HUMANITIES I

ART OF APPRECIATION
ART AND ITS MEANING
• The word “arts” comes from the Aryan word AR which means to put together.
It also comes from the Latin word ARS which means skills, ability and covers
those areas of artistic creativity. It embraces the visual arts, literature ,music
and the visual arts. It expresses aesthetic ideas by use of skills and imagination.
Merriam Webster defines art as “ the conscious use of skills and creative
imagination specially in the production of aesthetic objects”. Art is so diverse
that there are many ways to understand it. Leo Tolstoy defines art as an activity
by which a person, having an emotion intentionally transmits it to others.
According to Plato, art is that which brings harmony with the beauty of the
world. Ruskin states that it is the whole spirit of man. Arthur Dow considers art
as a way of life, of doing, thinking, of feeling, of making choices of living in a
fine way.
CREATIVITY, IMAGINATION AND
THE EXPRESSION IN ART
• Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. It is characterized by the
ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between
seemingly unrelated phenomena and to generate solution.(https://www.creativityat work.com) It
is the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, relationships, or the like, and to create
meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, originality, progressiveness, or
imagination.(https://creativity.com) Imagination is tied very closely to creativity because
imagination is putting things, ideas. Feelings or images together, initially in the artist’s mind.
Through imagination one is able to craft something bold, something new and something better in
the hopes of creating something that will stimulate changes.( https;//quizlet.com) Expression is
automatic in every action, thought or feeling in everyone. (https://www.quors.com)The
Expression of feeling constitutes the creation of art, just as philosophy and other disciplines are
expression of ideas.( https://www.britannica.com) The combination of these three factors lead
men to create a work of art that will surely influence people to seek for change in improving their
lives.
ASSUMPTIONS OF ART
• These assumptions are the principles and bases of appreciating a work of art since
it is in art that man can convey one’s individuality and way of life.
1. Art is universal. Art is everywhere; wherever men have lived together. It has
sprung up among them as a language charged with feelings and significance. Art
as a cultural force can be pervasive and potent. It has no limit and rises above
cultures, races and civilization. It is timeless because it goes beyond the time of
our own existence.
2. Art is not nature. Art is man made, it is a creation of man utilizing his thoughtful
skill and artistry. It is artificial because it is just an imitation or appropriation of
reality and nature. It is a representation of ideas, thought, feelings that are
communicated and expressed in a creative and artistic way. Art created by God
is divine while art created by man is temporary. Art can never be natural because
it is momentary in the constant transformation of change. Artist could create
works of art but they cannot form nature.
ASSUMPTIONS OF ART
1. Art involves experience. Art is a depiction of our daily experiences. It demands taking part. It
involves laying of pigments. Moulding of clay, chipping marble, casting of bronze, constructing of
building, singing of songs, playing roles on stage, acting and going rhythmic movements in a dance.
Every art does something with physical material, the body, thus the only way to find conviction and
assertion is through immersion in the Arts. Art is appreciated if we spend time to look at it, listen to
it, to touch it and feel its presence.
2. Art is cultural. Art is set of shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that define a group of
people, such as the people of a particular region. Culture includes the elements that characterize a
particular people’s way of life. The arts-vast subdivision of culture, composed of many creative
endeavors and discipline. (https://en.em.wikipedia.org)
3. Art is an expression. Art is an expression made visible by a form. It expresses and translates, it
acknowledges and reveals, transfers and reveals. Art is an expression of feeling, belief and
character.(https://meganbostic.squarepace.com)
ASSUMPTIONS OF ART
• Art as a form of creation. A work of art is created by an artist, in order then to
develop an independent existence in the eye of the beholder over which the
creator loses all control. The creation of art is the bringing about of a new
combination of elements in medium (tones in music, words in literature, paints
on canvass and others.(https://www.britannica.com)
CATEGORIES/CLASSIFICATION OF
ARTS
• Visual Arts (2D,3D)

• a. Painting- the application of

pigment on any flat two-
dimensional surface.

