HUMANITIES 101

ARTS APPRECIATION
 WHAT IS HUMANITIES?
The word humanities is derived from the Latin word humanus,
which means humane, cultured, refined, skilled or civilized.
To be humane it involves qualities which are associated with
rationality, kindness, compassion, tenderness, charity,
consideration, feelings and inclinations proper to mankind.
It is a field of human study which is very broad.
It focuses on branches of learning concerned with human
thoughts, feelings and relations.
It generally includes the study of the languages, religion,
archaeology, philosophy and the 7 arts:
painting, sculpture, architecture,
literature,
music and dance, theater (drama) and cinema.
INTRODUCTION TO
ART
 NATURE OF ARTS
The Arts constitute one of the oldest and most important
means of expression developed by man.
It is the highest expression of man in any language. In nearly
every country, the earliest arts go back to prehistoric times.
Art is created by people at all times; it lives, because it is
liked and enjoyed.
It involves personal experiences of an individual
accompanied by the intensity of emotion.
DEFINITIONS OF ARTS
1. Art is derived from the Latin word “ars”, meaning ability or skill.
(J.V. Estolas)
2. Art is taken from the Italian word “artis”, which means
craftsmanship, skill, mastery of form, inventiveness, and the
associations that exist between form and ideas, between material and
technique. (A. Tan)
3. Art is a product of man’s need to express him/herself. (F. Zulueta)
4. Art is concerned itself with the communication of certain ideas and
feelings by means of sensuous medium, color, sound, bronze, marble,
words, and film. (C. Sanchez)
5. Art is that which brings life in harmony with the beauty of the
world. (Plato)
ART APPRECIATION
 ART APPRECIATION

APPRECIATION

PERSON as WORK OF
spectator/viewer ART
as object
 ART APPRECIATION
Positive Wow!

perceptual Sense Data & Representation

emotional Feelings

intellectual Meaning

response to Communication & Reaction

the beauty Value that delights

of artworks Painting, Music etc.

Wow!
or
Yak!
Which art do you appreciate most?
ART
.
is . .
?
 talent
skill
passion
emotion
idea

ART
truth
is . . reality
goodness

. beauty
form
expression
representation
power
 Art is
Reality?
What is
this?
 Leonardo,
The Mona Lisa,
1501

RENAISSANCE
ART

Does this
art look real?
 Picasso,
The Weeping
Woman,
1924

CUBISM

Does this
art look real?
Which art looks more real?
You see only
the front view
of the woman.
You see many
views of the
woman.
Which art looks more real?
 Mondrian,
Composition
with Red,
Yellow and Blue,
1924

CONCRETISM

Does this
art look real?
You see red,
yellow and blue.
Which art looks most real?
 Fajardo,
From Rags
to Riches
1984

READY
MADE
ART

Does this
art look real?
Judy Sibayan, Rags to Riches
 Duchamp,
The Fountain
(Urinal), 1917
Which art looks most real of all?
 Art seen as
representational image

Art seen as abstract image

but still representational

ART AND
Art seen as form composed
REALITY of shapes, colors etc.

Art seen as
pure form

Art seen as the

object itself
What is
this?

This is not a
chair. This is a
painting!
WHAT IS ARTS
APPRECIATION?
Arts Appreciation is the ability to interpret or
understand (man-made) arts and enjoy them either
through actual and work experience with art tools
and materials or possession of these works of art for
one’s admiration and satisfaction.
Art appreciation therefore deals with learning or
understanding and creating arts and enjoying
them.
THE ASSUMPTIONS OF ART
1. Art is universal
2. Art as means of communication
3. Art is timeless
4. Art addresses human needs
5. Art is not nature
6. Art involves experience
ART IS UNIVERSAL
It transcends cultures,
races, and civilizations.
As long as human
beings exist, art is
feasible, alive and
dynamic.
ART AS A MEANS OF
COMMUNICATION
People share a common means
of expressing their thought and
feelings that is through arts like
music, dances, literary pieces,
decorative arts, paintings and
drawings, sculptures and
others. These forms of art
are utilized to establish
and strengthen
communication
Art is also used to call
for unity and
reconciliation. Our
country's anthem, for instance,
is there to bind us; to make us
feel that we are one in our
dreams and mission.
Monuments and other historical
heritage remind us of our past,
the struggles that each one
shared, and the unity we
formed in the name of freedom.
In contrast, art
can also be
used to communicate
mutiny and rebellion. For
instance, the work of Rizal in
his book "Noli Me Tangere"
and "El Filibusterismo" extends
his utmost disagreement with
the Spaniards' control over the
Filipinos.
ART IS TIMELESS
timeless because it goes beyond the time of our own
existence.
timeless because it continually evolves.
Classical music, for instance, never fades and goes out of style. It continually
invades our time – listened and appreciated by many. It remains strong
because it became a witness, a company, a reflection and journal of our
forefathers' young lives.
Art defines time. In watching film, for example, even when
you do not have the idea when it was created, the style of directing and
filming, the clothing and bearing of the characters, musical scoring and the
setting and the plot of the story would make the viewers guess the period
when it was produced.

While art defines time, time also defines art . it identifies

the artwork that would "click" in a particular time for the particular audience.
ART ADDRESSES HUMAN
NEEDS
because it addresses
needs of people from all
over the world. Through
directly functional and indirectly
functional arts, we are provided with
a variety of offerings – comfort,
entertainment and education, which
would somehow lead us to self-
fulfillment and satisfaction.
ART IS NOT NATURE
because art is man-made. It is a creation of man that may reflect a
profound skillfulness and craftsmanship. It undergoes process and planning: a
result of study and research.

Art is artificial because it is just an imitation or even

appropriation of ideas, thought, feelings, and emotions that are
communicated in creative and artistic ways.

Art can never be natural because nature is

evanescent, in constant transformation of change, and
yet art is permanent: it does not change by itself, unless manipulated by its
creator, man.
The beauty of nature is innate
and silent. It is given. It
doesn't ask for attention
since it is naturally part of it, while it
is true that beauty in art demands
human attention for it leads us to its
valuation.
ART INVOLVES EXPERIENCE

Art is a representation of our experiences . It demands

involvement. The only way to find conviction and
affirmation in art is through immersion to the arts. We
can only appreciate art if we spend
time to look at it, listen to it, touch it and feel its
presence.
 THE 2 CHARACTERISTICS OF
EXPERIENCE
1. Experience of art is subjective. Our judgement of art is highly
personal and individual. Any claims that his/her experience with art is
better than others proves to be impossible. Not everyone will agree with
our own judgement and experience with art.We should not expect others
to agree with our experience with art.

2. Art experience is accompanied by emotional response. Initial

reaction in such experience of art is inevitable. We may either like or
dislike it. We can say that it’s beautiful or it’s not good at all. Others will
say it’s frustrating, and some will say it’s great.
 IMAGINATION, CREATIVITY
AND EXPRESSION
The cognitive process of mind includes imagination, creativity and thinking with
innovation.
Imagination is envisioning ideas that are not present in reality. Imagination is
visualizing the impossible or things that are not present in our senses.
Creativity uses imagination to present new ideas and create a physical embodiment
which is beneficial and with value. It is the unveiling of the impossible to possible.
Art as Expression. Art is an expression of an individual, making known his
thoughts or feelings. It means that the work of art reflects the artist’s personality,
background or even personal circumstances.
FOUR COMMON ESSENTIALS
OF ARTS

1. It must be man-made.
2. It must be creative, not imitative.
3. It must benefit and satisfy man.
4. It must be expressed through a certain
medium or material
TO BE CONTINUED…