Course Title: ART APPRECIATION

Subject Code: GEC 5

No. of Units: 3

Instructor: MELCHOR O. CAMILING, LPT

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ART APPRECIATION

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 What is
Humanities?

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 Humanities
- arts i.e painting, sculpture, architecture,
literature, music, dance and theatre.

- these are areas in which human subjectivity is

emphasized and individual expressiveness is
celebrated.

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- Art, however, is just one part of
the world of the Humanities.

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Humanities came from the Latin
word “humanus” which means,
human, cultured and refined.

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 Why Study
Humanities?

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Generally, Humanities contains the records of
man’s quest for answers to the fundamental
questions he often asks about himself and
about the world he lives in. Put simply,
Humanities studies man and the manner in
which he conducts himself from the time of
his existence to the present (Martin & Jacobus,
2004)

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Humanities is composed of academic
disciplines that make it distinctive in both
content and method from the physical and
biological sciences and from the social
sciences.

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The study of Humanities is devoted to
understanding the different phenomena
within the human cultural context.

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Humanities studies how people process and
document the human experience using
philosophy, literature, religion, art and history
as their way of understanding and recording
their world.

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The Humanities studies how individuals’
manner of expression varies as they record
human experiences and how the way of
documenting these forms a connection
between and among humans of the past,
present and future (Foxx, 2014)

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What is
ART?

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ARTS came from the word “ars” which means
skill.

It is synonymous with skill, cunning, artifice,

and craft, which all mean the faculty of what is
devised.

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According to Webster, Arts is “human ingenuity
in adapting natural things to man’s use.”

Therefore, an artist uses his genius in

transforming God-made things into man-made
things that satisfy his needs.

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The word art etymologically comes from the
Aryan root ar, which means “to join”, or ‘put
together.’
The Latin term sars, artis, mean everything that
is artificially made or composed by man.
Arts constitutes one of the oldest most
important means of expression developed by
man.
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Functions of ART

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 Personal
or
Individual
Function
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 Social
Function

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Economic
Function

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 Political
Function

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Historical
Function

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 Cultural
Function

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Religious
Function

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 Physical
Function

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Aesthetic
Function

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ART: As Viewed
by Philosophy

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Philosophy as a field of discipline
has attempted to explain almost
all aspects of human existence.

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Aesthetics is the philosophical
study of beauty and taste. It is
concerned with the nature of art
and used as basis for interpreting
and evaluating individual work of
arts. (“Aesthetics”, n.d.)
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 PLATO
(428-347 BCE)

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PLATO was a philosopher of Ancient
Greece. He is known for his famous
Dialogues that includes his equally
famous teacher, Socrates.

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 PLATO
was said to have
loved and hated the
arts at the same time.
Using his Dialogues
as basis (e.g. The
Republic), Plato was
seen as good literary
stylist and a great
story teller.
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Endowed with these artistic abilities, he is
considered the arts as threatening. He sow
how powerful the arts can be in shaping a
person’s character. As such, Plato contented
that although the arts can be used to train
citizens to have an ideal society, using arts to
accomplish this should be strictly controlled.

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As a premise to his two theories of art, Plato
explained that the physical world is a copy of a
perfect, rational, eternal and changeless
original. The originals are called the Forms.
Beauty, justice and even a circle are examples
of these Forms or Ideas. Using this as a basis,
Plato presented his two ideas of the arts:

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1. ART is imitation. Plato explained that art is
an imitation of physical things which in turn
are imitations of the Forms. To put it simply,
art is a copy of a copy which leads people
farther from away the truth (or the Forms). At
best, works of art are a great for
entertainment.

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2. ART is dangerous.
According to Plato,
art has power to stir
emotions. So the arts
should not go
uncensored
(as mentioned in The
Republic)

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Artist are people who have the ability to make
a better copy of the true Form. As compared
to other people, Plato saw the artist as having
the skills, imagination and creativity that
would enable them to make an almost perfect
copy of the Forms (Hospers, n.d.).

