UNDERSTANDING ART ART REFLECTS THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A PERIOD

According to (Collingwood, 1938), The word “art” comes from  Medieval period – the dominance of the church
the ancient Latin ars which means a “craft or specialized form initiated the expression of spiritual truths.
of skill, like carpentry or smiting or surgery.”  Renaissance Period – the value ascribed to the
material world was shown in more defined and
In Medieval Latin, arts came to mean something different. It realistic rendition of the human body in the visual arts.
meant “any special form of book learning, such as grammar or  Modern Period – characterizes the idealistic search for
logic, magic or astrology. (Collingwood, 1938). truth and the realization that it is not attainable; thus,
relativity is accepted as an unavoidable truth.
Art as a Skill or Mastery
- The term art is used to simply refer to bay skill or mastery Art shows the manner of existence of the people of long ago
that is manifested in the outstanding product of an endeavor - We gain awareness that the people during the Old Stone Age
lived in caves and that they manifested their artistry by
Art as a process or a product of a creative skill drawings and sketching.
-Art is a process because it involves arranging the aesthetic
elements in an artistically interesting and appealing manner. ASSUMPTIONS OF ART
-Art is a product because it includes human creations,
different activities and manners of expression.  Art is universal - Art has always been timeless and
universal, spanning generations and continents
Art as a universal language through and through.
- The language of art is diverse. Each art form has its own  Art is not nature - Art is man’s expression of his
artistic elements. (e.g., Literature, Music, Theatre) Art reception of nature. Art is man’s way of interpreting
expresses feelings and ideas shared by all individuals nature.
regardless of culture.  Art involves experience - Unlike fields of knowledge
that involve data, art is known by experiencing. A work
Art as a representation of reality of art then cannot be abstracted from actual doing. In
- Art is a reflection or a mirror of reality. order to know what an artwork is, we have to sense it,
see or hear it, and see and hear it.
APPRECIATION AND ART APPRECIATION Social - when it addresses aspects of (collective) life as
opposed to one person's point of view or experience.
Appreciation - is the act of recognizing or understanding that - it seeks or tends to influence the collective behavior of a
something is valuable or important. It is a feeling or expression people
of admiration, approval, or gratitude, judgment and
evaluation.  Examples:
 Activist Art
Art appreciation - is the knowledge and understanding of the  Political Propaganda
universal and timeless qualities that identify all great art. The  Ceremonial Art
more you appreciate and understand the art of different eras,
movements, styles and techniques, the better you can Personal - There are many types of personal functions and
develop, evaluate and improve your own artwork. these are highly subjective. Personal functions of art are not
likely to be the same from person to person.
ART ASPECTS
1. Art triggers happy feelings  An artist may create a piece out of a need for self-
2. Art improves confidence expression or gratification
3. Art supports academic performance  provide an aesthetic experience, both for self and
4. Art improves communication  viewers

THREE CATEGORIES OF THE FUNCTIONS OF ART Example:

 Expressive Art
Physical - Works of art that are created to perform some  Art Therapy
service have physical functions.

types of art that serve physical functions

 Architecture
 Interior Design
 Furniture Design
 Utilitarian Art
 Crafts 
SUBJECT OF ART WAYS OF REPRESENTING SUBJECT
- The manner of representing subject varies according to the
-The subject of art refers to any person, object, scene or event intent and inventiveness of each artist.
described or represented in a work of art.
REALISM
Two types of art - Strictly speaking, no work of art is realistic. Since no work of
art is an accurate copy of what exists in the natural world.
Representational or Objective - Some paintings seem to be photographic renderings of facts
or anchored on historical facts.
 Arts that have subject (e.g. Painting, Sculpture,
Graphic Arts, Literature and Theatre Arts) ABSTRACTION
 People can generally recognize it as a horse - The artist selects and renders the objects with their shapes,
without doubt. Although the use of color may colors and positions altered. In some abstract works, enough
not be realistic, it represents an actual subject of a likeness has been retained to represent real things.
from reality. - In others, the original objects have been reduced to simple
 In short, representational art can describe a geometric shapes and they can be rarely identified unless the
physical object clearly and the expression of artist named it in title.
artists can be easily got by people. - His concern is the rendering of the essence of the subject
rather than the natural form itself.
Non-Representational or Non-Objective
 Arts that do not have subject. DISTORTION
 They do not present descriptions, stories, or - It could also mean twisting, stretching or deforming the
references to identifiable objects or symbols. natural shape of the object.
Rather they, appeal directly to the senses - The relief sculptures and paintings of ancient Egypt were
primarily because of the satisfying organization distorted. The head and lower part of the body were shown in
of their sensuous and expressive elements. profile, while the eye and upper part of the body were in the
 It is also called Abstract Art. frontal position. Convention demanded the highly stylized
representation of the figure.
- It is usually done to dramatize the shape of a figure or to
create an emotional effect.
SURREALISM KINDS OF SUBJECTS
- It is a method where the artist in giving expression to what it
is in the subconscious composes dreamlike scenes that show A. Landscapes, Seascapes and Cityscapes
an irrational arrangement of objects.  Artists have always been fascinated with their physical
- The images are recognizable, sometimes drawn from the environment.
nature but they are so combined in utterly fantastic and  Favorite subject of Chinese and Japanese painters
unnatural relationships.  Fernando Amorsolo, is well known for having
romanticized Philippine landscapes. – In Europe, the
THE ARTIST AND HIS CHOICE OF SUBJECT paintings of pure landscapes without human figures
was almost unheard of until the Renaissance. They
A. Things that affect an artist’s choice of subject: only served as backgrounds prior to this.
 Medium (e.g., oil in canvass)  Modern painters seem to be attracted to scenes in
 Time in which he lives and or the patronage he gets cities. Vicente Manansala, Arturo Luz and Mauro
 Developments in Science and Technology Malang Santos are some who have done Cityscapes

