LESSON 1 What Is Art: Introduction and Assumptions

Topic Overview

Basic human needs stand at the center of the art experience. What these needs are may
be debated and rationalized, but their existence cannot be questioned. The need for a sense of
identity reinforced by signs and symbols, the need for confirmation of our inner perplexities, the
need to be reassured that inner ambivalences, doubts, and anxieties can be given shape: these
needs are so much a part of our humanity that they function at an unconscious level.

This module has to do with the understanding and enjoyment of the arts – a subject
which concerns all of us, for every day we are consciously and unconsciously having our values
shaped by the art around us, and every day we make decisions and judgements that are
determined by our appreciation of the arts and our sensitivity to them

Learning Outcome: 1) Illustrate and explain appreciation of arts in general, including their

functions, value and historical significance.

Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the role of humanities and arts in man’s attempt at fully

realizing his end.

2. Characterize the assumptions of arts and engaged better with personal

experiences of and in art.

The Meaning, Importance, and Scope of Humanities

The world humanities comes from the Latin humanus, which means human, cultured,
and refined. To be human is to have or show qualities like rationality, kindness, and tenderness.
It has different connotations in different historical eras. Today, however, we know of humanities
as a loosely defined group of cultural subject areas. Unlike other subjects, it is not a group of
scientific or technical subjects. Thus, the term humanities refers to the arts - the visual arts such
as architecture, painting, and sculpture; music, dance the theater or drama, and literature. They
are the branches of learning concerned with human thought, feelings and relations. The
importance of the human being and his feelings and how he expresses those feelings have
always been the concern of the humanities.

Art is very important in our lives. It constitutes one of the oldest and most important
means of expression developed by man. Wherever men have lived together, art has sprung up
among them as a language charged with feeling and significance. The desire to create this
language appears to be universal. As a cultural force, it is pervasive and potent. It shows itself
even in primitive societies.

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 Art, like love is not easy to define. It concerns itself with the communication of certain
ideas and feelings by means of a sensuous medium – color, sound, bronze, marble, words, and
film. This medium is fashioned into symbolic language marked by beauty of design and
coherence of form. It appeals to our minds, arouses our emotions, kindles our imagination, and
enchants our senses.

The art that we perceived through our eyes is called the visual art, and architecture is
one part of it. Visual arts involve not only painting and sculpture but include such thing as
clothes, household appliances, and the furnishings of our homes, schools, churches and other
buildings. Through the ideas selected by painters and sculptors and the forms they create, they
express the ideals, the hopes, and the fears of the times.

The Scope of the Humanities

The humanities is a many-faceted subject. As mentioned earlier, it consists of the visual
arts, literature, drama and theater, music, and dance.

Visual Arts
The visual arts are those that we perceive with our eyes. They may be classified into two
groups; graphic (flat, or two-dimensional surface) and plastic arts (three-dimensional).

A. The Graphic Arts. Broadly, this term covers any form of visual artistic representation,

Especially painting, drawing, photography, and the like or in which portrayals of forms
and symbols, are recorded on a two-dimensional surface. Printers also use the term
graphic arts to describe all processes and products of the printing industry.

1. Painting. This the process pf applying pigment to a surface to secure effects

involving forms and colors. Painting mediums include oils, watercolors, tempera and
others. Canvas, wood, paper, and plaster are some of the surfaces on which painting
are executed.

2. Drawing is the art of representing something by lines made on a surface or the

process of portraying an object, scene or forms of decorative or symbolic meaning
through lines, shading, and texture in one or more colors. Mediums used include
pencil, pen and ink, crayon, brush, and charcoal.

3. Graphic Processes. These are processes for making multi-reproduction of graphic

works. All processes involve the preparation of a master image of the drawing or
design on some durable material such as wood, metal, or stone, from the printing is
done. Processes maybe classified by the nature of the surface from which the
printing is done : raised (relief); depressed (intaglio); or flat (surface, or plane).

a. Relief printing is the process whereby unwanted portions of design are cut away
on the master image. Printed image is formed by the remaining surface.

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 Examples are linoleum cuts, woodcuts, and wood engravings, Japanese prints
are made from woodcuts.
b. Intaglio printing is a method of printing from a plate on which incised lines, which
plane) surface.
(1) Dry point. Here the artist draws directly on a metal plate with a sharp needle
and scratches lines, or grooves, into the metal. For each print, ink is rubbed
into the grooves and the unscratched surface is wiped clean. In printing, the
ink in the grooves, is transferred to paper.
(2) Etching. This is the art or process of producing drawings or design on metal
plates covered with wax. The needle penetrates wax to the surface of the
plate. The plate is then dipped in acid, which eats the lines into the metal. For
printing, etched (bitten) lines are filled with ink which is transferred to the
paper.
(3) Engraving. This is done on a metal plate with a cutting tool called a barin,
which leaves a V-shaped trough. Drawings or designs on the plate are
entirely composed of lines and/or dots.

c. Surface printing includes all processes in which printing is done from a flat
(plane) surface.
(1) Lithography is the art or process of printing from a flat stone or metal plate by
a method based on the repulsion between grease and water. The design is
put on the surface. The surface is then treated so the ink adheres only to
areas where the drawing has been done; ink is then transferred to the paper
in printing.
(2) Silkscreen. Silk is stretched over a rectangular frame and unwanted portions
in the design are blocked out. Pigment is forced through the clear ones. For
multicolor prints, a separate screen is used for each color.