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ARISTOTLE
(384-322 BCE)

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ARISTOTLE was also a famous
philosopher of the Ancient Greece.
He was a student of Plato.
Regarding the arts, Aristotle first
distinguised between what is
good and what is beautiful.
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He stated that the good always,
presents itself in some action while a
thing of beauty may exist even in
motionless objects or things. In certain
conditions, however, the good may also
be considered as beautiful.

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According to Aristotle,
universal elements of beauty
are manifested by order,
symmetry and definiteness.
In his Poetics, he stated that
physical manifestation of
beauty is likewise affected
by its size i.e. it should not be
too big nor too small. The
arts aim was to give pleasure
and in giving pleasure the
arts presented itself as an
activity.

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ARISTOTLE considered arts as imitation or a
representation of nature. In representing nature,
arts demonstrated knowledge and discovery , for
objects of the art show disposition, passion and
action. Poetry, music and dance, according to
Aristotle, imitates some aspects of human nature
through rhythm, harmony, melody and vocal
sound. Certain kinds of music are successful in
calming wild excitement and that tragedies are
effective in stirring up emotions.
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His emphasis was on poetry. He stated that poetry was
more philosophic and serious than philosophy itself.
Poets, according to Aristotle, imitated three things:

1. Things and events which have been or still are;

2. Things which are said to be seen and are probable; and
3. Things which are essential.

Paintings and sculptures were seen by Aristotle as

representation/imitation of ideas, imagination and reality
(“Aesthetics”, n.d.)
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IMMANUEL
KANT
(1724-1807)

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IMMANUEL KANT was a German,
Enlightenment Philosopher. In 1973, he
wrote a treatise on Aesthetics entitled,
Observations on the Feelings of the
Beautiful and the Sublime. His main
interest was not in art itself but on
beauty.
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KANT thought that beauty does not rest
on the properties of the objects or
things but rather on the manner in
which people respond to these obejcts
or things. In other words, beauty is a
matter of taste.

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KANT futher explains that taste can be
subjective and universal:

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SUBJECTIVE TASTE – does not focus on the
properties if the object itself but rather on the
pleasure one experiences as he responds to it.

For example: when looking at a painting, what

matters is not what the painting is all about or
how it is organized but rather on the emotions
that the painting is able to successfully arouse.

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UNIVERSAL TASTE – is non-aesthetic and does
not consider the beauty of the work or the
mastery of the artist, but rather, the artwork is
appreciated for what it is.

For example: the painting of the Mona Lisa is

admired because of its popularity and because
it was created by Leonardo Da Vinci.

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For Immanuel Kant, beauty is a question of
form and color is not important.

Color for him has nothing to do with the

properties of the object but is only used for its
decorative function. What is important in
beauty is the design and the composition.

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In Kant’s philosophy, they are two kinds of
aesthetic responses: 1. beauty results in
pleasure if there is order , harmony and
symmetry and 2. beauty leads to a response of
awe that overwelms the viewers of the art
(Aestetics, n.d.)

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LEARNING TASK
Answer the following questions:

1. Why do you think it is important to have a

philosophical perspective of the arts?

2. Choose one philosopher above whose perspective

of the arts you can relate. Explain how you share
similar perspectives.

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ARTISTS and ARTISANS

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 ARTISTS
is a person who
exhibits exceptional
skills in the visual
and/or the performing
arts. Unlike other
people, artists are
more sensitive, very
perceptive and more
creative.
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What an artist creates has been defined
as a formal expression of the considered
human experience. This definition
focuses attention on two important
components of the work, which are:
form and substance.

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The artwork portrays the artist’s
experiece as subject matter, but it uses
it after it has passed the artist’s
sensibilities and has been carefully
analyzed, felt and thought.

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The artist gives this experience (substance)
form using a skillful composition of the
media (paint, stone, movement for
example) selected. The arrangement he
imposes on his media fits the nature of the
materials chosen so as to give the work
sponteniety and perfect harmony.