B. The value of a work of art does not depend on the artist’s STILL LIFE
choice of subject. It does not mean that the more profound  These are groups of inanimate objects arranged in an
the subject, the greater the work of art. Rather, the worth of indoor setting (flower and fruit arrangements, dishes
any representational work of art depends upon the way the food, pots and pans, musical instruments and music
subject has been presented. sheets). The arrangement is like that to show particular
human interests and activities.
C. How a work of art is to be appreciated and assessed, it has  The still life’s of Chinese and Japanese painters usually
been agreed has more to do with the way in which its subject show flowers, fruits and leaves still in their natural
or theme is presented than with what is presented. setting, unplucked from the branches.
 Today, focus is on the exciting arrangement and
combinations of the object’s shapes and colors.
ANIMALS FIGURES
 They have been represented by artists from almost  The sculptor’s chief subject has traditionally been the
every age and place. In fact, the earliest known human body, nude or clothed. The body’s form,
paintings are representations of animals on the walls structure and flexibility offer the artist a big challenge
of caves. to depict it in a variety of ways, ranging from the
 The carabao has been a favorite subject of Filipino idealistic as in the classical Greek sculptures to the
artists. most abstract.
 The Maranaws have an animal form of sarimanok as  The grace and ideal proportions of the human form
their as their proudest prestige symbol. were captured in religious sculpture by the ancient
 Animals have been used as symbols in conventional Greeks. To them, physical beauty was the symbol of
religious art. moral and spiritual perfection; thus they portrayed
their gods and goddesses as possessing perfect human
-The dove stands for the Holy Spirit in representations shapes.
of the Trinity  Early Christian and medieval artists seldom
-  The fish and lamb are symbols of Christ represented the nude figure. The figures they used to
-  The phoenix is the symbol of Resurrection decorate the walls and entrances of their churches
-  The peacock is the symbol of Immortality through were distorted so as not to call undue attention and
Christ distract people from their spiritual thoughts.
 But Renaissance artists reawakened an interest in the
PORTRAITS nude human figure.
 People have always been intrigued by the human face  A favorite subject among painters is the female figure
as an index of the owner’s character. As an instrument in the nude.
of expression, it is capable of showing a variety of
moods and feelings. EVERYDAY LIFE
 It does not have to be beautiful but it has to be  Artists have always shown a deep concern about life
truthful. around them. Many of them have recorded in
paintings their observation of people going about their
usual ways and performing their usual tasks.
 Genre Paintings – representations of rice threshers,
cockfighters, candle vendors, street musicians and
children at play.
HISTORY AND LEGEND  Therefore, we would not know if an artwork is based
 History consists of verifiable facts, legends of on a dream unless the artist explicitly mentions it.
unverifiable ones, although many of them are often  But if the picture suggests the strange, the irrational
accepted as true because tradition has held them so and the absurd, we can classify it right away as a
far. Insofar as ancient past is concerned, it is difficult to fantasy or dream although the artist may not have
tell how much of what we know now is history and gotten from the idea of a dream at all but the workings
how much is legend. of his imagination
 History and Legend are popular subjects of art.  No limits can be imposed on an artist’s imagination.

RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY SUBJECT AND CONTENT

 Art has always been a handmaiden of Religion. Most of
the world’s religions have used the arts to aid in  Subject - refers to the objects depicted by the artist
worship, to instruct, to inspire feelings of devotion and  Content - Content refers to the theme what the artist
to impress and convert non - believers. expresses or communicates on the whole of his work
 The Christian Church commissioned craftsmen to tell the theme
the stories about Christ and the saints in pictures,
usually in mosaics, murals and stained glass windows in SUBJECT MATTER’S DIFFERENT LEVELS OF MEANING
churches. It also resorted to the presentation of
tableaux and plays to preach and teach. 1. FACTUAL MEANING - The literal statement or the
 Some religions however, forbid the representation of narrative content in the work which can be directly
divinity as human beings or animal forms, although apprehended because the objects presented are easily
they allow the use of some signs or symbols in their recognized
place. 2. CONVENTIONAL MEANING - Refers to the special
meaning that a certain object or color has a particular
DREAM AND FANTASIES culture or group of people.
 Dreams are usually vague and illogical. Artists 3. SUBJECTIVE MEANING - Any personal meaning
especially the surrealists have tried to depict dreams as consciously or unconsciously conveyed by the artist
well as the grotesque terrors and apprehensions that using a private symbolism which stems from his own
lurk in the depths of the subconscious. association of certain objects, actions or colors with
 A dream may be lifelike situation. past experiences.