4. Commercial art. This includes designing of books, advertisements, signs, posters,

and other displays to promote sale or acceptance of product, service or idea.

5. Mechanical Processes. These are developed by commercial printers for rapid, large-
quantity reproduction of words and pictures on one or more colors

6. Photography. This is a chemical-mechanical process by which images are produced

on sensitized surfaces by action of light. Reproductions may be in black or white or in
full colors of the original.

B. The Plastic Arts. This group includes all fields of the visual arts in which materials are
organized into three-dimensional forms.

1. Architecture is the art of designing and constructing buildings and other types of
structures. Varied materials used include stone, concrete, brick, wood, steel, glass,
and plaster. Architecture is often referred to as the “mother of the art” because it

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 houses, serves as background for, or occurs in relation to other fields of art such as
painting, sculpture, interior design, landscape architecture, and city planning.
2. Landscape architecture is planning outdoor areas for human use and enjoyment,
especially gardens, parks, playgrounds, golf courses. Chief materials are plants,
trees, shrubs, flowers, vines, and ground cover.
3. City Planning. This refers to planning and arranging the physical aspects of a large
or small community. Structures and areas concerned with all phases of living and
working, are attractively and efficiently organized and related.
4. Interior design. The term is used to designate design and arrangement of
architectural interiors for convenience and beauty. It includes backgrounds (walls,
floors, ceilings), furnishings, and accessories. Design of wallpapers, furniture, textiles
for curtains and upholstery are important fields of interior design.
5. Sculpture refers to the design and construction of three-dimensional forms
representing natural objects or imaginary (sometimes abstract) shapes. Common
materials are stone, wood, clay and metal; but ivory, jade, wire, string, and other
materials are also used. Sculptures of figures are called statues.
6. Crafts. The term refers to the designing and making of objects by hand for use or for
pleasure. It includes such fields as ceramics, jewelry, leatherwork, and weaving. If
these fields are mass-produced, they are classified as industrial design.
7. Industrial Design refers to design of objects for machine production. Examples are
designs for automobiles and household appliances.
8. Dess and Costume Design. This covers the design of wearing apparel of a all types-
dresses, coats, suits, shoes, ties, and the like.
9. Theater Design is the design of settings for dramatic productions.

Literature

The art of combining spoken or written words and their meanings into forms which have
artistic and emotional appeal is called literature.

1. Drama is a form of literature. It is listed or defined in the next page.

2. Essay. This is non-fiction, expository (descriptive or explanatory) writing raging from

informal, personal topics to closely reasoned critical treatments of important subjects.

3. Prose Fiction includes narratives (stories) created by the author, as distinguished

from true accounts. The word fiction comes from a Latin word which means “to form,”
and “to feign”. Fiction is generally divided into novel, novellete, and short story
forms. A novel or a short story describes characters and events which the author has
invented.

4. Poetry is literature of a highly expressive nature using special forms and choice of
words and emotional images. Narrative (storytelling) poetry includes epics,
romances, and ballads. Lyric forms include sonnet, ode, elegy, and song.

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 5. Miscellaneous: history, biography, letter, journals, diaries and works not formally
classes as literature often have definite literary appeal and status due to high quality
of the writing.

Music

Music is the art of arranging sound in dynamic succession and generally in combination.
Melody results this sequence, and harmony from the combination. Music is both a creative and
a performing art. The common forms are song, march, fugue, sonata, suite, fantasy, concerto,
and symphony. Musical compositions fall into three groups.

1. Vocal Music is composed primarily to be sung. The voice or voices are generally
accompanied by one or more instruments.

2. Instrumental Music. Music of this kind is written for instruments of four general types
– keyboard (piano, organ, etc.); stringed (violin, cello, guitar, etc.): wind (flute,
clarinet, etc.); brass winds, (trumpet, saxophone, etc.); percussion( drums,
xylophone).

3. Music Combined with Other Arts

a. Opera is a drama set to music. It is mostly or entirely sung with orchestral

accompaniment. It is spectacularly staged with accomplished singers, elaborate
scenery and costumes.

b. Operetta and Musical Comedy. This is also a drama set to music but is light,
popular, romantic, and often humorous or comic. Operettas use spoken dialogue
instead of recitative.

c. Oratorio and Cantata are sacred musical drama in concert form. These are made
up of recited parts (recitative), arias, and choruses, with orchestral
accompaniment. No action, sets, and costumes are used.

4. Other forms of arts are the ballet music and background music for motion pictures.

Drama and Theater

A drama, or play, is a story re-created by actors on a a stage in front of an audience.

The following are the most common types of drama.

