Lesson 3:

The Contexts of
Art
Objectives
•Understand the different contexts
by recalling and analyzing how it
applies to a familiar or
community-based art form.
Objectives
•Interpret
the notions of
appropriation and
decontextualization through a
group activity.
Context
•Refers to settings, conditions,
circumstances, and occurrences
affecting production and
reception or audience response to
an artwork
Context
•Setof background information
that enables us to formulate
meanings about works of art and
note how context affects form.
Context of Art
•Artist’s Background
•Nature
•Everyday Life
•Society, Politics and Economy, and
History
•Mode of Reception
Artist’s Background
•The artist’s age, gender, culture,
economic conditions, social
environment, and disposition
affect art production.
Nature
•Can be seen as a source of
inspiration and a wellspring of
materials for art production.
Nature
•While nature is regarded as a
provider and source of
inspiration, it is also seen as a
force that one has to contend
with.
Everyday Life
•Philippine traditional art has
always been an integral part of
daily life.
•Its significance lies not only in its
aesthetic appearance
Everyday Life
•but also in its functionality and
its value to the community that
produced it.
•Because traditional forms may
also be used in daily
Everyday Life
•private
situations, it is
experienced more intimately, and
engages many senses
simultaneously.
Society, Politics and Economy, and History

•Artis a form of expression

but works are not always
created out of the artist’s full
volition.
Society, Politics and Economy, and History

•Artist’screative process is
affected if not compromised
by patronage, such as the
State or church
Society, Politics and Economy, and History

•Art was also employed to

advance a political agenda
•Changes in the society, politics,
and economy affect artists, the
work
Society, Politics and Economy, and History

that they do, and the structures

that support their production.
•Technological innovations
engender shifts in artistic
Society, Politics and Economy, and History

production
•Photography fulfilled
documentary and artistic
functions, alternative to
painting as a reproducible
Society, Politics and Economy, and History

and inexpensive form of

portraiture.
•Art is a means to re-tell
history itself.
Appropriation
•Technique of transforming
existing materials through the
juxtaposition of elements from
one context to another
Mode of Reception
•It
is also important to note
when, where, and how art is
encountered.
Mode of Reception
•Reception is very much
affected by our level of
exposure to artforms that may
be unfamiliar or shocking
images.
Important Matters
•There are varied contexts or
conditions that affect the way
art is produced, received, and
exchanged.
Important Matters
•The artist’s personal contexts
like age, gender, and cultural
background may strongly
influence the form and content
of their works
Important Matters
•Larger milieus such as nature
and social environment shape
the artist’s disposition and
access to resources.
Important Matters
•Mode of reception is an
important context which
considers the moment by
which we encounter the
artwork and how we
Important Matters
might respond or engage with
it in relation to our personal
experiences and that of the
wider public.