Chapter I- Introduction to Art Appreciation

• Introduction
Art appreciation is an emotional enjoyment of the extensive study of
humanities. It is the knowledge and understanding of the universal and timeless
qualities characterizing a work or art. It involves an analysis established on
acknowledge elements, composition and principles of design.

• Objectives
1. Determine arts and appreciate their own world of arts for various vantage
points
2. Utilize some materials and processes involve in the production of a work of
art
3. Recognize the present surrounding and associate them with art
 Lesson 1.1 What is Art: Introduction and Assumptions

• Introduction
Art is something that is surrounding us and people are not aware of the many
forms and opportunities it embraces. Artistic styles in grooming, remixing of music,
state of the art building and constructions, enrichment and enhancement of dance
steps are various manifestation of the values and appreciation of an art.
Beyond the unawareness experiences in arts, one still finds the need to
engage in art, to fully be contented on the innate reality of what is good and
beautiful.

• Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students should be to:
1. Understand the role of humanities and arts top man;
2. Clarify misconceptions of art;
3. Characterize the assumptions of arts; and
4. Engage better personal experiences of and in art.

• Content
▪ Why Study the Humanities?
Since man existed on Earth, he started cultivating the land in order to survive
and sustain life and that this activity had altered the conditions of fauna and flora.
With the necessities of man, archaeological marks proven that through his bare
hands various works of art were made. The relics of constructed infrastructure for
shelter, crude tools like swords and spear, and the used of fire for smelting metals
like gold were manifestations of man’s ingenuity in art.
The word “art” was derived from the ancient Latin word “ars” which means
“craft or specialized form of skill, like carpentry or smithying or surgery”. The Ancient
World did not have any conceived notion of art in the same way that we do now. For
them, art only meant using the bare hands to produce something that will be useful
to one’s day-to-day life. Furthermore, in Medieval Latin, ars means “any special form
of book-learning like grammar or logic, magic or astrology (Collingwood, 1938).
During the Renaissance Period, the word art reacquired a meaning that was
inherent its ancient form of craft. Early renaissance artists have acknowledged their
activities as merely craftsmanship. On the seventeenth century, the idea of
aesthetics (the study of beauty) was distinctly differentiated from the notion of
technical workmanship; the original conception of the word “art”. Finally during the
eighteenth century, fine arts were distinguished from useful arts. Fine arts pertain to
a “not delicate or highly skilled arts “but “beautiful arts” (Collingwood, 1938).
The humanities had constituted as the oldest and most important means of
expression developed by man (Dudley et al, 1960). Human history reflected the
evolution of man physically and culturally through the various paintings and carvings
on stones and cave walls to ingeniously creative brush paintings at present.
Written historical records of man’s civilization showcased and manifested the
earliest attempts of recording man’s innermost interests, preoccupations, and
thoughts. Ironically, humanities have started even before the term has been coined.
Human persons have long been exercising what it means to be a human long before
he was even aware of his being one.

▪ Assumptions of Art
1. Art is universal.
➢ Literature has provided key works of art.
➢ Iliad and the Odyssey- among the most popular Greek epics taught in
school
➢ The Sanskrit pieces: Mahabharata and Ramayana
➢ Art has always been timeless and universal. Spanning generations and
continents and through
➢ In every country and in every generation, there is always art.
➢ Misconception: oftentimes people feel that what is considered artistic
are which have been made long time ago.
➢ Age is not a factor in determining art.
➢ “Art is not good because it is old, but old because it is good”
eg. Works of Jose Rizal and Francisco Balagtas
- Florante at Laura: taught in high school students the beauty of love.
One that is universal and pure
- Ibong Adarna: another Filipino masterpiece that captured the
imagination of the young with its timeless lessons
- Psalms of King David
- Kundiman
➢ Art has been crafted by all people regardless of origin, time, place, and
that it stayed on because it is liked and enjoyed by people continuously
➢ A great piece of work will never be obsolete
➢ Art is an art for its intrinsic worth
➢ In John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism (1879): enjoyment in the arts belongs
to higher good, one that lies at the opposite end of base pleasures
➢ Men will continue to use art while art persists and never gets depleted

