EMBRACING

HUMANITIES
RUTH N. MAGUDDAYAO
PROFESSOR V
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
CAGAYAN STATE UNIVERSITY
This unit is designed to intensively immerse you to the different art forms. In this way, you
come to understand better the significance of arts in our daily living.

Unit Learning Outcomes

At the end of the unit, you will be able to:
a. distinguish humanities from sciences;
b. demonstrate appreciation on the significance and functions of arts to man; and
c. analyze and explain how the art influences the person’s character and actions.
TOPIC 1: DEFINING THE HUMANITIES

Learning Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to:
a. trace the development of humanities in the different periods and
b. discuss the Humanities.
• The term "humanities" originated from ancient Latin writings valued for literary style and
moral teachings (Ortiz et al., 1976).
• During the Medieval Age, humanities focused on religious metaphysics, aiming for spiritual
cultivation (Ortiz et al., 1976).
• In the Renaissance, humanities encompassed disciplines like grammar, rhetoric, history,
literature, music, philosophy, and theology, aiming to refine individuals intellectually and
culturally (Ortiz et al., 1976).
• Sanchez (2001) elaborates on humanities as arts, including architecture, painting,
sculpture, music, dance, theater, and literature, concerned with human expression and
emotions.
• Differences between humanities and sciences:
• Sciences deal with the external world, observable and measurable through experimentation,
focusing on understanding and controlling nature.
• Humanities delve into the internal world of human personality and experiences, subjective
and intuitive, focusing on individuality (Ortiz et al., 1976).
• Social sciences focus on human groups and societal processes.).
• Similarities between humanities and sciences:
• Both aim for the development of well-rounded individuals capable of contributing to societal
progress (Ortiz et al., 1976).
• Overall, humanities and sciences are deemed essential for developing individuals capable
of navigating life's complexities and contributing meaningfully to society (Ortiz et al.,
1976; Sanchez, 2001
TOPIC 2: UNDERSTANDING THE ARTS

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the session, you will be able to:
a. evaluate the perspectives behind the meaning of art
b. demonstrate understanding on the basic concepts and assumptions about art
c. point out works of art in the past that are still very much admired and treasured today.
WHAT IS ART?

• Art is considered the lifeblood of humanities because it serves as a means of conveying

feelings and expressions, motivating individuals to create and appreciate beauty.
• Etymologically, the word "art" is derived from the Latin word "ars," meaning ability or skill. In
Italian, "artis" is defined as human skill.
• According to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, art is defined as "the conscious use of skill
and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects."
• In summary, art is viewed as a fundamental aspect of human expression and creativity, rooted
in skill and imagination, with the purpose of producing aesthetically pleasing objects or
experiences.
 WRITERS AND PHILOSOPHERS DEFINE ARTS IN DIFFERENT WAYS:

• “Art is not, as the metaphysicians say, the manifestation of some mysterious idea of beauty of
God: it is not, as the aesthetical physiologists say, a game in which man lets off his excess of
stored- up energy; it is not the expression of man’s emotions by external signs; it is not the
production of pleasing objects, above all, it is not pleasure; but it is a means of unions among
men, joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the life and progress
toward well-being of individuals and humanity.” Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy
• “Art teaches nothing, except the significance of life.” American writer Henry Miller
• “Art is higher type of knowledge than experience.” Greek philosopher Aristotle
• “The object of art is to give life a shape.” French dramatist Jean Anouilh
• “Art is science in the flesh.” French poet and playwright Jean Couteau
• “All art is social,” because it is the result of a relationship between an artist and his time.”
Historian James Adams
• “Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.” Irish poet and
playwright Oscar Wilde
• “Art is a discovery and development of elementary principles of nature into beautiful forms
suitable for human use.” American architect, interior designer, writer, and educator Frank
Lloyd Wright
ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT ART

1. Art is everywhere.
2. Art is not nature.
3. Art is imitating and creating.
4. Art perfects nature.
5. Art is universal.
 ART AS EXPRESSION AND COMMUNICATION

•Art has emerged from humanity's innate need to express itself, primarily through the
revelation of emotions.
•Beyond emotions, art also communicates the personal and social values of the artist and
reflects their profound psychological understanding of human reality.
•Artists utilize symbols to organize and convey their experiences in a comprehensible manner.
These symbols serve as equivalents to the artist's intended message.
•Successful communication through art occurs when the audience understands the symbols
employed by the artist, thereby establishing a connection between the creator and the viewer.

