CHAPTER I

A GENERAL VIEW OF ART

1. Etymology of Art
The word Art originally comes from the Aryan root ar meaning "join," "put together.” From this
ancient etymon, two Greek verbs are derived, artizein, meaning "to prepare," and arkiskein, “to
put together.” The Latin term ars, artis, means everything that is artificially made or composed
by man. In modern times the word art is restricted to express the fine arts, including belles lettres
or the classical humanities. But in our days it has often been narrowed down to signify only one
art, painting.
Meaningful human actions are directed by the intellect in two different activities. There are
actions to be done in relation to man's ultimate destiny and moral obligations (prudence, virtue,
moral actions) and works to be made in relation to man's practical and cultural needs (artificial or
artistic things). Art in general is either the making or the composition of any object useful for our
human needs, from a stone knife to a jet plane, or the arrangement of certain elements and
qualities for the contemplation and enjoyment of its meaning or beauty. The latter is properly
what we mean by the phrase "work of art.” Virtue is concerned with human actions as good
moral or immoral. Art is concerned with objects and expressions as beautiful or not beautiful,
artistic or in
ns as good or bad
and human
inartistic
2. Definition of Art
Aristotle defines art as the "right reason of making things Any kind of human activity, when
directed to change or trane form things under the patterns of right reason, can be called art.
By processing natural things, we prepare them for our use or consumption as food, medicine,
vehicles, cloth, etc. By arranging certain qualities as sounds and colors or modelling certain
elements as bronze and marble, we prepare them for man's aesthetic enjoyment or pleasure.
Art, therefore, is the skillful arrangement or composition of some common but significant
qualities of nature, such as colors, sounds, lines, movements, words, stones, wood, etc., to
express human feelings, emotions, or thoughts in a perfect, meaningful, and enjoyable way.
This brings us to a modern consideration of art. Art has been defined as a formal expression of a
considered human experience. This definition focuses attention on two important elements: form
and substance. Art uses experience as its subject matter, but uses it after it has passed the artist's
sensibilities and has been carefully analyzed, felt, and thought.
This experience is then given an expression through a sensuous form which is nothing else but a
skillful composition of the media selected by the artist. The arrangement which he imposes on
his media must be so fitted to the nature of the materials as to give the impression of a
spontaneous and perfect subject matter and the form. harmony between the content and the
expression, between the 3. The Divisions of Art
There are a number of ways by which art may be classified.
A. With respect to the purpose, arts are classified as:
a. Practical or useful arts - when human activity is directed to produce artifacts and utensils
which cope with human needs. For example, basket weaving, agriculture, etc. We can also
include in this category the mechanical arts, in which manual work prevails and the industrial or
commercial arts, which involve a manufacturing process and a large-scale production.
b. Liberal arts — in which intellectual efforts are considered. In ancient times the present
sciences of mathematics, astronomy, grammar were classified as liberal arts.
c. Fine arts - which are the products of the human creative activity insofar as they express beauty
in different ways and media, for the contemplation of the mind and the relaxation of the spirit.
d. Major arts – which are characterized by their actual and potential expressiveness and by a
purely disinterested purpose, such as music, poetry, sculpture, etc.
e. Minor arts - which are connected with practical uses and purposes. For example, interior
decoration and porcelain art.
B. According to media and forms, arts are divided into:
a. Plastic arts - which are developed through space and perceived by the sense of sight. These are
painting, sculpture, and architecture.
b. Phonetic arts - which are based on sounds and words as media of expression. These are music,
drama, literature.
e. Kinetic arts - which use as their most important element, rhythmic movement. The dance is a
type of this art.
um of expression
5
d. Pure arts - which take only one medium of expr. as sound in music and color in painting.
e. Mixed arts - which use two or more media. Fora ple, the opera which is a combination of
music, poetry.. drama.
1
4. The Origin of the Arts
The dance was probably the first art cultivated by man and the origin of all his aesthetic activity.
Dance flows natural. ly from man and its practice has been universally accepted in all primitive
and modern societies. Man feels liberated and exalted when he applies rhythm to his corporeal
movements and his feelings and joys are easily shared by the audience. Perhaps it was the
dancing man or woman who served as inspiration to the first musicians, painters, and poets, for
dancing was the life of the primitive people; they danced day and night, at peace and at war,
during rituals and ceremonies, weddings and funerals, planting and harvesting.
Music and poetry accompanied dance performances. Poetry began as story-telling of the feats of
the ancestors, and originated from poetry. of the race's legendary origins allied to heroes and
gods. Prose
Some authors traced the origin of painting and sculpture also to dance because in some caves of
the Neolithic Period we can still see numerous charcoal and color designs of women dancing
around a man or an idol. Other authors believe that the origin of these arts is connected with
sorcery and magic. It was a common belief among the superstitious primitive peoples that the
representations of animals in the interior of their caves acted as an incantation to trap and kill the
wild animals.
Be it superstition or religion, we cannot deny the tremendous influence of these two factors in
the origin and evolution of human arts. In the East, as well as in the West, all arts. including
dancing, originated in the temples. We still admire totems, demons, and priests. the ancient
colossal statues of gods, goddesses, religious animals,
5. The Purpose of the Arts
1. Besides the moral, educational, social, cultural, and religious purposes of art as a powerful
medium in mass communication, it has also a purpose of value in itself, which is no other than to
express beauty. To a certain extent, the famous statement "art for art's sake” is true.
