Art Appreciation Introduction
Art Appreciation Introduction
Art Appreciation Introduction
1. Understand the role of humanities and arts in man’s attempt at fully realizing his end
2. Engage better with personal experiences and in art
Introduction
Art is something that is perennial around us. Some people may deny having to with the
arts but it is indisputable that like presents us with many forms and opportunities for
communion with the arts.
The humanities constitute one of the oldest and most important means of expression
developed by man. Human history has witnessed how man evolved not just physically
but also culturally from cave painters to men of exquisite paint brush users of the
present. Even if one goes back to the time before written records of man’s civilization
has appeared, he can find cases of man’s attempts of not just crafting tools to live and
survive but also expressing his feelings and thoughts.
History of Art
Art - comes from the ancient Latin, “ars” which means a craft or specialized form of skill.
Visual - painting
Sculpture
Architecture
Performing - Music
Dance
Drama
Linguistic - Literature
Humanities constitute one of the oldest and most important means of expression
developed by man. Human history has witnessed how man evolved not just physically
but also culturally.
Humanities - came from Latin word “humanus” which means “quality of being human”
The historical root of humanistic studies is the philosophy of humanism which had its root
on the ancient belief that , as Protagoras said “Man is the measure of all things.”
1. Mind (will) - Senses such eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin and imagination
2. Reason (Emotion) - perception such sensation
3. Thinking (Feeling) - sensing such as seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and
imagining
Representation
- You see things, nature, people, and objects such as woman, tree, sky, rice field
and others.
Division of Aesthetics
1. Aesthetic Idealism - theory of beauty which asserts that real beauty is an idea that
exist in the world of being. Things in this world are beautiful as appearances of the idea
of beauty. Art is beautiful as imitation of things in this world.
B. Absolutely Beauty. It considers the view that a thing is beautiful by virtue of itself.
Beauty is objective, and resides in the thing regardless of the people looking at it.
Plato - an Ancient Greek philosopher (348-267 BC) who formulated an idealist and
metaphysical theory of beauty.
- Plato’s theory of beauty is metaphysical. The existence of beauty is like the
existence of number, truth or justice. Since the individual beautiful things in this world
change and pass away, they are not in reality, beautiful; they are beautiful only as
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appearances of the universal form of beauty, like the reflection in a mirror. Plato would
like to expel the mimetic artists from the state because they make people ignorant by
bringing them two times farther away from reality.
Function - capacity of an object to achieve its intended use or purpose for the user.
Le Corbousier. French architect (1887 - 1965) whose many building designs may be
interpreted as functionalist, particularly those in the urban areas, for providing the city
residents with
better living
conditions.
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Aesthetic
Hedonism -
theory which
asserts that a
thing is beautiful
if it gives
pleasure to the
person
experiencing it
and ugly if it
gives pain. As a
philosophy of
human life, it
adheres to the
saying, “Eat,, drink and be merry for tomorrow you die.”
A person is only a body; there is no human soul and no after life. We live only once;
death is our ultimate end. The purpose of life, according to Aristippus is to experience
the maximum amount of pleasure and to get rid of all pain.
Aristippus - Philosopher (435 -365 BC) who formulated extreme hedonism and lived his
life based on this belief.
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Epicurus - Philosopher (341-356 BC) who theorized about moderate hedonism.
According to him, real pleasure is an abiding peace of mind.
Aesthetic Conventionalism -
Theory which contends that
the perception and
conception of beauty and
ugliness is due to the agreement of people in the society.
- People from different times and places have different social values, hence have
different perception and concept of beauty and ugliness. For the ancient Greeks, the
beauty of a woman’s body is determined by her bulging stomach which symbolizes
fertility. A long necked woman is beautiful for the Padaung people in Burma. The
Negritos perceived a beautiful woman with dark teeth. The modern standard is the vital
statistic of 36-24-36. Aestheitic Conventionalism is applied to the fashion of clothing or
hair-do.
Thomas Hobbes - Philosopher (1588-1679) who theorized about the creation and
evolution of society, morality, and civil laws, as well as the formulation of social
contract. This philosophy may be interpreted as the theory of beauty based on
convention.
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Psychoanalytic Theory of Beauty -
which asserts that the perception
and conception of beauty is
conditioned by the subconscious
mind.
Aesthetic Formalism
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Theory of Art -
essence of art
Art appreciation
Positive - wow!
Perceptual - Sense data
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and representation
Emotional - feelings
Intellectual - meaning
Response - communication and reaction
Beauty - value that delights
Artworks - painting, musics etc.
