ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 1: What is Art - Introduction and Assumptions
necessities, man also marked his place in the world
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Understand the role of humanities and arts in man’s attempt
at fully realizing his end;
2. Clarify misconceptions the art;
3. Characterize the assumptions of arts; and
4. engage better with personal experiences of and in art.
I. INTRODUCTION
● Art is something that is perennially around us. Some
people 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.
● A bank manager choosing what tie to wear together with
his shirt and shoes, a politician shuffling her music track
while comfortably seated on her car looking for her
favorite song, a student marveling at the intricate designs
of a medieval cathedral during his field trip, and a market
vendor cheering for her bet in a dance competition on a
noontime TV program all manifest concern for values that
are undeniably, despite tangentially, artistic.
● Despite the overflowing seemingly instances of arts
around people, one still finds the need to see more and
experience more, whether consciously unconsciously.
● One whose exposure to music is only limited to one
genre finds it lacking not to have been exposed to more.
● One, whose idea of a cathedral is limited to the locally
available ones, finds enormous joy in seeing
● Plato had the sharpest foresight when he discussed in
the Symposium that beauty, the object of any love, truly
progresses. As one moves through life, one locates
better, more beautiful objects of desire (Scott, 2000). One
can never be totally content with what is just before him.
Human beings are drawn toward what is good and
ultimately, beautiful.
II. WHY STUDY THE HUMANITIES
● For as long as man existed in this planet, he has
cultivated the land, altered the conditions of the fauna
and the flora, in order to survive. Alongside these
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 crafts.
● The word "art" comes from the ancient Latin, ars which
means a "craft ro specialized form of skil, like
carpentry of smithying or surgery" (Colingwood,
1938). Art then suggested the capacity to produce an
intended result from carefully planned steps or method.
● When a man wants to build a house, he plans
meticulously to what the prototype promises and he
executes the steps to produce the said structure, then he
is engaged in art.
● The Ancient World did not have any conceived notion of
art in the same way that we do now. to them, art only
meant using the bare hands ot produce something
that wil be useful to one's day-to-day life.
● Arts in Medieval Latin came to mean something
different. It meant "any special form of book-learning,
such as grammar or logic, magic or astrology"
(Colingwood, 1938).
● It was only during the Renaissance Period that the word
reacquired meaning that was inherent in its ancient
form of craft.
● Early Renaissance artists saw their activities
merely as craftsmanship, devoid of a whole lot of
intonations that are attached to the word now. It was
during the seventeenth century when the problem and
idea of
● It was during the seventeenth century when the
problem and idea of aesthetics, the study of beauty,
began to unfold distinctly from the notion of
technical workmanship, which was the original
conception of the word "art."
● It was finally in the eighteenth century when the word
has evolved to distinguish between the fine arts and the
useful arts. The fine arts would come to mean "not
delicate or highly skilled arts, but 'beautiful' arts.
(Collingwood, 1938). This is something more akin to what
is now considered art.
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 1: What is Art - Introduction and Assumptions

● "The humanities constitute one of the oldest and most

important means of expression developed by man"
(Dudley et al., 1960).
● Human history has witnessed how man evolved not just
physically but also culturally, from cave painters to men of
exquisite paintbrush users of the present.
● Even if one goes back to the time before written records
of man's civilization has appeared, he can find cases of
man's attempts of not just crafting tools to live and
survive but also expressing his feelings and thoughts.
● The Galloping Wild Boar found in the cave of Altamira,
Spain is one such example. In 1879, a Spaniard and his
daughter were exploring a cave when they saw pictures
of a wild boar, hind, and bison.
● According to experts, these paintings were purported to
belong to Upper Paleolithic Age, several thousands of ● In every country and in every generation, there is always
years before the current era. art. Oftentimes, people feel that what is considered
● Pre-historic men, with their crude instruments, already artistic are only those which have been made a long time
showcased and manifested earliest attempts at recording ago. This is a misconception. Age is not a factor in
man's innermost interests, preoccupations, and thoughts. determining art.
● The humanities, then, ironically, have started even before ● An "art is not good because it is old, but old because it is
the term has been coined. Human persons have long good" (Dudley et al., 1960).
been exercising what it means to be a human long before ● In the Philippines, the works of Jose Rizal and
he was even aware of his being one. Francisco Balagtas are IBONG ADARNA not being
● The humanities stand tal ni bearing witness to this read because they are old.
magnificent phenomenon. Any human person, then, is ● Otherwise, works of other Filipinos who have long
tasked to participate, if not, totally partake in this long diedwould have been required in junior high school too.
tradition of humanizing himself The pieces mentioned are read in school and have
remained to be with us because they are good. They are
liked and adored because they meet our needs and
III. ASSUMPTIONS OF ART
desires.
● Florante at Laura never fails to teach high school
A. ART IS UNIVERSAL students the beauty of love, one that is universal and
● Literature has provided key works of art. Among the most
pure.
popular ones being taught in school are the two Greek
● Ibong Adarna, another Filipino masterpiece, has always
epics, the iliad and the Odyssey.
captured the imagination of the young with its timeless
● The Sanskrit pieces Mahabharata and Ramayana are
lessons.
also staples in this field. These works, purportedly written
● When we recite the Psalms, we feel in communion with
before the beginning of recorded history, are believed to
King David as we feel one with him in his conversation
be man's attempt at recording stories and tales that have
with God.
been passed on, known, and sung throughout the years.
● Art has always been timeless and universal, spanning
generations and continents through and through.
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 1: What is Art - Introduction and Assumptions
● When we listen to a kundiman or perform folk
dances,we still enjoy the way our Filipino ancestors
whiled away their time in the past
● We do not necessarily like
● a kundiman for its original meaning. We just like it. We
enjoy it. Or just as one of the characters the movie Bar
Boys thought, kundiman makes one concentrate
better.
● The first assumption then about the humanities is that art
has been crafted by all people regardless of origin, time,
place, and that it stayed on because it is liked and
enjoyed by people continuously.
● A Great piece of work will never be obsolete. Some
people say that art is art for its intrinsic worth.
● In John Stuart Mils' Utilitarianism (1879), enjoyment in
the arts belongs to a higher good, one that lies at the
opposite end of base pleasures.
● Art will always be present because human beings will
always express themselves and delight in these
expressions. Men will continue to use art while art
persists and never gets depleted.

B. 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 toreality of the movies.
● These critical minds argue that a good movie must reflect
reality as closely as possible. Is that so?
● Paul Cézanne, a French painter, painted a scene from
reality entitled Well and Grinding Wheel in the Forest
of the Château Noir. The said scene is inspired by a real
scene in a forest around the Château Noir area near Aix
in Cézanne's native Provence. Comparing the two, one
can see that Cézanne's landscape is quite different from
the original scene. Cézanne has changed some patterns
and details from the way they were actually in the
photograph. What he did is not nature. It is art.
● 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 a direct
representation of reality. They may, according to the
moviemaker's perception of reality, be a reinterpretation
or even distortion of nature.
● This distinction assumes that all of us see nature,
perceive its elements in myriad, different, yet ultimately
valid ways.
● One can only imagine the story of the five blind men who
one day argue against each other on what an elephant
looks like. Each of the five blind men was holding a
different part of the elephant. The first was touching the
body and thus, thought the elephant was like a wall.
Another was touching the beast's ear and was convinced
that the elephant was like a fan. The rest were touching
other different parts of the elephant and concluded
differently based on
● their perceptions. Art is like each of these men's view of
the elephant.
● It is based on an individual's subjective experience of
nature. It is not meant, after all, to accurately define what
the elephant is really like in nature.
● Artists are not expected to duplicate nature just as even
scientists with their elaborate laboratories cannot make
nature.
● Once this point has been made a student of humanities
can then ask further questions such as: What reasons
might the artist have in creating something? Why did
Andres Bonifacio write "Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa"?
What motivation did Juan Luna have in creating his
masterpiece, the Spoliarium? In whatever work of art,
one should always ask why the artist made it. What is it
that he wants to show?

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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 1: What is Art - Introduction and Assumptions
C. ART INVOLVES EXPERIENCE
● Getting this far without a satisfactory definition of art can
be quite weird for some.
● For most people, art does not require a full definition. Art
is just experience. By experience, we mean the "actual
doing of something" (Dudley et a,l. 1960).
● When one says that he has an experience of something,
he often means that he knows what that something is
about.
● When one claims that he has experienced falling in love,
getting hurt, and bouncing back, he in effect claims that
he knows the (sometimes) endless cycle of loving.
● When one asserts having experienced preparing a
particular recipe, He in fact asserts knowing how the
recipe is made. Knowing a thing is different from hearing
from others what the said thing is.
● Radio DJ dispensing advice on love when he himself has
not experienced it does not really know what he's talking
about.
● A choreographer who cannot execute a dance step
himself is a bogus.
● Art is always an experience. Unlike fields of knowledge
that involve data, art is known by experiencing.
● A painter cannot claim to know how to paint if he has not
tried holding a brush.
● A sculptor cannot produce a work of art if a chisel si
foreign to him.
● Dudley et al. (1960) affirmed that "[a]ll art depends on
experience, and if one is to know art, he must know iit not
as fact or information but as experience."
● A work of art then cannot be abstracted from actual
doing. In order to know what an artwork is, we have to
sense it, see or hear it, and see AND hear it.
● To fully appreciate our national hero's monument, one
must go to Rizal Park and see the actual sculpture. in
order to know Beyoncé's music, one must listen to it to
actually experience them.
● A famous story about someone who adores Picasso
goes something like this: "Years ago, Gertrude Stein was
asked why she bought the pictures of the then unknown
artist Picasso. I' like to look at them,' said Miss Stein''
(Dudley et a,l. 1960).
● At the end of the day, one fully gets acquainted with art if
one immerses himself into it.
● In the case of Picasso, one only learns about Picasso's
work by looking at .ti That is precisely what Miss Stein
did.
● In matters of art, the subject's perception is of primacy.
One can read hundreds of reviews about a particular
movie, but at the end of the day, until he sees the movie
himself, he wil be in no position to actually talk about the
movie. He does not know the movie until he experiences
it.
● An important aspect of experiencing art is its being highly
personal, individual, and subjective.
● In philosophical terms, perception of art is always a value
judgment. it depends on who the perceiver is, his tastes,
his biases, and what he has inside him.
● Degustibus non disputandum est (Matters of taste are not
matters of dispute). One cannot argue with another
person's evaluation of art because one's experience can
never be known by another.
● Finally, one should also underscore that every experience
with art si accompanied
● by some emotion. One either likes or dislikes, agrees or
disagrees that a work of
● art is beautiful.
● A stage play or motion picture is particularly one of those
art forms that evoke strong emotions from its audience.
With experience comes emotions and feelings, after all.
Feelings and emotions are concrete proofs that the
artwork has been experiences.
IV. SUMMARY
● Humanities and the art have always been part
of man's growth and civilization.
● Since the dawn of time, man has always tried
to express his innermost thoughts and feelings
about reality through creating art.
● Three assumptions on art are its universality,
its not being nature, and its need for
experience.
● Art is present in every part of the globe and in
every period time. This is what is meant by its
universality.
● Art not being nature, not even attempting to
simply mirror nature, is the second assumption
about art.
● Art is always a creation of the artist, not nature.
● Finally, without experience, there is no art. The
artist has to be foremost, a perceiver who is
directly in touch with art.
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 2: Art Appreciation - Creativity, Imagination, and Expression
○ More often than not, people are blind to this beauty
TOPIC OUTLINE and only those who have developed a fine sense of
appreciation can experience and see the art the same
I Introduction
way the artist did.
II Art Appreciation as a Way of Expression ▪ Because of this, numerous artworks go unnoticed,
Art as a Product of Imagination, Imagination as a Product of
artists are not given enough credit, and they miss
III opportunities. It sometimes takes a lifetime before
Art
their contribution to the development of art is
IV The Role of Creativity in Art Making recognized
Art as Expression ● Refining one's ability to appreciate art allows him to
A. Visual Arts deeply understand the purpose of an artwork and
B. Film recognize the beauty it possesses
C. Performance Art ● In cultivating an appreciation of art, one should also
D. Poetry Performance exercise and develop his taste for things that are fine and
V
E. Architecture
F. Dance
beautiful
G. Literary Art ○ This allows individuals to make intelligent choices and
H. Theater decisions in acquiring necessities and luxuries,
I. Applied Arts knowing what gives better value for time or money
while taking into consideration the aesthetic and
VI Summary
practical value
○ This continuous demand for aesthetically valuable
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
things influences the development and evolution of art
and its forms.
1. Differentiate art from nature ● Frequenting museums, art galleries, performing arts
2. Characterize artistic expression based on personal theaters, concert halls, or even malls that display art
experiences with art
exhibitions that are free in admission during leisure time
3. Discuss the nature of art’s preliminary expression
4. Categorize woks of art by citing personal experiences will not only develop an understanding of the art, but will
also serve as a rewarding experience.
● Learning to appreciate art, no matter what vocation or
I. INTRODUCTION profession you have, will lead to a fuller and more
meaningful life
● It takes an artist to make art
● One may perceive beauty of a daily basis but not every III. THE ROLE OF CREATIVITY IN ART MAKING
beautiful thing that can be seen or experienced may truly
be called a work of art ● Creativity requires thinking outside the box
● Art is a product of man’s creativity, imagination, and ○ It is often used to solve problems that have never
expression occurred before, conflate function and style, and simply
○ No matter how perfectly blended the colors of a sunset make life a more unique and enjoyable experience.
are and no matter how extraordinarily formed the ● In art, creativity is what sets apart one artwork from
mountains are, nature is not considered art simply another.
because it is not made by man ○ We say something is done creatively when we have
○ Not even photographs or sketches of nature, though not yet seen anything like it or when it is out of the
captured or drawn by man, are works of art, but mere ordinary.
recordings of beauty in nature ● A creative artist does not simply copy or imitate another
● An artwork may be inspired by nature or works of art, but artist's work.
an artist invents his own forms and patterns due to ○ He does not imitate the lines, flaws, colors, and
what he perceives as beautiful and incorporates them patterns in recreating nature.
in creating his masterpiece ○ He embraces originality, puts his own flavor into his
● Not everyone can be considered an artist, but all are work, and calls it his own creative piece.
spectators of art ● Being creative nowadays can be quite challenging
○ In deciding what pair of shoes to buy, we carefully ○ What you thought was your own unique and creative
examine all possible choices within our budget and idea may not be what it seems to be after extensive
purchase the one that satisfies our beauty and research and that someone else has coincidentally
practical standards. devised the idea before in another part of the world.
○ 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