▪ Art is not nature

➢ Movies produced are unrealistic; work around certain formula to the
detriment of substance and faithfulness to the movies
➢ Well and Grinding Wheel in the Forest of the Chateau Noir : a scene
painted from reality by Paul Cezanne; inspired by a real scene in a
forest around the Chateau Noir area near Aix in his native province;
the land\scape is quite different as compared to the original scene,
changed some patterns and details
➢ Art is man’s expression of his reception of nature, a man’s way of
interpreting nature
 ➢ Art is not nature, it is made by man ; nature is a given around us
➢ Movies are not meant to be direct representation of reality;
moviemaker’s perception of reality, be a reinterpretation or even
distortion of nature

▪ Art involves experience

➢ Art is just experience; means “actual doing of something”
➢ Having an experience of something(falling in love, getting hurt,
bouncing back) knows the endless cycle of love
➢ Someone who did not experienced falling in love can not talked
completely what really is the feelings of falling in love
➢ A choreographer who can not execute a dance step himself is a bogus
➢ A sculpture cannot produce a work of art if a chisel is foreign to him
➢ A painter cannot claim to know how to paint if he has not tried holding a
brush
➢ Dudley et al. (1960) affirmed that “all art depends on experience , and if
one know art, he must know it not as fact or information but as
experience”
➢ A work of art cannot be abstracted from actual doing
➢ To know what an artwork is, it should be felt, heared, seen
➢ Subject’s perception is of primacy of art.
➢ An important aspect of experiencing art is its being highly personal,
individual , and subjective
➢ Philosophically, perception of art is always a value judgment that
depends on who perceives according to his taste, biases and what he
has inside him
➢ …”Degustibus non disputandum est” (Matters of taste are not matters
of dispute)
➢ One cannot argue with another person’s evaluation of art because
one’s experience can never be known by another
➢ Take note that every experience with art is accompanied by some
emotion
➢ FEELINGS and EMOTION are concrete proofs that the artwork has
been experiences

• Summary
➢ Humanities and art have always been part of man’s growth and civilization.
➢ Man has always tried to express his innermost thoughts and feelings about
reality through creating art.
➢ Three assumptions on art are its universality, its not being nature, and its need
for experience.
➢ Art is present in every part of the globe and every period of time- meaning of
universality.
➢ Art not being nature, not even attempting to simply mirror nature, is the second
assumption about art
➢ Art is always a creation of artist, not nature.
➢ Without experience, there is no art
➢ The artist has to be foremost, a perceiver who is directly in touch with art
 ➢ Powerpoint Presentation for additional input

• Evaluation
Activity I. Give a brief discussion of the following questions:

1. Imagine you are an artist; describe what kind of an artist are you.

2. How will you assert that art is ageless and timeless?

3. Choose an artwork (movie, novel, poem, music an architectural structure, a

piece of clothing) and describe vividly as to: what is it about, what it is for,
what is it made of, what is its style, and how good is it.
 Lesson 1.2- Art Appreciation: Creativity, Imagination,
Expression

• Introduction
It takes an artist to make art. Not every beautiful thing that can be seen or
experience may truly be called a work of art. Art is a product of man’s creativity,
imagination, and expression. No matter how perfectly blended the colors of sunset
are and no matter how extraordinarily formed mountains are, nature is not
considered an art simply because it is not made by man. Not even photographs or
sketches of nature although captured by man are works of art, but mere recordings
of the beauty of nature. An artwork may be inspired by nature or other works of art;
an artist invents his own forms and patterns due to what he perceives as beautiful
and incorporates them in creating his masterpiece.
Everyone may not be considered an artist, but surely, all are spectators of art.
The art of appreciation is applied through choosing or deciding what pair of shoes to
buy with reference within our budget, satisfaction and practical standards.

• Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students should be to:
1. Differentiate art from nature
2. Characterize artistic expression based on personal experiences with art
3. Discuss the nature of art’s preliminary expression
4. Categorize works of art by citing personal experiences

• Content
▪ Art Appreciation as a Way of Life

Jean-Paul Sarte, a famous French philosopher of the 12th century described

the role of art as a creative work that depicts the world in a completely different light
and perspective, and a source is due to human freedom.
Each artwork beholds beauty of its kind, the kind that the artist sees and
wants the viewers to perceive. More often, 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. There are numerous artworks go unnoticed, artists
are not given enough credit that they miss opportunities. Sometimes, it takes a
lifetime before their contribution to the development of an art is recognized.
The continuous demand for aesthetically valuable things influences the
development and evolution of art and its forms.
Learning to appreciate art no matter what vocation of profession you have, will
lead to a fuller and more meaningful life.
Art is a way of living. Creativity is a way of expressing our unique nature in
everything we do. This means that seeing beyond our eyes as we look for and
discover the essence of everything that we encounter. The creative mind is always
alert and ready to find meaning in the ordinary.
 With the art that we are surrounded by, whether it's a painting, music or even
videos can have a huge impact on our mood and emotions. ... All kinds
of art can affect our mood in a positive way, making us feel happier, calmer, or even
inspired to do something. Everywhere you go art is evident.
Art also teaches many important qualities such as listening, observing and
responding to multiple perspectives. ... Having an appreciation for art also helps us
to develop an appreciation for each other and how we are all unique in our own way.

▪ The Role of Creativity in Art Making

✓ Often used to solve problems that have never occurred before, conflate
function and style, and simply make life a more unique and enjoyable experience.
✓ Creativity is what we 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; he embraces
originality, puts his own favor into his work, and calls it his own creative piece
✓ Creativity should be backed up with careful research on related art to avoid
such conflicts

▪ Arts as a Product of Imagination, Imagination as a Product of an Art

Where do you think famous writers, painters, and musicians get their ideas?
Where does in making creative solutions begin?
---- It all starts in the human mind. It all begins in imagination.

✓ Albert Einstien had made significant and major contributions of science and
humanity demonstrated that knowledge actually derived from imagination.
----- “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.”
✓ Imagination is not constrained by the walls of the norm, but goes beyond that.
✓ Through imagination, one is able to craft something bold, something new, and
something better in hopes of creating that will stimulate change.
✓ Imagination allows endless possibilities.
✓ An artwork does not need to be a real thing, but something that is imaginary.
✓ Artists use their imagination that gives birth to reality through creation.
✓ Imagination produces art, art also inspires imagination.

▪ Art an Expression
✓ The feeling of excitement, fear, or agitation is being release through
expression of such emotions.
✓ Robin George Collingwood, an English philosopher, is best known for his
work in aesthetics, explained in detail in his publication The Principles of Art
(1938) that what an artist does to an emotion is not to induce it, but express
it.
✓ Expression individualizes, has no specific technique, makes people’s art not
a reflection of what is outside or external to them, but a reflection of the
inner selves.

▪ Countless Ways of Expressing Oneself Through Art

1. Visual Arts
- Creations 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 they perceived them
- Visual arts is the kind of art form that the population is most likely more
exposed to, but its variations so diverse- they range from sculptures that you
see in art galleries top the last movie you saw.
- Mediums of visual arts: paintings, drawings, letterings, printing, sculptures,
digital imaging, and more.
2. Film
- Film refers to the art of putting together successions of still images in order to
create an illusion of movement.
- Films can be created by using one or a combination of some or all of these
techniques: motion-picture camera (movie camera), animation techniques,
Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) and more.

- Filmmaking focuses on its aesthetic, cultural, and social value and is

considered as both an art and an industry
- The art of filmmaking is so complex—it has to take account many important
elements such as lighting, musical score, visual effects, direction, and more
- Famous film festivals: Metro manila Film Festival, Oscar’s: recognize
excellence in the art of filmmaking.
3. Performance Art
- Performance art is a live 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.
- Four important Elements of Performance Art:
a.) time
b.) where the performance took place
c.) the performer’s or performers’ body
d.) relationship between the audience and the performer(s)

4. 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
- The words are carefully selected to exhibit clarity and beauty .and to
stimulate strong emotions of joy, anger, love, sorrow.
- It uses a word’s emotional, musical, and spatial values that go beyond its
literal meaning to narrate, emphasize, argue, or convince.
- The words when 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 art through poetry.

