ART:

ITS MEANING & IMPORTANCE

THE NATURE OF ARTS

 ART IS EVERYWHERE
 Art exist in all forms of human society and in every generation
because it serves some fundamental human needs.

ART AS EXPRESSION & COMMUNICATION

We express our emotional state by some visible signs and activities.
We burst into song when we are happy, or we dance, for it is
pleasant to express joy through, rhythmic body movements. We
likewise sing out our love or our despair, or try to convey our deep
emotions in poetic language
The uses symbols which he organizes into some comprehensible
equivalent of the experience that he is trying to convey. If the
symbols are understood by his audience, then the communication
has been established.

ART as CREATION
• Art involves skill or experience in handling materials and organizing them
into new, structurally pleasing, and significant units. This skill does not just
happen. It is acquired through long training and constant practice.
 ART & EXPERIENCE
 3 major kinds of experience
1. Experience which the artist wants to communicate
2. The act of expressing this experience- that of creating the art
object for- is itself another kind of experience
3. Finally, when the work is done, there is the artist’s gratifying
experience of having accomplished something significant.
A varying combination of sensory, emotional and intellectual
responses is involved in experiencing art.

ART & NATURE

• A work of Art is man-made, and although it may closely resemble
nature, it can never duplicate nature. Nature is not art but an artist
can create the replica of the environment, making nature or
everything as just merely an imitation of life.
 ART and BEAUTY
 A thing of beauty is one which give pleasure when we perceive it. The
delight that we experience is called aesthetic pleasure “aesthetic”
coming from a Greek word which means “to perceive with the senses.”
 Beauty in art maybe the result of the successful organization of the lines,
colors, shapes and spaces in order to convey an idea or emotions.

ASSUMPTIONS OF ART
• Art is universal
• Art is cultural
• Art is not nature
• Art involves experience
• Art as expression, as a form of creation.
THE FUNCTION OF ART
FUNCTION- mean “practical usefulness.
A. FUNCTIONAL
Architecture, weaving, furniture-making and few other
crafts have obvious purposes are considered Functional.
B. NON-FUNCTIONAL
Painting, sculpture, literature, music and theatre arts
seem to serve no other end than to amuse or provide a
pleasant escape from daily life problems.

Art may consider art as having the general function

THE FUNCTION OF ART
1. AESTHETIC FUNCTION- through art, man becomes
conscious of the beauty of nature. He benefits form his own
work and from those done by his fellowmen. He learns to
use, love and preserve them for his enjoyment and
appreciation.
2. PHYSICAL or UTILITARIAN FUNCTION with the creation of
the various forms of art, man now lives in comfort and
happiness. Through art, man is provided with shelter,
clothing, food, light, medicine, beautiful surroundings,
personal ornamentals, entertainment, language,
transformation and other necessities and conveniences of
life. Art not only enriches man’s life but also improves nature
through landscape gardening, creation and through
propagation and conservation- od natural resources.
THE FUNCTION OF ART
3. CULTURAL FUNCTION – through the printed matter,
art transmits and preserves skills and knowledge from
one generation to another. It makes man aware of his/
her cultural background, making him/ her more
knowledgeable and his/her life more enduring and
satisfying.

4. SOCIAL FUNCTION- used for public display and

celebration, used to affect the collective behavior.
International understanding and cooperation are fostered
and nations become more unified, friendly, cooperative ,
helpful and sympathetic.
 THE SCOPE OF ART
According to Manaois there are 2 general
dimension of arts
1. FINE ARTS or INDEPENDENT ARTS – are made
primarily for aesthetic enjoyment through the senses,
especially visual and auditory.
These are: music, painting, sculpture, architecture,
literature dance and drama.