II. ART APPRECIATION AS A WAY OF LIFE

● Jean-Paul Sartre
○ 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
● Each artwork beholds beauty of its own kind, the kind
that the artist sees and wants the viewers to perceive.

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▪ Ex: campaign ad "It's More Fun in the Philippines"
used by the Department of Tourism (DOT) boomed
popularity in 2011
⬫ Later on it was found out that it was allegedly
plagiarized from Switzerland's tourism slogan "It's
More Fun in Switzerland," back in 1951.
⬫ In DOT’s defense, former DOT Secretary Ramon
Jimenez Jr. claimed it was “purely coincidental”
● Creativity should be backed with careful research on
related art to avoid such conflicts.

IV. ART AS A PRODUCT OF IMAGINATION,

IMAGINATION AS A PRODUCT DO ART ○ Clays were molded and stones were carved into forms
that resemble men and women; burial jars were
● Ideas all start in the human mind. It all begins with created with intricate designs on them.
imagination ○ These creative pieces were made not only because
● Albert Einstein they were functional to men, but also because beauty
○ German physicist who had made significant and major gave them joy
contributions in science and humanity
○ Demonstrated that knowledge is actually derived V. ART AS EXPRESSION
from imagination
○ He emphasized this idea through the words:
● There may have been times when you felt something
○ "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For
was going on and you tried to explain it, but you don't
knowledge is limited to all we now know and
know how.
understand, while imagination embraces the entire
○ You may only be conscious about feeling the sort of
world, and all there ever will be to know and
excitement, fear, or agitation, but you know that just
understand."
one word is not enough to describe the nature of what
● Imagination is not constrained by the walls of the
you truly feel.
norm, but goes beyond that.
○ Finally, you try to release yourself from this tormenting
○ It is why people rely on curiosity and imagination for
and disabling state by doing something – expressing
advancement
oneself
○ Through imagination, one is able to craft something
○ Ex: feeling of excitement = shouting or leaping in
bold, something new, and something better in the
excitement
hopes of creating something that will stimulate change.
○ An emotion will remain unknown to a man until he
○ Imagination allows endless possibilities.
expresses it
● In an artist's mind sits a vast gallery of artworks.
● Robin George Collingwood
○ An artwork does not need to be a real thing, but can be
○ English professor
something that is imaginary
○ Best known for his work in aesthetics
○ Ex: a musician who thinks of a tune in his head
○ Explicated his publication The Principles of Art (1938)
▪ The making of this tune in his head makes it an
that what an artist does to an emotion is not to
imaginary tune, an imaginative creation, an
induce it, but express it.
imaginary art
○ Through expression, he is able to explore his own
▪ It remains imaginary until he hums, sings, or writes
emotions and at the same time creates something
down the notes of the tune on paper.
beautiful out of them
● However, something imaginary does not necessarily
○ He further illustrated that expressing emotions is
mean it cannot be called art.
something different from describing emotions
○ Artists use their imagination that gives birth to reality
○ In his example, explicitly saying “I am angry” is not an
through
expression of an emotion, but a mere description
● In the same way that imagination produces art, art also
▪ There is no need in relating or referring to emotion,
inspires imagination.
such as anger, in expressing one’s emotion, making
○ Imagine being in an empty room surrounded by blank,
it ordinary and predictable
white walls, and floor. Would you be inspired to do
○ Expression, on the other hand, individualizes
work in such a place?
○ An artist has the freedom to express himself in the way
○ Often, you will find coffee shops, restaurants, and
he wants to
libraries with paintings hung or sculptures and other
▪ Hence, there is no specific technique in expression
pieces of art placed around the room to add beauty to
▪ Thus makes people’s art not a reflection of what is
the surroundings
outside or external to them, but a reflection of their
● This craving and desire to be surrounded by beautiful
inner selves
things dates back to our early ancestors
● There are countless ways of expressing oneself through
○ Cave walls are surrounded by drawings and paintings
art. The following includes, but is not limited to, popular
of animals they hunted: wild boars, reindeers, and
art expressions
bison

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A. VISUAL ARTS
● Creations that fall under this category are those that
appeal to the sense of sight and are mainly visual in
nature
● Artists produce visual arts driven by their desire to
reproduce things that they have seen in the way that they
perceive them (Collins & Riley, 1931)
● (The book is not too strict on the definition since there are
other artistic disciplines that also involve a visual aspect,
such as performance arts, theater, and applied arts,
which will be discussed later on)
● Visual arts is the kind of art form that the population is
most likely more exposed to
○ But its variations are so diverse – they range from
sculptures you see in art galleries to the last movie you
saw
● Some mediums of visual arts include:
1. Paintings
2. Drawings
3. Lettering
4. Printing
5. Sculptures
6. Digital imaging
7. Etc.
B. FILM
● Refers to the art of putting together successions of
still images in order to create an illusion of movement
● Filmmaking
○ Focuses on its aesthetic, cultural, and social value
○ Is considered as both an art and an industry
● Films can be created by using 1 or a combination or
some of all these techniques:
○ Motion-picture camera (also known as movie camera)
○ Animation techniques
○ Computer-generated imagery (CGI)
○ And more
● Filmmaking stimulates 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
○ This is why in famous film festivals such as the Metro
Manila Film Festival and Oscars, a long list of
categories is considered to recognize excellence in the
art of filmmaking.
C. PERFORMANCE ART
● Is a live art
● The artist’s medium is mainly the human body in which
he/ she uses to perform
○ But also employs other kinds of art such as visual art,
props, or sound
● Usually consists of 4 important elements
1. Time
2. Where the performance took place
3. The performer or performer’s body
4. A relationship between the audience and the
performer(s)
● The fact that it is live makes it intangible – means it
cannot be bought or traded as a commodity, unlike the
previously discussed art expressions
D. POETRY PERFORMANCE
● Poetry is an art form where the artists expresses his
emotions through words
● Words are carefully selected to exhibit clarity and
beauty and to stimulate strong emotions of joy, anger,
love, sorrow, and the list goes on
● Uses a word’s emotional, musical, and spatial values
that go beyond its literal meaning to narrate, emphasize,
argue, and convince
● These words, combined with movements, tone, volume,
and intensity of the delivery, add to the artistic value of
the poem
● Some poets even make poems out of their emotions
picked up from other works of art
○ Which, in turn, produce another work of art through
poetry
E. ARCHITECTURE
● As discussed previously, 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
● Not all buildings can be considered architecture
○ Ex: Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux (pic below)
▪ The functionality of the theater remains
▪ But the striking balance of lines, colors, and shapes
completes the masterpiece
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● Buildings should embody these 3 important elements if
they wish to merit the title “architecture”
1. Plan
2. Construction
3. Design
F. DANCE
● Dance is a series of movements that follows the
rhythm of music accompaniment
● It has been an age-old debate whether dance can be
really be considered an art form, but we primarily
describe dance as a form of expression
● Dance is a creative form that allows people to freely
express themselves
● Has no rules
○ You may say a choreography doesn’t allow this, but in
art expression, dancers are not confined to set steps
and rules – they are free to create and invent their
own movements as long as they deem them
graceful and beautiful
G. LITERARY ART
● Artists who practice literary arts use words to express
themselves to communicate emotions to the readers
● Becoming a writer doesn’t 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
● Focuses on writing using a unique style, not following
a specific format for form
● May include fiction and non-fiction such as novels,
biographies, and poems
● Examples of literary artists and their works:
1. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
2. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
H. 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 props
○ The combination of these elements is what gives the
strongest impression and 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 include:
○ Drama
○ Musical
○ Tragedy
○ Comedy
○ Improvisation
I. APPLIED ARTS
● Applied arts 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 &
Riley, 1931)
● Examples of what are considered applied arts:
○ Industrial design
○ Interior design
○ Fashion design
○ Graphic design
● Applied is often compared to fine arts
○ The latter (fine arts) is chiefly concerned on aesthetic
value
● Through exploration and expression of ideas,
consideration of needs, and careful choice of materials
and techniques, artists are able to combine functionality
and style
VI. SUMMARY
● Art is a product of man's creativity, imagination, and
expression
● 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, which gives us all a role
in the field of art appreciation
● Refining one’s ability to appreciate art allows him to
deeply understand the purpose of an artwork and
recognize the beauty it possesses
● Creativity is what sets apart 1 artwork from another
● A creative artist does not copy or imitate another artist’s
work
○ He does not imitate the lines, flaws, colors, and
patterns in recreating nature
● While through imagination, an artist is able to craft
something bold, something new, and something better in
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 2: Art Appreciation - Creativity, Imagination, and Expression
the hopes of creating something that will stimulate
change.
○ In the same way that imagination produces art, art also
inspires imagination
● Lastly, through expression, an artist is able to explore
his own emotions, while at the same time, create
something beautiful out of it
○ Expressing emotions is something different from
describing emotions
○ Description actually destroys the idea of expression as
it classifies the emotion, making it ordinary and
predictable
○ Expression, on the other hand, individualizes the artist
● Some forms of art include visual arts, film, performance
art, poetry, performance, architecture, literary arts,
theater arts, and applied arts.

