Introduction to Humanities

GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE HUMANITIES

Custodiosa A. Sanchez, Paz F. Abad, et. al. (2012). Introduction to the Humanities.
6th Edition. Manila, Phils.: Rex Book Store.

With the advent of the computer age, advanced science and technology have
overwhelmed many aspects of our lives, and even our possibilities of survival are
affected. But turning to the humanities where the world of man’s spirit is evident in
humans, rather than technical values, we experience a certain degree of relief. The
humanities can provide enjoyment and stimulation, especially when we try to
understand what it covers.

The Meaning, Importance and Scope of Humanities

The word 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.

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 a 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. (Machlis 1963).

In every age or country, there is always art. Wherever we go, whether it is a city
or a province, here or abroad, we surely have to pass buildings of various sorts –
houses, schools, churches, stores and others. Some of them appear attractive and
inviting; some do not. We look at some of them with awe or admiration. In viewing all
these buildings, however, we are being concerned with architecture which is one of the
oldest and most important of the many areas of art.

The art that we perceive 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 things 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 in which they live.

Visual arts include much more than painting, sculpture and architecture. Out of
the many common things we use in our daily lives, we derive real pleasure. A chair, for
example, can be beautiful as well as comfortable. A great range of objects can be
included in the visual arts, from the purely useful products at one extreme to those that
were designed only for their aesthetic appeal on the other. A similar range exists in all
other fields of art. Because of this range, we are surrounded by art in all the things we
see, hear, do or use. The aesthetic aspects of any work – a painting, song, story,
dance, or play – are what make it art. Aesthetic refers to the forms and psychological
forms of art.
 Another form of the more important arts is music. This is the art of combining
and regulating sounds of varying pitch to produce compositions expressing various
ideas and emotions. Its primary function is to entertain. Thus, when sounds are not
regulated or when a piece of music is played improperly or in full blast, as in the case of
unregulated stereo, it ceases to give pleasure or it fails in its purpose. Music is one of
the great arts of our civilization, along with literature, painting, sculpture, architecture
and dance. As an art, it bases is appeal on the sensuous beauty of musical sounds.

Like the other arts, music deals with emotions. It being a “pure art” enables it to
convey emotions with great intensity and can affect people directly. It is a broad and
varied field, serving various moods and occasions. Great music especially, radiates
infectious joy. Many who are receptive to great music find it exhilarating.

If we tune into a musical program on the radio, or sing a song with others, we
are having contact with music. The radio or television program may consist of a soloist
or a singing group of musicians in a small band or a large orchestra. The song we sing
may be a tune which is popular now but may possibly be forgotten later. It may be a
selection which has been sung or played for several decades.
 Dance is another form of art that is common to man even during the earliest times. It is
the most direct of the arts for it makes use of the human body as its medium. It springs
from man’s love for expressive gestures, his release of tension through rhythmic
movement. Dance heightens the pleasure of being, and at the same time mirrors the
life of society.

Dance of the olden times is different from that of the present time; the dance of
the barrio folds is different from the dances in the city. Primitive and non-primitive
dances: The Ifugaos dance to celebrate the victory of the warriors after a fight with their
enemies. Likewise, the Bagobos, dance to show gratitude to the spirits “for success in
war or domestic affair.” The Indians dance to give thanks for a harvest; the Mexicans
dance to celebrate a religious festival; teenagers dance at parties; both young and old
go to disco bars; and children everywhere dance because it is pleasurable to express
happiness through bodily movements. In its expressive aspects, dance is uniquely able
to intensify moods and emotions and to deepen and dignify the feelings of us all
(Compton’s Encyclopedia 1974).

The area of the theater or drama is another of the important arts. Dramatic
activities are usually part of every school and community program. Classes dramatize
the events they are studying; clubs, organizations and institutions stage plays. Going to
the theater to see a play is a wonderful experience. The play may be a comedy,
tragedy, mystery, musical or melodrama. In any of them, a group of people act out the
plot to get across to the audience the idea the author is trying to express.

Essentially, the stage is a place for re-enacting the joys and problems of life, a
place where the playwright strips life of nonessentials and deals with basic and
important issues. The spectators get involved in these situations and thus gain greater
insight into human motives and passions.

The motion picture is a popular addition to the various forms of the

theater. Through it, a great number of people are able to see dramatic performances
every day. The radio makes drama available for the auditory sense and the
imagination. The television, too, brings the art of the drama to many people. Theatrical
productions, including motion pictures and television, combine art forms.

The play itself is a form of literature. Scenery and costume provide the visual
arts, and music serve as a background to set the mood or to serve as part of the
plot. The opera is a drama set to music. Thus, it is a form of the theater. In many
musical shows, dancers are also important performers. The theater, therefore,
combines several of the arts.

It is also necessary that we distinguish between art and nature for they are
fundamentally different. We may be impressed by the majesty of the perfect cone of
Mayon Volcano, the awesome beauty of Pagsanjan Falls or the sunset at Manila Bay
and thus, react to the wonders of nature. No matter how close art is to nature, however,
art always shows that it is man-made. It is an interpretation of nature and of life.

What Arts Have In Common

We have identified five areas of art: the visual arts, music, dance, literature and
drama. But there is one thing that is common to them all. What relates a painting to a
song, a play to a dance?

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 is very different from
their intellectual responses. Emotions are part of our basic nature
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