1. Tragedy. This is one of literature’s greatest dramatic art forms. It is a drama of

serious nature in which the central character comes to some sad or disastrous end.
All tragedies portray suffering.

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 2. Melodrama. In this type of drama, the emphasis is on action rather than on
character. The action is sensational or romantic and usually has a happy ending

3. Comedy generally includes all plays with happy endings.

a. The Romantic Comedy is a light, amusing tale of lovers in some dilemma which
is finally solved happily.
b. Farce is a light, humorous play. The emphasis in a farce is on jokes, humorous
physical action, ludicrous situations, and improbable characters.
c. Comedy of Manners sometimes called “drawing room comedy” is sophisticated,
sometimes satirical. The characters are usually high-society types, and situations
have little to do with real life. The emphasis here is on witty dialogue.

4. Miscellaneous:

a. Tragicomedy. A drama blending tragic and comic elements but which ends
happily.
b. Miracle and Mystery Plays are dramatized stories from the Bible and of the lives
of saints.
c. Morality Plays are those in which characters represent specific vices and virtues.
d. Closet Drama is a term used to designate plays written for reading rather than for
staging.
e. Piano Drama is based on piano works which revolve around the musical pieces
composed under the inspiration of a literary work. This “piano drama” which is a
recent innovation is combining the interpretation of music with the recitation of
poetry and the literary source of the music.

Dance

Dance involves the movement of the body and the feet in rhythm. Some important types
include:

1. Ethnologic. This includes folk dancing associated with national and cultural groups.

2. Social or Ballroom Dances. These are popular types of dancing generally performed
by pairs. They include such forms as waltz, foxtrot, rhumba, and tango.

3. The Ballet. This is the formalized type of dance which originated in the royal courts of
the Middle Ages. Ballet dances may be either solo or concerted dances with mimetic
actions accompanied by music. These are generally built around a theme of story.

4. Modern. Modern dances are sometimes called contemporary or interpretative

dances. These dances represent rebellion against the classical formalism of ballet:
they emphasize personal communication of moods and themes. In the past,

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 movements were natural and untrained. Today, there are varied styles of movements
usually based on the current trend.

5. Musical Comedy refers to those dances performed by soloists, groups, choruses in

theaters, night clubs, motion pictures, and television. It combines various forms of
ballet, modern, tap, and acrobatics.

Assumptions of Art

Literature has provided key works of art. Among the most popular ones being taught in
school are the two Greek epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Sanskrit pieces Mahabharata
and Ramayana are also staple in this field. These works, purportedly written before the
beginning of recorded history, are believed to be man’s attempt at recording stories and tales
that have been passed on, known and sung throughout the years. 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. Oftentimes, people feel that
what is considered artistic are only those which have been made long time ago. This is
misconception. Age is not a factor in determining art. An “Art is not good because it is old, but
old because good” (Dudley et al., 1960).

The first assumption then about the humanities is that art has been crafted by all people
regardless of origin, time, place, and that it stayed in because it is liked and enjoyed by people
continuously. A great piece of work will never be obsolete. Some people say that art is art for its
intrinsic worth. In John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism (1879), enjoyment in the arts belongs to a
higher good, one that lies at the opposite end of base pleasures. Art will always express
themselves and delight in these expressions. Men will continue to use art while art persists and
never gets depleted.

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 man’s way of interpreting 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. Movies are not meant to be direct
representation of reality. They may, according to the moviemaker’s perception of reality, be a
reinterpretation or even distortion of nature.

This distinction assumes that all of us see nature, perceive its elements in myriad,
different, yet ultimately valid ways. One can only imagine the story of the five blind men who one
day argue against each other on what an elephant looks like. Each of the five blind men was
holding a different part of the elephant. The first was touching the body and thus, thought the
elephant was like a wall. The rest were touching other parts of the elephant and concluded
differently based on their perceptions. Art like each of these men’s view off the elephant. It is
based on a individual’s subjective experience of nature. Artist are not expected to duplicate
nature just as even scientist with their elaborate laboratories cannot make nature.

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Art involves experience.

At least three major kinds of experience are involved into the artistic activity. As we
noted earlier, it usually starts as an experience which the artist wants to communicate. Then the
act of expressing this experience – that of creating the art object or form – is itself another kind
of experience. Finally, when the work is done, there is the artist’s gratifying experience of having
accomplishes something significant.

But there is still another kind of experience associated with art. This refers to what an
onlooker or listener undergoes when he perceives work of art. The perception may kindle an
experience which is similar or related to that which the artist tried to experience.

It goes without saying that art must be directly seen or heard in order to be enjoyed or
appreciated. No amount of reading about a painting or sculpture can take the place of actually
seeing it. Listening to a lecture on music is of very little value unless one also hears the music
itself, and reading a play is not a fair substitute for seeing it actually performed.

A varying combination of sensory, emotional, and intellectual responses is involved in

experiencing art.