Art is reality
Art is talent, skill, passion, emotion, idea, truth, reality, goodness, beauty, form,
expression, representation, power
Assumption of Art
1. Art is universal. Literature has provided key works of art. Art has always been timeless
and universal, spanning generations and continents through and through. In every
country and in every generation, there is always art.
2. Art is not nature. One important characteristic of art is that it is not nature. Art is man’s
expression of his reception of nature. Art is a man’s way of interpreting nature. Art is not
nature. Art is made by man, whereas nature is given around us. It is in this juncture that
they can be considered opposites. What we find in nature should not be expected to
be present in art too.
3. Art involves experience. Getting this far without a satisfactory definition of art can be
quite weird for some. For most people, art does not require full definition. Art is just
experience. By experience, we mean the “actual doing of something, he often means
that he knows what that something is about.
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Lesson 2. Art Appreciation: Creativity, Imagination and Expression
Creativity requires thinking outside the box. It is often used to solve problems that have
never occurred before, conflate function and style, and simply make life a more
unique and enjoyable experience.
2. Art as expression
- There may have been many times when you felt something is going on with
you, you try to explain it but you do not know how. You may only be conscious
about feeling this sort of excitement, fear, or agitation but you know that just one
word is not enough to describe the nature of what you truly feel.
There are countless ways of expressing oneself through art. The following list includes
but is not limited to popular art expression.
Visual Art - creations that fall under this category are those that appeal to the sense of
sight and are mainly visual in nature.
Film - film refers to the art of putting together successions of still images in order to
create an illusion of movement.
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 kind of art such as
visual art, props, or sound. It consists of four important elements: time, where
performance took place, the performer’s or performer’s body, and relationship
between the audience and the performer(s).
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. These words are
carefully selected to exhibit clarity and beauty and beauty and to stimulate strong
emotions of joy, anger, love, sorrow, and the list goes on.
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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 color are
not beautifully expressed.
Dance - dance is a series of movements that follows the rhythm of the music
accompaniment. It has been an age-old debate whether dance can really be
considered an art form but here we primarily describe dance as a form of expression.
Literary Art - artists who practice literary arts use words not paint, musical instruments, or
chisels to express themselves and communicate emotions to the readers. Literary art
goes beyond the usual professional, academic, journalistic and other technical forms
of writing.
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. Much like in film-making, the theater also considers
several elements such as acting, gesture, lighting, sound effects, musical score,
scenery, and props.
Function of Art - different art 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. The functions of art are classified into three: personal (public or
expression), social (celebration to affect collective behavior) and physical (utilitarian).
Personal Functions of Art - the personal functions of art are varied and highly
subjective. These means that the functions depend on the person - the artist who
created the art. An artist may create an art out of the need for self expression. This is
the case for an artist who needs to communicate an idea to his audience. An art may
also be therapeutic.
Social Functions of Art - art is considered to have a social function if and when it
addresses a particular collective interest as opposed to personal interest. Art may
convey message of protest, contestation, or whatever message the art intends his work
to carry. Often, art can depict social conditions.
Physical Function of Art - the physical functions of art are the easiest to spot and
understand. The physical functions of art can be found in artworks that are crafted in
order to serve some physical purpose.
Introduction
The elements of art are generally produced when something is done to the
medium after a technique is carried out. Some art forms also necessitate some of the
elements as they are inherent in the very nature of them.
For example, in sculptures automatically have the following elements with or
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without the decision of the artist to include them: shape, form and space. Without
these elements, there is no sculpture to begin with. Elements are necessary
preconditions for the creation of art.
1. Line - refers to a point moving at an identifiable path - it has length and direction. It
also has width. It is one dimensional, however it has the capacity to either define the
perimeters of the artwork (edges) and/or become a substantial component of the
composition.
A. Horizontal and vertical lines - refers to the orientation of the line. Horizontal lines are
normally associated with rest or calm. Landscapes often contain these elements as
work like these often connote a visual sense of being parallel to the ground.
B. Diagonal and crooked lines - diagonal lines convey movement and instability,
although the progression can be seen. Crooked or jagged lines and on the other hand,
are remiscent of violence, violence, conflict or struggles.
C. Curved lines - these are lines that bend or coil. They allude to softness, grace,
flexibility or even sensuality.
2. Shape - refers to two dimensions: height and width, while form refers to the three
dimensions: height, width, and depth. Even if shapes are part of a bigger picture, each
can be identified by breaking the visual components apart and making distinctions
based on what we know and what we have seen.
B. Organic - organic shapes are those readily occurring in nature, often irregular and
asymmetrical.
3. Space - it is usually inferred from a sense of depth, whether it is real stimulated. Real
space is three-dimensional.
4. Color - is one of the elements that enhances the appeal of an artwork. Its effect has
range, allowing the viewer to make responses bases on memory, emotion, and instinct,
among others. This element of light as it is reflected off the object. Color is not intrinsic to
an object and without light, one cannot perceive color.
A. Hue - this dimension of color gives its name. It can be subdivided into:
Tertiary colors - six in total, these hues are achieved when primary and secondary
colors are mixed.
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B. Value - this refers to the brightness or darkness of color. Often, this is used by artists to
create the illusion of depth and solidity, a particular mood, communicate a feeling, or
in establishing scene
(e.g. dark and night)
Texture - Like space, texture can either be real or implied. This element in an artwork is
experienced through the sense of touch and sight. This element renders the art object
tactile.
Chiaroscuro - technique for applying values in painting. The word is from Italian that
means light and dark.
Sfumato - smokey effect in painting that creates blurry image and conveys a sense of
mystery.
Saturation - concerned with intensity or brightness and dullness of color. Intensity ranges
from black which is the dullest and yellow which is brightest. Dull colors tend to
advance while bright colors tends to recede
Music - Greek term from which the word music was derived.
It refers to the Goddesses of Art Inspiration in Ancient Greek Mythology.
Elements of Sound
Mechanisms of Sound
Theories of Music
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Activity
What to do:
a. Using the elements and principles of art as guide, redesign the poster of your favorite
film.
b. The poster must clearly reflect the use of the elements and principles of art.
c. Write a brief explanation of the poster that you have made.
Greek philosopher Aristotle claimed that every particular substance in the world has an
end, or telos in Greek which translates 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 baby will eventually turn into a grown man or a woman.
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, Aristotle’s view of reality, is bound to
achieve a life of fulfillment and happiness. However, happiness, the supposed end of
man, is linked with his function, which is being rational. One can only be happy when
he is 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.
If the table does not have a surface on which we can put on our books or our plates
and glasses, then it ceases to be able. The same goes with man.
Roughly and broadly, the functions of art are classified into three: personal (public
display or expression), social (celebration or to affect collective behavior) and physical
(utilitarian).
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Personal function
The personal functions of art are varied and highly subjective. This means that its
functions depend on the person- the artist who created the art. An artist may create an
art out of the needs to communicate an idea to his audience. Often, the artist may not
even intend to mean anything with his work.
An art may also be therapeutic. In some orphanages and home for abandoned elders,
art is used to help residents process their emotions or while away their time. Recently,
the use of adult coloring books to de-stress has been apparent too, now with a lot of
designs being sold in bookstores nationwide. These all fall under personal functions of
art.
The physical functions of art are the easiest to spot and understand. The physical
functions of art can be found in artworks that are crafted in order to serve some
physical purpose. An example would be the Japanese raku bowl that serves a physical
function in a tea ceremony. Architecture, jewelry making and even interior design are
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all forms of arts that have physical function.
Music as art is also interesting to talk about relation to function. Music in its original form
was principally functional. Music was used for dance and religion. Music was also
essential to dance because music assures synchronicity among dancers. Moreover,
music also guarantees that marches, in the case of warriors, were simultaneous. Today,
music has expanded its function and coverage. Music is listened to and made by
people for reasons that were foreign to civilizations.
Sculpture on the other hand, is another functional art form that has long existed for
various purposes. Just like music, from the early days of humanity, sculptures have been
made by man most particularly for religion. In the Roman Catholic world, the
employment of sculptures for religious purposes has remained vital, relevant and
symbolic. Sculpture were also made in order to commemorate important figures in
history.
Another art form readily lends itself to multiple functions is Architecture. In fact,
architecture might be the most prominent functional art form. Buildings are huge,
expensive, and are not easily constructed and replaced. Unlike other forms of art like
pots, furniture, poetry, or even paintings, buildings take so much time to erect and
destroy. It is also where you can find the intimate connection of function and form.
Activity:
What to do:
Look around your house and identify a product of art in your household. Trace the
beginnings of this item and identify what functions it has played in history (e.g. a
painting of the Last Supper in your dining room or a spoon.
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Lesson 5. Subject and Content
Introduction
One of the major hurdles that spoils an individual’s engagement with an artwork is the
notion that in order to appreciate it, one must be able to extract a specific image,
isolate the artist or maker’s intention, and unearth a particular meaning.
