Art Appreciation
Art History, Art Appreciation and
COL006
Assumptions and Categorizations of Art
Module on
1 Art History, Art Appreciation and
Assumptions and Categorizations
of Art
This module will introduce the basic concepts of art appreciation and discuss art history,
appreciation, and its nature. We will look into the differences between art and nature and various
assumptions of art. This module will also help you categorize different works of art.
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
1. differentiate art history from art appreciation;
2. discuss the nature of art’s preliminary expression;
3. differentiate art from nature;
4. characterize the assumptions of the arts; and
5. categorize works of art by citing personal experiences.
Look at the picture below and answer the following questions.
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Art Appreciation
Art History, Art Appreciation and
COL006
Assumptions and Categorizations of Art
1. Do you consider the images above as artwork? Why or why not?
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2. For you, what is art?
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3. Why do we have to appreciate art?
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Art History
Art history is the study of objects of art within their time. Art historians analyze visual arts’
meaning (painting, sculpture, architecture) when they were created. Art history does not consist of listing
all the art movements and placing them on a timeline. It is the study of objects of art considered within
their time. Art historians analyze visual arts’ meaning (e.g., painting, sculpture, and architecture) when
they were created.
According to Britannica Encyclopedia, art history or art historiography is the historical study of
the visual arts. It is concerned with identifying, classifying, describing, evaluating, interpreting, and
understanding the art products and historical development of the different kinds of art.
Art Appreciation
The term “art appreciation” refers to the knowledge of general and everlasting qualities that
classify all great arts. It refers to the exploration of visual art forms or the introduction of basic principles
of visual literacy. It also refers to analyzing a particular artwork to general audiences to enhance their
enjoyment of such works of art. Art appreciation is analysis without reference to the subject matter,
symbolism, or historical context. Art appreciation can be subjective depending on personal preferences
for aesthetics and form or based on several elements and principles of design, depending on social and
cultural acceptance.
C. S. Flores (1999) states that art appreciation aims at making man humane, that is, the student
must first learn to be before learning to do. To be humane is to be a free person, that is, reflecting, feeling,
and relating. Thus, art appreciation trains the students to reflect critically and logically from a broad
perspective with a depth of vision; communicate clearly and as the need arises, forcefully; and form
evaluative judgments based on a correct sense of values. Art appreciation can bring reflection, self-
criticism, and enlightenment in the quest for individual identity; the act of discovery for some can be in
itself a reward of accomplishment in art, music, and literature.
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Art Appreciation
Art History, Art Appreciation and
COL006
Assumptions and Categorizations of Art
Art History and Art Appreciation
Art appreciation centers on
Art history is the study of the ability to view art
throughout history, focusing
human expression, that is,
on the cultures and the
visual, tactile, spatial, and
people and how art is
aural, through history.
developed in specific
periods.
Nature of Art
Art is used in many varied ways. It covers areas of artistic creativity that seek to communicate
beauty primarily through the senses. Art embraces the visual arts (e.g., painting, sculpture, architecture,
and graphic arts), auditory arts, performing arts (e.g., music, dance, theater, opera, and cinema), and
literature.
In a specialized sense, art applies to such activities that express aesthetic ideas by using skill and
imagination to create objects, environments, and experiences shared with others. Anything accomplished
with remarkable skills is art. Hence, specialized arts include the art of teaching and the art of
acupuncture. Specialized art also comprises the art of speaking, sartorial art, culinary art, carpentry, the
art of pottery making, ceramics making, and art of metallurgy. Art is present in almost all human activities.
Even in modern technology, the phrase “state of the art” means superior or technically perfect artistry.
Bearedsley pointed out that artists produce artwork to give, which refers to the capacity to
satisfy the aesthetic interest.
The word “intention” means a combination of desire and belief to produce a work satisfying the
aesthetic interest. A piece of art may serve as an exercise in skill and manual dexterity, but the skill itself
does not define art. However, the artists’ works can be examined as a result of a skilled manipulation of
materials.
When we speak of art, we must not delude ourselves into believing that the term corresponds to
some natural, objective, and fixed body of works. The category of art is made to operate merely as a
descriptive rubric. Instead, we must understand it as a concept and not as a natural, preordained creation
but a theoretical instruction of a circumscribed set of texts felt to be of exceptional value.
Creativity, Imagination, and Expression
v Creativity focuses on the process of forming original ideas through exploration and discovery.
v According to Albert Einstein, imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited.
Imagination includes the world.
v In expression, according to Robin George Collingwood, what an artist does to emotion is not to
induce it but to express it. The artist discovers his/her own emotions and creates something
beautiful out of them simultaneously through expression.
