Here now is a difference between the

scientist and the humanist. The scientist is

able to analyze almost immediately while
the humanist must re-enact and re-create
mentally. As such, the scientist can simply
read and interpret a book on art history but
the humanist must understand what the book
says in so far as it's meaning and impact on
the reader.
FUNCTIONS OF ART
An inquiry on the function of art is an inquiry of what
is it for? Example: What is this monument for?
When it comes to function, different art
forms come with distinctive functions.

Some art forms are more functional than

others.
Architecture and Applied Arts
• The value of the art in question lies in the practical benefits of one
gains from it. Obviously made for a specific purpose.
Does it mean that paintings and literary
works can never have any function?
Dr. Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo

The novels accrued value and as a consequence, function.

They are functional in so far as they are designed to accomplish some

definite end.
Personal Functions of Art
• The personal functions of art are varied and
highly subjective.
• Functions depend on the artist who created the
art.
• An artist can create an art out of self-expression,
entertainment or therapeutic purpose.
Social Functions of Art
• Arts is considered to have social function if and when it addresses a
particular collective interest as opposed to a personal interest.
• Art may convey message of protest, contestation, or whatever
message the artist intends his work to carry.
Social Functions of Art
• Political art is a very common example of an art with a social function.
• Art can also depict social conditions such as photography. Pictures of
poverty, calamities, are examples.
• Performance arts like play or satires can also rouse emotions and rally
people toward a particular end.
 MIDTERM
• MODULE
• 4 Theories of Art
• 5 Western Art History Timeline
• 6 Elements of Art
THEORIES FOR JUDGING ART
IMITATIONISM
Art is good when it imitates reality. An Imitationalist artist focuses on
mimicking and representing real life. In a successful piece of art, the
textures, light, shadows, human proportions, and perspective are all
highly realistic, as if you could reach out and touch them.
THEORIES FOR JUDGING ART
• REPRESENTATION THEORY OF ART
At its most basic, the representational theory states that the fundamental,
definitive quality of art is the ability to capture some aspect of reality. In
short, if it's not a reflection of something that actually exists, then it's
not art. This means that art can be defined foremost as an extension of
human perception; it's a way to reflect the ways that the mind perceives
and understands reality. This makes representational theory distinct
from other ideologies, such as the expressive theory, which sees the
fundamental role of art as the expression of emotion.
THEORIES FOR JUDGING ART
• FORMALIST THEORY OF ART
The formalistic approach directs that art be analyzed by reviewing form
and style. Elements like color, shapes, textures, and line are emphasized,
while the context of the work is de-emphasized, and made a secondary
characteristic—at times taken completely out of consequence. The
assessment of a piece of artwork is based purely on the artist’s skill and
not on the choice of subject matter, with the value based primarily on
the use of elements with little regard for the viewer’s perception of the
context.
THEORIES FOR JUDGING ART
• ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM
Abstract Expressionism is a term applied to a movement in American
painting that flourished in New York City after World War II, sometimes
referred to as the New York School or, more narrowly, as action
painting. The varied work produced by the Abstract Expressionists
resists definition as a cohesive style; instead, these artists shared an
interest in using abstraction to convey strong emotional or expressive
content.
THEORIES FOR JUDGING ART
• ACTION THEORY
Action Painting is predicated on the idea that the creative process
involves a dialogue between the artist and the canvas. Just as the artist
affects the canvas by making a mark on it, that mark in turn affects the
artist and determines the trajectory of the next mark.
THEORIES FOR JUDGING ART
• EXPRESSIONIST THEORY OF ART
Expressionist theory is concerned with the content of the work of art.
Some critics claim that no object can be considered art if it fails to
arouse an emotional response in the viewer. The expressive qualities are
the most important to them. Their theory Emotionalism, requires that a
work of art must arouse a response of feelings, moods or emotions in
the viewer.
THEORIES FOR JUDGING ART
• PRAGMATIC THEORY
Art exists to serve a function and is conceptualized in terms of its effects
on its audience, and in terms of the purposes it is design to accomplish
such as the creation of specific shared experiences.
THEORIES FOR JUDGING ART
• AESTHETIC HEDONISM
Aesthetic hedonism is the influential view in the field of aesthetics that
beauty or aesthetic value can be defined in terms of pleasure, e.g. that
for an object to be beautiful is for it to cause pleasure or that the
experience of beauty is always accompanied by pleasure.
THEORIES FOR JUDGING ART
• FUNCTIONALISM
Functionalism, in architecture, the doctrine that the form of a building
should be determined by practical considerations such as use, material,
and structure, as distinct from the attitude that plan and structure must
conform to a preconceived picture in the designer’s mind.
THEORIES FOR JUDGING ART
• INSTITUTIONAL THEORY
The art world is defined as an informal institution which embodies and
encompasses the various formal and informal institutions within
particular “artworld systems,” each of which fosters and supports the
production and appreciation of a particular kind of art.
Throughout several centuries stretching back to the era of philosophers
such as Plato, stakeholders in the art world have struggled to find a true
definition of art.
• REFERENCES:
• Retrieved from:
https://users.rowan.edu/~clowney//Aesthetics/theories_of_art.htmLink
s to an external site.
• Retrieved from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_artLinks to an external site.
Module 4: Asynchronous Activity 1 [Paint like Jackson
Pollock]

INSTRUCTIONS
Make a work of art based on action theory.
1
1*.
2
2
3
2*
4
4
4*
6*
6
6
7
8
5*
9
9
10
•Theory
THEORIES FOR JUDGING ART
Theory Evaluate the merit or demerit of artworks based on the different theories of art
criticism.

1. Imitationism
2. Representation
3. Formalist
4. Abstract Expressionism
5. Action
6. Expressionist
7. Pragmatic
8. Aesthetic
9. Functionalism
10. Institutional