In essence, art serves as a medium for both individual expression and interpersonal
communication, conveying emotions, values, and insights into human experience through
symbolic representation.
ART AND EXPERIENCE

Three major kinds of experience are involved in the artistic activity.

(1) It starts as an experience which the artist wants to communicate.
(2) The act of expressing this experience –that of creating that art object or form.
(3) When the work is done, there is the artist’s gratifying experience of having
accomplished something significant.
ON THE PART OF THE ONLOOKER OR LISTENER

• When observing or listening to art, the audience may evoke experiences that are similar
or related to those intended by the artist.
• These responses encompass sensory, emotional, and intellectual reactions triggered by
the artwork.
• In essence, the audience's engagement with art can lead to a range of responses,
encompassing sensory perceptions, emotional resonance, and intellectual contemplation,
which may parallel or align with the artist's intended expression.
 ART AND BEAUTY

• A thing of beauty is something that brings pleasure to our perception, resulting in what is termed as
aesthetic pleasure.
• In the context of art, beauty arises from an interplay of various elements such as line, color, texture,
sound, shape, motion, and size, which collectively appeal to the senses.
• However, beauty is not always the primary objective of art. Artists often aim to evoke emotional
responses or stimulate the audience in various ways, such as by eliciting feelings, religious faith,
curiosity, interest, group identification, thoughts, or creativity.
• For instance, performance art may not prioritize pleasing the audience but rather aims to provoke
feelings, reactions, conversations, or questions, rendering aesthetics irrelevant as a measure of
"beautiful" art.
• In summary, while beauty is often associated with aesthetic pleasure in art, the ultimate goal of art may
transcend mere beauty to evoke deeper emotional, intellectual, or social responses from the audience.
 Reading the Book of Nature
The Book of Nature, one writer declared, has pages “written over with large print or fine print, and in a variety of language,” Most of
us read the large type more or less appreciatively, but fail to decipher the fine lines and footnotes.”
However, artists who, most always, are lovers of nature, decode the obscure signs and read between the lines. And from that, they
draw inspiration for their creations.
Before he sits down with paint and brush, Arnel Azurin, a nature painter for example, immerses himself in Nature, to explore its very
heart, to probe its secrets of life- and to realize how all these fall into a large, universal pattern.
Other artists also find inspiration in every little aspect of Nature, reading in each a sense of life, a threshold opening into a realm of
mystic meanings. In one instance, a poet, writing a poem, saw in the driftwood a metaphor of the human spirit: that though battered in
form, it prevails through time and weather.
The artist develops an acute sensitivity to Nature’s shapes; leaves in varied forms, gnarled branches and twigs, rounded hills and
mountain peaks; to Nature’s texture: flower petals, ripened fruit, rocks and stones; to Nature’s colors the carpet of emerald green
moss, the yellow of ripening grain in rice fields, the deep blue see sea and sky.
Most artists interpret and imitate Nature in its utmost beauty. How best to sum up Nature’s splendor except through colorful flowers,
scenic landscapes, lush forests, vigorous animals, and graceful human forms!
Painters, poets, sculptors, and musicians too, find inspiration in Nature. Anyone, for that matter, if he takes time out to pause and
read closely enough the Book of Nature, will discover in it an exhilarating, bewitching something that inspires the sublime in the
human spirit.
-The New Dimensions in Learning English Manual,p.184
 TOPIC 3: CLASSIFYING THE ARTS

