ART APP

Nature of Art
 Art is everywhere
 Art is a signifying practice which is grounded in society and history
o Art has its own specificity – has own standards
o Material aspects of art (signifier “product”) <-> Conceptual aspects of art
(signified “ideas”)
 The work of art is viewed in dialogic situation of the work and its viewer
o Art is not purely self-referential – Art work <-> Viewer / Listener
 Art serves as a means of communication bet the art itself and the viewer

Why do we create art?

We create art :
 Because of an irresistible urge to adorn ourselves
 To decorate the world around us
 To recast (transform) ourselves and our environment in ideal form

Basic definitions of Art

 Art is :
o A word – idea and fact of art
o A language – communicate thoughts through visual elements (color, line, space
etc.)
o An object – concrete, should be aesthetic, meant to be looked and appreciated
of their intrinsic value
o A construct – produced within a context, it is made
o An experience – aesthetic experience, to make valued judgment
o An expression – based on history and society
 Based on 2 things:
o Senses – sight, sound
o Valued judgment – criticisms
 Age (young vs old judgment on art)
 Sex (m or f)
 Class (what does the rich prefer in art etc.)
 Ethnicity (tagalog art, tiboli etc.)

Subjects of Art
 Subject – refers to any person, object, scene or event described or represented in a
work of art
o Ex: what is the subject in Spolarium? Ans: the event

Types of Subjects
 Still life – collection of inanimate objects arranged together in a specific way
  Landscapes – natural scenery such as mountains, cliffs, rivers etc.
 Nature – focused view or interpretation of specific natural events
 Portraiture – an image of a particular person, animal, group
 Abstract – a non-representational work of art, subject is visual “sensous” elements
 Note: some arts have subjects, others do not

How do artists represent their subjects to viewers?

 Arts with subjects – “representational / objective” arts
 Arts w/o subjects - “non-representational / non-objective” arts, ex: abstract

3 ways of representing subjects

 Realism (realistic) - representational art
o What makes it realistic?
 When subject is depicted in a way it is found normally appearing in
nature
 No work of art is truly realistic (alterations, change some things that are
found in nature)
o Subject vs Content
 Subject – object depicted by the artist
 Content – meaning of the work, what the artist expresses or
communicates in the work as a whole
 Abstraction (Abstract) – non-representational art
o Subject is simplified or reorganized according to the dictates representation
o Subject are figures, shapes, visual elements
 Distortion
o Aka twisting, stretching, deforming
o Subject has been so arranged and the proportions differ from natural
measurements
o Why would an artist present distorted images?
 To dramatize shape of object
 To create emotional impact / effect

Functions of Art
 Non-motivated functions – does not fulfill a function outside the precepts of humans,
integral to humans, innate
o Basic human instinct for harmony, balance, rhythm
o Experience the mysterious
o Expression of the imagination
o Ritualistic & symbolic function
 Ex: Urge to fill vacuum or emptiness, go to church : establish a connection
 Art provides a link
 Not through grammatical ways – expressed through symbols -> explore
the realm of imagination
  Every society has own culture w/ rituals expressed thru symbols
 Motivated functions – purpose, something to achieve, given by environment
o Communication – every artist would communicate w/ its viewers
 Illustrative arts such as maps
o Art as entertainment – movies
o Art for social inquiry, subversion, and/or anarchy
 Political agenda, social impact
 Street art in walls, gates
 Calling for action, sympathy
o Art for social causes
 Social concerns
 AIDS victims – raise funds
 Advocacy for African children
o Art for psychological and healing purposes
 Help those with trauma
 Yolanda – give art materials (to draw their experiences)
 Help release the tension and fears
o Art for propaganda or communication
 Politics
 Business
 Billboards
 Bench – model brands

Different Art Forms

 Visual art – perceived by our eyes
o Drawing
o Painting
o Sculpture
o Calligraphy
o Photography
 Applied Art – technology to achieve ideas to become a material
o Architecture
o Fashion design
o Jewelry design
o Wood crafts
o Interior design
 Performing Art – there’s movement and action
o Dance
o Singing
o Films and theatre
o Music
Elements of Art
 Line – an element of art defined by a point moving in space
o May be 2D, or 3D
o Descriptive, implied, abstract
o An illusion
 But when you look closely, there you see the lines (leaf veins)
o Descriptions of line
 Heavy or light
 Short or long
 Straight or curved
 Fine or thick
 Wavy or jagged
o Directions and movement of line – directions of line can express emotional
states
 Straight line – a line that continues in only one direction
 Vertical line – strength, stability and poised
 Horizontal line – creates an impression of serenity and perfect stability
 Diagonal line – movement or action, conveys a feeling of unrest,
uncertainty & movement about to fall
 Implied diagonal line – what we imagine in our mind, not seen but there
is
 Curved line – fluidity, conveys a feeling of grace, movement, serenity, and
stability
 Angular line – chaos, confusion, or conflict
 Shape – an element of art that is 2D, flat, limited to height and width
o Classifications of shapes according to their sources
 Natural shapes – seen in nature, interpreted realistically
 Abstract shapes
 Non-objective shapes – seldom have reference to recognizable objects
but most show similarity to organic forms
 Geometric shapes
 Form – 3D and encloses a volume, includes H, W, depth
o Form may be free flowing
 Value – lightness or darkness of tones or colors
o White is the lightness
o Black is the darkness
o If value is halfway – middle gray
 Space – positive & negative areas are defined, a sense of depth achieved in the work of
art
o The nearer a figure to another figure – negative spaces
o The farther to another – positive space
 Color – made up of 3 properties:
o Hue – name of color
 o Value – lightness & darkness
o Intensity – quality of brightness & purity
 (greater intensity – stronger color)
 (lower intensity – faint color)
o Note: white and black are not colors, they are shade
o Color wheel
 Cool colors (Y,G,B) - recedes
 Warm colors (O,R,V) – traditional color, intensifies
 Texture – the element of art that refers to the way things feel or look as if they might
feel if touched

Medium of the arts

 Medium – refers to the material or means which the artist uses to objectify his feelings
or thought
 Accdg to medium:
o Visual or space arts – medium can be seen & occupy space
 2D art –painting, drawing, photo, printable
 3D art – sculpture, architecture, furniture, industrial
o Auditory or time arts – medium can be heard and which are expressed in time
(music and literature)
o Combined arts (auditory + vision) – mediums can be both seen and heard, and
which exist in both space and time

Forms & Medium of Art

 Drawing
 Painting
 Sculpture
 Architecture

Techniques of the Arts

 Artist’s knowledge of his medium & his skills in making art, achieve on what he wants to
do
o Sculpture
o Photography
o Mixed media
o Print making

Artist vs Artisan
Reading the Image
 Name of the artist
 Name of the work
 Period or movement of a work
 Medium of the work – refer to forms and medium of art
 Date of the work
 Original location
 Current location
 Identification of key figures in the work -
 Art history vocabulary -
 Influences on the artist
 Original setting of the work
 Patron
 Symbolism