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 ARTISAN
is a person who is in skilled
trade that involves making
things by hand. He is a
craftworker who makes or
creates objects of great
beauty by just using his
hands. His creations
maybe functional or
decorative like an earthen
pot or palayok for cooking
or vase for decoration.

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 QUESTION:
Why do people create
work of arts?

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 QUESTION:
If you were an artist, what
kind of artist will you be
and why?
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 QUESTION:
If you were an artisan,
what kind of arts will you
make and why?
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ART FORMS

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PAINTING – This is best described as the
application of a pigment to a surface. The
various ways in which the paint is applied to
create beautiful effects who would depend on
the unique technique employed by the artist
and the kind of medium that was used.
Painting is a two-dimentional art form.
Examples are Luna’s Spolarium and Botticelli’s
Inferno.
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Spoliarium by Juan Luna
Inferno by Boticelli
SCULPTURE – This is an art form that is best
describes as three-dimentional. The sculptor
creates a solid form using molding, carving,
welding, casting and assembling. Some of the
popular medium are clay, wood, stone, metal,
ice, glass and plastic. Examples are Tolentino’s
Bonifacio Monument and Michaelangelo’s
David.

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Bonifacio Monument by Guillermo Tolentino
David by Michael Angelo
ARCHITECTURE – This is the most functional.
Architecture to be functional involves using
the design to build structure through the help
of engineers, contractors and skilled workers.
It is only after the structure built will the art
form be fully appreciated. Examples are the
Cultural Center of the Philippines and Burj
Khalifa in Dubai.

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Cultural Center of the Philippines
Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
MUSIC – This is the art of sound express
through a song, through the use of
instruments or a combination of both. It
should express rhythm, harmony and melody
that is soothing or appeals to the taste of its
audience. Examples are Philippine’s Kundiman
and Beethoven’s Symphony No.5.

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Philippines Kundiman
DANCE – The art of body movements that is
attuned to a musical piece. Body movements
should be graceful and in rhythm with the
accompanying music piece. In the recent
times, dance is used as a form of worship.
Examples are Philippine Folkdances like
Tinikling, Singkil and the Ballet.

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Tinikling
Singkil
Ballet
LITERATURE – The art of using words to
express thoughts, ideas, and feelings.
Literature make the form of poetry, novel,
short story, essay, epic and legends to
mentiona few. Examples are Homer’s Iliad and
Nick Joaquin’s Woman Who Had Two Navels.

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Iliad by Homer
THEATRE – The performance of drama.
Typically, actors perform on stagein front of a
live audience. Dialogues maybe recited, sang
or eliminated (pantomimes) Theatre naybe
referred to as combined or performing arts. It
may include music, dance, and literature .
Examples are Phantom of the Opera and Noli
Me Tangere.
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The Contemporary Society, art forms have
evolved to include photography, digital arts,
and installations.

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Photography
Digital Arts
Installations
 QUESTION:
Based on the art forms
given, what art field
would you explore and
why?
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 ACTIVITY
In one of your encounters with art through
museum visits, musicals, and or plays, among
others, have you ever felt disconnected from
an artwork? Was there a point in time when
you did not understand the message the art
was trying to convey?

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 ACTIVITY
If yes, write the name of the artwork in a
yellow pad paper and attach an image of the
artwork, if possible explain why do you think
you did or did not understand the art using
the space provided.

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 ART APPRECIATION:
Creativity, Imagination,
and Expression

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 QUESTION:
What is creativity?

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ART – is a product of man’s creativity,
imagination and expression. No matter
how perfectly blended the colors of a
sunset are and no matter how
extraordinarily formed mountains are,
nature is not considered art simply
because it is not made by man.
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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)
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THE ROLE OF CREATIVITY IN ART MAKING –
Creativity, requires thinking outside the box. It
is often to solve problems that have never
occurred before, conflate function and style,
and simply make life a more unique and
enjoyable experience. In art, creativity is what
sets apart one work from another.

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We say that 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 imitate lines, flaws, colors,
and patterns in recreating nature. He
embraces originality, puts his own flavor into
his work, and calls it his own creative piece.

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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.

