CHAPTER 1
HUMANITIES AND ART APPRECIATION:
AN INTRODUCTION
(Week 1)
MY JOURNEY
What is art? How do we
define art? What is the role of art in
our everyday life? Why study art
appreciation and humanities?
These might be the questions often
asked by most college students.
Art is defined as the
expression or application of human
creative skill and imagination,
typically in a visual form such as Planting Rice by Fernando Amorsolo
painting or sculpture, producing
works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. However, there is
no single agreed upon definition of art. It varies from cultures.
In this lesson, you will be acquainted with art and its importance. Activities are
made easy for you.
MY EXPECTATIONS
At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:
1. understand the importance of Humanities and Art Appreciation in every individual’s
life;
2. gain a general knowledge of the creation and functions of arts; and
3. recognize the certain purpose of art as well as its classification and discuss their
characteristics.
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MY INITIAL TASKS
As a preliminary activity for the topic, kindly reflect on the following questions:
Before 1. Do you think of yourself as a
creative person? If you do,
reading, try why? If you don’t, why not?
2. Are you more creative and
to ask most productive when feeling
happy? Do you suffer if you are
yourself not?
3. How do you determine whether
these a particular art is an original
work of an artist?
questions: 4. What talent/s would you like to
improve as a person? Why?
MY READINGS
Meaning and Importance of Humanities
tymologically, the term “Humanities” is from a Latin word humanus which means
E educated. It refers to the learning of arts such as architecture, dance, literature,
music, painting, theatre, and sculpture (Sanches, 2011).They are branches of
knowledge that focuses on the human opinions, and relationships (Machlis,
2003). As a branch of learning, the artwork is considered as the material object while its
creativity and appreciation is the formal object (Menoy, 2009& Marcos, et al., 2010).
Likewise, Humanities is more concerned on how a person expresses his/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
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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).
Description of Art Appreciation
When we look around, we see a lot of things that relate to art. Art can come in the
form of many items such as posters, paintings, portraits, covers, and more. People look
at art in different ideas that they want to know more about or may be studying. Art can
shows 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 motivate 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 multiple
viewpoints It also requires an ability to differentiate what is apparent and what is not
(Gargaro & Jilg, 2016 and Sanger, 2012).
The Creation of Arts
In our life, we experience so much fragmentation of our thoughts and feelings. But,
by creating arts, it brings things back together. We merely make art because of so many
reasons, and we enjoy the process of it.
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.
Significantly, 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).
Artist is most often refers 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
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progressed in the extent of his/her life to express feelings. These are all processed in
three significant phases namely: Creation of Forms; Creation of Ideas; and Creation of
the Materials (Sanchez, 2011).
a. The 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. The 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. The Creations of 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.
Functions of Arts
From the very beginning, arts have been part of human history. It described, defined,
and deepened the human experience. In the Prehistoric period for example, peoples
performed songs and dances to gratify their ancestors. Likewise, hunters brushed
different figures on the walls of caves to depict their day to day experiences. Arts also
serve several functions which are item outcome to its purpose (Menoy, 2009), namely:
1. Individual Function- The artists perform arts because of the passion of their
respective art forms. A singer presents a concert for free because of his advocacy
and the love of singing. For example, Regine Velaquez (Asia’s Songbird) is well-
known for possessing extensive vocal range.
2. Social Function- Man associates with others through his art performance that
arouses social consciousness. Examples of this association are the choral singing,
group dancing, public art exhibits and other practices.
3. Economic Functions- Arts are emerging as a potent force in the economic life of
people assumes an essential role as a direct and indirect contributor to state
economies. Example of this is by generating economic vitality in under-performing
regions through crafts, tourism, and cultural attractions.
4. 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.
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5. Historical Functions- Art is an essential technique for information to be recorded
and preserved. It serves to document or reconstruct historical figure and events.
Most arts that are in Museums, for example, are filled with amazing stories about
the world most excellent and most creative people who brought us the treasures.
By looking at a work of art’s colors, materials, and symbolism, we can learn about
the story and culture that produced it in the past.
6. Cultural Functions- Art is an articulation and transmission of new information and
values. Example, when you think of Manila, you probably think of Fort Santiago,
Luneta Park, and its world-renowned churches, or the famous Intramuros.
