THE SUBJECT OF ART
The primary stage of engaging art is its perception. Looking at art is much like any instance of taking information or stimulus
that originates from the world around us.
o Eye has a big role in making an art work
To majority of people, the appeal of most works of art lies in the representation of familiar objects. Their enjoyment of
painting, sculpture and literature comes not from their perception of the meaning or composition but from the satisfaction
they get out of recognizing the subject or understanding the narrative content.
o Clues three component of arts:
Subject – visual focus or image; What
Form – development and configuration of the artwork; setting: How
Content – meaning or message on how art communicated with the artist: Why
WHAT SUBJECT IS?
The subject of art refers to any person, object, scene or event described or represented in a work of art.
Some arts have subject, others do not. The arts that have subject are called representational. Those who do not have
subject are known as nonrepresentational
REPRESENTATIONAL ART
These types of art have subjects that refer to objects that refer or events occurring in the real world.
Also termed figurative art because the figures depicted are easy to make out and decipher .
EX: Mona Lisa Leonardo Da Vinci (1503) and Mona Lisa Leonardo Da Vinci (1503)
NON-REPRESENTATIONAL ART
Art forms that do not make a reference to the real world, whether it is a 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.
o Doesn’t represent any description and story to identify objects but rather it can get appeals directly to
the senses because of the satisfying organization
EX: Number 1A Jackson Pollock (1948)
Ways of Representing Subject – manner the subject of artist
Realism
When things are depicted in the way they would normally appear in nature, the representation is said to be realistic.
o No changes and alterations just exact appearance
Painting
Strictly speaking, no work of art is truly realistic, since no work of art is an accurate copy of what exist in the natural world.
Anyone who was watched a painter at work knows how many details he leaves out, alters, and adds, departing from
recording optical reality. Many great artists have been able to create the illusion of reality through a selective use of
details.
o From the imagination of the artists
Novel (Narrative)
A realistic novel is not just a narration of events which actually took place. Rather, it is an imaginative narrative, the details
of which the author has so manipulated that the situation appears as something that could have really happened or may
possibly happen.
Abstract
Some paintings seem to be photograph renderings of facts. But most paintings and sculptures are abstract to a certain
degree. Abstraction is the process of simplifying and/or reorganizing objects and elements according to the demands of
artistic expression. The artist selects and renders the objects with their shapes and positions altered.
Distortion
When figures have been so arranged that proportions differ noticeable from natural measurements, the objects are said to
be distorted. Distortion could also mean twisting, stretching or deforming the natural shape of the object.
o Exaggerating the object
Surrealism
We generally regard surrealism as realism plus distortion.
NONREPRESENTATIONAL ART AND ABSTRACT ART
Is non-representational art the same with abstract art?
There is no clear-cut divide, rather, they exist in a spectrum .
Example: Head of a Woman, Mougins Pablo Picasso (1962)
Kinds of Subject
Landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes
Still Life
Animals
Portraits
Figures
Everyday Life
History and legend
Religion and mythology
Dreams and Fantasies
Example: Die Ebene von Auvers (Wheat Fields Near Auvers Vincent van Gogh (1890)
CONTENT IN ART
The meaning or message that is expressed or communicated by the artwork.
In understanding the content of art, it is important to note that there are various levels of meaning:
Factual meaning
The most rudimentary level of meaning for it may be extracted from the identifiable or recognizable forms in the artwork
and understanding how these elements relate to one another
o Literal meaning of the artwork
Conventional meaning
Pertains to the acknowledged interpretation of the artwork using motifs, signs, and symbols and other cyphers
as bases of its meaning.
These conventions are established through time, strengthened by recurrent use and wide acceptance by its viewers or
audience and scholars who study them.
o Special meaning of a certain object
Subjective meaning – Meaning of the artist and audience.
When subjectivities are consulted, a variety of meanings may arise when 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 (what we
know, what we learned, what we experienced; what values we stand for).
Meaning may not be singular, rather, multiple and varied
Creation of Adam (from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel) Michelangelo (1814)
Subject: biblical art
Factual meaning: Creation Story (creation of man)
Conventional meaning: man was created in the image and likeness of God
Subjective meaning: endowment of intellect to man from God
