HUMAN 01 – Art Appreciation

HUMANITIES
- comes from the Latin word “Humanus” meaning human (cultured & refined)
- the study of the different cultural aspects
- analyzes man’s frailties (moral weaknesses) in life and how these can be improved
- uses the 7 arts (painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, music, dance, & theatre/cinema) to
investigate & analyze the fundamental human activities

Human as cultured and refined:

- to be cultured means to be refined and well-versed in the arts, philosophy, and the languages
- to be learned about great men and leaders of the past
- to possess the proper behavior appropriate to an individual (Castro, Aguinaldo, Castañeda 1995)

Arts
Origin of the word:
- from Aryan root-word “AR” meaning to join/put together
- from “AR” can be derived two Greek verbs: “artizein”(to prepare) & “arkiskeins” (to put together)
- from the Latin term “ARS” meaning artificially made/composed by man
- from Renaissance words “arti” (craft guild) & “arte” (craftsmanship)

Meanings of Art:
 Arts constitute one of the oldest and most important means of expressions developed by man.
 Art can be found in all ages and all countries.
 Art does not grow old. It lives because it is liked and enjoyed.
 Art involves experience.
 Art is a product of man’s need to express himself.
 Art is interdisciplinary.
 Art is universal but has no universal meaning.
 Art is a means of union among all men, a means of communication. – Leo Tolstoy, Russian author
 Art is vision. The artist creates a picture of phantasm. – Beneditto Croce, Italian philosopher
 Art is the direct opposite of practical. The artist may be immoral, and yet his work may be good.
– St. Thomas Aquinas

Value of Art:
 The main purpose of art is to entertain the audience and making one to ponder over what s/he
sees.
 Art imitates life and one can tell the values, traditions, feelings, dreams, as well as the aspirations of
the artist.

Classification of Art:
 Functional Art – a kind of art which has a practical use
 Non-functional Art – a kind of art which has no other purpose except that of giving pleasure or life
enhancement

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Aesthetics
- the study/philosophy of beauty
- the branch of Psychology which deals with the sensations and emotions evoked by beauty
- the part of Philosophy which deals with the perception of the beautiful

Language of Arts

Medium
- the means by which an artist communicates an idea
- the stuff out of which a work of art is created

Art form Medium used

Painting pigments (paint, watercolor, pastel, tempera)
Sculpture stone, clay, marble, wax, wood, etc.
Architecture cement, steel, etc.
Literature language
Dance body
Theatre/Cinema actors/actresses
Music
 song voice
 instrumental musical instruments

Classification of Arts According to Medium:

1. Two-dimensional Art
--refers to width & height and observes surface continuity
--the artist works only on a surface or picture plane
--ex. painting, photography, textile design, graphic art

2. Three-dimensional Art
--refers to width, height, & depth
--the artist works basically on mass, volume, & space
--ex. sculpture, architecture, crafts making(pottery/basketry)

3. Combined Arts
--a.k.a. mixed media/mixed arts
--can be both seen & heard
--ex. theatre/cinema

Technique
- comes from the word “techne” which means skill
- an expert method of executing the technical/mechanical details of an art
- the most teachable aspect of an art
- the method of procedure (as to practical/formal details) in creating an artistic work

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Style
- derived from the Greek word “stylos” & the Latin word “stilus”
- the mode of expression/performance peculiar to an artist
- the distinctive quality of a work of art which relates it to others and at the same time distinguishes
it from others

Subject
- whatever is represented in a work of art
 representational / objective – refers to arts that have subject
 non-representational / non-objective – refers to arts that do not have subject

Ways of Representing Subject

1. Realism - things are depicted in the way they would normally appear in nature
2. Abstraction – the process of simplifying and/or reorganizing objects and elements according to the
demands of artistic expression
- the original objects have been reduced to simple geometric shapes and they can be rarely
identified unless the artist has named them in his title
3. Distortion - the figures have been so arranged that proportions differs noticeably from natural
measurements
- it could also mean twisting, stretching, or deforming the natural shape of the object

Kinds of Subject

1. Landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes

2. Still-lifes
3. Animals
4. Portraits
5. Figures
6. Everyday life
7. History and legend
8. Religion and mythology
9. Dreams and fantasies

Prepared by: asb