7. Physical Functions- Buildings are artistically designed and constructed to protect
their occupants and make their life inside more meaningful. Architects, Industrial
and Graphic Designers, and Interior Decorators share responsibility in building
environment that balance forms and functions.
8. 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.
Purpose of Art
Creativity or imagination is the primary basis of art. Art is created when an artist
produces a stimulating experience that is considered by his audience to have artistic
merit. The artwork is the visual expression of an idea or experience of an artist, through
the use of a medium (Frank, 2011). It allows expression of the individuality of the artist.
Through artistic endeavors, we can share what is important to us with others and can
learn about the values of feelings of those sharing art with us. Some purposes of art are
the following (Marcos et al., 2011).
1. Create Beauty- Art is an expression of our thoughts, emotions, and intuitions. It is
the communication of concepts 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. Provide 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.
3. Reveal 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.
4. Express 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.
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6. Commemorate Experience- Art serves to convey the personal experiences of an
artist and record his impression in his work.
7. Create Harmony- An artist makes use of the composition to put an order in the
diverse content of his work.
Classifications of Art
Many changes in the arts took place during the early modern period. Its classification
can be on many characteristics, including form, shape, function, use, or social context.
Works of art are classified 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 or other media to a surface with a
brush or other objects.
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 image sensors or
photographic films.
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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).
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The Value of Arts in the Educational System
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 professionly 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 because it helps to present issues and ideas to teach,
persuade, and entertain people.
3. Arts are integral to every person’s daily life because it helps shape our spiritual,
political, economic, cultural, and social environments.
4. Arts are refreshing 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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MY DISCOVERY TASKS
Directions: Match Column A with Column B. Write the letter of the correct answer on
the box provided before each item.
Column A Column B
1. It is the process of arranging elements in a way for a. Stone
you to use your senses and emotions.
2. A science which is concerned with the human b. Creation of Ideas
thought, feelings, and relations.
3. It is composed of minerals and can be into material c. Cultural
types according to how they formed.
4. It is an artist’s trait developed in the course of his d. Photography
life to express his feelings.
5. It means “craftsmanship.” e. Creation of
materials
6. It refers to a person who engaged in one or more f. Sculpture
of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to
creating art.
7. A process of art wherein a painter paints a picture g. Creation of forms
from a scene where most people do not think
beauty existed.
8. A phase of creating art in which the artist uses h. Creativity
materials to give form to his idea.
9. It is a means of communication to the unknown i. Humanities
being created and performed by the ancient
people.
10. It is where the artists have developed different j. Dance
forms to express the ideas they have work.
11. It is a type of art that marks a two-dimensional k. Artiste
medium.
12. It is a type of art that signifies a three-dimensional l. Drawing
artwork.
13. It is an art form of rhythmic movement of the m. Arti
body.
14. A function of art which expresses ideas and n. Adoration
values.
15. It is an art of creating images by recording o. Art
radiation on a radiation-sensitive medium.
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Directions: In your own words, briefly discuss the following concepts listed below.
1. Humanities
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2. Art
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3. Stagecraft
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4. Creation of Art
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5. Purpose of Art
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6. Visual Art
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7. Performing Arts
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8. Literary Arts
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9. Art Education
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10. Creative Arts
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Essay: Answer the following questions below briefly but precisely.
1. What is the importance of Humanities as a science of Art?
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2. How is a work of art produced by an artist? Discuss the process of production.
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3. Why art is also termed as “High Culture”?
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MY TREASURE
Before we continue, kindly reflect on the
given quote. You may write your thoughts
below.
“Appreciation of works of art requires
organized effort and systematic study.”
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Dr. Arbert C. Barnes
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Flexible Learning Task No. 1
THE VALUE OF ARTS: A REFLECTION
Directions: Write a reflective essay on the importance of Arts and try to capsulize
your understanding of the lesson.
MY SUPPLEMENTS
Gildow, C. (2012). Art Appreciation. Retrieved last August 18, 2020 from
https://learn.canvas.net/courses/24
SBCTC & Lumen Learning. (n.d.) Art Appreciation. Retrieved last August 18, 2020 from
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/masteryart1/
Art Class Curator. (2020). Art Appreciation. Retrieved last August 21, 2020 from
https://artclasscurator.com/principles-of-design-
examples/#:~:text=The%20principles%20of%20design%20are,a%20wide%
20range%20of%20effects.
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