2. PRACTICAL ARTS or USEFUL or UTILITARIAN

ARTS- are intended for practical use. Is development
of raw for utilitarian purposes. Practical arts or useful
are industrial art, applied or household art, civic art,
commercial art, graphic art, agricultural art, business
art distributive art, and fishery art.
 THE SCOPE OF ART
According to Panizo & Rustia (1995) classified into 2 major divisions
1. According to purpose
- 5 categories
a. PRACTICAL OR USEFUL ARTS- are directed to produce artifacts and utensils for the
satisfaction of human needs. Examples are handicrafts, embroidery, ceramics, iron and
metal crafts & tin can manufacturing.
b. LIBERAL ARTS- are directed toward intellectual growth, such as study of philosophy,
psychology, literature, mathematics and sciences.
c. FINE ARTS- are focused towards creative activity for the contemplation of the mind and
the upliftment of the spirit. Like; painting, sculpture and architecture.
d. MAJOR ARTS– characterized by actual and potential expressiveness such as music,
poetry, and sculpture.
e. MINOR ARTS- are concerned with practical uses and purposes, such as interior
decoration and porcelain art.
 THE SCOPE OF ART
According to Panizo & Rustia (1995) classified into 2 major divisions
2. According to media and forms
- Classified into 5 types;
a. PLASTIC ARTS -are works which exist in a physical space and perceived by
sense of sight. such arts include sculpture & decorative materials.
b. PHONETIC ARTS- utilize sounds and words as mediums of expressions.
Example music, drama, and literature.
c. KINETIC ARTS- involve the element of rhythm.
d. PURE ARTS- take only one medium of expression like sound of music and
color in painting.
e. MIXED ARTS- take more than one medium such as the opera which
combines music, poetry, and drama.
 SUBJECT & CONTENT
SUBJECT – refers to the objects depicted by the artist
SUBJECT MATTER DIFFERENT LEVELS OF MEANING
(Cleaver classifies them as:
a. FACTUAL MEANING- is the literal statement or the narrative
content in the work which can be directly apprehended
because the objects presented are easily organized.
b.CONVENTIONAL MEANING- refers to the special meaning
that a certain objects or color has for a particular culture or
group of people. The flag is the agreed-upon symbol for a
nation. The cross is a symbol of faith; the wheel is the
Buddhist symbol for the teachings of Gautama Buddha.
 SUBJECT & CONTENT
C. SUBJECTIVE MEANING- any personal
meaning consciously or unconsciously
conveyed by the artist using a private
symbolism which stems from his own
association of certain objects, actions, colors
with past experiences.

CONTENT- refers to what the artist

expresses or communicates on the whole in
his work. Sometimes it is spoken of the
“meaning” of the work. It reveals the artist’s
attitude toward his subject.
SUBJECT OF ARTS
1. REPRESENTATIONAL OR
OBJECTIVE ARTS (with
subject)
- Art works that depict something
easily recognized by most people.
Like; painting, sculpture, graphic
arts, literature and theatre arts ,
although some paintings and
sculptures are without subjects.
Music and dance may or may not
have subjects.
SUBJECT OF ARTS
2. NON- REPRESENTATIONAL
(NON- OBJECTIVE ARTS)
- Artworks have no
resemblance to any real
subject. They do not
represent anything and they
are what they are. They
rather appeal directly to the
senses primarily because of
the satisfying organization of
their elements.
SUBJECT OF ARTS
SUBJECT OF ARTS
SUBJECT OF ARTS
SUBJECT OF ARTS- ABSTRACT
SUBJECT OF ARTS
SUBJECT OF ARTS
SUBJECT OF ARTS
IDENTFYING OTHER SUBJECT OF ARTS

1. FIGURE-
such as nude does
not simply represent
the body, but relates it
by analogy to all
structures that
become part of man’s
imaginative
experience.
IDENTFYING OTHER SUBJECT OF ARTS

2. PORTRAIT
- The visual
expression of a
patron’s self-
perception or
aspirations
within the
society in which
he or she lives.
IDENTFYING OTHER SUBJECT OF ARTS

3. RELIGIOUS
- Serves as
framework based
on theology. It
may operate on
many levels but
its role is
determined by
religious doctrine.
IDENTFYING OTHER SUBJECT OF ARTS

4. MYTHS
-are narratives that reinforce a
society’s cultural values.
Mythical & allegorical subjects
alluded to a wide range of
values, good and bad, designed
to encourage virtuous behavior.
Mythical characters provided
allegories for contemporary
human interest such as love,
virtue and moral values
IDENTFYING OTHER SUBJECT OF ARTS

5. HISTORICAL
PAINTING
-the highest in the hierarchy of
genres. It includes contemporary
events often wars or battles,
critical moments in time.
Paintings of historical events
provided patrons with the means
to represent their achievements
and status for their own ends.
IDENTFYING OTHER SUBJECT OF ARTS

6. STILL LIFE
-the lowest rated genre of the
academy, it can represent
domestic interiors with casually
or formally arranged objects
often on a table. It is also
concerned with the
representation of “reality.”
IDENTFYING OTHER SUBJECT OF ARTS

7. LANDSCAPE,
SEASCAPE,
CITYSCAPE
-reflects our relationship with the
land, nature and place. We see
a constructed view which carries
a deeper narrative significance.
IDENTFYING OTHER SUBJECT OF ARTS

8. EVERYDAY LIFE
-is depicted in domestic settings
or out amongst the community,
at markets or festivals. Debates
on the mechanism used to
paints “realistic” genre scenes
revolve around whether artists
used the camera obscura to
capture precise details of
perspective.
IDENTFYING OTHER SUBJECT OF ARTS

9. ANIMALS
- The grace and vigor of animals in
action have attracted painters &
sculptures and inspired poets as well.
IDENTFYING OTHER SUBJECT OF ARTS

10. DREAMS and

FANTASIES
-are usually vague and illogical. A
dream may be of lifelike situation.