In matters of art, the subject’s perception is of primacy. One can read hundreds of
reviews about a particular movie, but at the end of the day, until he sees the movie himself, he
will be in no position to actually talk about the movie. He does not know the movie until he
experiences it. An important aspect of experiencing art is being highly personal, individual, and
subjective. In philosophical terms, perception of art is always a value judgment. It depends on
who the perceiver is, his tastes, his biases, and what he has inside him. Degustibus, non
disputandum est ( Matters of taste are not matters of dispute).One cannot argue with another
person’s evaluation of art because one’s experience can never be known by another.

Finally, one should underscore that every experience with art is accompanied by some
emotion. One either like or dislike, agrees or disagrees that a work of art is beautiful. A stage
plays or motion picture is particularly one of those art forms that evoke strong emotions from its
audience. With experience comes emotions and feelings, after all. Feelings and emotions are
concrete proofs that the artwork has been experiences.

Let’s Wrap it Up

Humanities and the art have always been apart of man’s growth and civilization. Since
the dawn of time, man has always tried to express his innermost thoughts and feelings about
reality through creating art. Three assumptions on art its universality, it’s not being nature, and
its need for experience. Art is present in every part of the globe and in every period time. This is
what it meant by its universality. Art not being nature, not even attempting to simply mirror
nature, is the second assumption about art. Art is always a creation of the artist, not nature.

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Finally, without experience, there is no art. The artist has to be foremost, a perceiver who is
directly in touch with art.

Let’s Work On This

1. If you were an artist, what kind of artist would you be?

Answer the following question as precisely yet as thoroughly as possible.

1. Why is art not nature?

2. Why is art ageless and timeless?

3. Why does art involve experience?

Let’s Make It Happen

Choose one artwork under each given category that you are familiar with. This can be
the
last artwork that you have come across with or the one that made the most impact to you.
Criticize each using the guide questions provided.

Categories:

1. Movie 2. Novel 3. Music 4. An architectural structure 5. A piece of clothing

Category: _________________________
Artwork : _________________________
1. What is it about? What is it for?
2. What is it made of?
3. What is its style?
4. How good is it?

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LESSON 2 Art Appreciation: Creativity, imagination, and Expression

Topic Overview

It takes an artist to make an art. One may apprehend beauty on a daily basis. However,
not every beautiful thing that can be seen or experienced may truly be called a work of art. Art is
a product of man’s creativity, imagination, and expression. No matter how perfectly blended the
colors of a sunset are and no matter how extraordinarily formed mountains are, nature is not
considered art simply because it is not made by man. An artwork may be inspired by nature or
other works of art, but an artist invents his own forms and patterns due to what he perceives as
beautiful and incorporates them in creating his masterpiece.

Learning Outcome: Illustrate and explain appreciation of arts in general, including their
functions,

value and historical significance.

Learning Objectives: 1. Differentiate art from nature and characterize artistic expression based

on personal experiences with art;

2. Discuss the nature of art’s preliminary expression; and categorize

works of art by citing personal experiences.

Art Appreciation as a Way of Life

Jean-Paul Sartre, a famous French philosopher of the twentieth century, described the
role of art as a creative work that depicts the world in a completely different light and
perspective, and the source is due to freedom (Greene, 1965). Each artwork beholds beauty of
its own kind, the kind that the artist sees and wants the viewers to perceive. More often than
not, people are blind to this beauty and only those who have developed a fine sense of
appreciation can experience and see that art are the same way the artist did. Because of this,
numerous artworks go unnoticed, artists are not given enough credit, and they miss
opportunities. It sometimes takes a lifetime before their contribution to the development of art is
recognized. Hence, refining one’s ability to appreciate art allows him to deeply understand the
purpose of an artwork and recognize the beauty it possesses (Collins & Riley, 1931).

In cultivating an appreciation of art, one should also exercise and develop his taste for
things that are fine and beautiful. This allows individuals to make intelligent choices and
decisions in acquiring necessities and luxuries, knowing what gives better value for time or
money while taking into consideration the aesthetic and practical value (Collins & Riley, 1931).

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This continuous demand for aesthetically valuable things influences the development and
evolution of art and its forms.

The Role of Creativity in Art Making

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. In art, creativity is what sets apart one artwork from another. We say
something is done creatively when we have not yet seen anything like it or when it is out of the
ordinary. A creative artist does not simply copy or imitate another artist’s work. He does not
imitate the lines, flaws, colors, and patters in recreating nature. He embraces, puts his own
flavor into his work, and calls it his own creative piece.

Art as a Product of Imagination, Imagination as Product of Art

German Physicist Albert Einstein who had made significant and major contributions in
science and humanity demonstrated that knowledge is derived from imagination. He
emphasized the idea through his words: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For
knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire
world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.’ Through imagination, one’s able to
craft something bold, something new, and something better in the hope of creating something
that will stimulate change. Imagination allows endless possibilities.

In an artist’s mind sits a vast gallery of artworks. An artwork does not need to be a real
thing, but can be something that is imaginary (Collingwood, 1938). Take for example a musician
who thinks of a tune in his head. The making of this tune in his head. The making of this tune in
his head makes it and imaginary tune, an imaginary creation, an imaginary art (Collingwood,
1938). It remains imaginary until he hums, sings, or writes down the notes of the tune on paper.
However, something imaginary does not necessarily mean it cannot be called art. Artists use
their imagination that gives birth to reality through creation.