5. 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.
- Not all buildings can be considered architecture;
 eg. : The Grand Theatre de Bordeaux; the functionality of the theater
remains, but the striking balance of the lines, colors and shapes
completes the masterpiece
- Buildings should embody three important elements: plan, construction, and
design if they wish to merit the title architecture

6. Dance
- Dance is a series of movements that follows the rhythm of the music
accompaniment.
- Dancing is a creative form that allows people to freely express themselves
- It has no rules; choreography does not allow this
- 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 graceful
and beautiful

7. Literary Art
- Artist who practice literary arts use words- not paint, musical instruments, or
chisels- to express themselves and communicate emotions to the readers.
- 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
- Examples of famous literary artists: Antoine de Saint-Exupery - The Little
Prince and William Shakespeare – Romeo and Juliet

▪ 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.
- Like filmmaking, theater also considers several elements: acting, gesture,
lighting, sound effects. Musical score, scenery, and props. The combination
of these elements gives the greatest impression on the audience and the
script thus, becomes a minor element
- Similar to performance art, theater is also a live performance of which the
participation of the viewer is an important element.
- Some genres of theater include drama, musical, tragedy, comedy, and
improvisation.

▪ Applied Arts
- Applied arts are 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
 - Industrial design, interior design, fashion design, and graphic design are
considered applied arts
- Applied is often compared to fine arts (is chiefly concerned on aesthetic value

• Summary
▪ Art is a product of man’s activity, imagination, and expression.
▪ An artwork may be inspired by nature or other works of art.
▪ An artist invents his own forms and patterns due to what he perceives as
beautiful and incorporates them in creating his masterpiece.
▪ Not everyone can be considered an artist but, spectators of art; has a role in
the fields of art appreciation.
▪ Creativity is what sets apart one artwork from another.
▪ A creative artist does not simply copy or imitate another artist’s work; does not
imitate the lines, flaws, colors, and patterns in recreating nature
▪ Through imagination, an artist can craft something bold, something new, and
something better hoping to create something that will stimulate change.
▪ As imagination produces art, art also inspires imagination
▪ Through expression, an artist is able to explore his own 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 expression, classifies the emotion,
making it ordinary and predictable
▪ Expression individualizes the artist.
▪ Some forms of art expression include visual arts, film, performance art, poetry
performance, architecture, dance, literary arts, theater arts, and applied arts.

• Evaluation

A. Discussion. Read the following questions/statement and answer vividly.

1. Select an art field of expression. State how you will explore the chosen art to be
successful.
2. How can you utilize the chosen art to express yourself, your community, and your
relation to others?

B. True or False. Write “T” if the statement is “true” and “F” if the statement is
“false” on the space provided before each number.
1. Imagination limits what we know and understand.
2. An artists’ imagination leads to reality through creation.
3. Expression is the way on releasing what you feel whether excitement, fear,
and the like.
4. Visual arts are driven by the artists’ desire to draw constructive things they
perceived to be seen.
5. The art of filmmaking is very specific to lighting, musical score, visual
effects, direction and many more.
6. Dance expresses the emotions through words.
7. Artists who practice literary arts use paint, musical instruments or chisel to
express themselves and communicate their emotions to the readers.
8. Theater arts performances follow a script and consider acting, gesture,
 lighting, sound effects, musical score, scenery and props.
9. Performance art is a live art that mainly uses the human body as well as
visual art, props, or sound to perform.
10. Style and design are elements of applied arts in order to increase the
artists’ aesthetic value.
 Lesson 1.3 - Functions and Philosophical Perspectives on Art

Introduction
Greek philosopher Aristotle claimed that every particular substance in the
world has an end, or telos in Greek, which translate into “purpose”. Every substance,
defined as a formed matter, moves according to a fixed path toward its aim. A seed
is bound to become a full-grown plant. A cocoon can look forward to flying high when
it morphs into a butterfly. A baby will eventually turn into a grown man or woman.
Furthermore, this telos according to Aristotle, is intricately linked with function.
For a thing to reach its purpose, it also has to fulfill its function. Man, in Aristotle’s
view of reality, is bound to achieve a life of fulfillment and happiness, or in Greek,
eudaimonia. All men move toward this final end. Happiness, the supposed end of
man, is linked with his function, which is being rational. One can only be happy
because they are not rational. This means that to Aristotle, plants can never be
happy because they are not rational, as well as tables and chairs. Man’s natural end,
telos, is connected with his function, which is his rationality.
Moreover, the telos and function of a thing are both related to a thing’s
identity. What makes a table… a table? If a table does not have a surface on which
we can put on our books or plates and glasses, then it ceases to be a table.
The same goes for the human being. What makes a human being …a human
being, according to some schools of thought, is his capacity for thinking, his
supposed function. Without this function, the human being ceases to be a human
being. The telos, the function, and the “whatness” of a thing are all interconnected.
In contemporary life, the connection between the end, the function, and the
“whatness” of a thing has become closer and more interlaced, suggestion sometimes
that the end is the function and vice versa, and that they determine what kind of thing
a thing is.
Does art necessarily have an end? When an artist creates a work of art, does
he have an end in mind? What function does an artwork perform? Does it have any
purpose? Do all artworks have a function? Does the function make an object a work
of art?

Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
1. Distinguish between directly functional and indirectly functional art;
2. Explain and discuss the basic philosophical perspectives on the art;
3. Realize the function of some art forms in daily life; and
4. Apply concepts and theories on beauty and aesthetics ion real life scenarios.
Content
Art has remained relevant in our daily lives because most of it has played
some form of function for man. Since the dawn of the civilization, art has been at the
forefront of giving color to man’s existence. The different function of art may be
classified as either personal, social, or physical.
Functional Art refers to art that we use in our daily lives such as tools,
architectural structures, roads, bridges, buildings, furniture. Kitchen utensils, coins,
bills, dress, weapons, etc.

• Functions of Art

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
When one speaks of function, one is practically talking about the use of
the object whose function is in question. An inquiry on the function of art is an
inquiry on what art is for.
When it comes to function, different forms come with distinctive
functions. There is no one-to-one correspondence between an art and its
function. Some art forms are more functional than others.
➢ Architecture as an art is highly functional just like most applied arts.
➢ A building as a work of art is obviously made for a specific purpose.
➢ The Taj Mahal, a massive mausoleum of white marble built in Agra was
constructed in memory of the favorite wife of the emperor, Shah Jahan.
➢ Jewelry making as an art is known by its product.
➢ Paintings, poems, and statues are other examples
➢ The name of the art basically p[oints toward the direction of the product or
its function.

Function is so important that it has usurped the name of the art on the
identification of individual works.
Painting and literature as forms of art that have the least to do with purely
practical values.
A poem is beautiful regardless of its possible ramifications in the society.
➢ Joyce Kilmer’s “Trees” has been popular through the years regardless of
its application or practical benefit;
 ➢ The Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, masterpieces of Dr. Jose P.
Rizal during the 19th century, served as a catechist for Filipino
revolutionaries to gather strength in rejecting the oppressive forces of the
Spaniards in the Philippines.

• Classification of the Functions of Art

1. Personal Functions of Art
➢ are varied and highly subjective
➢ functions depend on the person- the artist who created the art out of the
need for self-expression
➢ an art may also be therapeutic
➢ in some orphanages and home for abandoned elders, art is used to help
residents process tis emotions or while away their time
➢ the use of adult coloring books to de-stress

2. Social Functions of Art

➢ Art is considered to have a social function if and when it addresses a
particular collective interest as opposed tom personal interest
➢ Political art is a very common example of an art with a social function
➢ Art may convey message of protest, contestation, or whatever message
the artist intends his work to carry
➢ Often, art also depict social conditions; Example: Photography delivers
social function by taking photos of subjects in conditions that people do not
normally take a look at or give attention to it.
➢ Pictures of poverty may carry emotional overtones that may solicit action
or awareness from their audience
➢ Performance art like plays or satires can also arouse emotions and rally
people toward a particular end.

