HUMANITIES 1

ART APPRECIATION…AN
INTRODUCTION TO HUMANITIES
 WHAT IS ART APPRECIATION?
ART APPRECIATION - is the knowledge and
understanding of the universal and timeless
qualities that identify all great art. The more you
appreciate and understand the art of different eras,
movements, styles and techniques, the better you
can develop, evaluate and improve your own
artwork.
 WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF
ART APPRECIATION?
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. This
conversation can be continued outside of the art
classroom… Talking about art with your children
provides them with a forum for developing their
literacy and communication skills.
 WHAT IS ART APPRECIATION
CLASS?
This course is an exploration of visual art
forms and their cultural connections for the
student with little experience in the visual
arts. It includes a brief study of art history
and in depth studies of the elements, media
and methods used in creative processes and
thought.
 WHAT IS ART APPRECIATION IN
HUMANITIES?
The term humanities comes from the Latin
word, “humanitas”. It generally refers to art,
literature, music, architecture, dance and the
theatre—in which human subjectivity is
emphasized and individual expressiveness is
dramatized.
 INTRODUCTION TO HUMANITIES
Humanities- includes not only the fine arts such as
painting, sculpture, and architecture, but also the
performing arts such as music, dance, drama, and
opera, and the literary arts such as prose and poetry.
It encompasses all studies which aim to make
students “human” inasmuch as it was derived from
the Latin word “humanus”, meaning human,
cultured, or refined.
Thus, it embraces the social sciences and the
philosophy.
 INTRODUCTION TO HUMANITIES
ART – is “human ingenuity in adapting natural
things to man’s use. Therefore, an artists uses his
genius in transforming God-made things into man-
made things that satisfy his needs.
For instance, he converts wood into a religious
image, into a house, into a piece of furniture.
He transforms plants into cloth which will later
become his clothing, or he turns them into paper
which will later become an item of painting or
sculpture.
ART came from the word “ars” which means skill.
 INTRODUCTION TO HUMANITIES
 Itis synonymous with skill, cunning, artifice, and craft,
which all mean the faculty of what is devised.

