LESSON 4: SUBJECT AND

CONTENT
 THREE BASIC COMPONENTS OF A
WORK OF ART
• SUBJECT
• CONTENT
• FORM
 SUBJECT

• Refers to visual focus or the

image that may be extracted
from examining the artwork;
WHAT
 CONTENT

• Meaning that is communicated

by the artist or the artwork; WHY
 FORM

• The development of the artwork

– how the elements and the
medium or material are put
together; HOW
 TYPES OF SUBJECT
REPRESENTATIONAL ART /
FIGURATIVE ART

VS

NON-REPRESENTATIONAL ART / NON-

FIGURATIVE ART
 REPRESENTATIONAL ART
• Refer to objects or events occurring in
the real world
• Often favored
• Easier to recognize
• Viewers find greater degree of comfort
when what they see is familiar
• Continue the process of understanding
Leonardo da Vinci,
“Mona Lisa”
(1503)
 NON-REPRESENTATIONAL ART
• Does not make a reference in the
real world, whether it is a person,
a place or an event
• Stripped down to visual elements
such as shapes, lines, and colors
to translate a feeling or an
emotion
Jackson Pollock, “Number 1A” (1948}
 NON-REPRESENTATIONAL ART and
ABSTRACT ART
• ABSTRACT ART – departure from
the reality, but the extent of that
departure determines whether it
has reached the end of spectrum
Pablo Picasso, “Head of
a Woman, Mougins”
(1962)
SOURCES AND KINDS OF SUBJECT

1. NATURE
a. Van Gogh, “Art and nature is
inseparable
b. “If I felt no love for nature and my
work, then I would be unhappy
Vincent van Gogh, “Wheat Fields Near Auvers” (1890)
Other Artists: Claude Monet, Camille Pisarro,
Paul Cezanne

Fernando Amorsolo and Fabian Dela Rosa

Breaking nature into smaller parts : Jan Van
Kessel, “A Cockchafer, Beetle, Woodice and
Other Insects, with a Sprig of Auricula”
SOURCES AND KINDS OF SUBJECT

2. Greek and Roman Mythology

3. Distinct Relationship With a
Higher Controlling Power
4. History
Myron, “Discobolus”
(450-440 BC)
Michaelangelo, “Sistane Chapel”
(1508-1512)
Juan Luna, “Spoliarium” (1884)
 Content in Art

Levels of Meaning
1. Factual Meaning
2. Conventional Meaning
3. Subjective Meaning
Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam”