ART APPRECIATION

FOR THE NEW GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM

Arnulfo B. Ramos  Dexter A. Oberes

CHAPTER I:

HUMANITIES AND ART APPRECIATION: AN INTRODUCTION

Learning Outcomes: At the end of the chapter, the students should be able to:

a. practice viewing and interpreting art;

b. understand the importance of humanities and art appreciation in every
individual’s life;
c. gain a general knowledge of creation and functions of arts; and
d. recognize the certain purpose of art as well as its classification and discuss their
characteristics

Input

A. Meaning and Importance of Humanities

 Etymologically, the term “humanities” is from a Latin word humanus which
means educated. It refers to the learning of arts such as architecture, dance,
literature, music, painting, theatre, and sculpture (Sanchez, 2011).
 They are branches of knowledge that focuses on individual opinions and
relationships (Machlis, 2003).
 As a branch of learning, the artwork is considered as the material object, while
its creativity and appreciation are the formal objects (Menoy, 2009 and Marcos,
et.al., 2010).
 Humanities is more concerned with how an individual express his or her feelings.
These feelings can be in facial manifestations or body movements. Laughing,
crying, clenching our fists, curling our toes, stretching out our fingers, and
crossing our arms are representations of humanities (Menoy, 2009).
 As a branch of knowledge, Humanities explores on human conditions through
the use of analytical, critical, or theoretical methods.
 These methods are in the form of ideas and words that help makes our life more
meaningful. Moreover, Humanities can also be as the study on how an
individual documented and processed his/her experiences particularly in
connecting to others (Stanford University, 2016).
 Imparting humanities as an academic science is designed to let our learners
(particularly the new generations) become creative and artistic individuals.
Humanities help the students to connect with the community through art
exposure like museum outings, concerts, theatre performance, etc. (Marcos,
2010).
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B. Art has a Feel – Good Power on the Brain

Art Appreciation for New General Education Curriculum

Based from the scientific studies, the power of art on the brain has an effect on
the quality of human life. It has been shown, by Ercole Vellone (2017) in her study, that
among stroke survivors, who has interest in the arts enjoyed better general health, had
more energy, felt easier to walk, and tend to be happier. They were also less likely to be
unhappy or sad. The results of the study imply that art may have lasting changes to the
brain that help the person to recuperate when things go wrong. Thus, understanding art
will make the brain active and involved.
Art has always been a way of touching our souls and connecting our thoughts,
feelings, and perceptions to our own experiences. Being a deep experience of ourselves,
art can help us to understand ourselves and enhance our lives through our creativity.
Science confirms what all art lovers already knew, that art appreciation improves
quality of life and makes you feel good. Great artworks stimulate the brain like falling in
love which in effect produce dopamine. Also, appreciating art helps a person follow the
hierarchy needs toward a stage of self – actualization or “being need”. This stage would
drive us to realize our true skills and achieve our ideal self, including our personal and
creative self – growth (Maslow, 1943).

Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs

C. Description of Art Appreciation

When we look around, we see a lot of things that relate to art. People look at
arts in different ideas that they want to know more about or may be studying. Art can
come in the form of many items such as posters, paintings, portraits, covers, and more.
Art can show ideas about the past, what is currently happening and what may happen in
the future. It can also show meaning, love, boredom, and creativity (Ramos, 2012). Art
can be meaningful because of the colors, shapes, and depictions it can create.

Art Appreciation is a way to stimulate ideas and allows individuals to illustrate

their feelings when they viewed an artwork. It helps develops critical and innovative
skills in thinking and teaches essential qualities in listening, observing, and responding to
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Art Appreciation for New General Education Curriculum

multiple viewpoints It also requires an ability to differentiate what is apparent and what
is not (Gargaro & Jilg, 2016 and Sanger, 2012).

D. Perceptions and Stages in Creating Arts

In our life, we experience so much fragmentation of our thoughts and feelings.
However, by creating arts, it brings things back together. We merely make art because
of so many reasons, and we enjoy the process of it.

Creating Three Dimensional Art

Source: www.memecenter.com
The word “art” is from a Latin arti, which means craftsmanship, inventiveness,
mastery of form, skill. It includes literature, music, paintings, photography, sculpture,
etc. It serves as an original record of human needs and achievements. It usually refers
to the so-called “fine arts” (e.g., graphics, plastic, and building) and to the so-called
“minor arts” (everyday, useful, applied, and decorative arts). It is the process of using
our senses and emotions in making creative activities (Marcos, 2010). It is a human
capability to make things beautiful (e.g., buildings, illustration, designing, painting,
sculpture, and Photography) through the production of his/her imagination depending
on the preparation, theme, medium, and values used.

Likewise, the word artist comes from the French word artiste and the Spanish
artista, which means “performer.” It is someone who creates art that is merely trades
and professions by which different people make their livings (Goines, 2004).

Significantly, there are distinctive perceptions about arts as people observe.

 First, art is universal because it is seen in every corner of society. Art appears in
everything we do or practice as a civilized or cultured individual.
 Second, art is human made because it is the product of his or her reflective and
artistic skills which undergoes logical procedures in developing and expressing
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ideas, emotions, or feelings. Arts are temporary or superficial creations of the

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artists that showcase the talents given to them by the Divine Creator.

Art Appreciation for New General Education Curriculum

 Thirdly, art is the articulation of experience because it rationalizes how the artist
lives and survives. Art represents a story of human life that unveils its truth
through the application of colors, shape, movement, sound, text, and other
elements that define beauty.

Artist is most often referring to those who create within a context of the fine arts
such as acting, dancing, drawing, filmmaking, painting, sculpture, writing, photography,
and music. They are those who use imagination, and a skill to construct works that may
be judged to have aesthetic importance. Creativity is a characteristic of an artist that
progressed in the extent of his/her life to express feelings. These are all processed in
three significant stages namely: Development Stage, Adaptation Stage, and Completion
Stage (Sanchez, 2011).

a. Development Stage (Creations of Ideas). Artists are usually impressionable

persons. They used their experiences as their basis in the making of dance,
picture, a poem, or a play or a song. For example, a composer may write a song
on the developing romance between a man and a woman, or on the pains of a
broken-hearted.

b. Adaptation Stage (Creations of the Materials). The artist uses different materials
or mediums to give form to an idea. For example, a painter uses pigments; a
sculptor uses wood, metal or stone; an author uses words; and a composer who
uses musical sounds to determine the notes.

c. Completion Stage (Creations of the Forms). There are diverse forms used by the
artists in expressing their ideas. It is a medium of artistic expression recognized
as fine art. This form is used to explain the physical nature of the artwork like in
metal sculpture, an oil painting, etc.

E. Functions of Arts

From the very beginning, arts have been part of human history. Human
experience described, defined, and deepened arts. Art benefits individual and groups in
different ways depending on the interaction between the individuals and the artwork.
Understanding this context is an important part of developing a discussion of the
function of artwork in society.

During the Prehistoric period, for example, people performed songs and dances
to gratify their ancestors. Hunters painted different figures on the walls of caves to
illustrate their day-to-day experiences. The arts also serve several functions which are
the outcome to the item (Menoy, 2009), especially:

a. Individual or Personal Function. The artists perform arts because of the passion
of their respective art forms. An artist may create art out of a need for self-
expression, or gratification. The artist might have wanted to communicate a
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thought or point to the viewer. Perhaps the artist was trying to provide an
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aesthetic experience, both for self and viewers. For example, Regine Velasquez –

Art Appreciation for New General Education Curriculum

Alcasid (Asia’s Songbird) is well-known artist (singer) for possessing unique vocal
range. She sometimes presents a concert for free because of her advocacy and
the love of singing.

Individual or Personal Function

Regine Velasquez-Alcasid
Source: https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment

Public/ Social Function Commercial Function

UP Manila Chorale Talakudong Festival
Source: shorturl.at/blFQT Source: shorturl.at/blFQT

Political Function Historical Function

Pres. Rodrigo R. Duterte UP Manila Chorale
Source: shorturl.at/beiLR Source: shorturl.at/gmrt2
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Art Appreciation for New General Education Curriculum

b. Public/ Social Function. Social functions of art are beyond personal intrinsic
value to the social benefits of arts. The artist connects with others through the
performance of his/ her art that produces social awareness. Art is public or social
celebration that conveys family or community relations. Examples of this
association are the choral singing, group dancing, public art exhibits, and other
practices.

c. Commercial Function. Art is a direct and indirect contributor to the state’s

economies. An example of this is by generating economic vitality in under-
performing regions through crafts, tourism, and cultural attractions such as the
Talakudong Festival at Tacurong City in September.

d. Political Functions. Art provides a forum for ideas that will lead to employment,
prestige, status, and power. During election period, for example, the candidates
created their artworks (poster) which expresses their propaganda, agendas and
political views about making a stable society.

e. Historical Functions. Art is an important method for information to be recorded

and preserved. It serves to document or reconstruct historical figure and events.
For example, when you visit the Luneta Park or Fort Santiago, you think of Dr.
Jose Rizal who contributed to the significant history of Manila.

f. Cultural Functions. Art is an articulation and transmission of new information

and values. For example, the 1892 painting Parisian Life by Juan Luna represents
the condition of the Philippines during Spanish times which became
controversial when it was bought by the Government Services Insurance System
(GSIS) in 2002 at an auction in Hong Kong for ₱ 46 million. Through art’s colors,
materials, and symbolism, we can learn about the story and culture it has
created in the past.

g. Structural/ Physical Functions. Buildings are designed and constructed

creatively to make life safety and more meaningful. Architects, Industrial and
Graphic Designers, and Interior Decorators share responsibility in creating an
environment that balances forms and functions.

h. Religious/ Spiritual Function. Arts can also underpin religious or spiritual

significance. An example of this is the painting of Hapag ng Pag – asa (The Table
of Hope) by renowned Filipino Artist Joey Velasco who portrays a different
version of the Last Supper of Christ. This is also the local version of Leonardo da
Vinci’s painting.

i. Aesthetic Functions. Any artwork means beauty. It is visual spice for gracefully
adorned interiors and can bring out the most elegant features of different décor
elements. It reasonably reproduced visual images which communicate through
fantastic persuasions and meaningful words. An example of this is the reception
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hall of Malacañang Palace, featuring the official pictures of Philippine Presidents.

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Art Appreciation for New General Education Curriculum

This hall was built during the American period and underwent many
modifications over the years until it was ultimately restored in 2011.

Cultural Function Structural/ Physical Function

Parisian Life Oil Painting of Juan Luna Notre Dame of Tacurong College High
Source: shorturl.at/loqD0 School Bldg.

Religious/ Spiritual Function Aesthetic Function

Hapag ng Pag – Asa painting of Joey Velasco Reception Hall of Malacañang Palace
Source: shorturl.at/qwzDX Source: shorturl.at/cmNP8

F. Purpose of Art
Creativity is the fundamental basis of art. Art is the articulation of an idea or
experience of an artist through the use of a medium in a visual way (Frank, 2011). Art is
made when an artist produces a stimulating experience that is considered by his or her
audience to have artistic merit. Through artistic works, he or she can share what is
valuable to him or her with others and can learn about the values of feelings of those
sharing art. Some purposes of art are the following (Marcos et al., 2011).

1. Creates Beauty. Art is an expression of our thoughts, emotions, and intuitions.

It is the communication of ideas that cannot be faithfully portrayed by words
alone. The Artist has considered nature as the standard of beauty. The example
of beauty can be in a snowy mountain scene, and the art is the photograph of it
shown to the family.
2. Commemorates Experience. Art serves to convey the personal experiences of an
artist and record his impression in his work.
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3. Creates Harmony. An artist makes use of the composition to put an order in the
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diverse content of his work.

Art Appreciation for New General Education Curriculum

4. Provides Decoration. Artworks are used to create a pleasing environment. It is
intended to beautify things to please and amuse the viewers through its colors
and patterns.
5. Reveals Truth. Artwork helped to pursue truth and attempted to reveal about
how the world works. It is a kind of language that allows artists to send a
message to the souls of the recipients that help change their attitudes, their
sensibility, and their ethics.
6. Expresses Values. Arts can illuminate our inner lives and enrich our emotional
world. Through arts, the artist will be encouraged to develop their creativity,
challenge, and communication skills. It also promotes self- esteem and
wellness.

G. Categories of Art

The arts, also called fine arts, are modes of expression that use imagination or
skills in the creation of aesthetic objects or experiences that can be shared with others.
There are many types of arts, or its artworks can be created using a wide array of
materials, media, and techniques. One of the criteria used for categorizing arts is the
purpose for which they are created. The purpose indulging in arts could be profit-
making, religion, self – expression, or giving a social message.

Many changes in the arts took place during the early modern period. Its
categories can be on many characteristics, including form, shape, function, use, or social
context. Works of art are categorized in many different ways, namely:

1. Visual Arts. These arts are those forms that create works which are primarily
visual (forms perceived by the eyes). The man can take the beauty of nature
through a piece of paper so that other people may take time appreciating the
captured image. Examples of these arts include:
a. Painting. This form of visual art aims to evoke an emotion from the
viewers. It is practice by applying colors (pigments) or other media to a
surface with a brush or other objects on any flat two-dimensional
surfaces.
b. Sculpture. This form of visual arts characterized as the art of representing
an imagined or observed objects in hard materials such as glass, metals,
or wood in three dimensions.
c. Architecture. This form of art provides us the physical structure we lived.
It is a profound expression of human culture in a particular period, and it
will endure and outlive us in forms of monuments that future generations
will study and strive to understand.
d. Drawing. This form of art enhances the way we see the world around and
conditions us to capture its details in a two-dimensional medium. This
has been a critical element of art throughout history and in the
contemporary art world.
e. Photography. This form of art is a process of creating portraits by
recording radiation on a radiation-sensitive medium, such as electronic
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image sensors or photographic films.