The primary stage of engaging with art is its perception. Looking at art is much like any
instance of taking information or stimulus that originates from the world around us. For
most art forms, the beginning of engagement is through looking at the artwork. The
eyes play a big role in mechanically making a vision possible. However, like any tool, it
is but one component. What makes the difference is the awareness in the process of
looking where subjectivity is essential in navigating through the artwork. Subjectivity is
illustrated in the way that selective perception renders one or two details more
prominent than others, prompting the viewer to focus on some details as essential or as
standouts. Even the disposition or mood of the viewer, his education, his background,
and his exposure to varying contexts contribute to what information is taken in and how
they are interpreted.
Subject refers to the visual focus or the image that may be extracted from the
examining the artwork, while content is the meaning that is communicated by the artist
of the artwork. How the elements and the medium or material are put together is the
form. In simpler terms, the subject is seen as the “what”; the content is the “why” and
the form is the “how”.
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Types of Subject
Portraits such as “Mona Lisa” are good examples of what is called representational art.
These types of art have subjects that refer to objects or events occurring in the real
world. Often, it is also termed figurative art because as the name suggests, the figures
depicted are easy to make out and decipher. 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.; and that the background is
a landscape-probably a view from a window.
Non representational art does not make a reference to the real world, whether it is
person, place, thing or even a particular event. It is stripped down to visual elements
such as shapes, lines, and colors, that are employed to translate a particular feeling,
emotion, and even concept.
It is in this light that representational works are often favored because they are easier to
recognize. Viewers find a greater degree of comfort when what they see registers as
something familiar. They then continue to process this understanding, sometimes even
becoming confident enough to share their insights to others.
It can be argued then that an artist is faced with strong persuasion of creating works
that veers toward representation art. However, it is not simply an issue assumed
preference; rather, it cuts across matters relating to prevailing themes, norms and
practices of specific historical moments. One source of confusion is the notion that
representational art is the same as abstract art. Abstract art is in itself a departure from
reality, but the extent of that departure determines whether it has reached the end of
the spectrum, which is non representational - a complete severance from the world.
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Content in Art
To take on the challenge of understanding the content of art, it must be reiterated that
there are various levels of meaning. Perhaps the most common is what we call factual
meaning. This pertains to the most rudimentary level of meaning for it may be extracted
from the identifiable or recognizable forms in an artwork and understanding how these
elements relate to one another. Conventional meaning, on the other hand pertains to
the acknowledged interpretation of the artwork using motifs, signs, symbols and other
cyphers as bases of its meaning. When looking at 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. When looking at a particular painting for example, perception
and meaning are always informed (and even colored) by a manifold of contexts: what
we learned; what we experienced; and the values we stand for. It is therefore
expected that meaning may not be singular; rather, a painting may communicate
multiple meanings to its many viewers. This is what we call subjective meaning of art.
Activity
What to do
1. Watch the documentary about Van Gogh art. Write a reflection paper of the said
documentary.
2. Look at the painting below by artist David Baily entitled “Selbstbildnismit Vanitassymbolen”
(Self portrait with vanitas Symbols).
a. List down everything that you see within the four corners of the work. List as many as
you can. Discuss and compare the items you listed.
b. Based on your answers, write an assumption about what the items in the painting means.
c. Write your answer on a short bond paper.
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Introduction
The art is one of the most significant ways in which we try to grapple with how the
present unfolds. In Robert Henri’s The Art Spirit (1923), he stated that “Art when really
understood is the province of every human being. It is simply a question of doing things,
anything as well. It is not outside, extra thing. When the artist is alive in any person,
whatever his kind of work may be, he becomes an inventive, searching, daring, self
expressing creature. He becomes interesting to other people. Where those who are not
artists are trying to close the book he opens it, shows there are more pages possible.
There is a gap when one continues to persist with the idea that art is something that is
detached from every day.
One of the avenues that makes this both possible and exciting is the engagement with
art and culture.
Gec 6 - Art Appreciation
The evolution of the artist throughout history is one of the most interesting progressions in
the affairs of man. From the banalities of the works he created to assist and inform the
everyday, he was caught in the midst of prevailing and shifting ideologies, and utilized
the power of the creativity and imagination in attempt to grapple with the world
around him. There is much responsibility and expectation ascribed to artists.
Activity
What to do:
Answer the following questions.
1. What art form can you most relate to and appreciate? It may be architecture,
sculpture, painting, music, literature, film, dance, performance/theater, and living
traditions.
2.
3. Name an artist works you really like.
4. Is there a particular work of art created by him or her that you relate to and
appreciate? What is it and why?