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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 3: Functions and Philosophical Perspective on Art
○ What makes a human being a human being, according
TOPIC OUTLINE
to some schools of thought, is his capacity for thinking,
I Introduction his supposed function.
Functions of Art ○ Without this function, the human being ceases to be a
A. Personal human being.
B. Social ● The telos, the function, and the "whatness" of a thing
II
C. Physical are all interconnected.
D. Other ● In contemporary life, the connection between the end, the
E. Does art always have to be functional? function, and the "whatness" of a thing has become
Philosophical Perspective of Art closer and more interlaced, suggesting sometimes that
A. Imitation the end is the function and vice versa, and that they
III B. Representation determine what kind of thing a thing is.
C. Disinterested judgment ○ When one sees a new kitchen appliance in the
D. Communication of emotion department store, one tries to know first what functions
IV Summary the appliance has.
○ After knowing these functions, then one can claim to
know the purpose of the appliance and then begin to
LEARNING OBJECTIVES realize what appliance one is holding in his arms.
1. Distinguish between directly functional and indirectly functional
art; II. FUNCTIONS OF ART
2. Explain and discuss the basic philosophical perspectives on
the art; ● When one speaks of function, one is practically talking
3. Realize the function of some art forms in daily life; and about the use of the object whose function is in question.
4. Apply concepts and theories on beauty and aesthetics in real
● An inquiry on the function of art is an inquiry on what art
life scenarios
is for.
● Alternatively, the answer to the question "what is it for" is
I. INTRODUCTION the function of whatever "it" in the question refers to.
● Suppose one asks, what is the Rizal monument for? Why
was it erected in Rizal Park or what then was called
A. ARISTOTLE Luneta or Bagumbayan? Is it for pure sentimental value?
Is it for its aesthetic value? Or does it send a message to
● Greek philosopher those who witness it?
● claimed that every particular substance in the world has ○ In this string of questions, the inquirer is hoping to get
an end, or telos in Greek, which translates into the function of the piece of art in Rizal Park.
"purpose." ● When it comes to function, different art forms come with
○ Every substance, defined as a formed matter, moves distinctive functions.
according to a fixed path toward its aim. ● There is no one-to-one correspondence between an art
○ A seed is bound to become a full-grown plant. and its function. Some art forms are more functional than
○ A cocoon can look forward to flying high when it others:
morphs into a butterfly. ○ Architecture, for example, as an art is highly functional
○ A baby will eventually turn into a grown man or woman just like most applied arts.
▪ A building as a work of art is obviously made for a
A1. TELOS specific purpose
▪ The Taj Mahal, a massive mausoleum of white
● Is intricately linked with function marble built in Agra was constructed in memory of
● For a thing to reach its purpose, it also has to fulfill its the favorite wife of the then emperor, Shah Jahan.
function. ○ Jewelry-making as an art is known by its product.
● Man, in Aristotle's view of reality, is bound to achieve a ▪ The name of the art in these applied arts is basically
life of fulfillment and happiness, or in Greek, denoted by its specified function.
eudaimonia. ▪ In this and other such functional arts, "...function is
○ All men move toward this final end. so important that it has usurped the name of the art
● However, happiness, the supposed end of man, is linked on the identification of individual works" (Dudley et
with his function, which is being rational. al., 1960).
● One can only be happy when he is rational. ○ Other examples are paintings, poems, and statues.
○ This means that to Aristotle, plants can never be happy The name of the art basically points toward the
because they are not rational, as well as tables and direction of the product or its function.
chairs. ● On the other end of the spectrum, one can only think of
● Man's natural end, telos, is connected with his function, painting and literature as forms of art that have the least
which is his rationality. to do with purely practical values.
● Additionally, telos and function of a thing are both related ○ When one examines and thinks of a painting or a work
to a thing's identity. of literature such as a poem or a novel, one looks at
● What makes a table a table is the fact that it does the value of the art in itself and not because of what it
perform its function and thereby, reaching its telos. can do and benefit us.
○ If a table does not have a surface on which we can put ● Unlike practical arts where the value of the art (in pottery,
on our books or our plates and glasses, then it ceases jewelry-making, architecture, among others) in question
to be a table. lies in the practical benefits one gains from it (a pot, a
● The same goes for human beings. jewelry, or a house or, with painting and literature, one

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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 3: Functions and Philosophical Perspective on Art
can only look at the value of the product of art in and for
itself.
● “A poem is beautiful regardless of its possible
ramifications in society”, Joyce Kilmer
● Roughly and broadly. the functions of art are classified
into three:
○ (1) personal (public display or expression),
○ (2) social (celebration or to affect collective behavior),
and
○ (3) physical (utilitarian)
A. PERSONAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
● Varied and highly subjective
○ its functions depend on the person — the artist who
created the art
○ an artist may create an art out of the need for
self-expression
▪ the case for an artist who needs to communicate an
idea to his audience
▪ can also be mere entertainment for his intended
audience
○ the artist may not even intend to mean anything with
his work
● May also be therapeutic
○ Ex. in some orphanages and home for abandoned
elders, art is used to help residents process their
emotions or while away their time
○ Ex. the use of adult coloring books to de-stress has
also been apparent, with a lot of designs being sold in
bookstores nationwide
B. SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
● Considered to have a social function if and when it
addresses a particular collective interest as opposed
to a personal interest
● Political Art - very common example of an art with a
social function
● May convey message of protest, contestation, or
whatever message the artist intends his work to
carry
● Can also depict social conditions
○ Ex. Photography
▪ as an art form, it delivers this kind of function by
taking photos of subjects in conditions that people do
not normally take a look at or give attention to
⬫ Pictures of poverty may carry emotional overtones
that may solicit action or awareness from their
audience
○ Ex. Performance Art
▪ plays or satires
▪ can also rouse emotions and rally people toward a
particular end
C. PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
● Easiest to spot and understand
● can be found in artworks that are crafted in order to
serve some physical purpose
○ Ex. Japanese Raku Bowl
▪ Serves a physical function in a tea ceremony
○ Other examples include architecture, jewelry making,
and interior design
D. OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART
● Music as an art is also interesting to talk
about in relation to function
● Music in its original form was
principally functional
○ Was used for dance and religion
(unlike today, when one can just listen
to music for the sake of music’s sake)
○ the ancient world saw music only as
an instrument to facilitate worship and
invocation to gods
○ Was essential to dance because
music assures synchronicity among
dancers
○ also guarantees that marches, in the
case of warriors, were simultaneous
● Today, music has expanded its function
Music and coverage
● Music is listened to and made by people
for reasons that were foreign to early
civilizations
● There is now a lot of music that has no
connection whatsoever to dance or
religion
○ Ex. Serenade
▪ people compose hymns of love to
express feelings and emotions
○ Music is also used as a wonderful
accompaniment to stage plays and
motion pictures
● A piece of music can mean a
multitude of meaning to different
people, a proof that as an art, music
has gone a long way
● Another functional art form that has long
existed for various purposes
● Just like music, from the early days of
Sculpture
humanity, sculptures have been made
by man most particularly for religion
○ People erect status for the divine
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 3: Functions and Philosophical Perspective on Art
○ In the Roman Catholic world, the
employment of sculptures for
religious purposes has remained vital,
relevant, and symbolic
● Were also made in order to
commemorate important figures in
history
○ Common examples include:
▪ Jose Rizal’s monument Rizal Park
▪ Andres Bonifacio’s Monumento in
Caloocan
○ In the University of the Philippines,
the iconic statue Oblation by
Guillermo E. Tolentino has remained
a pillar of the university and constant
reminder of the need to offer oneself
up selflessly for the country
● Coins are also manifestations of
sculpting’s function
○ Every coin in the PH features a relief
of a famous hero or personality
○ Recently, the Central Bank of the
Philippines produced special,
commemorative coins for certain
personalities
○ Ex. Pope Francis and Horacio de la
Costa (a Jesuit)
● Might be the most prominent functional
art form
● Buildings are huge, expensive, and are
not easily constructed and replaced
○ unlike other forms of art like pots,
furniture, poetry, or even paintings
○ buildings take too much time to erect
and destroy
● A lot of investments is put into making
megastructures like the pyramids of
Giza, the acropolis, or the great
cathedrals of the Middle Ages
● One cannot simply dismiss taking into
Architecture consideration the function of a building
before construction
● It is also in architecture where one can
find the intimate connection of function
and form
○ In planning out an architectural
structure, one has to seriously
consider the natural conditions like
topography and climate of the place
of erection and the social conditions
such as the purpose of the building
itself
● In the PH, climate is a huge factor in
building a house
○ Ex. Spanish colonial houses were
designed to allow for air to circulate
inside the house
▪ Large windows were stapes then
▪ Capiz shells were also utilized to
allow for light to enter the house
even if the windows were closed
● Social conditions, such as purpose, play
a huge role in architecture
○ To Christians, a church is primarily a
place of worship and assembly
○ Regular ceremonies, where members
of the church are expected to come
regularly, are held inside the church
● Whenever art serves a particular
function, the form has to be determined
by the function
E. DOES ART ALWAYS HAVE TO BE FUNCTIONAL?
● While it has been shown that most arts are functional, still
there are some that are not.
● The value of a work of art does not depend on
function but on the work itself.
● The plays of Aeschylus and the poetry of Robert Frost
and Edgar Allan Poe are still counted as examples of
great works of art despite their not having a known
function.
● In those whose functions are ascertained, however, it is a
different story.
○ Functional object cannot be claimed to be beautiful
unless it can perform its function sufficiently.
▪ Consider a house that cannot even protect its
resident from the nasty weather outside or a spoon
that spills the food on it.
▪ Adequate performance of function partly determines
the beauty of a design in these functional art forms.
● Despite these, efficiency cannot be mistaken for
beauty.
○ While it certainly determines beauty in some works of
art, an efficient functional object is not necessarily
beautiful.
○ Art demands so much more than mere efficiency.
● What then really comprises beauty and art? What makes
something truly beautiful? What really makes a work of
art? What really is art?
● The next section attempts to provide different
perspectives on the nature of art.
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 3: Functions and Philosophical Perspective on Art
III. PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ART
A. ART AS AN IMITATION
● Plato (2000) in his masterpiece The Republic ,
particularly paints a picture of artists as imitators and art
as mere imitation
○ In his description of the ideal republic, Plato advises
against the inclusion of art as a subject in the
curriculum and the banning of artists in the Republic.
○ In Plato’s metaphysics or view of reality, the eternal
and the true entities that can only be found in the
World of Forms.
○ Human beings endeavor to reach the forms all
throughout this life, starting with formal education in
school
○ From looking at “shadows in the cave”, men slowly
crawl outside to behold the real entities of the world.
● For example, the chair that one sits on is not a real chair.
It is an imperfect copy of the perfect “chair” in the World
of Forms.
○ Much is true for beauty in this world.
● 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 convinced that artists merely reinforce the
belief in copies and discourage men to reach for the
real entities in the World of Forms.
○ Plato was deeply suspicious of arts and artists for two
reasons: they appealed to the emotion rather than
to the rational faculty of men and they imitate
rather than lead one to reality.
○ Poetry and painting, the art forms that Plato was
particularly concerned with, do not have any place in
the ideal state that Socrates (as the protagonist) in
Plato's dialogue envisions.
● First, Plato is critical of the effects of art, specifically,
poetry to the people of the ideal state.
● Poetry rouses emotions and feelings and thus, clouds the
rationality of people.
○ Poetry has a capacity to sway minds without taking into
consideration the use of proper reason.
○ As such, it leads one further away from the cultivation
of the intellect that Plato campaigned for.
● Likewise, Socrates is worried that art objects represent
only the things in this world, copies themselves of reality.
○ As such, in the dialogue, Socrates claimed that art is
just an imitation of imitation.
○ A painting is just an imitation of nature, which is also
just an imitation of reality in the World of Forms.
● The arts then are to be banished, alongside the
practitioners, so that the attitudes and actions of the
members of the Republic will not be corrupted by the
influence of the arts.
● For Plato, art is dangerous because it provides a
petty replacement for the real entities that can only be
attained through reason.
B. ART AS A REPRESENTATION
● Aristotle, Plato's most important student in philosophy,
agreed with his teacher that art is a form of imitation.
● However, in contrast to the disgust that his master holds
for art, Aristotle considered art as an aid to
philosophy in revealing truth.
● The kind of imitation that art does is not antithetical to the
reaching of fundamental truths in the world.
● Talking about tragedies, for example, Aristotle (1902) in
the Poetics claimed that poetry is a literary representation
in general.
○ Akin to other art forms, poetry only admits of an
attempt to represent what things might be.
● 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 in reality.
○ Unlike Plato who thought that art is an imitation of
another imitation, Aristotle conceived of art as
representing possible versions of reality.
● In the Aristotelian worldview, art serves 2 particular
purposes.
1. Art allows for the experience of pleasure.
▪ Experiences that are otherwise repugnant can
become entertaining in art.
▪ For example, a horrible experience can be made an
object of humor in a comedy.
2. Art also has an ability to be instructive and teach the
audience things about life; thus, it is cognitive as well.
▪ Greek plays are usually of this nature.
C. ART AS A DISINTERESTED JUDGMENT
● In the third critique that Immanuel Kant wrote, the
Critique of Judgement, Kant considered the judgment
of beauty, the cornerstone of art, as something that can
be universal despite its subjectivity.
● Kant mentioned that judgment of beauty, and therefore,
art is innately autonomous from specific interests.
○ It is the form of art that is judged by one who perceives
art to be beautiful or more so sublime.
● Therefore, even aesthetic judgment for Kant is a
cognitive activity.
● Kant recognized that judgment of beauty is subjective.
○ However, Kant advanced the proposition that even
subjective judgments are based on some universal
criterion for the said judgment.
● In the process, Kant responded to the age-old question of
how and in what sense can a judgment of beauty, which
ordinarily is considered to be a subjective feeling, be
considered objective or universal.
● How is this so? For Kant, when one judges a particular
painting as beautiful, one in effect is saying that the
said painting has induced a particular feeling of
satisfaction from him and that he expects the
painting to rouse the same feeling from anyone.
● There is something in the work of art that makes it
capable of inciting the same feeling of pleasure and
satisfaction from any perceiver, regardless of his
condition.
● For Kant, every human being, after perception and the
free play of his faculties, should recognize the beauty that
is inherent in a work of art.
○ This is the kind of universality that a judgment of
beauty is assumed by Kant to have.
● So when the same person says that something is
beautiful, he does not just believe that the thing is
beautiful for him, but in a sense, expects that the same
thing should put everyone in awe.
D. ART AS A COMMUNICATION OF EMOTION
● The author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Leo
Tolstoy, provided another perspective on what art is.
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 3: Functions and Philosophical Perspective on Art
● In his book, What is Art (2016), Tolstoy defended the
production of the sometimes truly extravagant art, like
operas, despite extreme poverty in the world.
○ For him, art plays a huge role in communication to its
audience emotions that the artist previously
experienced.
● Art then serves as a language, a communication device
that articulates feelings and emotions that are
otherwise unavailable to the audience.
○ In the same way that language communicates
information to other people, art communicates
emotions.
○ In listening to music, in watching an opera, and in
reading poems, the audience is at the receiving end of
the artist communicating his feelings and emotions.
● Tosloy is fighting for the social dimension of art.
○ As a purveyor of man’s innermost feelings and
thoughts, art is given a unique opportunity to serve as
a mechanism for social unity.
● Art is central to a man’s existence because it makes
accessible feelings and emotions of people from the past
and present, from one continent to another
○ In making these possibly latent feelings and emotions
accessible to anyone in varied times and locations, art
serves as a mechanism of cohesion for everyone.
● Thus, even at present, one can commune with early
Cambodians and their struggles by visiting the Angkor
Wat or can definitely feel the early royalties of different
Korean dynasties by watching Korean dramas. Art is
what allows for these possibilities

IV. SUMMARY

● Art has remained relevant in our daily lives because most

of it has played some form of function for man
● Since the dawn of civilization, art has been at the
forefront of giving color to man’s existence
● The different functions of art may be classified as
personal, social or physical
● An art’s function is personal if it depends on the artist
herself or sometimes still, the audience of the art.
● There is a social function in art if and when it has a
particular social function when it addresses a collective
need of a group of people.
● Physical function, finally, has something to do with direct,
tangible uses of art.
○ Not all products of art have function. This should not
disqualify them as art though.
● As mentioned and elucidated by some of the most
important thinkers in history, art may serve either as
imitation, representation, a disinterested judgment, or
simply a communication of emotion.

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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 4: Subject and Content
feelings that they cull, and other springs of information
TOPIC OUTLINE
may be consulted.
I Introduction
II Types of Subject C. BASIC COMPONENTS OF AN ARTWORK
III Sources and Kinds of Subjects
IV Content in Art ● There are clues that mediate between the artwork and
the viewer, allowing the viewer to more easily
V Summary
comprehend what he is seeing.
● These clues are the three basic components of a work of
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
art: subject, form, and content.
1. Differentiate representational art and non-representational art. ● These components are largely inseparable from each
2. Discuss the difference between an artwork’s subject and its
content. other and usually related to each other.
3. Identify the subject matter and content of specific examples of
art.
4. Enumerate the sources of the subjects of some of the most Subject Content Form
recognizable works of art in Philippine art history.
refers to the visual meaning that is development and
focus/image that communicated by configuration of
I. INTRODUCTION may be extracted the artist or the artwork–how
from examining artwork elements and
● In the Philippines, which is predominantly a the artworks medium/material
non-museum-going public, looking at art has always are put together
been a tricky business.
“what” “why” “how”
○ This is true not only for novices, but also at times,
confronts the long-time art aficionados.
● One of the major hurdles that spoils an individual’s II. TYPES OF SUBJECT
engagement with an artwork is the notion that in order to
appreciate it, one must be able to extract a specific ● In arts, there are also observable qualities that the
image, isolate the artist or maker’s intention, and unearth artwork holds that will point to its subject, and sometimes
a particular meaning. Failure to do so automatically even to its content.
implies a failure of comprehension and therefore, failure ● In order to flesh out what the subject of the artwork is, it
of the experience. is important to first look at the constituent figures that are
○ This, however, relegates art engagement and therefore perceivable on the surface of the canvas or the sculpture,
appreciation to the very few who had training and and the manner in which the artist chose to depict those
instruction in producing and in reading art. This should figures. From these, the type of subject can be inferred.
not be the case
A. REPRESENTATIONAL ART
A. PERCEPTION
● One of the most iconic and recognizable paintings all
● The primary stage of engaging with art. over the world is the “Mona Lisa” done by Leonardo da
● Looking at art is much like any instance of taking in Vinci.
information or stimulus that originates from the world ○ Some questions are often raised regarding this
around us. For most art forms, the beginning of artwork, like “Who is Mona Lisa?” “Why was Leonardo
engagement is through looking at the artwork. da Vinci compelled to paint her?” But as scholars
● The eyes play a big role in mechanically making a vision attempt to solve the true identity of the sitter, it is
possible. However, like any tool, it is but one component. relevant to note that there is a consensus that the
● What makes the difference is the awareness in the Mona Lisa–whoever she is–is based on a real person.
process of looking where subjectivity is essential in
navigating through the artwork.