Art as Expression

Robin George Collingwood, an English philosopher who is best known for his work in
aesthetic, explicated in his publication The Principles of Art (1938) that what the artist does to
an emotion is not to induce it, but express it. Through expression, he is able to explore his own
emotions and at the same time, create something beautiful out of them. Collingwood further
illustrated that expressing emotions is something different from describing emotions. In his
example, explicitly saying “I am angry” is not an expression of an emotion, but more description.
There is no need in relating or referring to a specific emotion, such as anger, in expressing
one’s emotion. Description actually destroys the idea of expression, as it classifies the emotion,
making it ordinary and predictable. Expression, on the other hand, individualizes. An artist has
the freedom to express himself the way he wants to. Hence, there is no specific technique in
expression. This make peoples art not a reflection of what is outside or external to them, but a
reflection of their inner selves.

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 The most basic relationship is that the arts are concerned with emotions, with our
feelings about things. When a person sees a picture, he thinks it is beautiful, or when he
watches a play or dance performance, he thinks it is exciting, he feels that it is lovely or stirring.
His reaction is primarily emotional. People experience excitement, pleasure, anger, and all the
other emotional states in a way which are very different from their intellectual responses.
Emotion are part of our basic nature.

Let’s Wrap It Up

Art is a product of a man’s creativity, imagination, and expression. An artwork may be

inspired by nature or other works of art, but artist invents his own forms and patterns due to
what he perceives as beautiful and incorporates them in creating his masterpiece. Conceivably
not everyone can be considered an artist, but surely, all are spectators of art, which gives us all
a role in the field of art appreciation. Refining one’s ability to appreciate art allows him to deeply
understand the purpose of an artwork and recognize the beauty it possesses.

Let’s Work On This

Answer the following questions as precisely yet as thoroughly as possible.

1. What art field will you explore? Why?

2. How can you utilize the arts to express yourself, your community, and your relation to
others?

Let’s Make It Happen

Using the table below, write down examples of the different art forms studied in the
lesson. Provide ways on how these art forms express and unmask creatively from the artist.

Type of Art How Does This How Does

Expression Example Express? This Unmask

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 The Artist’s
Creativity?

LESSON 3 : Functions and Philosophical Perspectives on Art

Topic Overview

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 cocoon can look forward to flying high when it morphs into a butterfly. A baby will
eventually turn into a grown man or woman.

This telos, according to Aristotle, is intricately linked with function. For a thing to reach its
purpose, it also to fulfill its function. Man, in Aristotle’s view of reality, is bound to achieve a life
of fulfillment and happiness, or in Greek, eudaimonia. All men move toward this final end.
However, happiness, the supposed end of man, is linked with his function, which is being
rational. One can 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.

Learning Outcome: Illustrate and explain appreciation of arts in general, including their
functions,

value and historical significance.

Learning Objectives: 1. Explain and discuss the basic philosophical perspectives on the art; and

realize the function of some art forms in daily life.

2. Apply concepts and theories on beauty and aesthetics in real life

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 scenarios.

Function in Art

Compared to other activities of man, art is generally regarded as impractical, not meant
to meet requirements of a day-to-day living. To the layman, art has a very little function, the term
function being taken to mean “practical usefulness”. Architecture, weaving, furniture-making,
and a few other crafts have obvious purposes and are therefore classified as functional. But
painting, sculpture, literature, music, and theater arts seem to serve no other end than to amuse
or provide a pleasant escape from life’s daily problems. Thus, there are classified as non-
functional.

Broadly speaking, though, all arts have function, for man, the maker, creates things
because he has a particular need for them. From one point of view, we may consider art as
having the general function of “ satisfying (1) our individual needs for personal expression, (2)
our social needs for display, celebration, and communication, and (3) our physical needs for
utilitarian objects and structures.”

The Personal Function

The arts are vehicles for the artists’ expression of their feelings and ideas. The arts also
serve as means of expression for us. Music, for instance, and literature, at times, have a way of
expressing our emotions for us. As we listen to certain musical expressions, we feel that they
reflect exactly what wee feel and thus release the tension such emotions create in us; or, as we
read certain literary passages, we note that the writer has presented exactly what we think,
though we could never have expressed it as clearly or as beautifully.

As a defense against the many unpleasant and discordant sounds and sights that
assault our senses today, we tend to develop an indifference or a capacity of being deaf or blind
to a lot of significant things around us. Art helps to educate our senses and sharpen our
perception of colors, forms, textures, designs, sounds, rhythms, and harmonies in our
environment. Visual and auditory “literacy” through contact with the arts can lead us to an
intensified awareness of the beautiful in life. It can thus make our existence less humdrum; it
cab refine and elevate our aesthetic taste.

Social Functions of Art

One cannot conceive of a society without art, for art is closely related to every aspect of
social life.