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German Physicist Albert
Einstein who made
significant and major
contributions in science
and humanity
demonstrated that
knowledge is actually
derived from imagination.

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“Imagination is more important than
knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we
know and understand, while imagination
embraces the entire world, and all there ever
will be to know and understand.”

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ART AS EXPRESSION – There may have been
times when you felt something is going on with
you. You may be conscious about feelings sort
of excitement, fear, or agitation, but you know
that just one word is 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 (Collingwoord, 1938)
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THERE ARE COUNTLESS WAYS OF EXPRESSING
ONESELF THROUGH ART. The followng list
includes, but not limited to, popular art
expressions.
1. Visual Arts 2. Film 3. Performance Art
4. Performance Art 5. Poetry Performance
6. Architecture 7. Dance 8. Literary Art
9. Theatre 10. Applied Arts

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 QUESTION:
Why is creativity
necessary in artmaking ?

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 QUESTION:
When can you say that a
person is creative?

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SUBJECT and CONTENT

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 ART SUBJECT DEFINED.

The SUBJECT of art refers to what

the work represents. It could be a
person, an object, a scene or an
event.
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 SUBJECT
refers to visual focus or the image
that maybe extracted from
examining the artwork.

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 CONTENT
refers to the meaning that is
communicated by the artist or the
artwork.

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 Some artworks have
subject, others do not.

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The artworks that have
subjects are called
representational or
objective arts.
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OBJECTIVE
ART
Sunflowers
by Van Gogh

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Those artworks that do
not have subjects are
known as
non-representational or
non-objective arts.
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The non-objective arts do not present
descriptions, stories or references to
identifiable objects or symbols.

Rather, they appeal directly to the senses

primarily because of the organization of
their expressive elements.

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 NON-
OBJECTIVE
ART
Composition 8
by Kandinsky
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SOURCES OF SUBJECT

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 NATURE
The most popular source of objective
art. Mountains, trees, animals,
landscapes, seascapes, cloudscapes are
some examples of nature-inspired art.

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Seascape Painting
Tree Sculpture in Singapore
 PEOPLE
Human objects, whether real or imagines, are
the most interesting. How people are depicted
can offer clues to the artists’ thoughts, moods
and the genre the art is representing.Works can
range for a single subject to the group. They
can be in a perpetual pose or performing tasks
of everyday life.

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Sculpture of People
Painting of Woman by Fernando Amorsolo
 HISTORY
Historical artworks depict real events
which are verifiable facts that occurred
in the past. The purpose of such works
are either to commemorate events or to
teach history to the viewers.

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The Making of Philippine Flag
The Bonifacio and Katipunan Revolution Monument
 LEGENDS
Artworks based on legends present to
viewers of the art something tangible
even when unverified. Art brings “life” to
these stories.

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Excalibur
Si Malakas at si Maganda
 RELIGION
These artworks are based on the sacred texts:
the Holy Bible of Christianity, the Quran of
Islam, and the Torah of Judaism. Many
artworks used the beautiful stories in these
sacred texts to convey their beliefs. It was
said that art is the handmaid of religion.

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The Last Supper
Buddha
 MYTHOLOGY
Artworks can also be based on the
stories of the gods and goddesses of
Ancient Greece, Rome, Celts, Norse and
the Egyptians. Theses deities are
depicted in human or animal forms and
presents humanlike behavior.
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Head of Medusa
Sculpture of Horus
DREAMS and FANTASY
The intrigues of the unconscious also
inspires artists to present it through art
for others to see, relate and interpret.
Artists believe that the content of the
unconscious should be shared for others
to know and may be understand.
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Persistence of Memory
Son of Man
 TECHNOLOGY
The modern era with its tall buildings
and amazing machines are also subject
matter for the artist. Cityscapes,
airplanes, cars, ships, motorcycles and
robotic technology are objects of
interest.
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Futuristic Cityscapes
Futuristic Sand Sculpture
 QUESTION:
What are the two types of
representing the subject?

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 QUESTION:
What are the sources and
kinds of subject?

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