Art Imagination and Expression

 Art is a part of life. Every now and then, we live with it as we

cook, speak, sing, dance and write are outcomes of our productive
imagination.
 What is the difference between imagination and expression in art
studies?
 Imagination is an abstraction of a certain thought or feeling that
produces a good art based on reality or experience (Hollick, 2014);
 while expression is an automatic response to it. For instance, when
a mother thinks on what food to prepare for her children’s meal,
she imagines the ingredients, the kitchen utensils and the processes
to use before expressing them into the actual cooking.
Etymology and Definition of Art
 Do you know that art is derived from a Latin term ars, which
means skill, talent or ability? In a broad sense, art is skill in
making or doing something (The World Book Encyclopedia,
1995).
 Art is the expression of the creative skill and imagination in
different genres for appreciation of beauty and emotional power
(Oxford Online Dictionary, 2020).
 One misconception of art is the belief that someone is an artist and
the rest are not.
 This belief is silly because every individual has a talent.
The Humanities
 As coined from the Latin words humanus and humanitas meaning
humans, the field of humanities provides human beings
opportunity to think critically and creatively, in order to understand
the values and cultures of the world and to bring clarity to the
future (Standford Humanities Center, 2015).
 The study of humanities includes philosophy, history, religion, art,
literature, language and music, which can be remembered through
the mnemonics.
 Art is at the center of the seven fields because this provides the
enhancement of the individual human potential.
 Philosophy is derived from the Greek words philos or philein,
which means love and sophia, which means wisdom. Hence,
philosophy is defined as the love of wisdom.
 History is derived from the Latin word historia, which means to
scribble and record the events in the past. History intertwines with
the development of civics for a democratic citizenship.
 Religion is derived from the Latin word religare or religio, which
means to bind. It is a form of obligation that binds the faithful with
one Divine power. Religion enhances the art of meditation and
reflection for discernment, good judgment, self- control, fortitude
and sound decision-making process of the artist.
 Literature is a derivative of the Latin word littera or litteratura,
which means letter or knowledge of books. It concentrates on the
study of fiction like myths, epics, folktales, short stories, poems
and drama. Non-fiction deals with prose and narratives in essays,
news, research, technical reports and other printed media that
depict cultural implications of people’s life in the society.
 Literature enhances the art of writing and reading of an individual.
Not only are these arts essential indicators to basic literacy of the
world’s human population, these also promote appreciation of
beauty of the intangible cultures and urban legends. From the Latin
word lingua, which means tongue, language provides avenues for
better communication using the art of speaking and listening.
Oration, declamation, story- telling, news reporting and public
speaking are the techniques for auditory art.

 This auditory art is essential to promote understanding, peace and

harmony in the society by listening to individual voices either in
print or audio media. The power of words in effective
communication can never be underestimated – it heals or it kills.
Poor language communication breaks communities and sound
language builds these communities to promote alliances. From the
Greek word mousa, which means muse and the Latin word Musa
which denotes the goddess of music, to represent a song or poetry
for appreciation of beauty brings the etymology of music
(Mansfield, 1923). Music is the pleasing combination and
succession of sounds (Harper, 2020), with or without the use of
musical instruments. This auditory art relaxes the soul and stirs
pleasant and happy emotions by singing, humming, chanting,
rapping and engaging in jingles and tonal rhymes (Inocian, 2018).
ELEMENTS OF ART: The visual components of color, form, line,
shape, space, texture, and value.

Line An element of art defined by a point moving in space.

Line may be two-or three-dimensional, descriptive,
implied, or abstract.
Shape An element of art that is two-dimensional, flat, or limited
to height and width.
Form An element of art that is three-dimensional and encloses
volume; includes height, width AND depth (as in a cube,
a sphere, a pyramid, or a cylinder). Form may also be
free flowing.
Value The lightness or darkness of tones or colors. White is the
lightest value; black is the darkest. The value halfway
between these extremes is called middle gray.
Space An element of art by which positive and negative areas
are defined or a sense of depth achieved in a work of
art .
Color An element of art made up of three properties: hue,
value, and intensity.
• Hue: name of color
• Value: hue’s lightness and darkness (a color’s
value changes when white or black is added)
• Intensity: quality of brightness and purity (high
intensity= color is strong and bright; low intensity=
color is faint and dull)
Texture An element of art that refers to the way things feel, or
look as if they might feel if touched.
 To Dante Alighieri, nature is the art of God. As an artistic creation
of God, nature comprises plants, animas, lands and other feature
and produce of the earth. It has been used by many artists as one of
their sources of inspiration and subject in art.
 The seven elements of art: line, color, space, form, shape, texture
and value are essential to enhance the sense of aesthetics (Silva
2010).
 Oriental artists use nature with beautiful landscape, seascape, and
select flora and fauna as a subject of art. This is typically depicted
in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean paintings.
 The Sumbanese weavers in Indonesia also featured in images of
crocodiles, horses, deer, lions, and sea creatures in the weaving of
cloth (Forshee, 2001).
 The Yakan weavers in Basilan, Philippines portray peneh kenna-
kenna (fish-like design), peneh sawe-sawe (snake-like design)
 peneh dawen-dawen (folial design) and peneh kule-kule (turtle like
design) (Pasilan, 2017).
 This depiction of nature is associated with animism and other
cultural beliefs and traditions shown in the staging of rituals and
festivities.