• b. Sculpture- it is the carving,

modelling,, casting, constructing
and assembling of materials and
objects into primarily dimensional
works of art.

• c. Architecture- it is the art and

science of planning , designing,
and constructing buildings and
non building structures for human
shelter or use.
 CATEGORIES/CLASSIFICATION OF
ARTS
• Performing Arts

• a. Music- is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound organized in time.

• b. Dance- is the movement of the body in a rhythmic way, usually to music and within
the given space for the purpose of expressing an idea or emotion.

• c. Film- also called movie or motion picture, is a series of still images that when shown
on a screen creates an illusion of moving images.

• d. Theatre_ is a collaborative form of art that uses live performers, typically actors or
actresses, to present the experience of real or imagined event before a live audience in
a specific place often a stage.

• e. Literary-is concentrating the writing, study or content of literature, specifically of

the kind valued for quality of form.

• f. Performance poetry=is a poetry specifically composed for or during a performance

before an audience rather than on print mostly open to improvisation.
CATEGORIES/CLASSIFICATION OF
ARTS
• Digital Arts
• It is the art that is made with the assistance of
electronic device or intended to be displayed on a
computer which is the most important element in
digital art.
CATEGORIES/CLASSIFICATION OF
ARTS
• Applied Arts
• The application of design and decorations in
everyday objects to make them aesthetically
pleasing
• Fashion design- it is the art of applying design,
aesthetics and natural beauty to clothing and
accessories.
CATEGORIES/CLASSIFICATION OF ARTS

• Applied Arts
• The application of design and
decorations in everyday objects to make
them aesthetically pleasing
• Furniture design- it is a specialized field
where functions and fashion collide.
CATEGORIES/CLASSIFICATION OF
ARTS
• Applied Arts

• The application of design and

decorations in everyday objects to make
them aesthetically pleasing

• Interior design-it is enhancing the

interior of a building to achieve a
healthier and more aesthetically
pleasing environment for the people
using space
CATEGORIES/CLASSIFICATION OF
ARTS
• Applied Arts
• The application of design and decorations in everyday
objects to make them aesthetically pleasing
• Graphic design-it is an artist process of effective
communication. Designers combine words, images
and symbols to create a visual representation of ideas.
Functions of Art
• The functions of art normally fall into three categories:
physical, social, and personal. These categories can and
often do overlap in any given piece of art. When you're
ready to start thinking about these functions, here's how.

• Physical The physical functions of art are often the

easiest to understand. Works of art that are created to
perform some service have physical functions. If you see
a Fijian war club, you may assume that, however
wonderful the craftsmanship may be, it was created to
perform the physical function of smashing skulls. A
Japanese raku bowl is a piece of art that performs a
physical function in a tea ceremony. Conversely, a fur-
covered teacup from the Dada movement has no physical
function. Architecture, crafts such as welding and
woodworking, interior design, and industrial design are
all types of art that serve physical functions.
 Functions of Art
• The functions of art normally fall into three categories: physical, social, and personal. These
categories can and often do overlap in any given piece of art. When you're ready to start
thinking about these functions, here's how.

• Social Art has a social function when it addresses aspects of (collective) life as opposed to
one person's point of view or experience. Viewers can often relate in some way to social art
and are sometimes even influenced by it. For example, public art in 1930s Germany had an
overwhelming symbolic theme. Did this art exert influence on the German population?
Decidedly so, as did political and patriotic posters in Allied countries during the same time.
Political art, often designed to deliver a certain message, always carries a social function.
The fur-covered Dada teacup, useless for holding tea, carried a social function in that it
protested World War I (and nearly everything else in life). Art that depicts social conditions
performs social functions and often this art comes in the form of photography. The Realists
figured this out early in the 19th century. American photographer Dorothea Lange (1895–
1965) along with many others often took pictures of people in conditions that are difficult to
see and think about. Additionally, satire performs social functions. Spanish painter
Francisco Goya (1746–1828) and English portrait artist William Hogarth (1697–1764) both
went this route with varying degrees of success at motivating social change with their art.
Sometimes the possession of specific pieces of art in a community can elevate that
community's status. A stabile by American kinetic artist Alexander Calder (1898– 1976), for
example, can be a community treasure and point of pride
 Functions of Art
• The functions of art normally fall into three categories: physical, social, and personal. These
categories can and often do overlap in any given piece of art. When you're ready to start thinking
about these functions, here's how.