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Art Appreciation for New General Education Curriculum

2. Performing Arts. These arts are those forms in which the artists used his/her
own body, face, and presence as a medium. Examples of these arts are as
follows:
a. Theatre (Drama) - This form of art uses performers to present the
experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific
place and time.
b. Music. This form of art helps to express our mood and feel the way
through our emotions and ideas. Based on a study, different types of
music may be suitable to different moods though classical music is still
recommended as the most calming music option.
c. Dance. This form of art is expressed through body movement which
entails social interaction, or presented in a spiritual or performance
setting.
d. Film. This form of art allows us to explore the complexities of the human
situation. This is used to work out our emotions, to make history comes
alive, science is explained, and literary works are brought into life.
e. Installation Art. The fundamental nature of this form of art is the
participation of the spectators. In this work of art, viewers become active
and navigate the work in an environment that they can experience
visually. It also has the capacity of passing on particular information about
any significant event around the world and interactively represents
documentary issues.
f. Opera. This form of art helps to tell stories through music. This is also
performed with a full orchestra composed of the various musical
instrument sections. In this art form, singers and musicians perform a
dramatic work by combining text (called a libretto) and musical score.
g. Stagecraft. This form of art is a technical aspect of theatrical production.
This includes constructing and arranging scenery, hanging and focusing of
lighting, the design of costumes, makeup, and procurement of props,
stage management and recording and mixing of sound.

3. Literary Arts. These arts centered on creative writing and other composition
processes which intended to read. These include prose and poetry (e.g., novels,
short stories, sonnet, ballad, epic, and essay).
a. Applied Arts. These arts focus on the application of diverse designs and
decorations in any object to become aesthetically pleasing to the viewers.
b. Digital/ Graphic Design. It is the production of visual images, words, and
ideas to convey information to the audience. It uses a variety of visual
materials including billboards, logos, packaging, and etc.
c. Fashion Design. It is an art of creating ideas and designs for different
styles of clothing and other lifestyle accessories.
d. Furniture Design. It is a specialized art in making the design to any
movable objects such as chairs, cabinets, and tables, required for use or
ornament in a house, office, or the like.
4. Interior Design. It is the art or process of designing the inner beautification of a
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room or building.
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Art Appreciation for New General Education Curriculum

H. The Value of Arts in Education
When we talk about the importance of arts in education, we always start with its
intrinsic value. We see art as it illuminates our inner lives and enriches our emotional
world. Most subjects in the educational system are based on facts, with correct and
incorrect answers. Art education offers a more open approach and celebrates the
differences in finished outcomes. Students learn that there is more than one way to
complete the art project. They are able to express themselves and their emotions
through their artwork. Students have the opportunity to interpret the artwork, either
from classmates or in famous works of art (Frost, 2017).
Knowing and practicing the arts disciplines are fundamental to the development
of the minds and spirits of the students (National Art Education Association, 1994). Arts
are inseparable from education. When early humans drew images on the walls of the
caves, the artworks have been the means of recording human experiences and of
making sense of the world. It educates us on how early people lived and survived.
Thus, without the skills in the arts, no one can claim that he/she is professionally
trained.
There are several reasons for the arts to be included in an educational system. It
is evident that involvement in the arts has been shown to help students in their
academic, personal, and social development. Listed below are other details for this
assertion.

1. Arts are worth studying because it served to connect our imaginations with the
most profound questions of human existence.
2. Arts are always used every day because it helps to present issues and ideas to
teach, persuade, and entertain people.
3. Arts are connected to every person’s daily life because it helps shape our
spiritual, political, economic, cultural, and social environments.
4. Arts are energizing because it offers unique sources of enjoyment and it
investigates relationships between thought and actions.
5. Arts develop students’ attitudes because it teaches self-discipline, reinforces
self-esteem, fosters the thinking skills and creativity and values the importance
of teamwork and cooperation.
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Art Appreciation for New General Education Curriculum