 Art may be used interchangeably with all the other terms

but, in most distinct sense, it contrasts with them in
implying a personal, unanalyzable creative power; skill
stresses technical knowledge and proficiency; cunning
suggests ingenuity and subtlety in devising, inventing or
executing; artifice suggests mechanical skill especially in
imitating things in nature; craft may imply expertness in
workmanship or suggest trickery and guile in attaining
one’s ends.”
 FUNCTIONS OF ART
Art serves several functions which are
corollary to its purposes. These functions
include but are not limited to the following:
personal or individual, social, economic,
political, historical, cultural, religious,
physical, and aesthetic.
 FUNCTIONS OF ART
1. PERSONAL OR INDIVIDUAL FUNCTION:
 Artists have their personal reasons for indulging in art.
 The English poet Robert Browning expressed his love
to Elizabeth Barrett-Browning in the form of a poem
entitled “My Last Duchess,” Elizabeth did the same by
means of the poem entitled “How Do I Love Thee?”
 Others do their thing because of their passion for their
respective art forms. For instance, Gary Valenciano
renders concerts for free because he loves singing;
Geleen Eugenio provides free dance instructions
because she enjoys dancing.
 FUNCTIONS OF ART
2. SOCIAL FUNCTION:
 Man is a social being and as such he associates with his fellow beings.
 This association is evidenced by the choral singing and group dancing
in religious rites and other practices.
 Oftentimes, houses are constructed by groups of men for the smallest
social groups in a society, the families.
 Churches are built for communal worship.
 A drama is performed by a group of performers called the cast before
a group of viewers known as the audience.
 Oral and written literatures are handed from one generation to the
next and enjoyed by people of various races and ages.
 Jose Rizal’s novels were written to arouse social consciousness.
 Museums house paintings and sculptures which are viewed by many
onlookers
 FUNCTIONS OF ART
3. ECONOMIC FUNCTIONS:
 Many people believe that it does not pay to be an artists.
 However, this belief is negated by these facts. J.K. Rowling,
the author of the best-selling Harry Potter series, become
one of the most highly paid women in British history.
 Elvis Prestly and Michael Jackson raked millions for their
best-selling records.
 Paintings of great painters such as Michaelangelo and
Leonardo are now worth millions of dollars.
 Moreover, GMA-7 spent millions of pesos for the set of
“Encantadia” and the costume of Richard Gutierrez in
“Captain Barbell.”
 FUNCTIONS OF ART
4. POLITICAL FUNCTION:
 When Imelda Marcos, a patroness of the arts, became the
Governor of Metro Manila, she promoted her political programs
by means of the arts.
 Part of her beautification program was the painting of murals
along national roads and busy streets frequented by motorists.
 She was responsible for the building of edifices in the CCP
complex, these include the PICC (Philippine International
Convention Center), FAT (Folk Arts Theatre, known as
Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas),and the Film Center.
 Likewise, part of the Marcos administration’s image-building
program for the so-called New Society (Bagong Lipunan was the
writing of compositions inculcating the virtues of self-discipline,
industry, unity and cooperation.
 FUNCTIONS OF ART
5. HISTORICAL FUNCTION:
 Paintings, sculptures, architectural works, and other art
forms serve to record historical figures and events.
 Paintings of French kings, sculptures of Philippine heroes,
tombs of rulers )Pyramids of Egypt and Taj Majal of India),
and religious plays, for example, the cenaculo (passion
play), not only commemorate but also celebrate historical
greats.
 The Our Lady of EDSA shrine is a sterling proof of the
Filipino’s love of peace and freedom as it reminds those
who pass by EDSA of the bloodless revolution in
Philippine history, emulated y other nations all over the
world.
 FUNCTIONS OF ART
6. CULTURAL FUNCTION:
Buildings, furniture (chairs, tables, etc), clothes,
and the like form part of the country’s material
culture; while music, dance and language, which
is incorporated in oral and written literature and
drama, form part of its non-material culture.
Therefore, paintings, sculptures, architectural
works, songs, dances, dramas, and literary pieces
are embodiments of a nation’s culture.
 FUNCTIONS OF ART
7. RELIGIOUS FUNCTION:
 Almost all, if not all, art forms evolved from religion.
 People in the olden times worshipped their gods in the
form of songs and dances.
 The earliest dramatic forms were religious in nature.
 The first Greek paintings and sculptures were those of
gods and goddesses.
 The first great architectural works were built for religious
purposes: the pyramids were built to entomb the
pharaohs, the mausoleum of Rome served as a cemetery;
the churches and the mosques were constructed for
religious worship.
 FUNCTIONS OF ART
8. PHYSICAL FUNCTION:
 Houses and other buildings are constructed to protect their occupants
and all the others inside them.
 At times, paintings serve to protect the walls and ceilings of some
buildings, while sculptures serve as columns of some buildings as in
Greek and Roman architecture.
 Many people claim that dance is one of the best forms of exercises,
while music is a form of therapy.
 Moreover, a tragedy, one of the dramatic forms, has a cathartic effect.
 The visual experience when viewing a beautiful work of art (an
abstract painting, a realistic sculpture, a skyscraper, a musical
concert, a dance show, or a comic play) is an exhilarating experience.
 Above all, there is no substitute for the ecstatic feeling one
experiences after having completed a work of art.
 FUNCTIONS OF ART
9. AESTHETIC FUNCTION:
Artworks serve to beautify.
Paintings serve to decorate houses and other
buildings.
Sculptures serve to decorate churches and similar
edifices.
Tall buildings are sights to behold.
Set designs, as well as costumes and props, make
dramas, dance performances, and song renditions
not only realistic but also appealing to the audience.
 ELEMENTS OF VISUAL ARTS

To produce an awe-inspiring artwork, an artist

must know first the different principles of art and
elements of the specific art he is engaged in.
Knowledge of art principles and the elements of
the visual arts is helpful in art productions
 ELEMENTS OF VISUAL ARTS
A. LINES – is a series of connected dots. It is an important
element of visual arts because all painters, sculptors, and
architects use lines as springboard of their finished products.
 All works classified under the graphic arts and plastic arts
start the lines. A cloth before it becomes a dress or another
garment must first be ruled and then cut and later shaped
into a finished sculpture.
 Paintings and buildings designs start with pencil sketches.
 Lines are classified according to position, direction, and
shape; they carry meanings by themselves.
 LINES
Vertical Lines – show height or stature, poise,
balance, force, and dynamism. A tall tree, a
standing man, a bird poised for flight, and a
flagpole are presented with vertical lines.

Horizontal Lines – indicate rest repose,

calmness, quietness, and inaction. A dead or
reclining man, a serene sea, a resting animal and
cemetery are presented with horizontal lines.
 LINES
Diagonal Lines – manifest movement, action,
and direction. A running man, a flying bird, a
galloping horse, a flowing river, and fireworks
display diagonal lines.

Straight Lines – exhibit stiffness, stillness, and

inactivity. Inanimate objects like buildings and
bridges are shown with straight lines.
 LINES
Curved Lines – compared to diagonal lines,
curved lines indicate movements that are smooth.
A wide smile, a graceful belly dancer, and
flowing hair are shown with curved lines.

Repeating Lines – repeating lines are a

succession of vertical (IIIIIIIII), horizontal
(=============), diagonal (////// or \\\\\\) or
curved (CCCCCCC) lines. They are use to show
rhythm.
 LINES
Contrasting Lines – are a combination of
vertical and horizontal lines (LLLLLLLLL) or a
combination of diagonal lines (XXXXXX) or
<<<<<< or >>>>>>) in opposite directions.

Modified Lines – modified lines are a

combination of lines of varying shapes ({>O<}).
THANK YOU!