Art performs a social function when (1) it seeks or tends to influence the combined
behavior of a people, (2) it is created to be seen or used primarily in public situations, and (3) it
expresses or describes social or collective aspects of existence as opposed to individual and
personal kinds of experiences.”

Influencing Social Behavior. Many works of art influence the way we think, feel, or act.
They cause us to laugh at certain phenomena, raise our voices in protest over certain matters,

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or see a social reality which had never been apparent to us before. They can bring about us
decisions to collectively change, correct, or improve upon the human condition.

Display and Celebration. One function of sculpture and painting is the commemoration
of important personages in society. The statues of national heroes that grace our parks and
plazas are commemorative works as are the commissioned paintings of leaders or rulers. Often
they serve to record important historical events, or reveal the ideals of heroism and leadership
that the community would want the young to emulate.

Social Description. Even without the slightest intention of artists to present historical
pictures, art works are vital historical documents. They describe aspects of existence at certain
period. Because many of them focus on facets of daily life, they tell us what the societies that
produced them were like.

Tools, weapons, furniture, 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. The 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 especially informative. For example, the portrait of Romana Carillo done by
Justiniano Asuncion in 1875 shows a young woman in a richly embroidered baro and panuelo
and wearing pearl earrings, a pearl brooch, a pearl-studded comb, and several rings on her right
hand which clutches a prayer book. Here we are not shown only the costume of ladies
belonging to the ilustrado class in the 19th century. The painting also attests to the values and
tastes in material acquisition of the middleclass Filipino families of the time. This affluent middle
class has just emerged by then as a result of the country’s having attained some economic
prosperity following the opening of Manila to international trade.

“No other kind of human activity is so permanent as the plastic arts,” Herbert Read said”
and nothing that survives from the past is so valuable as a clue to the history of civilization.”

Physical Functions of Art

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. A spoon is a
tool; so is a car. A building and a community are containers, as is a ceramic vase or a chair.

The problem of the artist in designing a functional object is making the thing exactly right
for its particular use and at the same time pleasing to the eye of the user.

Let’s Wrap It Up

In the evaluation of functional art, however, the problem is different. Obviously the
function should be known if the work is to be understood; if it is a birdbath or a saltcellar, it
should be known as a bath for birds or as a container for salt when it is judged. It cannot be
adequately judged just as a shape.

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 But when the function is understood, is there any relationship between the function of a
work and its value as art? Yes, in a general way there is. There has been a great deal of
discussion on this point, and any statement may be contradicted by excellent examples to the
contrary, but it will be usually be granted that a functional object is not beautiful unless it can
perform its function adequately and acceptably. If it is desirable for people to see and hear in
church, a church should be constructed so that they can see and hear in. A chair that is
uncomfortable is not so good as one that is comfortable. A residence should be so planned that
the business of housekeeping may be carried on in with the maximum of ease and efficiency. A
beautiful teapot that is useless is like a beautiful bridge one cannot cross or a beautiful car that
will not run.

Adequate performance of function usually tends to produce beauty of design. Why this
should be true we do not know, but it is true. The shapes in nature that are the most beautiful
are also the most efficient, as the wings of a bird. Practical design offers many examples;
everything is eliminated except what is essential, and the result is beautiful. Examples of such
shapes are found in the canoe, the canoe paddle, the handle of an ax or a scythe, the blades of
an electric fan.

Nevertheless, it is true that, although efficiency does make for beauty, efficiency and
beauty are not the same. An article that adequately performs a function is not necessarily
beautiful. Art demands something beyond function, something in addition to efficiency and
proper performance of function. The shape of a spoon may be the best possible for its particular
function, but the spoon is not for that reason a work of art. In the economy of nature, the best
shape for an object’s use tends to be the most beautiful, but it is our pleasure in the shape and
not its usefulness that makes us consider it as akin to art.

Let’s Work On This

Answer the following questions as precisely yet as thoroughly as possible.

1. What art form/artwork has changed something in your life? Why? Account for the
experience.

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 2. Does art always have a function? Why? Support your response. Provide your own
example.

3. If am artwork ceased to have a function, will it remain an art? Why?

Let’s Make It Happen

Look around your house and identify a product of art/ / favorite structure or artwork in
your vicinity. Have a picture (colored) of that product of artwork and then paste it on a short
bond paper. 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).

Artwork: __________________

1. What is it? What is it for?

2. What is it made of?
3. What is its style?
4. Trace the beginnings of this item?

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 5. Identify what function it has played in history?

LESSON 4 Subject and Content

Topic Overview

Practically everything under the sun is a raw material for the artist to draw his subject
from. Most, if not all, of the visual are representations of what the artist thought and felt about
the world they lived in; or they are representations of things the artists imagined or dreamed
about.

The value of a work of art does not depend on the artist’s choice of subject. It does not
necessarily follow that the more profound the subject, the greater the work of art. Rather, the
worth of any representational work of art depends upon the way the subject has been
presented. As Harold Osborne says:

How a work of art is to be appreciated and assessed, it would now be agreed, has more
to do with the way in which its subject or theme is presented than with what is presented … It
would generally be taken as a matter of course that no subject or situation or theme can of itself
guarantee the aesthetic quality of a work of art by reason of any such qualities as nobility or
grandeur ascribable to it independently of the work in which it is presented… The most sublime
themes can become the subject matter of trivial or unattractive it may be, is precluded from
becoming the topic of an aesthetically admirable work of art.

