Art History is a field of study dedicated to examining the evolution of art over time.

It delves into
the cultural, social, and political contexts in which artworks were created, providing insight into the
societies that produced them. Through the study of art movements, styles, and periods, art historians
trace the development of artistic expression and its influence on human civilization. They analyze the
works of influential artists, identifying themes, techniques, and innovations that shaped the course of
art history. By exploring various artistic mediums and genres, from painting and sculpture to
architecture and photography, art historians deepen our understanding of the significance and impact
of art on different cultures and historical periods.

Art Appreciation, on the other hand, focuses on fostering a deeper understanding and
interpretation of artworks. It encourages individuals to develop their subjective responses and
personal connections to art. Art appreciation teaches techniques for critically analyzing visual
elements such as composition, color theory, and form, enabling viewers to engage more deeply with
artworks. Moreover, it explores the historical and cultural contexts surrounding artworks, providing
valuable insights into the motivations and intentions of the artists. Through activities such as museum
visits, exhibitions, and discussions, art appreciation promotes active engagement with art and fosters
a greater appreciation for the creativity, imagination, and expression inherent in artistic endeavors.
Ultimately, both art history and art appreciation play essential roles in enriching our understanding of
the diverse and dynamic world of art.

Art Appreciation: Creativity, Imagination, and Expression

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to: differentiate art from nature, characterize artistic
expression based on personal experiences with art, discuss the nature of art’s preliminary expression,
and categorize works of art by citing personal experiences.

It takes an artist to make art. One may perceive beauty on a daily basis; however, not every beautiful
thing that can be seen or experienced may truly be called a work of art. Art is a product of man’s
creativity, imagination, and expression.

Not everyone can be considered an artist, but all are spectators of art. We are able to distinguish what
is fine and beautiful from what is not and what is good quality from poor. This gives us a role in the
field of art appreciation.

Answer briefly: In one of your encounters with art through museum visits, musicals, and plays among
others, have you ever felt disconnected from an artwork? Was there a point in time when you did not
understand what message the art was trying to convey? Explain why you think you did or did not
understand the art.
Art Appreciation as a Way of Life:
“The role of art as a creative work is to depict the world in a completely different light and perspective”
– Jean-Paul Sartre.

Each artwork beholds beauty in its own kind, the kind that the artist sees and wants the viewers to
perceive.

More often than not, people are blind to this beauty and only those who have developed a fine sense
of appreciation can experience and see the art the way the artist did. Hence, refining one’s ability to
appreciate arts allows him to deeply understand the purpose of an artwork and recognize the beauty
it possesses.

In cultivating an appreciation of art, one should also exercise and develop his taste for things that are
fine and beautiful. This allows individuals to make intelligent choices and decisions in acquiring
necessities and luxuries, knowing what gives better value for time or money while taking into
consideration the aesthetic and practical value.

Learning to appreciate art no matter what vocation or profession you have, will lead to a fuller and
more meaningful life.

The Role of Creativity in Art Making:

Creativity requires thinking outside the box. In art, creativity is what sets apart one artwork from
another.

When can we say that something is creative? When we have not seen anything like it, when it is out
of the ordinary, when it is not just a copy or imitation of someone’s work… There is originality!

Nowadays, being creative can be quite challenging.

Art as a Product of Imagination, Imagination as a Product of Art:

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and
understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and
understand.” – Albert Einstein.
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 the hopes of creating
something that will stimulate change.

In an artist’s mind sits a vast gallery of artworks. An artwork does not need to be a real thing, but can
be something that is imaginary. However, something imaginary does not necessarily mean it cannot
be called art. Artists use their imagination that gives birth to reality through creation.

In the same way that imagination produces art, art also inspires imagination.

Art as Expression:
“What an artist does to an emotion is not to induce it, but express it. Through expression, he is able
to explore his own emotions and at the same time, create something beautiful out of them.” – Robin
George Collingwood.

Expressing emotions is different from describing emotions. This makes people’s art not a reflection of
what is outside or external to them, but a reflection of their inner selves.

Visual Arts:
Creations that fall under this category are those 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 that they perceived them.

There are also other artistic disciplines that also involve a visual aspect, such as performance arts,
theater, and applied arts. Some mediums of visual arts include paintings, drawings, letterings, printing,
sculpture, digital imaging.

Film:
Film refers to the art of putting together successions of still images in order to create an illusion of
movement. Filmmaking focuses on its aesthetic, cultural, and social value and is considered both an
art and an industry.

Techniques in film-making process:

Motion-picture camera (also known as movie camera), animation techniques, computer-generated

imagery (CGI).
Filmmaking simulates experiences or creates one that is beyond the scope of our imagination as it
aims to deliver ideas, feelings, or beauty to its viewers.

Performance Art:
Performance art is a live art and the artist’s medium is mainly the human body which he or she uses
to perform, but also employs other kinds of art such as visual art, props, or sound.

Elements of performance arts: Time, where the performance took place, the performer’s body,
relationship between the audience and the performer(s).

The fact that performance art is live makes it intangible, which means it cannot be bought or traded
as a commodity.

Poetry Performance:
Poetry is an art form where the artist expresses his emotions not by using paint, charcoal, or a camera,
but expresses them through words. These words are carefully selected to exhibit clarity and beauty
and to stimulate strong emotions of joy, anger, love, sorrow among others.

It uses a word’s emotional, musical, and spatial values that go beyond its literal meaning to narrate,
emphasize, argue, or convince. These words combined with movements, tone, volume, and intensity
of the delivery add to the artistic value of the poem.

Architecture:
Art is the pursuit and creation of beautiful things while architecture is the making of beautiful
buildings. However, not all buildings are beautiful because some only embody the functionality they
need, but the structure, lines, forms, and colors are not beautifully expressed.

Important elements: Plan, construction, design. Buildings should embody these three important
elements if they wish to merit the title architecture.

Dance:
Dance is a series of movements that follows the rhythm of the music accompaniment. Dancing is a
creative art form that allows people to freely express themselves. It has no rules.
Choreography may seem not to allow this, but 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 them graceful
and beautiful.

Literary Art:
Artists who practice literary arts use words to express themselves and communicate emotions to the
readers. Simply becoming a writer does not make one a literary artist. 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.

Theater:
Theater uses live performers to present accounts or imaginary events before a live audience. Theater
art performance usually follows a script, though they should not be confused with literary arts.

Like in filmmaking, theater also considers several elements such as acting, gesture, lighting, sound
effects, musical score, scenery, and props. Like performance art, theater also is a live performance.
Genres include drama, musical, tragedy, comedy, and improvisation.

Applied Arts:
Applied arts incorporate elements of style and design to everyday items with the aim