BAKAT
-The Cebuanos weave bakat, a large basket-like container of braid
bamboo strips with a hexagram tessellation, a motif found in the
eyes of the basket in hexagonal patterns that form like a
honeycomb.
-The design of the bakat reflects the animistic beliefs of
Handurawism, a ritual supplication of intimacy to Laon, a
“Supreme Visayan Diety-The Ruler of Time,” in harmony with the
kalikupan or nature.
Puso
-the belief of the bakat art and craft is similar to the animistic
weaving of puso, (hanging rice pouches) into six geometrical
designs using tender leaves of palm leaves braided into kinasing
(heart-like shape), binaki (frog-like shape), manan-aw (cascading-
like phalaenopsis shape), binosa (fist-like shape), badbaranay
(wad-like shape) and tinigib (chisi-like shape), using tender and
suppe pam leaves.
-This design represents a very profound appreciation of self-
glorification, beauty of nature and utilitarianism for practical and
religious purpose.
- Nocheseda (2009-2011) and Alix (2013) urged for the
preservation if this indigenous art and craft of puso weaving, as a
cultural treasure of the country.

Art genres
-Artist introduce several genres, “kind” or “type” of art
(DiMaggio, 1987).
-Art observes no plural from, insisting to have one creates a
different meanings. Art refers to the fine arts of painting, drawing
and carving, which is basically a skill. While the arts represent a
subject like fashion and cuisine, sports, commerce, economics, and
the humanities are by nature discipline.

Classifications of art
 Verbal art
It includes literature and oratory, which use words and language
such as poetry, fiction and essay.
 Non-Verbal art
The non-verbal arts use no word but motor skills.
Motor skills can be classified into two-fine and gross. Arts utilize
the use of the dexterity of the hands and the fingers or fine motor
skills demonstrated in musical composition, drawing, architecture,
graphic arts, fashion design, lithography, painting, engraving,
weaving and other handicrafts while interior design, ceramic or
pottery , film-making, photography arts use gross motor or body
skills.
 Mixed Art
- It utilizes the combined Elements of verbal and non-verbal arts
such as the advertisement for commercial purpose, theater and
drama, opera, song and the dance or the performing arts and
cinema. This combination enhances the auditory art of the music
and sounds in the performance of these art.
- Mixed art can also be determined in terms of the medium used in
the artwork like the use of disparate elements in a canvas to
produce an assemblage.

Art history
 Art history begins with the emergence of human beings whose
imagination propels an expression of great legacies that human
civilization have witnessed.
Art is an old as history, even before the discovery of the cuneiform
writing in Mesopotamia and the hieroglyphics in Egypt.
 Art become a witnessed in the early human ‘quest for people’s
struggle for power, security and survival. Though art history has
been characterized with a Eurocentric bias because of power
influence and historical control of the west (chase, 2014), art
historians and researchers start the inclusion of Oriental
perspective.

Pre-historic period
 They engaged in primitive art using stone flakes to produce fire to
protect themselves.
 The joined hunting wild animals for food and used animal skin to
cover their bodies.
 Cro-Magnons made carvings on wood and rocks and painted the
caves to scare wild beasts to protect their families and bands, who
lived in deep and shallow caves and rock shelters (Rafferty, 2020).
 Art is integral to the lifestyles and beliefs of many cultures as
proven by early cave paintings of our ancestor (Coppock, 2000).
 Being part of Europe’s modern men and women, Cro-Magnons
were known in cave paintings that reflected their daily hunting
routines.
 In Southeast Asia, art begin since the early appearance of humans,
on records in 43,900 year-old paintings discovered in Maros-
Pangkep, Sulawesi, and Indonesian.

Mesolithic age
 The art of making was improved like the use of axes by sharpening
the tools using stone flaking and grinding. They learned the hooks
for fishing, they also learned the art of dog domestication for food.

Neolithic age
 Were nomadism ended.
 They settled permanently and engaged in the art of farming. They
raised barley, wheat, meat, millet, fruits and vegetabes. The art of
animal domestication was increased. Aside from dog, they raised
goat, horse and sheep as a potential source for milk, cheese and
meat.
 They learned the art or pottery-making for water and food
containers.
 They learned the polishing and the putting of handles on stone
tools for a comfortable hunting expedition.

