Art Appreciation: Creativity,

Imagination, and Expression

It takes an artist to make art. One may perceive
beauty on a daily basis. However, not every
beautiful thing that can be seen or experienced
may truly be called a work of art. Art is a
product of man’s creativity, imagination, and
expression. 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/she
perceives as beautiful and incorporates them in
creating his/her masterpiece.
Activity

All are spectators of art.

Have you ever felt disconnected from an
artwork? Was there a point in time when
you did not understand what message the
art was trying to convey? If yes, write the
name of the artwork in the box and attach
an image of the artwork. Explain why you
think you did or did not understand the art.
Art Appreciation as a Way of Life

Jean-Paul Sartre, a famous French philosopher

of the twentieth century, described the role of
art as a creative work that depicts the world in
a completely different light and perspective,
and the source is due to human freedom
(Greene, 1995). Each artwork beholds beauty
of its own kind, the kind that the artist sees and
wants the viewers to perceive. More often than
not, people are blind to this beauty and only
those
who have developed a fine sense of
appreciation can experience and see the
art the same way the artist did. Because of
this, numerous artworks go unnoticed,
artists are not given enough credit, and
they miss opportunities. It sometimes
takes a lifetime before their contribution to
the development of art is recognized.
Hence, refining one’s ability to appreciate
art allows him to deeply
understand the purpose of an artwork and
recognize the beauty it possesses (Collins &
Riley, 1931).
In cultivating an appreciation of art, one should
also exercise and develop his/her taste for
things that are fine and beautiful. This allows
individuals to make intelligent choices and
decisions in acquiring necessities and luxuries,
knowing what gives better value for time or
money while taking into consideration the
aesthetic and practical value (Collins & Riley, 1931). This
continuous demand for aesthetically valuable things
influences the development and evolution of art and its
forms.
Frequenting museums, art galleries, performing arts
theaters, concert halls, or even malls that display art
exhibitions that are free in admission during leisure time
will not only develop an understanding of the art, but will
also as a rewarding experience. Learning to appreciate art,
no matter what vocation or profession you have, will lead
to a fuller and more meanigful life (Collins & Riley, 1931).
The Role of Creativity in Art Making

Creativity requires thinking outside the box. It is

often used to solve problems that have never occured
before, conflate function and style, and simply make
life a more unique and enjoyable experience. In art,
creativity is what sets apart one artwork from another.
We say something is done creatively when we have
not yet seen anything like it or when it is out of the
ordinary. A creative artist does not simply copy or
imitate another artist's work. He does not imitate the
lines, flaws, colors, and patterns in recreating nature.
He embraces originality, puts his own flavor
into his work, and calls it his/her own
creative piece.
Yet, being creative nowadays can be
quite challenging. What you thought was
your own unique and creative idea may not
what it seems to be after extensive research
and that someone else has coincidentally
devised before the idea in another part of
the world.
For instance, the campaign ad “It's More Fun in
the Philippines” used by the Department of
Tourism (DOT) boomed popularity in 2011, but
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 that it was “purely coincidental.” Thus,
creativity should be backed with careful research
on related art to avoid such conflicts.
Art as a Product of Imagination,
Imagination as a Product of Art
 Where do you think famous writers,
painters and musicians get their ideas?
Where do ideas in making creative solutions
begin? It all starts in the human mind. It all
begins with imagination.
German physicist Albert Einstein who had
made significant and major contributions in
science and humanity demonstrated that
knowledge is actually derived from
imagination.
 Imagination is not constrained by the
walls of the norm, but goes beyond that.
That is why people rely on curiosity and
imagination for advancement. Through
imagination, one is able to craft something
bold, something new, and something better
in the hopes of creating something that will
stimulate change. Imagination allows
endless possibilities.
 In an artist's mind sits a vast gallery of
artworks. An artwork does not need to be a
real thing, but can be something that is
imaginary (Collingwood, 1938).
Take for example a musician who thinks of a
tune in his head. The making of this tune in
his head makes it an imaginary tune, an
imaginative creation, an imaginary art
(Collingwood, 1938). It remains imaginary
until he hums, sings, or writes down the
notes of the tune on paper. However,
something imaginary does not necessarily
mean it cannot be called art. Artists use their
imagination that gives birth to reality through
creation.
 In the same way that imagination
produces art, art also inspires imaginatin.
Imagine being in an empty room surrounded
by blank, white walls, and floor. Would you
be inspired to work in such a place? Often,
you will find coffee shops, restaurants, and
libraries with paintings hung or sculptures
and other pieces of art placed around the
room to add beauty to the surroundings.
This craving and desire to be surrounded by
beautiful things dates back to our early
ancestors (Collins & Riley, 1931).
Cave walls are surrounded by drawings
and paintings of animals they hunted:
wild boars, reindeers, and bison.
Clays were molded and stones were
carved into forms that resemble men
and women.
Burial jars were created with intricate
designs on them.
These creative pieces were made not only
because they were functional to men, but
also because beauty gave them joy (Collins
& Riley, 1931).
Art as Expression
There may have been times when you felt
something is going on within you, you try to
explain it but you do not know how. You may
only be conscious about feeling this sort of
excitement, fear, or agitation, but you know
that just one word is not enough to describe
the nature of what you truly feel. Finally, you
try to release yourself from this tormenting
and disabling state by doing something,
which is called expressing oneself
(Collingwood, 1938).
Suppose this feeling is excitement. It is
frustrating to contain such feeling, so you
relieve it by expressing through shouting or
leaping in excitement. An emotion will
remain unknown to a man until he
expresses it.
Robin George Collingwood, an English
philosopher who is best known for his work
in aesthetics, explicated in his publication
The Principles of Art (1938) that what an
artist does to an emotion is not to induce it,
but express it. Through expression, he is
able to explore his own emotions and at the
time, create something beautiful out of them.
Collingwood further illustrated that
expressing emotions is something
different from describing emotions. In his
example, explicitly saying “I am angry” is not
an expression of an emotion, but a mere
description. There is no need in relating or
referring to a specific emotion, such as
anger, in expressing one's emotion.
Description actually destroys the idea of
expression, as it classifies the emotion,
making it ordinary and predictable.
Expression, individualizes.
An artist has the freedom to express himself
the way he wants to. Hence, there is no
specific technique in expression. This
makes people's art not a reflection of what is
outside or external to them, but a reflection
of their inner selves.
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 perceived
them (Collins & Riley, 1931). 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 that you see in art galleries to the
last movie you saw.
 Some mediums of visual arts include
paintings, drawings, letterings, printing,
sculptures, digital imaging, and more.
Film

