountains are, nature is not considered art simply because it is not made by man. Not even
photographs or sketches of nature, though captured or drawn by man, are works of art, but mere recordings of the
beauty in nature (Collins and Riley, 1931). An artwork may be inspired by nature or other works of art, but an artist
invents his own forms and patterns due to what he perceives as beautiful and incorporates them in creating his
masterpiece.
Perhaps not everyone can be considered an artist, but surely, all are spectators of art. In deciding what
pair of shoes to buy, we carefully examine all possible choices within our budget and purchase the one that
satisfies our beauty and practical standards. We are able to distinguish what is fine and beautiful from what is not
and what is good quality from poor. This gives us a role in the field of art appreciation.

ART APPRECIATION as a WAY of LIFE

Jean-Paul Sartre, a famous French philosopher of the 20th century, described the role of art as a creative
work that depicts the world in a completely different light and perspective, and the source is due to human
freedom (Greene, 1995). Each artwork beholds beauty on its own kind, the kind that the artist sees and wants the
viewers to perceive. More often than not, people are blind to this beauty and only those who have developed a
fine sense of appreciation can experience and see the art the same way the artist did. Because of this, numerous
artworks go unnoticed, artists are not given enough credit, and they miss opportunities.
In cultivating an appreciation of art, one should also exercise and develop his taste for things that are fine
and beautiful. This allows individuals to make intelligent choices and decisions in acquiring necessities and luxuries,
knowing what gives better value for time or money while taking into consideration the aesthetic and practical
value (Collins and Riley, 1931).
Frequenting museums, art galleries, performing art theaters, concert halls, or even malls that display art
exhibitions that are free in admission during leisure time will not only develop an understanding of the art, but will
also serve as rewarding experience. Learning to appreciate art, no matter what vocation or profession you have,
will lead to a fuller and more meaningful life (Collins and Riley, 1931).
THE ROLE of CREATIVITY in ART MAKING
Creativity requires thinking outsides the box. It is often used to solve problems that have never occurred
before, conflate function and style, and simply make life a more unique and enjoyable experience. In art, creativity
is what sets apart one artwork from another. We say something is done creatively when we have not yet seen
anything like it or when it is out of the ordinary. A creative artist does not simply copy or imitate another artist’s
work. He does not imitate the lines, flaws, colors, and patterns in creating nature. He embraces originality. Puts his
own flavor into his work, and calls it his own creative piece.
ART as a PRODUCT of IMAGINATION, IMAGINATION as a PRODUCT of ART
Where do you think famous writers, painters, and musicians get their ideas? Where do ideas in making
creative solutions begin? It all starts in the human mind. It all begins with imagination.
German physicist Albert Einstein who had made significant and major contributions in science and
humanity demonstrated that knowledge is actually derived from imagination.
Imagination is not constrained by the walls of the norm, but goes beyond that. That is why people rely on
curiosity and imagination for advancement. Through imagination, one is able to craft something bold, something
new, and something better in the hopes of creating something that will stimulate change. Imagination allows
endless possibilities.
In an artist’s mind sits a vast gallery of artworks. An artwork does not need to be a real thing, but can be
something that is imaginary (Collingwood, 1938). Take for example a musician who thinks of a tune in his head.
The making of this tune in his head makes it an imaginary tune, an imaginative creation, an imaginary art. It
remains imaginary until he hums, sings, or writes down the notes of the tune on paper. However, something
imaginary does not necessarily mean it cannot be called art. Artists use their imagination that gives birth to reality
through creation.
In the same way that imagination produces art, art also inspires imagination.