• Personal The personal functions of art are often the most difficult to explain. There are many
types of personal functions and these are highly subjective. Personal functions of art are not likely
to be the same from person to person. An artist may create a piece out of a need for self-
expression or gratification. They might also or instead want to communicate a thought or point to
the viewer. Sometimes an artist is only trying to provide an aesthetic experience, both for self and
viewers. A piece might be meant to entertain, provoke thought, or even have no particular effect at
all. Personal function is vague for a reason. From artist to artist and viewer to viewer, one's
experience with art is different. Knowing the background and behaviours of an artist helps when
interpreting the personal function of their pieces. Art may also serve the personal function of
controlling its viewers, much like social art. It can also perform religious service or
acknowledgment. Art has been used to attempt to exert magical control, change the seasons, and
even acquire food. Some art brings order and peace, some creates chaos. There is virtually no
limit to how art can be used.

• Finally, sometimes art is used to maintain a species. This can be seen in rituals of the animal
kingdom and in humans themselves. Biological functions obviously include fertility symbols (in
any culture), but there are many ways humans adorn their bodies with art in order to be attractive
to others and eventually mate.
Determining the Function of Art
• The functions of art apply not only to the artist that created a piece but to you
as the viewer. Your whole experience and understanding of a piece should
contribute to the function you assign it, as well as everything you know about
its context. Next time you are trying to understand a piece of art, try to
remember these four points: (1) context and (2) personal, (3) social, and (4)
physical functions. Remember that some art serves only one function and some
all three (perhaps even more).
Philosophical
Importance of Art
• Integrity or Artistic integrity is generally
defined as the ability to omit an
acceptable level of opposing, disrupting,
and corrupting values that would
otherwise alter an artist's or entities’
original vision in a manner that violates
their own preconceived aesthetic
standards and personal values. This does
not necessitate that an artist needs to
ignore external influences in the
creation process
What is artistic integrity:
• Always painting with passion
•  Never copying but taking ideas and tweaking them to make them our own
•  Being original….not normal
•  Having the courage to take a chance
•  Always remembering your artistic vision comes from your life, your
thoughts…..your courage
•  Creating a painting because it comes from your soul and not for recognition or prizes
•  Being willing to be scared….to create on the edge
•  To continue creating when doubt in yourself appears
•  Doing your very best each and everyday
Proportion
Proportion refers to a the relative size of objects, a ratio
between parts or entities in some visual representation
(most often visual, but proportion also applies in music
and other arts). Visually, proportion is most
immediately relevant to so-called “representational art”
— say, painting — where it is important in rendering a
realistic or believable image of some object or scene
with which we have some familiarity - for example a
portrait of human being, or a cityscape in Paris.
Radiance
• Radiance signifies the luminosity that emanates from
a beautiful object, which initially seizes the attention
of the beholder. This trait is closely related to the
medieval notions concerning light. For example, in
terms of natural light, there is a sense in which the
paintings in a gallery lose some of their beauty when
the lights are turned off because they are no longer
being perceived.
The Subject of Art
• What is a Subject?
•  To a majority of people, the appeal of most works of art lies in the
representation of familiar objects
• Their enjoyment of painting, sculpture and literature comes not from their
perception of the meaning but from the satisfaction they get out of recognizing
the subject or understanding the narrative content. The subject of art refers to
any person, object, scene or event described or represented in a work of art.
Representational or
Objective
Arts that have subject (eg
Painting, Sculpture, Graphic
Arts, Literature and Theatre Arts
Non-Representational or Non-Objective
• Arts that do not have subject.
•  Music, Architecture and many of the Functional Arts – Program Music – musical
compositions which have subject
•  They do not present descriptions, stories, or references to identifiable objects or symbols.
Rather they, appeal directly to the senses primarily because of the satisfying organization of
their sensuous and expressive elements.
•  Many contemporary painters have turned away from representational to nonobjective
painting. They have shifted their attention to the work of art as an object in itself, an exciting
combination of shapes and colours that fulfill an aesthetic need without having to represent
images or tell a story.
•  Many modern paintings are like this making them more difficult to comprehend.
Sources of Subject
1. Nature
2. History
3. Greek and Roman Mythology
4. Judeo-Christian Tradition
5. Sacred Oriental Texts
6. Other Works of Art
Kinds of Subject
• Landscapes, Seascapes, and Cityscapes