B. SUBJECTIVITY

● Is illustrated in the way that selective perception

renders one or two details more prominent than
others, prompting the viewer to focus on some details as
essential or as standouts.
● Even the disposition or mood of the viewer, his
education, his background, and his exposure to varying
contexts contribute to what information is taken in and
how they are interpreted.
● To herd all of these into coherence and intelligibility, the
Figure 25. Leonardo da Vinci, “Mona Lisa” (1503)
relationships of visual details presented, the ideas and
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 4: Subject and Content
● It is stripped down to visual elements such as shapes,
● Portraits such as the “Mona Lisa’ are good examples of
what is called representational art.
● These types of art have subjects that refer to objects or
events occurring in the real world.
● Often, it is also termed figurative art, because as the
name suggests, the figures depicted are easy to make
out and decipher.
● Despite not knowing who Mona Lisa is, it is clear that the
painting is of a woman that is realistically-proportioned;
only the upper torso is shown; a beguiling and mysterious
smile is flashed; and that the background is a
landscape-probably a view from a window.
● Pushing it even further, one can even imagine a scene in
which Leonardo da Vinci alternates between applying
dabs of paint on the canvas and looking at the sitter in
order to capture her features for the portrait.
B. NON-REPRESENTATIONAL ART
● On the other hand, seeing a painting that has nothing in
but continuous drips of paint or splotches of colors either
confounds the viewer or is readily trivialized as
something that anyone with access to materials can
easily make.
● The works of Jackson Pollock, who is known for his
“action paintings,” are often subjected to these
remarks.
○ Using large-scale canvases that were usually laid out on
the floor or resting on a wall, Pollack tilted his paint can
and allowed paint to drip.
○ Assisting it with movement, he used other implements
such as hardened brushes, knives, sticks, and trowels
to add detail, texture, and dimension to his paintings.
○ There were no clear figures that jot out from the canvas;
there were only drips and splashes.
Figure 26. Jackson Pollock, detail of “Number 1A” (1948). Oil and
enamel paint on canvas
● This kind of work can be subsumed under the category of
non-representational art.
● Non-representational art is also often termed
non-figurative art.
● Non-representational art does not make a reference to
the real world, whether it is a person, place, thing, or
even a particular event.
lines, and colors that are employed to translate a
particular feeling, emotion, and even concept.
Take Note
● It is in this light that representational works are often
favored because they are easier to recognize.
○ Viewers find a greater degree of comfort when what
they see registers as something familiar.
○ They then continue to process this understanding,
sometimes even becoming confident enough to
share their insights to others.
● It can be argued then that an artist is faced with a
strong persuasion of creating works that veers toward
representational art.
● However, it is not simply an issue of assumed
preference; rather, it cuts across matters relating to
prevailing themes, norms, and practices of specific
historical moments.
B1. ARE NON-REPRESENTATIONAL ART & ABSTRACT
ART THE SAME?
● One source of confusion is the notion that non-
representational art is the same as abstract art.
● This is essential to discuss because it introduces the fact
that representational art and non-representational art
is not a clear-cut divide; rather, they exist in a
spectrum.
● An abstract work of Pablo Picasso is a great example to
illustrate this .Although he is more known for his
paintings, he also dabbled into other works including
sculptures.
Figure 27. Pablo Picasso, “Head of a Woman, Mougins”
(1962)
● Cut metal that is hinged on a metal base, there is a
palpable distortion of the image–whatever it is–seems to
be melting.
● Even without reading the title from the caption, mere
seconds of looking at the combination of lines, shapes,
and colors of the sculpture will point to the head of a
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 4: Subject and Content
woman. Even with the abstraction of the image, this work
is arguably representational.
● As a guide, an artwork, depending on the degree of
distortion or abstraction, may be judged as leaning more
toward one over the other.
● Abstract art is in itself a departure from reality, but the
extent of that departure determines whether it has
reached the end of the spectrum, which is
non-representationality–a complete severance from the
world.
Vasily Kandinsky
● A proponent of non-representational art was Russian
artist Vasily Kandinsky.
● Although his chosen art form was paintings, he liked
non-representational art to music, an art form that he
was also very keen to.
● He asserted that with sounds, musicians are able to
evoke imagery in their listeners or audiences.
Object-free, he alludes to the sounds and spiritual
experiences that music makes possible in his paintings.
● It is therefore not surprising that a lot of his paintings
are inspired by music and are titled as impression,
improvisation, and composition.
III. SOURCES AND KINDS OF SUBJECT
● When hit with a wall or a block, the writer is often advised
to look back and take from what he knows.
○ From there, a well and wealth of materials may be
drawn. But for artists, where do they source the
subjects of their paintings? What do they paint?
● For non-representational art, a higher level of
perceptiveness and insight might be required to fully
grasp the feeling, emotion, or concept behind the work.
○ It is perhaps easier to infer where the subject matter
comes from if the artwork is an example of
representational art.
○ From the figure(s) depicted in the artwork, there is
already a suggestion as to its inspiration.
● However, in discussing the sources and kinds of subject
in artworks, it is important to note that these two are often
inextricably related.
○ Often, even a singular source of inspiration can yield
multiple translations.
○ A good starting point is, of course, nature.
Landscapes, Seascapes, Cityscapes
● There is nothing more rudimentary than human
interaction with the physical world around the artist.
○ Early childhood often revolves around getting to know
not just the body and what it can do, but also in getting
accustomed to a multitude of sensory prompts around
the artist, especially those situated in his environment.
● Artists throughout history have explored diverse ways of
representing nature: from plants to animals; qualities of
bodies of water and the terrain of landmasses; and even
the perceivable cycles and changing of seasons.
○ Often, these predictions are seen as expressions of the
sacred or the profane, sired by reality or supplemented
by the artist’s imagination.
● One artist who was attuned with nature was Vincent van
Gogh.
○ He saw art and nature as inseparable, often finding
solace and happiness in painting in it (working in the
middle of unspoiled fields) and painting from it
(landscapes).
○ In a letter to his brother Theo, he wrote “...if I felt no
love for nature and my work, then I would be unhappy.”
(Van Gogh Museum, 1882)
Figure 28. Vincent van Gogh, “Die Ebene von Auvers” (Wheat Fields
Near Auvers) (1890)
● Other artists with a considerable number of landscapes
and seascapes are Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Paul
Cezanne, and JMW Turner.
○ In the Philippines, National Artists for Painting
Fernando Amorsolo and Fabian de la Rosa gained
prominence from their painted rural scenes such as
women in the fields gathering harvest.
● Breaking nature into smaller parts is Jan van Kessel the
Elder who did numerous still lives and small-scale, highly
detailed studies, and scientific illustrations of flowers,
insects, shells, fruits, garlands, and bouquets.
Figure 29. Jan van Kessel, “A Cockchafer, Beetle, Woodlice and Other
Insects, with a Sprig of Auricula” (1650s)
Greek and Roman Mythology
● Greek and Roman mythology were also ripe with
references: from episodes that transport the viewer to
heroic encounters of Achilles and Aeneas; warnings
about the man’s folly like the vanity of Icarus; the wit and
cunning of Odysseus; the beauty of Aphrodite and the
athleticism of Myron.
● From narrations in literature, artists, on the other hand,
gave faces to Greek and Roman deities or the gods and
goddesses whose fates are seemingly as tragic as those
of men.
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 4: Subject and Content
○ Some of the art forms they took on were wall paintings
or frescos and sculptural works such as busts,
statuaries, and ceramics and pottery, among others.
● Gothic style architecture is often attributed as the
● There is a definitive sense that pointed to the feeling of
● This echoes her belief that “art was central to religious
Figure 30. Myron, “Discobolus” (Roman, 2nd Century AD)
Religion
● Another integral aspect of human life is the distinct
relationship with a higher controlling power.
● If the belief system of Greeks and Romans was
polytheism with a multitude of gods and goddesses, the
Judeo-Christian tradition stems from a belief in a lone
creator of the universe or what is called monotheism.
○ This tradition had an immense influence in Western
civilization especially in art.
● Guided by a host of styles and techniques, various media
and art forms were also experimented with: paintings,
frescos, church architecture (overall plan of the space,
stained glass windows, tabernacles, and altars),
sarcophagus, icons, and other carvings, vestments,
tapestry, illuminated manuscripts, and other sacred
scriptures, among others.
● Commissioned by Pope Julius II, the intricate fresco that
lines the Sistine Chapel was created by Michelangelo.
○ The immense detail and vast surface he had to cover
had him working on it from 1508 to 1512.
Figure 31. Michelangelo, “Sistine Chapel” (1508-1512)
● Unlike in Islam for example, practicing Jews and
Christians were allowed to depict their God and other
important biblical figures: laying visual foundations in
inculcating the faith.
○ But perhaps the influence of this tradition is most
intriguingly manifested in the architectural marvels that
are spread out all over the world.
● The formative years of church architecture can be traced
in the 4th and 5th Century but different styles and plans
were developed since then.
● Prevailing ideas and philosophies became resources that
were used by architects to reimagine by three things:
1. Soaring heights (ceilings),
2. Volume (flying buttresses and ribbed vaults), and
3. Light (bright stained glass windows, airy and pleasant
interiors).
brainchild of Abbot Suger.
awe on the part of the believer and the perceived majesty
and power of God- all which happened during the time
when religion was at the heart of everyday life.
experience.”
Figure 32. Interior of Westminster
● Proceeding from a kind of a hybrid between literature and
sacred text is India’s miniature paintings.
○ In Central India, the kind of art that was produced was
deeply rooted in Vedic texts such as Upanishads,
Puranas, and other important texts like the Sanskrit
epics Mahabharata and Ramayana.
○ Indian artists had a wide array of materials to work with
in showcasing not just their artistry and skill.
○ The significance of these paintings rests on its ability to
foster devotion and the observance of a code of ethics
through the visualizations of heroic narratives.
○ These paintings were small but were highly pictorial,
stylized and employed a good contrast of colors.
○ Some artists also included verses from the epics as
part of the cartouche which added interest and
meaning to the paintings.
Figure 33. “Shah Jahan Receiving Dara Shikoh” (circa 1650)
History
● Historically significant events particularly in the affairs of
humanity are abundant references for art production.
From early breakthroughs such as the discovery of fire
and the overthrow of geocentric theory in favor of a
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 4: Subject and Content
sun-centered universe, succeeding advancements
brought about by discovery, innovation, and man’s
incessant search for glory plotted a dynamic course of
history.
● Ex: Goya’s El Tres de Mayo which captures the death of
Madrilenes, the local insurgents during the Peninsular
War
○ Former allies in the overrun of Portugal and France
turned against Spain. Napoleonic forces invaded
Madrid without much difficulty and the painting
captures the dramatic demise of its people under a
firing squad.
Figure 34. Francisco de Goya, “El Tres de Mayo” (1814)
● History, as a source for artists in search of subjects,
brings into consideration events that are familiar and
sometimes even common or shared in world context: the
establishment of nations and states (discovery, conquest,
and colonization), and the resulting ideologies that they
breed (democracy, liberty, freedom, and rights).
○ These works serve as documentary and
commemorative artworks that illustrate subjects such
as important leaders and figures; events as they were
recorded to have happened, and representations of
ideologies or values.
● In the history of art, it is as important to remember that
the source and kind of subjects were not merely a
product of the artist’s inclination and choice.
○ A closer examination of the various art movements and
artworks created within those movements will indicate
that notions of freedom and independence, which are
presumed to be enjoyed by artists, were not without its
limits or restrictions.
○ For instance, a particular kind of subject and the way it
is visually translated may be traced in relation to the art
patrons (those who commission the artworks), the
favored artistic style and canons, and more importantly,
the norms and trends prevailing in the artist’s milieu.
● During the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines,
art was predominantly representational.
○ During the first century of their dominance, art came as
an aid for communication - a means of propagating
1.) Factual Meaning
religion to locals who spoke a different language.
○ The visual arts, from paintings to early sculptures such
as santos and other votive figures and icons, were
created to assist Catholic ministry.
○ Existing art and craft traditions persisted, with some
augmented and infused with foreign influences that
were not limited to the Spanish culture throughout
contact.
● The momentum that secular (or non-religious) art later
gained in the 19th century can also be attributed to this
contact, with the opening of the Suez Canal and the
growth of the export economy in agriculture.
○ The consequence of these developments was the rise
of the middle class.
▪ With their new-found economic and social mobility,
patrons of the art were no longer limited to the
clergy, but brought about a demand coming from
these wealthy illustrado families.
○ Of interest was the increase in demand for
commissioned portraits (of an individual or an entire
family), finding it necessary to document themselves in
light of their elevated status.
▪ Wearing the most intricate and elaborate garbs,
significant adornments such as jewelry, and
embroidered implements, among others, completed
the intended narrative.
▪ The artistic trend cemented the distinction of artists
such as Simon Flores, Justiniano Ascuncion, and
Antonio Malantic who became the foremost
portraitists of the time.
▪ Here, it is evident how during the Spanish colonial
period, the subjects of artworks, even the manner in
which they are translated, were mostly dictated by
the patrons who commission them for religious and
secular art.
IV. CONTENT IN ART
● As outlined in the beginning, in discussing works of art,
the subject may simply be referred to as the
"what"—what is readily seen and relates to the artwork,
its inspiration, and the many kinds of translation.
○ But apart from what is made explicit, to recognize and
grasp the message of the artwork, the viewer may
sometimes need to go beyond what is visible.
○ Why was the artwork created in the first place? When
this question is asked, we are after the meaning or
message that is expressed or communicated by the
artwork.
▪ One of the foremost scholars that expounded on
content analysis or how meaning is arrived at is art
historian Erwin Panofsky in his seminal work
Meaning in the Visual Arts (1983).
⬫ His methodology will be later identified as
Iconology through the interpretation of
iconography
A. LEVELS OF MEANING
● To take on the challenge of understanding the content of
art, it must be reiterated that there are various levels of
meaning:
● Most common
● This pertains to the most rudimentary level of meaning
for it may be extracted from the identifiable or
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 4: Subject and Content
recognizable forms in the artwork and understanding how
these elements relate to one another.
2.) Conventional Meaning
● Pertains to the acknowledged interpretation of the
artwork using motifs, signs, symbols and other ciphers as
bases of its meaning.
● These conventions are established through time,
strengthened by recurrent use and wide acceptance by
its viewers or audience and scholars who study them.
3.) Subjective Meaning
● When subjectivities are consulted, a variety of meanings
may arise when a particular work of art is read.
○ These meanings stem from the viewer's or audience's
circumstances that come into play when engaging with
art.
● When looking at a particular painting for example,
perception and meaning are always informed (and even
colored) by a manifold of contexts: what we know; what
we learned; what we experienced; and the values we
stand for.
● It is therefore expected that meaning may not be singular,
rather, a painting may communicate multiple meanings to
its many viewers.
Example on Applying the Levels of Meaning
Michelangelo, “Creation of Adam from the ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel
● Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam" can be read using
various levels of meaning previously discussed.
● There, Adam is figured with an aged God, both of them
with an arm stretched and their respective index fingers
appearing to be fixed at an impending contact.
○ Apart from God who is wearing a tunic, everyone
else is in the nude.
○ God is afloat, surrounded by drapery and figures
presumed to be angels and cherubs.
○ Adam on the other hand is earth-bound, sitting and
reclined, positioned diagonally parallel to that of God.
● From a factual perspective, Michelangelo depicted a
scene from the Creation Story, in particular, the creation
of man.
○ Apart from being a key element of Michelangelo's
fresco at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the subject
matter suggests that this is an example of biblical art.
● This work is indeed iconic, and this is asserted by the
conventional meanings attached to it.
○ Here, the specific poses of God and Adam (convex
and concave postures, respectively) allude to the
correspondence of the body and the commonly held
belief that man was created in the image and
likeness of God.
○ During this time, the ideals of humanism were
underscored and the arts and sciences were
furthered. It is therefore understandable that the
classical canons of the form of the body (ideally
proportioned and muscular) are portrayed, especially
by Michelangelo who was first and foremost a
sculptor.
○ Here, the view is that the greatness of old
civilizations such as that of the Greeks and the
Romans may not only be replicated, but even
surpassed.
○ Some art scholars noted how Michelangelo exhibited
just that—-an elevated artistry—in that the dynamism
and energy of the figures in the frescoes in the
Sistine chapel are unlike the works of predecessors.
● An interesting overlap between the conventional and
subjective meanings is the proposal from
gynecologist Frank Lynn Meshberger, whose
published essay appeared in the October 1990 issue of
the Journal of American Medical Association.
○ Written was his theory that an image and a message
were hidden in plain sight: how the silhouette of God,
the shroud and the drapery that trail behind, all
seemingly align with the shape of the human brain.
○ According to Meshberger, the work can also be aptly
called "The Endowment of Adam" for it brought to
light that as God's creation, the most important
qualities imparted to man was intellect.
○ Like most Renaissance artists, Michelangelo
unlocked the secrets and precision of human
anatomy assisting in dissections during his time.
○ For Meshberger, it was with his medical background
and perhaps exposure to art and history that allowed
him to catch the symbol, hidden in Michelangelo's
work.
V. SUMMARY
● There is a sense of panic when one is confounded with
the question, "What am I seeing?" or rather, "What am I
supposed to see?".
○ Perhaps, addressing this stigma is the first step in
inviting more Filipinos to engage with art and have a
more enduring appreciation for it
● In gaining the basics of deciphering the subject and
content of art, it is hoped that an individual's sensitivity
and perceptiveness to art will be developed.
○ One may begin by looking at perceivable features of
the artwork.
○ Taking note of what is apparent will provide clues as to
what the intended meaning of the artist might be.
○ Knowing more about the context of its creation—from
the artist's inspiration, reference or source, will prove
useful in understanding the meaning of the artwork.
● However, one must forget that each viewer is armed with
his or her experience, background and education. These
will assist in fleshing out different levels of meaning that
may be derived from the artwork. These might not be as
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 4: Subject and Content
evident as, say, the figures depicted on the surface;
however, these alternative readings contribute to the
significance of the artwork
● The majority of the public are consumers and not
producers of art, and so ensuring the readiness of the
public to not only successfully engage with the art, but
meaningfully do so, is the primary function of art
appreciation and education.
● Throughout this book, it is hoped that the specialized
language of art will unfold for the learning pleasure of the
students, enabling the ease and encouraging the
predilection of engaging with art through its description,
analysis, interpretation, and even critique.