Nature of Art
Art plays a large part in making our lives infinitely rich. Art stimulates different parts of our
brain to make us laugh. Art is a way to be creative and to express ourselves. All functional designs
are art. Art’s essential nature is that it is a nonsymbolic form of communication and a primary
counterpoint to language. Art is communicative without prior indoctrination.
Art and Nature
Art is not in nature. The skill of an artist is not a naturally found or inherently endowed
characteristic in all men. Although artists make art using nature as their inspiration and medium, nature
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Art Appreciation
Art History, Art Appreciation and
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Assumptions and Categorizations of Art
is not automatically art. The artist’s perception of the nature of things and the world may differ from
others' perspectives due to sociocultural diversities. Inspired perception and vision produce the artwork.
Art is a product of humans and not limited to what is perceived by our senses. Humans are gifted
with the capability to produce something out of what they perceive. The human mind can create
something original out of what it perceived from nature. Art is our expression of our reception of nature.
It is our way of interpreting nature. Art is made by humans, whereas nature is a given around us. Art is
not directed by the representation of reality but by perception; it is the unique human interpretation of
his/her natural surroundings. Art is human-made and an expression of what humans perceive around
them, driven by creativity and imagination (Caslib et al., 2018). Abstract painters produce artwork that
is not merely a copy of what is in nature but a product of their reception about it. If an artist used another
shape to draw a leaf, for example, a square, we could say that it is an art because that is his/her
expression of what he/she perceived from nature. Bissell (1997) defined art as a human creation.
Relationship Between Art and Nature
Nature is more than plants and animals. According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Philosophically
considered, the universe is composed of Nature and the Soul. Strictly speaking, therefore, all that is
separate from us, all which Philosophy distinguishes as the not me, that is both nature and art.”
Nature and art, according to Emerson, are the nonphysical parts of life.
Art is essentially a creation by humans, although some natural products are no less than the
best pieces of visual art. Art uses skill and imagination to create aesthetic objects, environments, or
experiences that can be shared with others. Art is the artist's imagination that he/she transforms
into a tangible form through his/her skills. An artist gets inspired mostly by nature, although the
artist's genius occasionally draws on his/her own. For the differences between art and nature, nature
is original, and art is only created by humans. Art attempts to replicate natural things, but nature will
always remain superior. Also, the considerably deeper meaning is conveyed by an artist on his/her
canvas, although he/she appears to mimic nature than nature. However beautiful humans' creation
may be, art can never be better or more beautiful than nature itself.
Assumptions (and Theories) of Art
Art is Universal
Art is universal and timeless, spanning generations and continents. It transcends cultures,
conditions, or situations. Some works of art that are created long ago are still famous today. They are
widely accepted by different people worldwide despite their different geographies, beliefs, and cultures.
This phenomenon shows that a real work of art stands out regardless of the circumstances. Several
misconceptions about art include that artwork needs to be old before it can be recognized as art. Age is
never a factor to determine if an object is a real work of art. According to Dudley (1960), art is not good
because it is old, but it is old because it is beautiful. Age is not a factor; instead, the art's quality is what
makes it stand out through time.
Art imitates life and reality
Art is born in experience; it is the footprint or fingerprint of the artist’s experience of reality.
Artists live in a given time, place, and culture. Therefore, their artworks are statements that probe the
concepts of life and reality during their time.
Art has intrinsic worth: the value is in itself
Humanities are generally regarded as the areas in which human values and a person’s
expressiveness and creativity are celebrated. Every creative work of art has a life-enhancing value.
Although art can be used similarly to spiritual values, it cannot be identical to spiritual values so that it
cannot be used up or exhausted. A great masterpiece of art is never out of date, and they tend to magnify
their value through the ages to come.
Art is Imitation
The concept of arts as imitation may be traced back to Plato and Aristotle. Plato, the idealist,
believes that art is far removed from reality, which exists in the realm of ideas or universals. Our world is
but an imperfect imitation; art is, in turn, only an imitation in our world. He places art on the same level as
shadow and reflections of things on water, all being mere illusion and illusions of reality. Aristotle, an
empiricist, rejected the belief in the realm of ideas. He believed that reality exists right in the world,
around us, and within us, as perceived by our senses. Art is a mirror of reality; therefore, it brings us in
contact with it.
Art is Pleasure
Neither Plato nor Aristotle ignored the role of pleasure in art. On the contrary, they both believed
that art gave pleasure by representing the physical world. Aristotle, in his Nicomachean ethics, explained
the connection between imitation, learning, and pleasure. Imitation is natural to humans from childhood;
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Art Appreciation
Art History, Art Appreciation and
COL006
Assumptions and Categorizations of Art
one of the advantages of men over lower animals is that man is the most imitative creature in the world
and learns at first by imitation. The truth of this point is shown by experience; although the objects
themselves may be painful to see, we delight in viewing the most realistic representations of them in art.
The idea is that imitative and pleasurable qualities go together. However, this phenomenon does not
indicate that what is not imitative will not give pleasure.
Art is a Play
Like artists, everybody needs a break from routine and drudgery; we need an outlet to vent our
passions, emotions, and other forms of uncontrolled expression. Artists find this in art; they feel it
indirectly through their expression of their craft.
Art is Expression
Our reactions to art depend on two related assumptions: first, one of the things artists do is
express their emotions; second, the expression is one of the sources of aesthetic value. However, art as
an expression is concerned with the relationship between the artist and his/her work of art and the work
of art and its audience. The expression has been taken to mean different things by various writers. While
some have concentrated on the artists' creative process, others have stressed evoking the audience's
emotion.
Art...
- is universal
- imitates life and reality
- has intrinsic worth; the values are in itself
- is imitation
- is pleasure
- is play
- is expression
Categorizations of Art
Visual art can be defined as a form of art that uses any medium to represent the artist’s idea, emotion,
and imagination. Visual art, such as paintings, sculptures, and architecture, has evolved through time.
Different periods saw the emergence of various art movements. The most famous art movements and
styles include impressionism, cubism, surrealism, expressionism, favism, art nouveau, realism, and
relativism.
a. Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color, or other media to a solid surface (support
base).
b. Sculpture is making 2D or 3D representative or abstract forms, especially by carving stone or wood
or by casting metal or plaster.
c. Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light or
other electromagnetic radiation electronically via an image sensor or chemically via light-sensitive
materials.
d. Drawing is a form of visual art in which a person uses various drawing instruments to mark paper or
another 2D medium.
Performing Arts. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(2020), performing arts range from vocal and instrumental music, dance, and theatre to pantomime,
sung verse, and beyond.
a. Theater is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers, typically actors or actresses, to
present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a
stage.
b. Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound that is organized in time.
c. Film is a series of still images that, when shown on screen, create the illusion of moving images.
d. Dance is a performing art form consisting of purposefully selected sequences of human movement
(Solmerano, 2019). Dance is a kind of nonverbal communication, where the movement of the body is
aesthetically pleasing and harmonious.
Literature refers to writing considered to have artistic merit:
a. Prose is a form of language that has no formal metrical structure. It applies a natural flow of speech
and ordinary grammatical structure instead of rhythmic structure, such as traditional poetry.
b. Poetry is a type of literature based on the interplay of words and rhythm. It often uses rhyme and
meter (a set of rules governing the number and arrangement of syllables in each line). In poetry,
words are strung together to form sounds, images, and ideas that may be complex or abstract to
describe directly.
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Art Appreciation
Art History, Art Appreciation and
COL006
Assumptions and Categorizations of Art
Applied arts is a broad subject area that combines aesthetics, design, consumer need, and finding
practical solutions to problems. It is an area where innovation and decoration come together to create
objects and ideas that are useful and beautiful (Murphy, 2019).
a. Architecture is the art and science of designing building and nonbuilding structures.
b. Fashion design is a form of art dedicated to creating clothing and other accessories that form part
of someone’s lifestyle. Modern fashion designing can be further divided into two broad categories:
ready to wear and haute couture.
c. Any object made of wood that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and functional is called wood crafts.
d. Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthy and
aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space.
Name: _________________________________ Course & Section: __________________
Identification.
Instructions: Choose the correct term or phrase from the given options that matches the following
phrases or sentences. Write the correct answer.
art appreciation creativity universality expression imitation
performing arts literature art art history play
1. __________________ - a type of art that makes use of words and word order.
2. __________________ - focuses on the process of forming original ideas through exploration and
discovery.
3. __________________ - a category of art that is performed for an audience.
4. __________________ - refers to the knowledge of general and everlasting qualities that classify all
great arts.
5. __________________ - a product of humans and not naturally found in our environment
6. __________________ - a theory of art which says making art makes a person more relaxed.
7. __________________ - the study of objects of art within their time.
8. __________________ - a theory of art that says art is applicable to any culture or society.
9. __________________ - a theory of art that demonstrates how an artist puts into art his/her reality,
resulting in art that is distanced from reality.
10. __________________ - instead of inducing emotions, an artist does this to show what they feel.