Film refers to the art of putting together

successions of still images in order to create
an illusion of movement.
Focuses of Filmmaking:
• Aesthetic
• Cultural and
• Social Value
and is considered as both an art and an
industry.
Films can be created by using one or a
combination of some or all of these
Techniques:
• Motion-Picture Camera (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.
Aims of Filmmaking:
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:
• Lighting
• Musical Score
• Visual Effects
• Direction
and more.
Performance Art

Performance art is a live art and the

artist's medium is mainly the human body
which he or she uses to perform, but also
employs other kind of art such as visual art,
props, or sound.
It usually consists of
Four Important Elements:
• Time, where the performance took place
• The Performer or Performer's Body and
• A relationship between the audience and
the performer(s) (Moma Learning, n.d.).
The fact that performance art is live makes it
intangible, which means it cannot be bought
or traded as a commodity.
Poetry Performance

Poetry is an art form where the artist

expresses his emotions not by using paint,
charcoal, or camera, but expresses them
through words. These words are carefully
selected to exhibit clarity and beauty and
to stimulate strong emotions of joy, anger,
love, sorrow, and the list goes on. It uses a
word's emotional, musical, and spatial
values that go beyond its literal meaning to
narrate, emphasize, argue, or convince.
These words, combined with movements,
tone, volume, and intensity of the
delivery, add to the artistic value of the
poem. 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.
Architecture

Art is the pursuit and creation of beautiful

things while architecture is the making of
beautiful buildings. However, not all
buildings are beautiful. Some buildings only
embody the functionality they need, but the
structure, lines, forms, and colors are not
beautifully expressed. Thus, not all buildings
can be considered architecture.
Grand Theatre de Bordeaux
where the functionality of the theatre
remains, but the striking balance of the
lines, colors, and shapes completes the
masterpiece. Buildings should embody
these
Three Important Elements:
• Plan
• Construction and
• Design
Dance
Dance is a series of movements that
follows the rhythm of the music
accompaniment. Dance is a form
expression. Dancing is a creative form that
allows people to freely express themselves.
It has no rules. You may say that
choreography does not allow this, but in art
expression, dancers are not confined to set
steps and rules but are free to create and
invent their own movements as long as they
deem them graceful and beautiful.
Literary Art

Artists who practice literary arts use

words - to express themselves and
communicate emotions to the readers.
However, simply becoming a writer does not
make one a literary artist. Simply
constructing a succession of sentences in a
meaningful manner is not literary art.
Literary art goes beyond the usual
professional, academic, journalistic, and
other technical forms of writing.
It focuses on writing using a unique style,
not following a specific format or norm. It
may include both fiction and non-fiction such
as novels, biographies, and poems.
The Little Prince
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare
Theater

Theater uses live performers to present

accounts or imaginary events before a live
audience. Theater art performances usually
follow a script, though they should not be
confused with literary arts. Much like in
filmmaking, theater also considers several
Elements in Theater

• Acting
• Gesture
• Lighting
• Sound Effects
• Musical Score
• Scenery and
• Props
The combination of these elements is what
gives the strongest impression on the
audience and the script thus becomes a
minor element. 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 and improvisation.
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)
• Industrial Design
• Interior Design
• Fashion Design and
• Graphic Design
Fine arts is chiefly concerned on aesthetic
value. Through exploration and expression
of ideas, consideration of the needs, and
careful choice of materials and techniques,
artists are able to combine functionality and
style.
Summary

Art is a product of a 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 one artwork
from another. A creative artist does not
simply 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 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/her 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 expressin, as it
classifies the emotion, making it ordinary
and predictable. Expression, on the other
hand, individualizes the artist.
Some of art expression include visual art,
poetry performance, architecture, dance,
literary arts, theater arts, and applied arts.
Answer the following questions as
precisely yet as thoroughly as possible.
1. What art field will you explore? Why?
2. How can you utilize the arts to express
yourself, your community, and your
relation to others?
Write down examples of the different art
forms express and unmask creativity from
the artist.
Type of Art Example How Does How Does
Expression This This
Express? Unmask the
Artist's
Creativity?