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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 5: Artists and Artisans
TOPIC OUTLINE
I Introduction
II Let’s Get Down to Business
III The Artisan and the Guilds
IV The Artist and His Studio
V (1993)
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. Outline the history of the emergence of artists and
artisans;
2. Recognize and critically discuss the function of state
sponsorship in the field of arts and culture through the
National Artists Award and the Gawad sa anlilikha ng
Bayan (GAMABA)
3. Identify and define the different individuals and groups
who take on varied roles in the world of art and culture;
and
4. Classify the practices of artists in terms of form,
medium, and technique.
I. INTRODUCTION
● In the advent of technology, it is remarkable what has
now been made possible. With a click of a button, an
array of overwhelming information is made available,
informing every aspect of human life.
● In this fast-paced and highly complex twenty-first century,
there is a real and nagging fear that soon, everything
may very well be replaced by computers and robots that
can arguably do things with more precision, at a shorter
amount of time and less capital in the long term.
● This nihilist notion is contested by what are arguably the
most resilient qualities of man, which is his creativity and
imagination.
● As long as there is a cultivation of both these qualities, no
robot or artificial intelligence can replace man just yet.
● The arts is one of the most significant ways in which we
try to grapple with how the present unfolds.
● Robert Henri’s The Art Spirit (1923)
- He stated that:
“Art, when really understood, is the province of every
human being. It is simply a question of doing things,
anything, well. It is not an outside extra thing. When
the artist is alive in any person, whatever his kind of
work may be, he becomes an inventive, searching,
daring, self-expressing creature. He becomes
interesting to other people. He disturbs, upsets,
enlightens, and he opens ways for a better
understanding. Where those who are not artis are
trying to close the book he opens it, showing there are
more pages possible.”
- There is a gap when one continues to persist with the
idea that art is something that is detached from the
everyday. In what has been reduced to a blur, it
became more integral that man pursues a better
understanding of the world where he lives. One of the
avenues that makes this both possible and exciting is
the engagement with art and culture.
- This lesson will introduce the artists who have
dedicated their lives to the cultivation of the arts
through the works of great creativity, imagination, and
daring throughout history. It aims to expand this into
the wider world of the arts and culture, wherein other
key players and movers and testament to how the
production, consumption, and distribution of arts have
changed profoundly.
II. LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS
● Peter Drucker’s seminal book Post-Capitalist Society
- He stated that:
“The real controlling resource and the absolutely
decisive factor of production is neither capital nor land
nor labor. It is knowledge. Instead of capitalists and
proletarians, the classes of the post capitalist society
are the knowledge workers and the service workers.”
- Arguably, one type of knowledge that fuels the
twenty-first century is creativity. This is evident in the
recognition that professionals in the creative sector are
integral drivers and movers in society and an integral
segment of this sector are artists. But who are they?
● Artists have treaded a long history. Their roots can
likewise be traced in one of the major milestones in
human civilization.
● First episode of the video series “New Ways of
Seeing”
● A project by the New York times’ T Brand Studio and
jewelry giant Tiffany & Co.
● Art critic Jerry Saltz (2016) underscored the
significance of not only the discovery of the cave
painting, but also the paintings themselves.
● He asserted that “These first artists invented a way to
get the three-dimensional world into two dimensions
and attach value to their own ideas. And all of the
history of art flows forth from this invention.”
● He is apparently referring to the drawings and painted
images of animals, hunting scenes, and a variety of
symbolic figures created during the Stone Age.
● Examples of these are scattered around the world,
from France, Spain, Namibia, Australia, and Argentina
to name a few.
● Of course, these works were not yet subsumed in the
highly systematized art world, let alone considered as
“art”.
● Out of the shadows of these caves, astounding headway
was seen moving down history from Bronze Age down to
the Middle Ages in terms of how man continues to utilize
his surroundings to create varying expressions of his
ideas and feelings.
● Through the exploration of his immediate environs, trade,
and other experimentations, new modes, media, and
techniques brought to light a wide array of artworks that
instantiate the wealth that can be done when the artist’s
vision is tapped, harnessed, and realized.
● But the most integral development that allowed this
identity of an “artist” to fully emerge is systematization
and sophistication that his world – the art world – has
become.
● The impulse to create is at the core of human civilization,
much like the impulse to communicate through language.
● Early on, artists were embedded in the development of
culture, and in turn, art was nurtured by the varying
cultures in which it existed. The works produced varied
from the prosaic to those that explored a wide range of
aesthetic possibilities.
● Seen everyday, the interaction with these objects was
intimate in the sense that their presence was
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 5: Artists and Artisans
experienced in a multitude of easy and in all affairs of the
man:
1. ornamentations in tools and other surfaces
2. weaving patterns in textiles
3. visual features and the design/plan form
architectural structures; and
4. ritual and burial implements, among others.
● Artists even created places and spaces where
communities may gather.
● There are numerous monuments and memorials that are
plotted over the world such as the infamous Vietnam
Veterans memorial in Washington DC. There are
others like the cave paintings that have an aura of
mystery like the Pyramids of Giza, or have alluded
comprehension like the Stonehenge.
Figure 36. The Stonehenge (Wiltshire, England) of the Neolithic Era or New
Stone Age
● It was in this light that artists worked and most of the
time, the products were considered not as artworks at all
but rather as craft or places under some other category.
● The use of the word “embedded” may be taken to mean
that what was created automatically circulated in the
operations of society and was not integral to an art object
that the identity of its maker be known. It did not take
long before this changed.
III. THE ARTISAN AND THE GUILDS
● Have you ever wondered why some examples of artistic
and creative production have survived to this day?
● Museums are packed with numerous artifacts and
interesting objects from all over the world that have
survived centuries for us all to see.
● Magnificent structures that are often appreciated not only
for their historical significance but more so for their
aesthetic characteristics that render them unique,
become tourist destinations for those who wish to explore
and see the remarkable facade, interior, and even the
minutest of details up close.
● Perhaps what made the difference was the materials,
medium, and the principles behind the process of their
creation. Another contributory factor is the emergence of
technology and knowledge in managing and conserving
all these objects and structures, enabling the retention of
the integrity of the artwork and the intention of the artist in
terms of the design and overall aesthetic.
● Consider the Gothic cathedrals and other
megastructures that were built all over Europe during
the Middle Ages.
- Craftsmen and builders in the past did not have
sophisticated terminologies and principles that
architects and engineers abide by today. Yet, they
fulfilled overlapping roles such as the draftsman,
architect, engineer, and even as a builder.
- What they had was a sense of how materials behaved,
how the environment, light, and weather patterns
affected structures, and other more intuitive principles
of creation. Experimentation and luck must not also be
forgotten.
- Gothic cathedrals along with other structures inspired
by its architectural tenets have survived through time,
not only by their sheer durability, but more so through
the articulation of the processes that they followed.
EXAMPLE
Figure 27. The Cologne Cathedral between ca. 1890 and ca. 1900, Koln,
Germany
Cologne Cathedral
- In Germany, it is but one of the many examples of
early Gothic Architecture.
- The account was that master mason Gerhard Ryle
started the project in 1248 but was only completed
roughly 600 years later, claiming the record as one
of the longest construction projects to date.
Figure 38. Detail of the stained glass windows of Cologne Cathedral,
Koln, Germany (2015)
● What is meant here is a kind of formalization of craft
education in which regulation was set in place.
● Here, skills qualification was needed for an apprentice to
register under a particular craft guild.
● These guilds were prevalent during the Middle Ages
particularly during the thirteenth to fifteenth century,
where towns had formalized groups of artisans or
craftsmen who took on a particular specialization or
trade: shoemakers, textile and glass workers, carpenters,
carvers, masons, armorers, and weapon-makers, among
others.
● Here, the practice of artists was not grounded on the idea
of individual capacities or success; rather, in the
commitment to work together as a collective.
● Guilds were a type of social fellowship, an association
structured with rules, customs, rights, and
responsibilities. With a lifetime commitment to a particular
trade, an artisan develops immense skill and expertise in
his craft.
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● A master artisan or craftsman would then be open to
hiring apprentices who would be under his tutelage and
instruction. In these guilds, artistry and technology
flourished under one roof.
● In the context of the cathedral construction site, the
master mason oversaw the work by numerous men of
varying artistic proclivities and skills, from the smiths
(metal work), carpenters, carriers, and glaziers (stained
glass artists), among others.
Figure 39. The guild niche under the Four Crowned Saints (circa
1416). This was commissioned by the Arte dei Maestri di Pietra e
Legname (guild of wood and stone cutters), in Orsanmichele,
Florence.
● This brought to light various ways of thinking about
transferring knowledge and skills by visualizing and
articulating the principles, processes, and tricks of the
trade both in words and in print through manuals and
publications.
● Of course, these printed publications were done cheaply
and did not have the same thoroughness as with
handbooks and manuals of biblical proportions.
● Aside from funds, another hurdle was the fact that some
of the knowledge that went into production was difficult to
put into words. This can be attested in a way that often,
we find ourselves at a loss when tasked with explaining a
particular step or process in something that we created.
● Consider this, in addition to the fact that receiving the
explanation of how something is made does not
automatically make us impresarios who can carry out the
task bump-free
● In the visual arts, an example of an artist strongly
influenced by this was Albrecht Durer. Born in 1471, his
father was a goldsmith; that is why he also apprenticed
as such.
● Later on, he shifted to the visual arts. During that time, it
was customary to travel after completing an
apprenticeship to gather more experience and knowledge
elsewhere. His life was ripe with travels, fame, and
fortune.
● One of the biggest credits to his practice was his
dedication and interest in scholarship with his attendance
to a close friend's meetings of artists and scholars.
● He also published quite a number of books and treatises
including those that talked about practical skills as an
artist which would be useful to other artisans and
craftsmen who dared to read it.
● Mostly on perspective and human proportion, his works
were written in the first-person singular format, practical
in the way it was written and was supported by
illustrations.
● It also helped that his illustrations were laid out opposite
the text that explains it. Although he was caught between
the time when canons were still being followed, he
suggested to his readers that his was merely
recommendations, and that if they found a better way to
go about it, then one should depart from what he had
learned.
● Although the timeline is a bit skewed, the culture of
artisans became prevalent in the Philippines as well,
particularly during the Spanish colonial period. Formerly
done with the spirit of the communal and the everyday,
patronship changed the way art was perceived.
● This was both the case for religious and secular art,
wherein the existence of artisans proved to be of
immense use. It was through mimesis or copying that
artisans first learned to depict religious images and
scenes.
● Friars, being non-artists themselves, provided the
references that artists could use.
● During the propagation of the faith, Spanish friars
commissioned a lot of artisans to carve, paint, and
engrave images for churches and public sites.
● Each locality had a characterizing style or feature in the
way their depictions were made; the manner in which
Boholano artists would paint saints and scenes were
different from those of Rizal or in Laguna. Like other
Baroque churches that benefitted from the talents of
artists, Spanish colonial churches were also lined with
frescos and ceiling paintings, with a number of them
undergoing restoration in the early 1900s.
● Project Kisame is a collective endeavor amongst
enthusiasts and advocates who aimed to promote this art
form through documentation, engagement, and
appreciation of surviving ceiling paintings in more than 60
churches in the Philippines. Technology and heritage
conservation occupied a substantial part of this project.
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● One example of a Spanish architecture that has been