Ancient period
 It represented architectural construction of stone and bricks for
temples, fortresses, tombs and palaces that symbolizes power and
authority.
 The Minoan Palace of Knossos and the Lions Grate (Lethaby,
1918) in Mycenae were few of its greatest contribution in
architectural art, according to Coppock (2000), the Minoan
palaces of Crete abounded with brilliantly colored paintings with
representation of birds and animals.
Artist depicted sea creatures because of their island location in the
Mediterranean sea.

 The Egyptian were the first group to use copper for ornaments
during the copper age.
 Greek art greatly influenced the Etruscan art (600 BCE) by mixing
Greek and roman styles to create composite columns in
sophisticated homes and tombs.
 Romans established a republic in 200 BCE and build an empire
that lasted until 250 BCE after the Etruscan wiped out in peninsula.
 Structures of temples, tombs, palaces, colosseums and aqueducts
were inspired by verism or Roman realism in art, which expresses
practical and down to earth style and motif.
 The Romans were also known for their frescoes, mosaic, and
morals.
 Frescoes are mural paintings using watercolor in freshly laid
plaster on walls and ceilings. The last supper of Leonardo da Vinci
exemplifies one of the frescoes (Zelaco,2018).
 Murals are paintings executed directly on the walls. One of the
known muralist during the Renaissance was Michelangelo (Cohen,
2018).
 Early Christian art started in 400 CE, which featured churches
Christian images like the old St. Peter’s Basilica, Mausoleum of
Galla Placidia, Good Shepherd, santa Constanza and St. Apolinare
Nouvo.

Medival period.
 The medieval period is divided into two: the early medieval and
the late medieval.
 The early medieval which started from 410 CE to 1024 CE
featured the arts of the warlods (600 CE), Hiberno-Saxon and
Carolingian (800 CE), and the Ottonian (900 CE) with portable
works, interlacing patterns, illuminated manuscripts, Cloissonne,
burial relics and animal style jewelries.
 The late medieval period lasted from 1300 CE to 1500 CE. This
period coincided with the massive development of art during that
 Renaissance, as a redemption of freedom curtailed during the early
Medieval times. This period, figures started to have form with
shadows and edifices stressed with width and height as depicted in
the frescoes of church ceilings. This period was also the rebirth of
classical culture that used linear perspectives, frescoes and
tempera in art.
 During the Baroque period, art was used as a weapon for religious
wars. Baroque art is emphasized in the works of Rubens,
Caravaggio, Bernini and Gentileschi.
 This period was inspired by the religious and political issues of the
Thirty years War between the Catholic and the Protestant Church
from 1618 to 1648, and the counter Reformation in Italy by Pope
Paul III, together with the active support of St. Ignatius de Loyola.
 Art is a form of creation. Art is something that is created with
imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses
important ideas or feelings. As it is said, human is the creator of
art. No art can be created without human which, uses his/her
imagination and creativity to produce art.

Contemporary period

 The contemporary period of history marked the beginning of

abstract expressionism in 1945 and Pop art in 1960s. After world
war II, art observed pure abstraction and expression without forms.
To Zulueta (1994), “Some contemporary painters have shifted their
interest to the work of art as an object in itself, an exciting
combination of shapes and colors that fulfils an aesthetic need
without having to represent images or tell a story.” The use of
popular art absorbs a wide demand for consumerism in
advertisement, commercial and entertainment companies. This
contemporary period also paved the way to postmodernism and
deconstructivism, since 1970 to the present. The postmodern and
deconstructive period reworked and mixed past styles of art. Art
without a center is the popular mantra among the postmodern and
deconstructuve artists.

Function of arts
 Personal
 Social
 Physical

According to plato
 Art is a mimesis or a copy
According to aristotle
 Art isa representation of reality

There are basically three philosophical themes in art, namely:

1) Integrity,
2) Proportion/Consonance and
3) Radiance/Clarity

SUBJECT
The choices for subjects in the visual arts are endless. An artist can
choose from the list of persons, objects, themes and even ideas, etc.
(Ocvirk 2013).
There are two types of subjects of art, namely, Representational and
Non-representational.

1. Representational subjects are those that appear to be very much like

how people see them in the reality.
In some forms of art, like music, subjects can be representational and
non-representational.
 Just like you and everybody else, artists are also humans who go
through the struggle of knowing what to create as an art.
 Identifying subjects may sound as simple as choosing from a list of
possible subjects but this process entails complex and critical value
judgments for artists to transcend the expression or message they
wish to share.