Name: _________________________________ Course & Section: __________________
A. In summary, write a 100+ word reflection paper on what you have learned in this module.
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Art Appreciation
Art History, Art Appreciation and
COL006
Assumptions and Categorizations of Art
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B. Answer the following:
1. Directions: Differentiate art history and art appreciation.
Art history is.. art appreciation is…
2. Directions: Answer the following questions. Write your answers in the space provided below.
a. What is the nature of art? Expound your answer.
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b. What are the differences between art and nature? How are the two terminologies related to
each other?
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3. Directions: Written on the left side are basic assumptions of art. Think of the possible meaning/s
of each assumption. Write your interpretation of each assumption on the right side of the table.
Assumptions of art Interpretation
Can art be universal, or is it always
grounded in its time and place?
Is art timeless or transient?
Art is not nature; nature is not art.
Art is the recording of human
experience and the involvement of
the human experience.
Does art give pleasure, or does art
give pressure?
Are some works of art better than
others?
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Art Appreciation
Art History, Art Appreciation and
COL006
Assumptions and Categorizations of Art
Name: _________________________________ Course & Section: __________________
A. Matching words.
Instructions: Choose the correct term or phrase from the given options that matches the following
phrases or sentences. Write the correct answer.
NATURE ART APPRECIATION APPLIED ARTS
PERFORMING ARTS LITERATURE VISUAL
BEAUTY ART HISTORY
INTENTION CREATIVITY
1. This refers to analyzing the form of artwork to general audiences to enhance their enjoyment of
such works of art.
2. This is the study of human expression: visual, tactile, spatial, and aural, through history.
3. Through the primary senses, this is communicated by artistic creativity.
4. This means a combination of desire and belief to produce a work that can satisfy the aesthetic
interest.
5. Refers to the process of forming original ideas through exploration and discovery.
6. An aspect of our environment in which art does not naturally occur.
7. A category of art that is primarily appreciated with our sense of sight.
8. A category of art that is developed through the use of written language.
9. A category of art that demonstrates the ability of the artist to act, dance, or sing.
10. A category of art that combines aesthetics, design, consumer need, and finding practical
solutions to problems.
B. Answer the following:
Instructions: From the categories of art discussed, choose the top five that you are most familiar
with and write them on the left side of the table. On the right side of the table, write your short
experience and reflection on each category.
Category of Art My Personal Experience
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Art Appreciation
Art History, Art Appreciation and
COL006
Assumptions and Categorizations of Art
Name: _________________________________ Course & Section: __________________
Multiple choice.
Instructions: Read each sentence or phrase carefully, select the best answer among the choices and
write beside the number or encircle the correct answer's letter.
1. What is art appreciation?
A. It is the study of the history of science within its context.
B. It focuses on the process of forming original ideas through exploration and discovery.
C. It is a form of art that uses any medium to represent the artist’s idea, emotion, and imagination.
D. It refers to analyzing the form of artwork to general audiences to enhance their enjoyment of
such works of art.
2. What is art history?
A. It is a product of humans and not limited to what is perceived by our senses.
B. It is the study of human expression throughout history.
C. It means a combination of desire and belief to produce a work that can satisfy the aesthetic
interest.
D. It centers on the ability to view art throughout a context.
3. Which of the following is an example of visual art?
A. Singing B. Photography C. Poetry D. Theater
4. Which of the following is an example of performing art?
A. Drawing B. Film C. Interior design D. Prose
5. Is art similar to nature?
A. Yes, because nature is also an art; therefore, art is similar to nature.
B. Yes, everything you see is art, and everything you see is also nature.
C. No, because art only tries to replicate natural things while nature is natural.
D. No, because art is natural while nature is artificial.
6. Which of the following demonstrates creativity?
A. Crying because of hearing a sad song.
B. Reading a text about an artistic piece.
C. Copying the handwriting of a friend.
D. Making a comic book about one’s own life.
7. What can we assume about art?
A. Art is universal and imitates life.
B. Art can be replicated.
C. Art cannot be fun.
D. Art does not have value in itself.
8. Which is true about art?
A. Art does not involve creativity.
B. Expression is not essential to making art.
C. All art is human-made.
D. Only nature can make art.
9. What do you call the form of art dedicated to the creation of clothing and other accessories that form
someone’s lifestyle?
A. Cosmetology B. Fashion design C. Interior design D. Rap composition
10. According to Bearedsley, what is the nature of art?
A. Art stimulates different parts of our brains to make us laugh.
B. State of the art means superior or technically perfect artistry.
C. It is something produced to give, which refers to the capacity to satisfy the aesthetic interest.
D. Art's essential nature is that it is a nonsymbolic form of communication and a primary
counterpoint to language.