documented is the Church of the Most Holy Trinity in
Loay, Bohol. Built in 1822, the ceiling paintings were
rendered trompe l'oeil style depicting biblical scenes. In
2003, it became a National Historical Landmark. It was
therefore unfortunate that this church was one of those
heavily damaged during the devastating earthquake that
rattled Bohol in 2013. The only section of the structure
that remained erected was the bell tower. Although it is ● Today, artist studios have been a place of interest for the
but a fragment of the real thing, the photos taken by public. It is interesting to see and learn where creativity
Project Kisame were able to document the beauty of the manifests itself, especially since an artist's studio is an
ceiling paintings prior to its destruction. extension of the artist himself. The studio model dates
● From the church, the next patrons of the arts were the back from the Renaissance.
then new elite, the ilustrados or the middle class, ● Therein, artists flexed their relationship with their patron
along with foreign guests who wanted souvenirs to take as a site where negotiations and works were made.
along with them. In the previous chapter, it was ● There were those whose work stations were segmented
mentioned that portrait paintings became a fad. into two, the studio and the bottega; the latter is where
● But looking closer at the paintings will reveal the the work usually happened.
specificity of the style in which they were painted. Two ● Apprentices studied under masters, assisting with menial
other important genres for painting at that time were the tasks or the preparation of the painting surfaces. In the
tipos del pais and letras y figuras. The former was seventeenth century, these demarcations became lose,
watercolor paintings that showcased the different local eventually merging together. This was especially true
inhabitants of the country in different garbs, and clues to with artists who explored oil painting techniques whose
their occupation and status; while the latter combined the long process can be described by cycles of mixing,
principle of tipos del pais and incorporated it as a means layering, and drying of paint. This format remained
to illustrate the letters of one's name or surname. throughout the latter part of the 1800s.
● One key example that illustrated the systematization of ● In France, on the other hand, academies and art salons
art instruction-a combination of sorts of the guild and the became popular as they did not only support the
art school-was the establishment Damian Domingo of production of art but also the discourse around them.
the Academia de Dibujo known as the best tipos del Criticism and analysis were highlighted as integral
pais painter, this school specialized in teaching the aspects of art engagement and therefore the display of
miniaturismo style of painting along with the tenets of the artworks through official art salons was sought for. To
classical European painting. Eventually, other schools be included in the exhibition was deemed an honor,
emerged teaching other genres such as bodegones especially since it did not take a while before it was
(still life) and paisajes (landscape). considered an arbiter of standards and taste.
●
V. OTHER PLAYERS IN THE WORLD OF ART
IV. THE ARTIST AND HIS STUDIO
● Moving back to Europe, the big shift that propelled the
evolution of the pivotal role of the artist in the arts started
during the Middle Ages up to the Renaissance period.
● Most pivotal developments included the transformation of
the craftsman to an artist or an independent artist; the
widespread patronization of secular art (alongside the
continuous production of works with religious subjects;
and the assertion of cognition, the wil, and individuality.
● Before the Renaissance Period, artworks were left
unsigned. Artists claiming authorship for their works by
affixing their mark onto the surfaces of their paintings
were big milestone in the history of the artist. Combined,
these resulted in a wider variety of artworks, not just ni
form, but more so in style and technique. The site that
saw this shift was a very personal space for the artist Figure 44. Prominent Roles in the Art World with Their Mandatory
himself, which is the studio. Relationships

