HUMANITIES – comes from the Latin word humanus which means human, cultured and

refined. To be human is to show the quality like rationality, kindness and tenderness.

Cultured - Learned in the ways of a civilized society, refined

Refined – Showing or having good feelings or good taste

How important is humanities?

1. Provides certain degree of relief, enjoyment or stimulation if one understands what it
covers.
2. Allows you to examine the world judiciously
3. Broaden the horizon by appreciation of various human experiences
4. Respond to the world imaginatively and creatively
5. Cultivate human values and moral sensitivity (Different cultures reflect different values;
Values are one's judgment about what is important in life. Values tell people what is good,
beneficial, important, useful, beautiful, desirable, appropriate...etc. They answer the
question of why people do what they do. Values help people solve common human
problems for survival.)

History of Humanities
 Traced to ancient Greece as the basis of a broad education for citizens.
 Roman times – 7 liberal arts involving grammar, rhetoric and logic (the trivium), along
with arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music (the quadrivium).
 Medieval Period - humanities as skills or "ways of doing."
 Renaissance Humanism - humanities began to be regarded as subjects to be studied

Who are involved in Humanities?

 The artist – two types; the creator and the performer. A person who creates arts or who
performs arts.

Humanities is defined as a group or branches of cultural subjects such as: (not a group of
scientific or technical subjects)
 Classics
 History  Philosophy
 Languages  Religion
 Law  Visual Arts
 Literature  Performing Arts

- These subjects are branches of learning concerned with human thoughts,

feelings and relation. The importance of human beings and his feelings is the
concern of humanities.

ARTS
 Constitute one of the oldest and most important means of expressions developed
by man.
 It dates back during pre-historic time before the beginning of recorded history
 It has been created by people of all times, it lived because it is liked and enjoyed
  Involves personal experience accompanied by intensity and emotion
 Expression of thought and feelings by influence, an artist may become social
critics or moralist

APPRECIATING A WORK OF ART

 Implies an intellectual involvement with what is to be appreciated. What kind of
music or movie. Painting or sculpture.
 Does not mean to respond emotionally but to understand what it is all about. Its
elements and it is put together in a harmonious relationship.
 Craft – making something useful and less beautiful Possibility of both at the
 Art – making something beautiful but less useful same time

IMPORTANCE OF ART
1. Part of our daily living – surrounding ourselves with beautiful things we
appreciate (what we see and use everyday)
2. The interests in appreciation and beauty is one of the main concerns
 it has a purpose and expression
 it occupies some space in our judgment
3. The moral, educational, social, cultural and religious purposes of art as a
powerful medium in mass communication. A value in itself – express beauty
4. Affords mans moments of relaxation and spiritual happiness
5. Imagination is seldom more satisfied than through the recreation in ourselves of
the themes, motifs, characters and events expressed by artist in their creation.
6. Outlet of slumbering passions when brought to the surface under the orderly
control of arts.
 Passion of drama
 Emotions of poetry
 Mood of music
 Fancies of painting
7. Powerful means to reform man, its behavior into social order, overcome the
feelings of loneliness, uncertainty and restlessness.

IMPORTANCE OF BEAUTY
1. Beautiful things are things of order, of harmony, with precision, purpose and
proportion.
2. It impresses our imagination, things which do not make sense are eliminated
3. Aesthetic enjoyment derived from contemplation of beautiful things produced in
mans astonishing effects such as stimulation of our lower drives, relaxation from
our boredom. To be free from the negative forces of the physical and emotional
4. Increases the love for the natural and artificial objects and the knowledge of our
cultural heritage. Ex. Museums (learn from the evolution of culture).

PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS OF ART:

1. Subject – variable, it may refer to an object, person, scene or events or issues
a. Representational art or objective arts – arts that have subjects. Ex.
Theatre, painting, sculpture
 b. Non-representational art or non-objective arts – does not present
description, stories or references identifiable objects or symbols rather
they appeal directly to the senses because of the satisfying organization of
their sensuous and expressive elements.

2. Medium – materials used in the creation of arts, means by which an artist

communicates his/her ideas. Classifications of arts are the following:
a. Visual or space arts – it can be seen and occupies space. It’s either in 2 or
3 dimensions.
b. Auditory or time arts – it can be heard and expressed in time. Ex.
Literature and music.
c. Combined art – can be both seen and heard. It also exists in both space
and time. Opera, Theatre, Movies etc.

WAYS IN PRESENTING THE SUBJECT

1. Realism
 When objects are depicted in a way they would normally appear in nature
(realistic) but not an accurate copy of what exist in the real world.
 The artist utilizes very detailed elements from nature that employ
photographic touches that brings it closer to nature itself (naturalistic)

2. Abstraction
 An artist is interested and engrossed in one phase of a scene that he does
not show the subject at all as an objective reality but only as an idea of it,
or his/her feelings about it.
 Enough of a likeness may be retained to represent things, some original
object are reduced to simple geometric shapes and can be rarely
recognized unless named on the title.
3. Distortion
 Dramatize the shape to create an emotional effect
 Proportions differ obviously from the natural appearance and
measurements.
 May be twisting, stretching or deforming the natural form and shape of the
object.
 Example is caricature where the message and target of ridicule would
appear.
ELEMENTS OF VISUAL ARTS
 Elements are the quantities and properties of the work of art
1. Lines 5. Color
2. Value 6. Texture
3. Light and shadow 7. Space
4. Form

LINE
 The simplest, most ancient and universal means of creating visual arts.
 A prolongation of a point
 Describe simple objects, measure things, give directions and boundaries.
 Straight, curve, broad, thin, fine or ragged
 Horizontal – implies width, quietude, contemplation. Sense of infinity. Often found
on landscapes
 Vertical – signifies poise, aspiration, dignity and height.
 Diagonal – suggest action and movement
 Zigzag – a combination of alternate diagonals symbolizes ruggedness,
confusion, disturbance, lightning and thunder, violence. This is due to its jagged
edge.
 Curve – show of life, grace and energy. Flow is smooth, Royalty
VALUE
 Light and dark
 It is the relative degree of lightness and darkness in a graphic work of art or
painting
 Indicates the degree of luminosity ( presence and absence of light)
LIGHT AND SHADOW
 Chiaroscuro, an Italian word for light and shadow (different from value)
 Means of modeling a figure in depth, means of articulating the form
FORM
 External appearance of a clearly defined area
 Visual shape of an object found in nature
 An assembly of form creates 3 dimensional solids
 It may be natural, abstract, non-objective or geometric
COLOR
 Quality of an object or substance with respect to light reflected by it
 Determined by the measurements of hue, saturation and brightness
TEXTURE
 Surface treatment of an artistic work to give variety
 Sense of sight and touch is involved
 Helps avoid monotony
SPACE
 Concerned in making all parts functional and contribute to make the whole a
complete work of art.
 It exists as an illusion in graphic presentation. Space is present in sculpture.