In this chapter, subject and content will be discussed, while form will be better explained
in Chapter 6. To differentiate them briefly, subject refers to the visual focus or the image that
may be extracted from examining the artwork, while content is the meaning that is
communicated by the artist or the artwork. Finally, the development and configuration of the
artwork – how the elements and the medium or material are put together – is the form. In simple
terms, the subject is seen as the “what”; the content is the “why”; and the form is the “how”.

Learning Outcome: Illustrate and explain appreciation of arts in general, including their
functions,

value and historical significance.

Learning Objectives: 1. Differentiate representational art and non-representational art.

2. Discuss the difference between an artwork’s subject and its content;

and

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 identify the subject matter and content of specific examples of art.

Kinds of Subject

The subjects depicted in works of art, particularly the visual arts, can be grouped into:

1. Landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes. Artist have always been fascinated with their
physical environment.
2. Still lifes. Some artist love to paint groups of inanimate objects arranged in an indoor
setting.
3. Animals. Another popular subject is animals. They have been represented by artist from
almost every age and place,
4. Portraits. People have been intrigued by the human face as an index of the owner’s
character. As an instrument of expression, it is capable of showing a variety of moods
and feelings.
5. Figures. The sculptor’s chief subject has traditionally been the human body, nude or
clothed.
6. Everyday Life. Artist have always shown a deep concern about life around them. Many
of them have recorded in painting their observation of people going about their ways,
performing their usual tasks.
7. History and legends. History consists of verifiable facts, legends of unverifiable ones,
although many of them are often accepted as true because tradition has held them so.
8. Religion and mythology. Art has always been a handmaiden of religion.
9. Dreams and fantasies. Dreams are always vague and illogical. Artists, especially he
surrealists have tried to depict dreams, as well as the grotesque terrors and
apprehensions that lurk in the depths of the subconscious.

Subject and Content

Recognizing the subject is not necessarily grasping the content of a work of art. Subject
and content are two different things. While subject refers to the object depicted by the artist,
content refers to what the artist expresses or communicates on the whole of his work.
Sometimes it is spoken of as the “meaning” of the work. In literature it is called the “theme”. In
fact, we may define it as the statement we apprehend or the feeling or mood we experience with
the work of art. Content reveals the artist’s attitude toward his subject. The subject of Hidalgo’s
Wounded Soldier is a soldier nursing his wound, but its content is definitely more than this. It is
the soldier’s stoicism and dignity that the artist wanted us to see. One does not always see
content, but it is transmitted by the way subject and form interact in a work. It is easier to grasp
the content in arts with explicit subject matter than in abstract arts.

One does not always see content, but it is transmitted by the way subject and form
interact in a work. It is easier to grasp the content in arts with explicit subject matter that in
abstract arts.

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 Subject matter may acquire different levels of meaning. Cleaver classifies them as (1)
factual meaning, (2) conventional meaning, and (3) subjective meaning.

The factual meaning is the literal statement or the narrative content in the work which
can be directly apprehended because the subjects presented are easily recognized. This
meaning is often supplemented by other levels of meaning.

The conventional meaning refers to the special meaning that a certain object or color
has for a particular culture or group of people. The flag is the agreed-upon symbol for a nation.
The Cross is a Christian symbol of faith, the wheel is the Buddhist symbol for the teaching of
Gautama Buddha.

The subjective meaning is any personal meaning or unconsciously conveyed by the

artist using a private symbolism which stem s from his own association of certain objects,
actions, or colors with past experiences. This can be fully understood only when the artist
himself explains what he really means, as in the case of the poems of T.S. Eliot where he
provides footnotes.

Let’s Wrap It Up

In gaining the basics of deciphering the subject and content of art, it is hoped that an
individual’s sensitivity and perceptiveness to art will be developed. As was discussed in the
chapter, one may begin by looking at perceivable features of the artwork. Taking note of what is
apparent will provide clues as to what the intended meaning of the artist might be. Knowing
more about the context of its creation - from the artist’s inspiration, reference or source, will
prove useful in understanding the meaning of the artwork. However, one must forget that each
viewer is armed with his or her experience, background and experience. These will assist in
fleshing out different levels of meaning that maybe derived from the artwork. These might not be
as evident as say, the figures depicted on the surface; however, these alternative readings
contribute to the significance of the artwork.

Let’s work on This

1. What are the hurdles of accessing art in term of its subject and content?

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 2. Where do artists source their subjects?

3. Name an example of an artwork an speculate on the content of the artwork based on

its factual, conventional, and subjective meanings.

Let’s Make It Happen

Watch the BBC documentary about Botticelli’s Venus: The Making of an Icon.
([Link] Write a reflection paper regarding the said
documentary.