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the session, you will be able to:
a. categorize the different forms of the arts and
b. cite examples of each of the forms.
• Webster (1987):
• Major arts involve skills to create works of art that are aesthetically pleasing and
meaningful in form, content, and execution. Examples include music, painting,
architecture, and sculpture.
• Major arts appeal to the senses of sight, hearing, and feeling, and they have a notable
and conspicuous effect.
• Minor arts focus on styling and are primarily addressed to the sense of sight and
usefulness. They are considered inferior in degree, particularly in terms of aesthetic
quality.
•Manaois, as cited by Capili (2010):
• Two general dimensions of arts are recognized:
• Fine arts (or independent arts): These are created primarily for aesthetic enjoyment
through the senses, especially visual and auditory. Examples include painting,
sculpture, architecture, literature, theater, and performing arts.
• Practical arts (or utilitarian arts): These are intended for practical use or the
development of raw materials for functional purposes. Examples include industrial
art, civic art, commercial art, graphic art, agricultural, and fishery art.

Webster's classification distinguishes between major and minor arts based on their aesthetic appeal and
effect, while Manaois' classification focuses on the distinction between fine arts created for aesthetic
enjoyment and practical arts designed for functional purposes.
ESTOLAS (1995) ALSO GROUPED ARTS INTO:

1. Visual Arts. These artworks are perceived by our eyes which may be classified into
graphic arts and plastic arts. Graphic arts have flat two-dimensional surface such as
painting industry. It covers the commercial arts like the design of books, advertisements,
signs, posters and other displays for advertisements. Plastic arts are visual arts which have
three-dimensional forms. Under this grouping are: architectural designs and construction
of buildings and other structures; landscape of gardens, parks, playgrounds, and golf
courses with plants ,trees, vines and ground cover;
2. Performing Arts. These include the theater, play, dance, and music. They involve
movement, speaking and gestures.
3. Literary Arts. These include the short stories, novels, poetry and dramas.
4. Popular Arts. These include the film, newspaper, magazine, radio and television. This group is
characterized as gay and lively.
5. Gustatory Art of the Cuisine. This involves skills in food preparation.
6. Decorative Arts. They are visual objects produced for beautifying houses, offices, cars and other
structures. They are also called applied arts.
SANCHEZ, ABAD, AND JAO (2001) GROUPED ARTS INTO:

1. Visual arts. These include graphic arts (which include drawing, painting,
photography, etc. or in which portrayals of forms and symbols are recorded on a two-
dimensional surface) and plastic arts (which comprise all fields of visual arts for which
materials are arranged in three-dimensional forms namely, structural architecture, interior
arranging, crafts, sculpture, industrial design, dress and costume design and theatre design.
2. Literature. These include drama, essay, prose fiction, poetry, and miscellaneous
(history, biography, journals, diaries, and other works not formally classed as literature).
3. Music. These include vocal music, instrumental music, music combined with other music like

opera, operatta and musical comedy, oratorio and cantata; and other forms like ballet music and

background music for motion pictures.

4. Drama and Theater. These include tragedy, melodrama, comedy, miscellaneous

5. Dance. These include ethnologic, social or ballroom dances, ballet, modern, musical comedy.
 BARRIOS (2012) CLASSIFIED ARTS INTO TWO: ACCORDING TO
PURPOSE AND ACCORDING TO MEDIA AND FORMS.