ART as EXPRESSION
There may have been times when you felt something is going on with you, you try to explain it but you do
not know how. You may only be conscious about feeling this sort of excitement, fear, or agitation, but you know
that just one word is not enough to describe the nature of what you truly feel. Finally, you try to release yourself
from this tormenting and disabling state by doing something, which is called expressing oneself (Collingwood,
1938). Suppose this feeling is excitement. It is frustrating to contain such feeling, so you relieve it by expressing
through shouting, or leaping in excitement. An emotion will remain unknown to a man until he expresses it.
“What an artist does to an emotion is not to induce it, but express it. Through expression, he is able to
explore his own emotion and at the same time, create something beautiful out of them” (Robert George
Collingwood, an English philosopher). He further illustrated that expressing emotions is something different from
describing emotions. Descriptions actually destroys the idea of expression, as it classifies the emotion, making it
ordinary and predictable. Expression, on the other hand, individualizes. An artist has the freedom to express
himself the way he wants to. Hence there is no specific technique in expression. This makes people’s art not a
reflection of what is outside or external to them, but a reflection of their inner selves.
There are countless ways of expressing oneself through art. The following list includes, but is not limited
to, popular art expressions:
1. Visual Arts
Creations that fall under this category are those that appeal to the sense of sight and are mainly visual in
nature. There are other artistic disciplines that also involve a visual aspect, such as performance arts, theater art
and applied arts. Visual arts are kind of art from the population is most likely more exposed to, but its variations
are so diverse – they range from sculptures that you see in art galleries to the last movie you saw.
Some examples of visual arts are paintings, drawings, letterings, printing, sculptures, architecture, digital
imaging, and more.
2. Film
Film refers to the art of putting successions of still images in order to create an illusion of movement.
Filmmaking focuses on its aesthetic, cultural, and social value and is considered as both an art and an industry.
Films can be created by using one or a combination of some or all of these techniques: motion-picture camera
(movie camera), animation techniques, Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI), and more. Filmmaking simulates
experiences or creates one that is beyond the scope of our imagination as it aims to deliver ideas, feelings, or
beauty to its viewers. The art of filmmaking is so complex it has to take into account many important elements
such as lighting, musical score, visual effects, direction, and more.
3. Performance Art
Performance art is a live art and the artist’s medium is mainly the human body which he or she uses to
perform, but also employs other kind of art such as visual art, props, or sound. It usually consists of four elements:
time, where the performance took place, the performer’s or performers’ body, and a relationship between the
audience and the performer(s) (Moma Learning n.d.). The fact that performance art is live makes it intangible,
which means it cannot be bought or traded as a commodity, unlike the previously discussed art expression.
4. Poetry Performance
Poetry is an art from where the artist expresses his emotions not by using paint, charcoal, or camera, but
expresses them through words. These words are carefully selected to exhibit clarity and beauty and to stimulate
strong emotions of joy, anger, love, sorrow, and the list goes on. It uses a word’s emotional, musical, and spatial
values that go beyond its literal meaning to narrate, emphasize, argue, or convince. These words, combined with
movements, tone, volume, and intensity of the delivery, add to the artistic value of the poem.
5. Architecture
As discussed, art is the pursuit and creation of beautiful things while architecture is the making of
beautiful buildings. However, not all buildings are beautiful. Some buildings only embody the functionality they
need, but the structure, lines, forms, and colors are not beautifully expressed. Thus, not all buildings can be
considered architecture. Buildings should embody these three important elements – plan, construction, and design
– if they wish to merit the title architecture (Collins and Riley, 1931).
6. Dance
Dance is a series of movements that follows the rhythm of the music accompaniment. It has been an age-
old debate whether dance can really be considered an art form, but here we primarily describe dance as a form of
expression. Dancing is a creative form that allows people to freely express themselves. It has no rules. You may say
that choreography does not allow this, but in art expression, dancers are not confined to set steps and rules but
are free to create and invent their own movements as long as they deem them graceful and beautiful.
7. Literary Art
Artists who practice literary arts use words – not paint, musical instruments, or chisels – to express
themselves and communicate emotions to the readers. However, simply becoming a writer does not make one a
literary artist. Simply constructing a succession of sentences in a meaningful manner is not literary art. Literary art
goes beyond the usual professional, academic, journalistic, and other technical forms of writing. It focuses on
writing using a unique style, not following a specific format or norm. It may include both fiction and non-fiction
such as novels, biographies, and poems.
8. Theater
Theater uses live performers to present accounts or imaginary events before a live audience. Theater art
performances usually follow a script, though they should not be confused with literary arts. Much like in
filmmaking, theater also considers several elements such as acting, gesture, lighting, sound effects, musical score,
scenery, and pops. The combinations pf these elements is what gives the strongest impression on the audience
and the script thus becomes a minor element. Similar to performance art, since theater is also a live performance,
the participation of the viewer is an important element in theater arts. Some genres of theater includes drama,
musical, tragedy, comedy, and improvisation.

9. Applied Arts
Applied art is incorporating elements of style and design to everyday items with the aim of increasing
their aesthetical value. Artists in this field bring beauty, charm, and comfort into many things that are useful in
everyday life (Collins and Riley, 1931). Industrial design, interior design, fashion design, and graphic design are
considered applied arts. Applied is often compared to fine arts, where the latter is chiefly concerned on aesthetic
value. Through exploration and expression of ideas, consideration of the needs, and careful choice of materials and
techniques, artists are able to combine functionality and style.

ACTIVITY 1: Answer the following questions as precisely yet as thoroughly as possible.

1. What art field will you explore? Why?
2. How can you utilize the arts to express yourself, your community, and your relation to others?

ACTIVITY 2: Using the table below, write down examples of the different art forms studied in this lesson. Provide
ways on how these art forms express and unmask creativity from the artist.

TYPES of ART EXAMPLE How does this How does this unmask
EXPRESSION the artist’s creativity?

express?