Assessment Tool: Holistic Rubric

Select from 1-5, where in 1 is the lowest and 5 would be the highest score.

Score

1. Clarity in Defining the Topic _____________________

2. Reasoning _____________________

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 3. Technical Writing skills _____________________
4. Creative and Aesthetic Appeal of the _____________________
Presentation Total Score _____________________

Assessments:

18 and above – most acceptable; 14 – 17 - very acceptable; 10 – 13 – acceptable;

7 - 9 – barely acceptable; Below 7 - unacceptable

LESSON 5 Artists and Artisans

Topic Overview
The art is one of the most significant ways in which we try to grapple with how the
present unfold. 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, well. It is not an 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. He disturbs, upsets, enlightens, and he opens ways for
a better understanding. There is a gap when one continues to persist with the idea that art is
something that is detached from the every day. In what has been reduced to a blur, it become
more integral that man pursues a better understanding of the world where he lives. One of the
avenues that makes this both possible and exciting is the engagement with art and culture.

Learning Outcome: Illustrate and explain appreciation of arts in general, including their
functions,

value and historical significance.

Learning Objectives: 1. Outline the history of the emergence of artists and artisans;

2. Classify the practices of artists in terms of forms, mediums and

technique.
Artisan and Artist

An artisan ( from French: artisan, Italian: artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or
create things by hand that may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture,

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decorative arts, sculptures, clothing, jewelry, food items, household items and tools or even
mechanism such as handmade clockwork movement of a watchmaker.

Artisans practice a craft and may through experience and aptitude reach the expressive
levels of an artist. Artisans were the dominant producers of consumers products before the
Industrial Revolution. In ancient Greece, artisans were drawn to agoras and often built
workshop nearby.

An artist is a person who exhibits exceptional skills in design, drawing, painting, and the
like who works in one of the performing arts, like an actor or musician. Unlike other people, he is
more sensitive and more creative. He possesses, to an unusual degree, the knack for
interpreting ideas into artistic form through the use of words, pigments, stones, notes, or any of
the other materials used by artists. When he sees or learns something that impresses him, he
expresses himself in one medium or another so that others may understand it too. He, thus
learns to project his creative impulse through the symbols of his heart – a picture, a poem, or a
piece of music according to his present inspiration and training. His process of creation,
however, differs from that of an amateur or beginner only in degree.

This lesson will introduce the artists who have dedicated their lives to the cultivation of
the arts through the works of great creativity, imagination, and daring throughout the history. It
aims to expand this into the wider world of the arts and culture, wherein other key players and
movers are testament to how the production, consumption, and distribution of arts have
changed profoundly.

Medium and Technique

Medium, which comes from the Latin word medium, denotes the means by which are
used by an artist to interpret his feelings or thoughts. Many mediums have been used in
creating different works of art. The architect uses wood, bamboo, bricks, stone, concrete, and
various building materials. The painter uses pigments in wood or canvas to recreate reality of
nature. A sculptor uses steel, marble, bronze, metal, and wood. A musician uses sound and
instrument communicate its subject and a literary writer uses words in literature. Thus, medium
is very essential in arts.

The Artist and His Technique

Apparently, artists differ from one another in technique even if they use the same
medium. A musician’s technique is his ability to make music sound the way he wants it. On the
other hand, as sculptor’s technique is way of handling chisel and hammer to produce the
desired effect. A pianist’s technique is his way of handling the instrument and interpreting a
musical composition.

Technique differs in the various arts. An artist’s technique in one medium will be quite
different from the technique in another. A painter may have a one technique in watercolor but
poor one in oil. The distinction between an art and craft may be made on the basis of the

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technique used. For an artist, technique is not the end but the means, while the craftsman,
technique is the end. The making of sculpture for example, is not the same as the making of a
chair. Creativity While both require technique, knowledge and competence, creativity
apparently comes into play in the work of the sculptor. Technique, thus, is an important aspect
that distinguishes an art from a craft.

Let’s Wrap It Up

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 every
day, 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. As Woodrow Wilson (1913) relates, “You are
not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply,
with greater vison, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world,
and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

Let’s Work on This

1. What do your think is the role of the artist in the twenty-first century society?

2. How relevant still are the awards National Artist and GAMABA, not only to the world,
but also to the Filipino society as a whole?

3. Analyze and critique state-sponsored recognition for artist and cultural workers. What
do you think are some of the considerations that must be addressed with regard to
these?

Let’s Make It Happen

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1. Identify and select one artist. He or she may be Filipino or foreign; and may be identified
with any art form: architecture, sculpture, painting, music, literature, film, dance,
performance/theater, and living traditions, among others.
a. Research on him or her and select five aspects of his or her life (events, ideas,
works, awards/citations) that you think have a substantial contribution not only to the
local or foreign art scene, but also to human history.
b. As a possible artisan, make a creative interpretation of different musical genres that
you like (jazz, pop, etc.). Can you perform “Gangnam style” by fusing it with classical
music? (This has been done in Asia’s Got Talent.) Prepare for a possible
performance (Tiktok, Video).

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