1. According to Purpose
A. Practical or useful arts are those human activities directed to produce artifacts, tools and
utensils used in doing households and everyday chores.
Examples: basket weaving agriculture, etc.
B. Liberal Arts involve the development of man’ intellectual reasoning.
Examples: Mathematics, Astronomy, Grammar
C. Fine Arts are the products of the human creative activity as they express beauty in different
ways and media for the satisfaction and relaxation of man’s mind and spirit. Examples: painting,
sculpture, architecture
D. Major Arts are characterized by their actual and potential expressiveness and by a purely

disinterested purpose. Examples: music, poetry, sculpture

E. Minor Arts are works connected with practical uses and purposes.

Examples: interior decoration, porcelain

2. According to Media and Forms
A. Plastic Arts are developed through space and perceived by the sense of sight.
Examples: painting, sculpture, architecture
B. Phonetic Arts are based on sounds and words as media of expression.
Examples: music, drama, literature
C. Kinetic Arts make use of the rhythmic movement as the elements of expression.
Example: dance
D. Pure Arts utilize only one medium of expression.

Examples: sound in music, color in painting

E. Mixed Arts use two or more media.

Example: The opera(which is a combination of music, poetry, and drama)

TOPIC 4: KNOWING THE FUNCTIONS OF ARTS

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the session, you will be able to:
a. discuss the different functions of art;
b. demonstrate understanding how artists use images to represent an idea; and
c. realize the function of some art forms in daily life.
 Have a closer look at the given images or pictures. What function does an artwork
perform? Does it have any purpose? Do all artworks have a function?
You may freely express your ideas or opinions based on your own schema or experience.

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Presentation of Content
From the activity given, you have observed that each artwork has its own function or
purpose. Artists may convey their messages in different ways.

To recognize and appreciate the function of arts not only within ourselves but in the
community as well, read the article written by Frederick A. Horowitz.
MORE THAN YOU SEE: THE MANY FUNCTIONS OF ART
BY FREDERICK A. HOROWITZ

Art has many different functions in human history. Each society defined its own purposes
for art, and produced an art suited to those purposes. For ancient Romans, art served as a
vehicle of propaganda: their sculptures proclaimed victories, and their buildings highly
praised the power of the State. In modern societies like our own, art serves different and
sometimes contradictory purposes. One artist paints in order to communicate a message
to his audience, while across the street another paints in order to please himself. A third
artist explores shapes and colors; a fourth illustrates books.
ART FUNCTIONS AS:

1. An agent of magic (to ensure a successful hunt, perpetuate the soul after death,
triumph over an enemy, cure diseases, etc.)
2. An aid to meditation
3. An agent to ritual
4. A record of events, objects, situations
5. A substitute for real thing, or a symbol
6. A souvenir

7. Propaganda to impress, persuade or change thinking or behavior

8. Communication of stories, ideas, events

9. An agent of social control

10. Amusement or entertainment

 16. Exploration of vision
11. A mean of moral improvement
17. A reflection and interpretation of life
12. education
18. An expression of beauty
13. A means of self-expression
19. Decoration or embellishment
14. Self-revelation
20. Monetary investment
15. Release of emotions
21. A status symbol
The functions of arts are wide ranging. Art is as broad as human experience.

All of art comes out of life and is bound up with life. Art is meaningful, but

meaningful in ways that differ from society to society, from time to time,

and from person to person.

Adapted from More Than You See: A Guide to Art New York: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1992
With the numerous listed functions of arts, they may normally fall into
three categories as mentioned by Esaak (2019). These are personal, social,
and physical functions.

1. Personal Function
There are many types of personal function, and they are subjective
and will, therefore, vary from person to person. An artist may create out of a need for self-expression,
or gratification. S/he might have wanted to communicate a thought or point to the viewer. Perhaps
the artist was trying to provide an aesthetic experience, both for self and viewers. A piece might have
been meant to "merely“ entertain others. Sometimes a piece isn't meant to have any meaning at all.
Further, art may serve the personal functions of control. Art has been used to attempt to exert
magical control over time, or the seasons or even the acquisition of food. Art is used to bring order
to a messy and disorderly world. Conversely, art can be used to create chaos when an artist feels life
is too staid and ordinary. Art can also be therapeutic – for both the artist and the viewer.
2. Social Function

According to Ortiz et al. (1976), art performs a social function when:

a. It seeks or tends to influence the collective behavior of a people.

b. It is created to be seen or used primarily in public situations.

c. It expresses or describes social or collective aspects of existence

as opposed to individual and personal kinds of experiences.