3. Physical Functions of Art

➢ are the easiest to spot and understand
➢ can be found in artworks that are crafted in order to serve some physical
purpose; Example: Japanese raku bowl that serves a physical function in a
tea ceremony
➢ Architecture, jewelry-making, interior design are all forms of arts that have
physical function

4. Other Functions of Art

Music
➢ Music as an art is in its original form was principally functional
➢ was used for dance and religion
➢ Music was also essential to dance because music assures
synchronicity among dancers
➢ Music also guarantees that marches, in the case of warriors, were
simultaneous
➢ Music has expanded its function and coverage nowadays. It is being
listened to and made by people for reasons that were foreign to early
civilization. A lot of music has no connection whatsoever to dance or
religion; (eg: serenade)
 ➢ People compose hymns of love to express feelings and emotions
➢ Music is also used as an accompaniment to stage plays and motion
pictures.
➢ A piece of music can mean a multitude of meanings to different people,
a proof that an art, music has gone a long way

Sculpture
➢ Is another functional art form that has long existed for various purposes
➢ From the early days of humanity, sculptures have made by man most
particularly for religion
➢ The Roman Catholic employed sculptures for religious purposes have
remained vital, relevant, and symbolic.
➢ Sculptures were also made in order to commemorate important history
(eg: Jose Rizal’s monument in Rizal Park, Andres Bonifacio’s
Monumento in Caloocan, iconic statue Oblation by Guillermo E.
Tolentino in UP- remained a pillar of the university and constant
reminder of the need to offer oneself up selflessly for the country
➢ Coins are also manifestation of sculpting’s function. Every coin in the
Philippines features a relief of a famous hero or personality;
commemorative coins- Pope Francis and Jesuit, Horacio de la Costa

Architecture
➢ The most prominent functional art form
➢ Huge buildings, pyramids of Giza, the acropolis, the great cathedrals of
Middle Ages, Spanish houses in the Philippines

• Philosophical Perspectives on Art

✓ Art as an Imitation
- Plato (2000) in his masterpiece, The Republic, particularly paints a picture of
artists as imitators and art as mere imitation.
- In Plato’s metaphysics or view of reality, the things in this world are only
copies of the original, the eternal, and true entities that can only found in the
World of Forms
- Plato was deeply suspicious of arts and artists for two reasons: they appeal
to the emotion rather than to the rational faculty of men and they imitate
rather than lead one to reality.
- Poetry and painting, the art forms that Plato was particularly concerned with,
do not have any place in the ideal state that Socrates (as the protagonist) in
Plato’s dialogue envisions.
- Aristotle agreed with Plato that art is a form of imitation
- Plato thought that art is an imitation of another imitation

✓ Art as a Representation
- Aristotle conceived of art as representing possible versions of reality.
- In the Aristotelian worldview, art serves two particular purposes: First, art
allows for the experience of pleasure. Second, art has an ability to be
instructive and teach its audience things about life.

✓ Art as a Disinterested Judgment

 - Kant mentioned that judgment of beauty, and therefore, art, is innately
autonomous from specific interests. It is the form of art that is adjudged by
one who perceives art to be beautiful or more so, sublime.
- Kant recognized that judgment of beauty is subjective which are based on
some universal criterion.
- For Kant, every human being, after perception and the free play of his
faculties, should recognize that beauty is inherent in the work of art.

✓ Art as a Communication of Emotion

- The author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy, provided
another perspective on what art is. In hi book, What is Art (2016), he
defended the production of the sometimes truly extravagant art (operas),
despite extreme poverty in the world.
- Art serves as a language, a communication device that articulates feelings
and emotions that are otherwise unavailable to the audience.
- If language communicates information to other people, art communicates
emotions.
- In listening to music, in watching an opera, and in reading poems, the
audience is at the receiving end of the artist communicating his feelings and
emotions
- As a purveyor of man’s innermost feelings and thoughts, art is given a unique
opportunity to serve as a mechanism for social unity.
- Art is central to man’s existence because it makes accessible feelings and
emotions of people from the past and present, from one continent to another.

Summary
- Art remained relevant to our lives because most of it has played some form of
function for man. Art has been at the forefront of giving color to man’s
existence.
- The different functions of art maybe classified as either personal, social, or
physical.
- An arts function is personal if it depends on the artist herself or sometimes
still, the audience of the art.
- Art has a social function if and when it has a particular social function, when it
addresses a collective need of a group of people.
- Art may serve as either as imitation, representation, a disinterested judgment,
or simply a communication of emotion.

Evaluation
I. Read the questions thoroughly and answer precisely as possible.
1. Discuss how and why an art form/ artwork has changed something in your life.
2. How does an art always have a function? Support your answer and give a
concrete example.
II. Look around your house, identify a product of art take a picture of it. Trace the
beginnings of this item and identify what functions it has played in history.