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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 5: Artists and Artisans
● In the last century, some roles that existed since the
beginning of art history have been ascribed with a
name and legitimized into a sophisticated network of
relationships and exchanges.
● This network is what we call the art world.
Figure 45. Exhibition opening of "Arctic Hysteria: New Art from
Finland" (2009, Helsinki, Finland).
● In Howard S. Becker's Art Worlds (1982)
○ He asserted that "all artistic work, like all human
activity, involves the joint activity of a number, often a
large number, of people. Through their cooperation, the
artwork we eventually see or hear comes to be and
continues to be. The work always shows signs of that
cooperation. The forms of cooperation may be
ephemeral, but often become more or less routine;
producing patterns of collective activity we can call an
art world. The existence of art worlds, as well as the
way their existence affects both the production and
consumption of artworks, suggests a sociological
approach to the arts. It is not an approach that
produces aesthetic judgments; although that is a task
many sociologists of art have set for themselves."
● There is an assumption that an artist works in
solitary
○ that the only time the external world is allowed in would
be when the work is displayed and when in circulation.
● A popular opinion has waned, with the emergence of
the curator.
● The task is not to christen a specific group of people
in the art world.
○ What must be recognized is that, as Becker
contended, numerous people work in consent or
dissension, and in doing so, continuously (re)define,
(in)validate, maintain (or abolish), reproduce, and
circulate the "cultural category of art, and to produce
the consent of the entire society in the legitimacy of the
art world's authority to do so" (Irvine, 2013).
● The terrain where art is distributed is a global network
comprised of individuals, groups, and institutions
such as schools, museums, galleries, art spaces,
auction houses, and other commercial market
platforms, and professions.
● The last aspect is very important because it implies
that the art world does not only rely on ideas,
sentiments, and aesthetic values, but also on skills
that are professionalized, stratified, and more
importantly, monetized.
● An example of a multi-level platform, where different
players can engage, and interact is an international
art fair like the Art Basel in Hong Kong.
Figure 46. Art Basel in Hong Kong (2015)
● The art world is no longer limited to individuals with
formal art instruction, expanding to include
administrative and managerial roles in institutional or
non-institutional settings.
● Roles like working boards, directors, assistant
directors, and managing curators focus on the
management and operations of museums,
galleries, and art spaces.
● Independent artists outside gallery representation
may require artist managers for career and
self-promotion assistance.
● Curators play a complex and interpretive role, with
institutional curators affiliated with specific institutions
and freelance curators having flexibility across various
projects and platforms.
○ They engage in research, writing, design, layout, and
decision-making for the display and hanging of
materials in exhibitions.
● Buyers and collectors assess artwork
○ They oversee sales on behalf of collectors who may
remain anonymous
○ While collectors play a broader role as arbiters of taste,
influencing artists' careers and museum collections.
● Art dealers are involved in distributing and circulating
artworks through direct sales, galleries, and auction
houses, requiring knowledge of art forms, styles,
market trends, and relationships within the art world.
● The behaviors of buyers, collectors, and dealers,
overlap especially in regions like the Philippines
where role delineation is ambiguous.
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● Various roles continue to emerge in the art world,
and Figure 44 illustrates some connections between
them.
● The art world is viewed as a socio-economic
network, that distinguishes between museums and
galleries based on their ethical approach.
○ Museums are mandated to focus on displaying
artworks for public education and appreciation
without the involvement of the commercial aspects of art
sales.
VI. PRODUCTION PROCESS
● The process of creating an artwork does not
necessarily follow a linear progression.
● One of the things that one must accept is the fact that
the arts have an anarchic dimension to it, allowing it
to fully harness its creative potential.
● The reason why different art styles, periods, and
movements were made possible, is because there
was a form of flexibility given to artists in terms of
how to conceptualize and execute their ideas into
reality.
● But this does not mean there is no guiding principle
that governs the general process of art production.
The process is tripartite:
1. Preproduction
2. Production
3. Postproduction
A. PREPRODUCTION
● The artist always begins with an idea that he wants to
express or communicate with his audience.
● It may not necessarily be fully formulated, and so
some form of exposure, research, and other
approaches may be explored to get the idea long
before actually making the artwork.
● This process is of course the preproduction stage.
● The idea may take a while to form, or may come as
swift as a bolt of lightning.
B. PRODUCTION
● Some artists birth their ideas when material
manipulation is already underway.
● This is when preproduction sometimes seeps into the
production stage.
● The execution of the art may take a variety of forms
such as painting, sculpture, and tapestry. photograph,
film, a routine (dance), or a track or composition
(music).
○ Some artworks rely on precise and skilled execution,
while others need only intuition and a kind of
judiciousness in the manipulation of material.
● Gathering and sourcing the materials needed for
the creation of the artwork is either subsumed under
preproduction or the production stage.
● Materials form one of the most crucial aspects that
inform the direction, quality, and the final output itself.
C. POSTPRODUCTION
● The last stage is the most drawn-out, the
postproduction
● Once an artwork is finished, it will then be decided on
how it will be circulated not only in the art world, but
the many publics.
○ If the artist decides that he alone should see the work,
then so be it.
● Sometimes the creation of the object requires that it
be seen, heard, touched, and/or experienced in a
variety of ways.
● Öften. it enters into a new sphere, inside the domain
of museums, galleries, performance halls, theaters,
and other art spaces where interaction can take place
○ Take note that approval, enjoyment, or pleasure are
not the sole reactions that an artist intends for his work
○ Sometimes, it is repulsion, contempt, or even grief,
which the artist hopes for.
○ It is intellectual and emotional reaction that is often the
impetus for creating an artwork.
○ A message is almost always embedded in the artwork
and it is the hope of the artist that his audience comes
across it, or takes from it something that is his and his
alone.
● Many aspects go into postproduction.
For example:
1. allowing the artwork to set
2. tweaking the artwork
3. preparing the artwork for transport and display
4. the promotion and inclusion of the artwork in
publications or discussions.
C1. MEDIUM AND TECHNIQUE
● Medium
○ is one of the aspects of art that directly correlates
with its composition and presumed finality of the
artwork.
○ is the mode of expression in which the concept, idea,
or message is conveyed.
○ It may be concrete or tangible
▪ such as:
⬫ paintings, sculptures, monuments, and structures;
○ It may be ephemeral or something transient
▪ such as:
⬫ a track (recording of sound), a film, or a
performance.
● The appreciation or engagement with the artwork is
also affected by the medium spatiotemporally.
○ For concrete works:
▪ the objects physically manifest themselves for a
prolonged or lasting period.
○ For ephemeral works:
▪ It is durational.
● A chosen medium must not be expected to yield the
same results.
● Giving two different artists the same exact material and
the general qualifier of “painting”’ the end product will
still vary minimally or on an exponential scale.
● This is where technique comes in
● Technique
○ The reason why art history Is described by a
seemingly limitless example of works of art.
○ It shows the level of familiarity with the medium being
manipulated.
○ It alludes to the:
▪ necessity of additional tools or implements
⬫ (e.g., hammer and chisel may come in handy for
sculptors,)
▪ consideration of time
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 5: Artists and Artisans
⬫ (e.g., behavior of different kinds of paint especially
in drying time requirements)
▪ the specificity of the site of creation
⬫ (e.g., indoor or outdoor production
requirements)
C2. ENGAGEMENT WITH ART
● The defining roles and nature of exhibitions have had an
interesting evolution, changing alongside the demands of
the society that purports to partake in its display.
● Anna Cline’s ‘The Evolving Role of the Exhibition and
its impact on Art and Culture’ (2012)
○ she wrote that:
▪ “Exhibitions act as the catalyst of art and ideas to the
public; they represent a way of displaying the
contextualizing art that makes it relevant and
accessible to contemporary audiences. The art
exhibition, by its nature, holds a mirror up to society,
reflecting its interests and concerns while at the
same time challenging its ideologies and
preconceptions. Keeping art relevant to society and
to a diverse audience at any given point in history is
one of the main goals of the art exhibition and one
reason it is so important to the history of art.”
▪ Therefore, it is apparent that exhibitions are not only
of import to artists who rely on its being, but more so
to the varied audiences who get to see them.
● Paula Marincola’s ‘What Makes a Great Exhibition?’
(2006)
○ it reads that
▪ “exhibitions are strategically located at the nexus
where artists, their works, the arts institution, and
many different publics intersect.”
▪ The opportunity is singular, as most interactions in
the art world are limited to two players at a time.
● Exhibitions
○create an opportunity in which the different roles in the
art world get to meet, interact, and even enter into a
discussion.
○ One of the most common platforms to engage with the
art
○ Examples: museums or galleries.
● Nowadays, there are other exhibition spaces that have
opened up for artists to showcase their works.
● Often, one goes to a museum o a gallery, the white cube
often renders everything peaceful and calm.
● However, the exhibition process is an intricate sequence
of events made possible by multiple individuals and
groups within and outside the artist and staff.
● Exhibitions may be long-term or permanent hangs, or it
may be temporary or periodically changing.
● An artist may have a solo exhibition or may be included
in a two-person showing or even a group exhibition.
● There are some instances when an artwork is a
stand-alone or a site-specific work that renders its display
under a slightly different structure or format.
● Aside from exhibitions, other opportunities for art
engagement transpire in the classroom (instruction);
studio visit, lectures, workshops, and other events that
augment the exhibitions (programs); auction sales; art
fairs, biennials, and triennials; and other larger showings
of not only artworks but also where art personalities can
flex their influence and authority.
● Publications are also a good way to introduce the
artwork and open it up for appreciation, critique, and
analysis.
VII. AWARDS AND CITATIONS
● As with any organized endeavor, the arts and culture
have entered into a phase in which another aspect of its
practice can be realized.
● After an artist has spent considerable time honing his
skills, establishing the relevance of the body of his works,
and even gaining respect from his colleagues in the art
world, he may be considered or nominated for awards
and citations.
● In history, support for the art and culture is not limited to
the allocation of funding or patronship.
● One of the most common measures in which artists and
other creative producers are given incentives and
honor for their work is through state-initiated and given
awards and citations.
TWO MAJOR AWARDS ARE GIVEN TO ARTISTS IN
THE PHILIPPINES
Orden ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining
1.
(Order of National Artists)
Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan
2.
(National Living Treasure Award)
A. ORDEN NG PAMBANSANG ALAGAD NG SINING
(ORDER OF NATIONAL ARTISTS)
● is the “highest national recognition given to Filipino
individuals who have made significant contributions to the
development of Philippine arts; namely, music, dance,
theater, visual arts, literature, film, broadcast arts, and
architecture and allied arts. The order is jointly
administered by the National Commission for Culture and
the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the
Philippines (CCP) and conferred by the President of the
Philippines upon recommendation by both institutions.”
(NCCA, 2015).
● Fernando Amorsolo
○ The very first recipient of this award
○ who was touted as the “Grand Old Man of Philippine
art.”
○ the sole awardee in the year 1972, a national Artist for
Visual Arts.
● At present, there are 66 awardees of this prestigious
honor across different art forms.
● Some of them were given the award posthumously, while
others were fortunate enough to receive the award
themselves.
● Some of the honors and privilege that a national artist
awardee receives are the following:
(1) the rank and title, as proclaimed by the President of the
Philippines;
(2) a medallion or insignia and a citation that will be read
during the conferment;
(3) cash awards and a host of benefits ( monthly life
pension, medical, and hospitalization benefits, life
insurance coverage);
(4) a state funeral and burial at the Libingan ng mga
Bayani (Heroes’ cemetery); and
(5) a place of honor or designated area during national
state functions, along with recognition or
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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 5: Artists and Artisans
acknowledgement at cultural events. The most recent
conferment was in 2016. 2. monthly stipend for life (this was later increased to Php.
B. GAWAD SA MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN
(NATIONAL LIVING TREASURE AWARD)
● This award was created in 1992 under the Republic Act
No. 7355.
● Also, under the jurisdiction of the national Commission
for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the NCCA (2015)
“through the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Committee
and an Ad Hoc Panel of Experts, conducts the search for
the finest traditional artists of the land, adopts a program
that will ensure the transfer of their skills to other and
undertakes measures to promote a genuine appreciation
of and instill pride among our people about the genius of
the Manlilikha ng Bayan.”
● It was first conferred to three outstanding artists in music
and poetry back in 1993:
(1) Ginaw Bilog
○ a master of the Ambahan poetry;
(2) Masino Intaray
○ a master of various traditional musical instruments
of the Palawan people
(3) Samaon Suliaman
○ a master of the Kutyapi and other instruments.
An initial grant of Php. 100,000.00 and a Php. 10,000.00
14,000.00)
Benefits such as a maximum cumulative amount of
3.
Php. 750,000.00 medical and hospitalization benefits
Funeral assistance or tribute fit for a National living
4.
Treasure
VIII. SUMMARY
● The evolution of the artist throughout history is one of the
most interesting progressions in the affairs of man.
● From banalities of the works, he created to assist and
inform the every day, he was caught in the midst of
prevailing and shifting ideologies, and utilized the power
of creativity and imagination in an attempt to grapple with
the world around him.
● There is much responsibility and expectation ascribed to
artists.
● As Woodrow Wilson (1913) relates,
○ “You are not here merely to make a living. You are
here in order to enable the world to live more amply,
with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and
achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and
you impoverish yourself if you forget that errand.”

● The recipient of the

GAMABA is sought under
the qualification of the
“Manlilikha ng Bayan”
who is a “citizen engaged
in any traditional art
uniquely Filipino whose
distinctive skills have
reached such a high level
of technical and artistic
excellence and have
been passed on to and
widely practiced by the present generation in his/her
community with the same degree of technical and artistic
competence.” (NCCA, 2015).
● This artist's practice may fall under the following
categories:
○ folk, architecture, maritime transport, weaving, carving,
performing arts, literature, graphic and plastic arts,
ornament, textile or fiber art, pottery and other artistic
expressions of traditional culture.

Some of the incentives accorded to the awardee are the

following:

1. A specially designed gold medallion

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●
I. MAIN TOPIC
●

●
How to make the roman numeral headings:
1. Press “I” (capital i)
2. Space TITLE
3. Arrow left to go back and put a “.”
4. Arrow right to write the name of the main topic

Table content: align left EXAMPLE

Non-table content: justified
Headings: centered

EXAMPLE
● Main Point
○ Definition/ info
▪ Details
⬫ Smaller details
- Even more details

Thing 1 info
BULLET SPACING GUIDELINES
Thing 2 info

Thing 3 info

TITLE
(look at ruler on top)
Thing 1 info
Bullet spacing Text spacing
(horizontal line) (inverted triangle) Thing 2 info

Thing 3 info
Main point 0.06 0.31

definition/ info 0.19 0.44 TITLE

details 0.38 0.56 (info under title that’s before the sub things/ categories)

Smaller details 0.50 0.69 Thing 1 info

Thing 2 info
Even more info 0.63 0.81
Thing 3 info
A. SUBTOPIC 1
TITLE
A1. SUBSUBTOPIC 1
Category
B. TABLES
● Info
Category 1 Category 2
1 Thing 1 info

Thing 2 info

Thing 3 info

TITLE
Category
Category 1 Category 2 2
● info

Category
3

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 ART APPRECIATION | Chapter 5: Artists and Artisans
● info

Lecturer’s Note
● Info
● (copy paste this whole table as needed)

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