Influencing Social Behavior

Pictorial form is very powerful means of putting across a message.

Paintings, photographs, posters, cartoons have been used to express humanitarian

concern as well as ideological or political comment.

Satire- which puts up people and institutions to ridicule so that they will change- is

effectively communicated in various cartoons and caricatures.

 Editorial cartoons convey the message more directly and clearly than the printed word
does. Cartoonists comment on the foibles(weaknesses) of society and of its leaders, with
the hope that something is done to correct these faults and improve the human
condition.
Literature has served just as well for political and ideological expression. It is a
powerful tool in shaping society and its manners. Urbana at Felisa by Modesto de Castro-
an epistolary novel of the 19th century, became the Filipino code of ethics of the time,
guiding the youth on how to conduct themselves in church, in social gatherings, in school,
and at home.
Propaganda Literature has swayed people’s minds and feelings toward certain ends.
 Religion has especially capitalized on the arts to spread beliefs and reinforce and sustain faith. It

plays noble functions as enlightening us in our spiritual beliefs and elevating our moral character.

Advertising art aims to affect the buying behavior of people. These include posters, billboards,

magazine and newspapers adds, catalogs, handbills, package design, radio, television.
Display and Celebration

Commemoration of important personages in society serves to record important

historical events, or reveals the ideals of heroism and leadership that the community

would want the young to emulate.

Rituals have played an important role in people’s lives and have influenced the growth

of certain arts as well.

Public celebrations, such as festivals and other activities, unite people in a shared

experience, just as the celebration of important phase of life does.

Social Description

Art works are vital historical documents.

Tools, weapons furniture, paintings, statues, stories and songs and buildings reflect the

feelings, struggles and achievements of people. They reveal how people thought, felt, and

lived in a certain historical period.

Temples, sculptures, epics, plays and even the pottery of ancient Greece tell us so much

about the age when man first regarded himself as the measure of all things.

Portraits are informative.

3. Physical Function

The physical functions of art are often the easiest to understand. Works of art that are

created to perform some service have physical functions. Tools and containers are objects

which function to make our lives physically comfortable. Functional works of art may be

classified as either tools or containers.

Take a look at the given terms below. Reflect why these are categorized this way.
1. A spoon- tool
2. A car- tool
3. A building- container
4. A Community- container
5. A ceramic vase- container
6. A chair-container
Note that architecture, any of the crafts, and industrial design are all types of art that have
physical functions.
An example of the physical function of art

Art that has a physical function usually relates to items that can be used
for a practical purpose because of their physical structure, despite their
artistic appeal.

Examples include architecture, which can be breathtaking, but still

primarily serves a physical function. This chair is a good example of
physical art. Its design means that it is immediately aesthetically interesting
to the eye, but its main function is to be a comfortable chair to sit on.
 Summary of the Unit
In this Unit, The Humanities were distinguished from sciences. Humanities deal with man’s
internal world with his personality and experiences, matters that cannot be measured, classified,
or controlled. On the other hand, sciences deal with the external world of man, as well as with
the facets of man’s being that can be subjected to observation, measurement, and
experimentation. Despite their uniqueness, both the humanities and the sciences are necessary
for the holistic development of an individual ready to embrace the complexity of the changing
world. Basic concepts and assumptions about art were made clear. Art is the lifeblood of
humanities because it conveys one’s feelings and expressions. Arts are grouped into two: major
arts and minor arts. Major arts include painting, architecture, sculpture, literature, music, and
dance; while minor arts include the decorative arts, the popular arts, the graphic arts, the plastics
arts, and industrial arts. Further, art has three functions which include personal, social, and
physical functions.