•  Artists have always been fascinated with

their physical environment

•  Favourite subject of Chinese and

Japanese painters

•  Fernando Amorsolo, is well known for

having romanticized Philippine landscapes

•  In Europe, the paintings of pure

landscapes without human figures was
almost unheard of until the Renaissance.
They only served as backgrounds prior to
this.

•  Modern painters seem to be attracted to

scenes in cities. Vicente Manansala, Arturo
Luz and Mauro Malang Santos are some
who have done Cityscapes

• *painting shown was painted by

Fernando Amorsolo.
Still Life
•  These are groups of inanimate objects
arranged in an indoor setting (flower and
fruit arrangements, dishes food, pots and
pans, musical instruments and music
sheets). The arrangement is like that to
show particular human interests and
activities.

•  The still lifes of Chinese and Japanese

painters usually show flowers, fruits and
leaves still in their natural setting,
unplucked from the branches.

•  Today, focus is on the exciting

arrangement and combinations of the
object’s shapes and colours.

• Painting was painted by Vincent Van

Gogh Still Life with coffee pot -1888
Animals
 They have been represented by artists from
almost every age and place. In fact, the earliest
known paintings are representations of animals
on the walls of caves.

 The carabao has been a favorite subject of

Filipino artists.

 The Maranaws have an animal form of have an

animal form of sarimanok as their as their
proudest prestige symbol.

 Animals have been used as symbols in

conventional religious art.

 The dove stands for the Holy Spirit in

representations of the Trinity  The fish and
lamb are symbols of Christ

 The phoenix is the symbol of Resurrection

 The peacock is the symbol of Immortality through

Christ

Painting by : Vicente Alvarez Dizon

Portraits
•  People have always been intrigued by the human
face as an index of the owner’s character. As an
instrument of expression, it is capable of showing a
variety of moods and feelings.
•  It is a realistic likeness of a person in sculpture,
painting, drawing or print but it need to be a
photographic likeness. A great portrait is a product of
a selective process, the artist highlighting certain
features and de-emphasizing others.
•  It does not have to be beautiful but it has to be
truthful.
Portraits
•  Besides the face, other things are worth noticing in
portraits are the subject’s hands, which can be very
expressive, his attire and accessories for it reveals much
about the subject’s time.
•  Statues and busts of leaders and heroes were quite
common among the Romans but it was not until the
Renaissance that portrait painting became popular in
Europe.
•  Many artists did self-portraits. Their own faces
provided them unlimited opportunities for character study.

• The painting that is shown was painted by Juan Luna it is

called “Portrait of a Lady”.
Figures
•  The sculptor’s chief subject has traditionally been the human body, nude or
clothed. The body’s form, structure and flexibility offer the artist a big challenge to
depict it in a variety of ways, ranging from the idealistic as in the classical Greek
sculptures to the most abstract.

•  The grace and ideal proportions of the human form were captured in religious
sculpture by the ancient Greeks. To them, physical beauty was the symbol of moral
and spiritual perfection; thus they portrayed their gods and goddesses as possessing
perfect human shapes.

•  Early Christian and medieval artists seldom represented the nude figure. The
figures they used to decorate the walls and entrances of their churches were
distorted so as not to call undue attention and distract people from their spiritual
thoughts.