 NATURE
 The nature and the environment have been one of the sources of
artistic inspirations.
 PEOPLE AND WORLD EVENTS
 People is one of the most common subjects of art. This can be found
in individual and family portraits.
 MYTHS AND LEGENDS
 Myths and legends have been one of the sources of art among artists.
They used myths and legends as way of visualizing the story found
within them.
 SPIRITUAL AND RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
 Like myths and legends, art has been an outlet for religion and faith
to come to life.
 IDEAS COMMISIONED BY EMPLOYERS
 There are artists hired by employers. Like graphic designers, they
create corporate logos, brochures, restaurant menu designs and other
print materials.

2. FORM/COMPOSITION
As a component of art, form is the overall organization of the artwork. It
is an outcome of the artists' effort to use the elements of art and arrange
them according to aesthetic principles. In a more specific sense,
evaluating the form of an art is similar to analyzing the processes
employed during creation.
Two-dimensional art
This type of art begins the work on a flat surface called a plane. For
painters, the blank canvass is a plane. For students who are asked to
draw, the sheet of bond paper is the plane. While the art is 2-dimensional
in form, it does not mean that it could not project a 3-dimensional effect.
In this case, there is a need to distinguish form and conveyance. The art
form is the actual appearance of the art. 2-dimensional forms, mostly
drawings and paintings, are on a flat surface. The conveyance, on the
other hand, is the manner the art, its elements and subjects project an
image or impression. Some arts only show a still image of one subject
but some other 2-dimensional arts like paintings may show some sense
of distance such as the mountain and land separated by a river. Artists
may manipulate design principles to produce images that convey not just
height and width but also depth or at least the illusion of such. (Ocvirk et
al., 2013).

CHARACTERISTICS
 It has mathematical dimensions of width and height (but no depth).
 They can be decorative spaces or plastic spaces - It is not the
laymen's definition of decorative and plastic space.
 Plane/Picture Frame - this is the defined boundary of the picture
plane. This can be interpreted as a limitation of two-dimensional
artists where they are only bound to work within the frame.

TWO DIMENTIONAL
 Drawings
 Drawing is a process of moving an instrument over a smooth surface
to leave a mark, mostly in the form of a line.
 Painting
 Painting is an art process or media where the artist applies colors to
surfaces using paint brush, painting knives or rollers.

THREE DIMENTIONAL
The distinguishing factor of three-dimensional art is its actual and real
depth. Through depth, the art produced through three-dimensional
approaches can be viewed across different angles which make the art to
have more physical impact.

 Sculpture- A type of three-dimensional art where most of the media

used are clay, glass, plastics, wood, stone or metals.
 Assembling- It is the process of constructing a sculpture using
different materials. It can be a combination of wood, plastic, metal
and others (Ragans, 2005),
 Modeling- It is an additive process where the artist gradually adds
more of the material to build the form (Ragans, 2005).
 Carving- It is a subtractive process where the sculpture removed,
cuts. 1 chips, or drills parts of the sold mass to create the form
(Ragans, 2005).
 Casting- It comes in the manipulative process where materials like
soft pliable materials are made into shapes using manual hand force
or machine manufactured force (Ragans, 2005).
 Crafts- These are three-dimensional crafts that have utilitarian
intentions. Usually crafts made with functions are baskets (mentioned
in Chapter 10), plates, cups, vases, jars, kitchen utensils and even
jewelry (Ragans, 2005).
 Architecture - Shelters, buildings, monuments and religious shrines
(found in Chapter 11) are some of the few by-products of
architecture. It is the process of planning, creating/building,
monitoring and retrofitting infrastructures to give humans and other
life forms safe spaces (Ragans, 2005).

TECHNOLOGICAL MEDIA
Technological advances have paved the way for arts and the process of
making one to be more accessible for consumers.
 Photography This is a technique of "capturing optical images on
light- sensitive camera."
 Films and Videos Films are a series of negatives that intend to show
motions of pictures. Film making was a by-product of people's
interests towards still pictures by transforming them into
continuously seamless movements.

COMPUTER ARTS
 Graphic designers rely on computers and its applications to create art.

3. CONTENT
Artworks also contain emotional or intellectual messages. They are
called contents. These are statements, moods, or interpretations
developed by an artist through the artwork.

The Criticism of Art and Judgment of Aesthetics

 Being a critic, or the very least an audience of art, means that you
need criteria or a set of standards to assess the artwork more
effectively and comprehensively.
 Aesthetics is form of philosophy that intends to study the value and
nature of art while art criticism is the systematic approach of
evaluating and assessing artworks.
 Rosalind Ragans recommended the following steps to be performed
when doing criticism and judgment.

AESTHETIC THEORY
 Steps three and four of art criticism may require not only your ability
to describe but also, to think critically.
 The following are the some of the foundational theories that can be
used to evaluate the success of artwork (Artwork, 2005).

THEORIES OF CRITICAL ANALYSIS

 IMITATION (LITERAL)
 FORMALISM (CONVENTIONAL)
 EMOTIONALISM (SUBJECTIVE)
 UTILITARIAN (UTILITY AND FUNCTION)