Subject and Content

SUBJECT AND
CONTENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this lesson, you should be able
to,
 Differentiate representational art and
non- representational art;

 Discuss the difference between an artwork’s
subject and its content;

 Identify the subject matter and
specific examples of art; and

 Enumerate the sources of the subjects of
some of the most recognizable works of art

in Philippine art history.
 In viewing art, there are clues that mediate between
the artwork and the viewer, allowing the viewer to more
easily comprehend what he is seeing.
 These clues are the three basic components of a
work of art:
 Subject – the visual focus or the image that may
be extracted from examining the artwork; the
“what”
 Content – the meaning that is communicated by
the artist or the artwork; the “why”
 Form – the development and configuration of the
art work – how the elements and the medium or
material are put together; the “how”
Look at the painting below by artist David
Bailly entitled Selbstbildnis mit
Vanitassymbolen (Self-Portrait with Vanitas
Symbols). List down eveything that you see
within the four corners of the work. List as
many items as you can in 3 minutes.
Think-Pair-Share
 With your seatmate, discuss and
compare the items you listed.
 Based on your answers, write an
assumption about what the painting

means.
2 TYPES OF SUBJECT
1. Representational Art or Objective Art
– They are those arts which depict
(represent) objects that are commonly
recognized by most people. They attempt to
copy, even if in a subjective manner,
something that's real. It uses “form” and is
concerned with “what” is to be depicted in
the artwork.
Examples:
A.Still life is a work of art depicting mostly
inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace
objects which may be either natural (food, flowers,
plants, rocks, or shells) or man-made (drinking
glasses, books, vases, jewelry, coins, pipes, and
so on) in an artificial setting.
B.Portraiture (portrait) is a painting, photograph,
sculpture, or other artistic representation of a
person, in which the face and its expression is
predominant.
C.Landscapes, Seascapes, Cityscapes
Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci
(1503)
 Despite not knowing who Mona Lisa is,
it is clear that the painting is of a
woman that is realistically-
proportioned;
 only the upper torso is shown;
 a beguiling and mysterious smile
is flashed;
 the background is a landscape
2. Non-representational Art or Non-
objective Art – They are those arts without
any reference to anything outside itself
(without representation). It is non- objective
because it has no recognizable objects. It is
abstract in the sense that it doesn’t
represent real objects in our world. It uses
“content” and is concerned with “how” the
artwork is depicted.
Jackson Pollock “Autumn Rhythm”
Jackson Pollock “Convergence”

NON-REPRESENTATIONAL
ART AND ABSTRACT ART
 Is non-representational art the same with
abstract art?
 There is no clear-cut divide, rather, they
exist in a spectrum.
Non-
Representational
representational
art
art
Abstract art
Head of a Woman,
Mougins
Pablo Picasso
(1962)
 Looking at the combination of
lines, shapes, and colors of
the sculpture will point to a
head of a woman
 Even with the abstraction of
the image, this work is

arguably representational
art.
 For non-representational art, a higher,
level of perceptiveness and insight might
be required to fully grasped the feeling,
emotion, or concept behind the work.
 For representational art, it is easier to infer
the subject matter because from the figures
depicted in the artwork, there is already a
suggestion as to its implication.
Sources and Kinds of
Subject
Sources of Subject
 Nature
 History
 Greek and Roman mythology
 Judeo-Christian tradition
 Sacred oriental texts
 Other works of art

Nature
- Next to animals and people and their
activities, nature as landscape has
been the common subject of the art.
– Has been the most common
inspiration and subject matter for
art.
Fernando Amorsolo, Sunset, 1950. Oil on canvas
History
–All art is conditioned by the historical
period in which it is created.
–Rulers like to have themselves and the
great deeds of their time perpetuated
consequently, statues and paintings of the
great are found in each civilization.
Carlos V. Francisco, 1898 Philippine Revolution
'The Executions of the Third of May, 1808
Greek and Roman
Mythology
– Greek and Roman mythology has been a very
important source for subjects in the arts.
– Those arts are so well-known that they count as
a definite part of our inheritance.
– During the Renaissance period, poets,
painters, and sculptors drew largely from
Greek and Roman sources for subjects.
Religion
– Religion has played an enormous role in
inspiring works of visual arts, music,
architecture, and literature through ages.
– It was during the Renaissance that the
European artisans became “artists” and
conscious of their role in a way that had
never been true before.
Judeo-Christian Tradition
St. John Lateran (San Giovanni) Basilica
Anchor,
fish, and
Chi-Rho
symbols
Sarcophagus of Junius
Christ as the Good
Good
Shepherd
Sacred Oriental Text Art
Hinduism
Buddhism
Taoism
Kinds of Subject
Kinds of Subject
 History  Mythology
 Still life  Myth
 Animals  Dreams
 Figures
 Fantasies
 Nature
 Landscape
 Seascape
 Cityscape
Die Ebene von Auvers (Wheat
Fields Near Auvers
Vincent van Gogh (1890)
A Cockchafer, Beetle, Woodlice and Other Insect, with a Sprig of
Auricula
Jan van Kessel (early 1960s)
Fruit Pickers Under the Mango
Tree
Fernando Amorsolo (1937)
Young Women in the Ricefield

Fabian de la Rosa (1902)
Discobolus
Myron (Roman, 2nd Century
AD))
Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo (1508-1512)
Shah Jahan Receiving Dara
Shikoh
Folio from the Late Shah Jahan
Album (circa 1650)
El Tres de
Mayo
Francisco de
Goya
(1814)
CONTENT IN ART
Content in Art
 The meaning or message that is
expressed or communicated by the
artwork.
 In understanding the content of art, it is
important to note that there are various

levels of meaning:
Factual Meaning
 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
 Pertains to the acknowledged interpretation
of the artwork using motifs, signs, and
symbols and other cyphers as bases of its
meaning.
 These conventions are established through
time, strengthened by recurrent use and wide
acceptance by its viewers or audience and
scholars who study them.
Subjective meaning
 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 learned, what we
experienced; what values we stand for)
 Meaning may not be singular, rather, multiple
and varied
Creation of Adam (from the
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel)
Michelangelo (1814)
Analysis
 Subject: biblical art
 Factual meaning: Creation Story
(creation of man)
 Conventional meaning: man was
created in the image and likeness of

God
 Subjective meaning: endowment of
intellect to man from God

'Oblation' Fernando Amorsolo

Subject and Content

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Subject and Content

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Subject and Content

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SUBJECT AND

non- representational art;

subject and its content;

specific examples of art; and

some of the most recognizable works of art

assumption about what the painting

 a beguiling and mysterious smile

Jackson Pollock “Convergence”

the image, this work is

 Greek and Roman mythology

 Sacred oriental texts

 Other works of art

Young Women in the Ricefield

important to note that there are various

created in the image and likeness of

intellect to man from God

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.