2. All arts afford man moments of relaxation and spiritual happiness, which is a reflection of an
eternal happiness.
3. Our imagination is seldom more satisfied than through the recreation in ourselves of the
beautiful themes, characters, motifs, events, etc. expressed by artists in their creations.
4. The arts are an outlet of our slumbering passions when brought to the surface under the
orderly control of arts. In real life, passions frequently move men to immoral or disorderly
actions. In the fictitious representations of arts, the passions of the drama, the emotions of poetry,
the moods of music, the fancies of painting, the sordid life of novels have a sober note of calm
and meaning and beauty.
5. Arts are powerful means to reform man, to change his deviant behaviour into social order and
to overcome his feelings of loneliness, uncertainty, and restlessness.
6. The Hierarchy of the Arts
Writers and old authors of Aesthetics considered very important the academic discussions on the
relative superiority of the arts: which of them are more forceful in expression, intense in
communication, sufficient in medium, lively in
This problem, however, depends rhythm, luxuriant in details. largely on individual
temperaments, perceptions, and education, It is difficult to determine which is the greatest artistic
work in terms of endurance, universality, and expression: a Gothic cathedral or a Beethoven
symphony, a drama of Shakespeare, or the Venus of Milo, the Divine Comedy of Dante, or the
Mona Lisa of Leonardo da Vinci.
site views on the
fall arts, for it hopenhauer, how
for
Different authors have expressed opposite views matter. Kant says that music is the lowest of all
arta gives only sensible pleasure. According to Schopenhauer ever, music is the greatest of all
arts, the “liberator-art, music is capable of freeing man from his fears and from ignoble desires,
from his anger and despair, and from oth passions and anxieties.
Hegel believes that poetry has the best qualities of othen arts: immediate perception, creative
imagination, development of thoughts and events. Leibnitz thought that the greatest hu. man
expression in arts was possible by the fusion of poetry and music as in the final act of the Ninth
symphony of Beethoven.
Thus, there is not one final manner by which a hierarchy of the arts may be established. Each art
has its own values and the lover of art and beauty need not build a hierarchy of own meaning.
them. He simply needs to understand each one in terms of its
7. Is Art An Imitation or A Creation?
Fundamentally, art is an imitation of nature in the sense given by Aristotle to the word imitation.
As nature produces new beings within the frame of the same species, so art produces new objects
within the frame of the artist's mental patterns and within the limits of his technique. Nature
gives life to matter through a new soul; likewise, art infuses life, order, them into different arts.
and dynamic rhythm into unmeaningful materials and organizes
Aristotle's teachings regarding imitation in art have been accepted and employed in art. widely
misunderstood. Yet, his principles are true and may be
(a) “Art aims at imitating nature." (b) “Imitation is natural to man.” (c) “It is natural to man to
delight in works of imitation."
plan in collaboration with me Ituur blocks supporting the complete work of art. A perfect
example of equilibrium in art is Dante
s Comedy » where each scene contributes to the aggregate and each word is packed with
meaning and beauty.
11. Éducation for Art Appreciation and the Standards
of Taste
Art appreciation means more than aesthetic enjoyment. The latter is related to the experience
derived from the contemplation of artistic works. The former involves an ability to judge and to
appreciate art.
Which are the standards or criteria for art appreciation and evaluation?
Lessing thought that the criteria of art were inflexible and rigid like logical conclusions or
geometric axioms. sionists, on the other hand, say there is no fundamente
The im
for agreement in art appreciation. According to them, the criteria to determine the excellence of
the works of art depend on individual feelings and opinions. They claim that true art is the
expression of the personality and spontaneity of the individual; that tastes are relative and
personal; that artistic techniques vary according to different periods and cultures; and that works
of art do not admit comparison because each one is supposed to be unique and original.
Obviously, the impressionists exaggerate the relative value of art. All men have the capacity to
develop aesthetic pleasures and art appreciation but only those who seriously apply themselves
to the study of the history and evaluation of the arts are qualified to discuss about aesthetic
standards and art appreciation. Isolated experiences are not enough for a proper education in art
appreciation.
How do we form good standards for art appreciation and judgment?
As was mentioned, successive experiences reveal to us the insight of beauty and the meaning of
art, building up in our mind a kind of measurement or standard by which we evaluate our own
experiences and pass judgment on dramatic performances, concerts, exhibits, oratorical contests,
etc. Each new experience contributes to the maturity of our judgment and to a deeper
understanding of art.
Once we are awakened to the appreciation of the arts, we can develop a critical attitude
and reflection toward them. It is then that we can comment, criticize, pass judgments, write
reviews, and make recommendations.
ne
12. The Role of Art Criticism
Criticism is the method of verifying or testing artistic works. It is also a technique to
stimulate the understanding of art and to develop artistic sensibility.
The main concern of a good critic of art is to help the public in the understanding, appreciation,
and selection of works of art. He calls our attention to the technique, merit, originality,