HUMANITIES
technique – A. Tan
The term “HUMANTIES” originated from the Latin Expression
study humanitatis or study of humanitas which refer to
“culture, refinement ,education”.
 Latin origin: humanus meaning human, cultured or
refined
 Includes the fines arts (painting, sculpture, and
architecture), performing arts (music, dance, drama,
and opera), and fine arts (prose and poetry).
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of
human society and culture.
 Humanities bring out the best and worthiness of
man as a person.
Why do we study humanities?
 Help us understand others through their languages,
histories and cultures.
 Humanities students build skills in writing and critical
reading.
 The humanities encourage us to think creatively.
 They teach us to reason about being human and to
ask questions about our world.
Meaning and Importance of Art
Art is a subject under humanities.
Art is subjective.
Some definition of Art given by various authors and writers.
1. Art is derived from the Latin word “ ars “ meaning
ability or skill – J.V. Estolas
2. Art is taken from the Italian word “artis,” which
means craftmanship, skill, mastery of form,
inventiveness, and the associations that exist
between form and ideas, between material and
3. Art is a product of man’s need to express himself – F.
Zuleta
4. Art is concerned itself with the communication of
certin ideas and feelings by means od sensuous
medium, color, sound, bronze, marble, word and
film – C. Sanchez
5. Art is that which brings life in harmony with the
world. – Plato
6. 6. Art is an attitude of spirit, a state of mind – one
which demands for its own satisfaction and fulfilling,
a shaping matter to new and more significant form. –
John Dewey
7. 7. Art is the skillful arrangement or composition of
some common but significant qualities of nature
such as colors, sounds, lines, movement, words,
stones, wood, etc., to express human feelings,
emotions, or thoughts in a perfect, meaningful, and
enjoyable way. – Panizo and Rustia.
8. 8. Art is not what you see but what you make others
see – Georgia O’Keeffe
9. 9. Art is a life that helps us to realize the truth –
Pablo Picasso
10. Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to
record the action of his personality in the world he
lives in. – Amy Lowell
11. 11. Art is never finished, only abandoned – Leonardo
da Vince
12. 12. Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of
feeling, the artist has experienced. – Leo Nikolaevich
Tolstoy
13. 13. Art is the realization in external form of a true
idea and is traced back to natural love of imititation
which characterizes human. – Aristotle
14. Art is the conscious creation of something beautiful
or meaningful using skill and imagination – Lisa
Morder
15. 15. Art is the discovery and development of
elementary principles of nature into beautiful forms
suitable for human use – Frank Lloyd Wright
16. 16. Art is not what you see but what you make
others see- Edgar Degas
Four (4) common essentials of art
1. Art is man-made, not God-made
 2. Art is creative, not imitative

3. Art benefits and satisfies man – when he uses art in

practical life through artistic principles, taste, and
skill

4. Art is expressed through a certain medium or

material by which the artist communicates himself
to his fellows

Assumptions of Art

Art is Universal

 art is everywhere.

Art is cultural
Function and Philosophy of Art
 culture refers to human activity
What is the function of art in society?
 art contributes to the understanding of past and
 That Art has roles in society. One role of Art is that
present cultures.
Art expresses the emotions and struggles of the
Art is not nature society it exists within, and inspires society to cope
and even overcome
 art is not “natural”, it is an artificial construct
created by man Seven (7) functions of art

Art is an expression of the mind  Aesthetic Function

Art is a form of expression of the Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy concerned

deepest emotion of the mind- Jeff with the nature and appreciation of art, beauty and
Lee (2016) good taste.

Art is a form of creativity  Man learns to use, love, and preserve them for his
enjoyment and appreciation
What is the difference between art and creativity?
Utilitarian Function
Artistic ability includes skills and talent to create fine works of
art: painting, drawing, sculpting, musical composition, etc. utilitarian describes something that is useful or
Creativity ability is the skill and talent to use our imagination functional.
to create and solve

Cultural Function

 Art transmit and preserves skills and knowledge

from one generation to another. It makes mam
aware of his cultural background, making him more
knowledgeable making his life more enduring and
satisfying.
Political Function Art as Mimesis (Plato and Aristotle)

 reinforce and enhance a sense of identity and  Art being imitation, means that like philosophy it
ideology connection to specific political views, reflects reality in its relation to man and depicts
political parties and politicians man, his spiritual world and relations between
individuals in their interaction with the world.
Educational function
 The imitation theory of art otherwise known as
 There are art symbols and signs to illustrate
formalism states that art is just an imitation of
knowledge and attitudes that are not expressed in
nature.
words
Art as Representation (Aristotle)

 Arts represents something.

 Representation is the use of signs that stand in for

and take the place of something else. It is through
representation that people organize the world and
reality through the act of naming its elements.

Art for Art’s Sake (Kant)

Art for art's sake, a slogan translated from the French l'art
pour l'art, which was coined in the early 19th century by the
French philosopher Victor Cousin

 Expresses a philosophy that the intrinsic value of art,

and the only "true" art, is divorced from any didactic,
SPIRITUAL FUNCTION moral, or utilitarian function.
 Artists may create art to express spiritual beliefs
about the destiny of life; cave paintings, ancient
temples, religious art, etc.

Philosophy of Art

 the study of the nature of art, including such

concepts as interpretation, representation and
expression, and form. It is closely related to Art as an Escape
aesthetics, the philosophical study of beauty and
“ the artist works of art reveal the emotional outburst
taste.
that has been kept for many years in their mind.”–
Seneres

The only way to take out such tension is through “ART”

like painting, dancing, music and other art forms.

Art as Functional

 refers to aesthetic objects that serve utilitarian

purposes.

Subject of Art

 The subject of art refers to any person, object, scene

or event described or represented in a work of art.

 It varied – it may be a person, object, scene, or

event.
Five (5) philosophical perspective of art
 Sources of Subjects

 personal letters

 diaries

 records or other documents created during the Content in Art

period under study
 refers to the meaning or significance, and or/ feeling
 Photographs imparted by a work of art.
 jewelry

 works of art, architecture, literature, music,

clothing, and other artifacts.

where to find primary sources

 archives and manuscript material

 Photographs
Factual
 audio recordings, video recordings, films.
 it can be proven
 journals, letters and diaries.
 is real.
 speeches.
 repeated or observed.
 scrapbooks.
Conventional Art
 published books, newspapers and magazine clippings
published at the time.  is art that is made using standard mediums, such as
paint and canvas. This art continues to be the
 government publications.
favourite form of media.
 oral histories.
Conventional
Types of Subject in Art
 refers to the special meaning that a certain object or
 Representational or Objective Arts color has a particular culture or group of people.

 Also termed for figurative art Subjective

 Non- Representational or Non-Subjective Arts  means that an individual's reaction to something is

based on and influenced by personal feelings, tastes,
or opinions. Art is created for beauty and emotional
reaction being appreciated by individuals, using
personal feelings and tastes to form an opinion.