•  But Renaissance artists reawakened an interest in the nude human figure.

•  A favourite subject among painters is the female figure in the nude.

Everyday Life
•  Artists have always shown a deep concern about
life around them. Many of them have recorded in
paintings their observation of people going about their
usual ways and performing their usual tasks.
•  Genre Paintings – representations of rice threshers,
cockfighters, candle vendors, street musicians and
children at play
History and
Legend
•  History consists of verifiable facts, legends of
unverifiable ones, although many of them are
often accepted as true because tradition has held
them so far. Insofar as ancient past is concerned,
it is difficult to tell how much of what we know
now is history and how much is legend.

•  History and Legend are popular subjects of

art.

•  While many works may not be consciously

done historical records, certain information
about history can be pieced from them. The
costumes and accessories, the status symbols,
the kinds of dwellings or the means of
transportation.

•  Malakas and Maganda and Mariang Makiling

are among the legendary subjects which have
been rendered in painting and sculpture by not a
few Filipino artists.

• Painting by : Carlos Botong Francisco

Religion and Mythology
•  Art has always been a handmaiden of Religion. Most of the world’s religions
have used the arts to aid in worship, to instruct, to inspire feelings of devotion
and to impress and convert non - believers.
•  The Christian Church commissioned craftsmen to tell the stories about
Christ and the saints in pictures, usually in mosaics, murals and stained glass
windows in churches. It also resorted to the presentation of tableaux and plays
to preach and teach.
•  Some religions however, forbid the representation of divinity as human
beings or animal forms, although they allow the use of some signs or symbols
in their place.
Religion and Mythology
•  Pictures of God, human beings, or animals are forbidden in Judaism and Islam
because people might worship the images themselves
•  Other religions have taught that a god may sometimes assume human or other
visible forms. o Thus he is distinguished from human beings by a halo, wing, or a
darker complexion, or by the use of some attributes o The ancient Egyptians portrayed
their gods as part human and part animal » The ancient African tribes distorted their
god’s features » Among the Hindus, Shiva is shown as a four-armed go d » Buddha, is
symbolized by his footprints, a wheel or a true
•  In the early Christian world, representation of divinity were also symbolic. There
were precise conventions in rendering them. – The serpent has been used to mean evil
•  The Four Evangelists were represented by animal forms:
• • St Luke by an Ox • St John by an Eagle • St Mark by a Lion • St Matthew by a
Winged Man
Dreams and Fantasies
•  Dreams are usually vague and illogical. Artists especially the surrealists have
tried to depict dreams as well as the grotesque terrors and apprehensions that lurk in
the depths of the subconscious.
•  A dream may be lifelike situation.
•  Therefore, we would not know if an artwork is based on a dream unless the artist
explicitly mentions it.
•  But if the picture suggests the strange, the irrational and the absurd, we can
classify it right away as a fantasy or dream although the artist may not have gotten
from the idea of a dream at all but the workings of his imagination
•  No limits can be imposed on an artist’s imagination.
 Content in Art (Levels of Meaning)
• . Factual Meaning - the literal statement or the narrative content in the work which can be directly apprehended
because the objects presented are easily recognized - the most rudimentary level of meaning for it may be
extracted from the identifiable or recognizable forms in the artwork and understanding how these elements relate
to one another
• . Conventional Meaning – refers to the special meaning that a certain object or color has a particular culture or
group of people. Examples: Flag- symbol of a nation, cross for Christianity, crescent moon – Islam -pertains to
the acknowledged interpretation of the artwork using motifs, signs, and symbols and other cyphers as bases of its
meaning -this conventions are established through time, strengthened by recurrent use and wide acceptance by
its viewers or audience and scholars who study them
• Subjective Meaning - any personal meaning consciously or unconsciously conveyed by the artist using a private
symbolism which stems from his own association of certain objects, actions or colors with past experiences. -
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
(what we know, what we learn, what we experience; what values we stand for) - meaning may not be singular,
rather, multiple and varied