Art Appreciation

While Art as a creative act enjoyed the amplitude of freedom, it is also submitted to
the discipline of training. A good artist should undergo in a training, for him to produce an
artwork, he should be knowledgeable in that certain form. Trainings, workshops, seminars
are good avenues for an artist to hone his talent through his mentor.

Beauty and goodness are inseparable and non-dualistic. Anything which is beautiful
will always evoke positive feelings toward a person who experiences art. Most literary
scholars believe that a beautiful artwork connotes a pleasant character, similar to a
beautiful person should have a good character. The artist and his art: Humility, Respect,
Intelligence and Identity.

The artist should be humble. Being humble doesn't mean being modest. It means
constantly re-evaluating your strengths and being conscious of your incompetencies. It
means being confident in your product and your ability to execute, while questioning
assumptions you've made

Respect is also a character that the artist should possess. Artist must be able to
interact or respect their mentors as well their fans to create a more meaningful work. As
Instructing Artists we spend many, many hours developing content for workshops to share
new and exciting techniques and projects with other creative people. We share freely, giving
away the things we've learned to not only make a living doing what we love, but because by
sharing we ourselves grow. Sharing causes us to continually push forward and break new
grounds.

Artists’ intelligence is similar to people who are smart in different ways. Some people
can create a catchy song at the drop of a hat. Others can memorize everything in a book,
paint a masterpiece, or be the center of attention. 

The identity of the artist is by being unique, meaning the ability to stand out
amongst the other artists.  In many cases innovating and bringing something new to one’s
creative endeavour.  Much like the development of a new genre of music or the pushing of
the boundaries of a particular genre by taking it in a new creative direction.

Arts introduce both aesthetic and good behavior but it is still marginalized in the
educational system. Humanities or “pagaaral sa ating pagkatao” has to struggle to revive a
consciousness that learning needs to be interdisciplinary and dedicated to the good of
humanity. Basically, the Philippine educational system has a curriculum collapsed Music,
Art, Physical Education, Sibika at Kultura, Home Economics and Homeroom into just one
subject. This just goes to show that the Philippine education does not prioritize art and
culture as much as science, math and language. Most of the Filipinos were taught that art
and culture is a peripheral need. But it makes sense for a third world status – would you
think about art if you can’t even have a decent meal for the day? A low-income country
such as ours would rather go for the basic needs than to beautify the surroundings. The
educational system and cultural agencies must be able to strengthen the arts appreciation
for it can lift the aesthetic sense of everyone.It is our culture, since culture is a way of life
being reshaped to why, way and tools of humans.

During 13c Indo_European root “skill as a result

of learning practice” 10c Latin (ars, artem) “a craft.”
 Sanskrit (rtih) “manner, mode.” In Filipino, art is
translated as “sining” which was derived from a Balinese
word “pensar” meaning to think. Similar enough to
greek word arte which means to fit and in latin “skill.”

Balinese Art

Art can be appreciated in many different ways. The pleasure of art’s visual impact or
its aesthetic qualities can begin an exploration into:
1. Style and technique
2. Subject matter or hidden meaning
3. Cultural significance
4. Artistic appeal
Erwin Panofsky, an art historian, proposed a three-stage approach or trichotomy to
analize art. First is the pre-iconographic stage, in which formal qualities are studied : basic
forms, composition, color, tone, line etc. second is the iconographic stage, in which
symbols are explored. Third is the study of iconology or broader social context. Below is the
suggested approach to perceive art.
1. Skill of artist and choice of colors (What is the style, What colors are used, Which
parts are light and dark)
2. Shape, line of a figure (How are lines used, Has the paint medium affected the style)
3. Naturalism of the Form (How has the scene composed, How have the figures been
defined)
4. Over-all impact of the composition (Is the scene active, Are there any symbols)
Humanities is man’s quest for answers. The humanities are the stories, the ideas,
and the words that help us make sense of men’s lives and world. The humanities introduce
everyone to people they have never met, places never visited, and ideas that may have
never crossed their minds. By showing how others have lived and thought about life, the
humanities help man decide what is important in life and what make them better. By
connecting men with other people, they point the way to answers about what is right or
wrong, or what is true to heritage and history. The humanities help address the challenges
men face together with families, communities, and as a nation.

As fields of study, the humanities emphasize analysis and exchange of ideas rather
than the creative expression of the arts or the quantitative explanation of the sciences.
1. History, Anthropology, and Archaeology study human social, political, and cultural
development.
2. Literature, Languages, and Linguistics explore how we communicate with each other,
and how our ideas and thoughts on the human experience are expressed and
interpreted.
3. Philosophy, Ethics, and Comparative Religion consider ideas about the meaning of
life and the reasons for our thoughts and actions.
4. Jurisprudence examines the values and principles which inform our laws.
5. Historical, Critical, and Theoretical Approaches to the Arts reflect upon and analyze
the creative process.

Humanities was first applied to writings of Ancient Latin authors through literary
style and moral teachings. Shaped into metaphysics and spiritual life during the Medieval
period. While it was more human, cultured and refined during the Renaissance period since
it deals with man’s internal world.
Nature of Art
Art is Everywhere, the buildings, the landscapes, cars, clothes and many more. All of
that is art in some way. As long as man lives, any product of his intelligent is always
considered art form. The statement “art is everywhere” is true. From the simplest to the
most complicated things that surround us, there is some element of art that is present.

Expression, emotional or aesthetic responses to art have previously been viewed as

basic stimulus response. The real art work is not the material object but an original emotion
experienced by the artist which the work serves to communicate to its audience. The
audience successfully experience the work when they recover the artist’s original experience
in their own imagination. Sad music does not so much make us really sad as it enables us to
experience the original sadness as experienced by the artist. If the art works exists as the
artist’s original emotion it will be successful, if it allows me direct access to this emotion.

Creation, art is man-made which means it is a creation. Nature is not art, but an
artist can duplicate or create the replica of the environment, making nature or everything as
just merely an imitation of life.

Experience. Immanuel Kant’s theory on the Deduction on Beuty, is an attempt to

shift the understandings of what is important and characteristic about the art process from
its physical manifestations in the ‘expressive object’ to the process in its entirety, a process
whose fundamental element is no longer the material ‘work of art’ but rather the
development of an ‘experience’. An experience is something that personally affects your life.

Art throughout the ages has served as a catalyst for action and served as a coping
mechanism by which colonized Filipinos poured out their frustrations.
Subjects of Art

In art, the subject is important in each form. It could be representational or

objective by means of Realism, Abstraction or Distortion. The subject is not the only
attribute of art, but it is the fundamental one, it is the end to which all the others are the
means. The subject of an art work expresses a view of man’s existence, while the style
expresses a view of man’s consciousness.

Subject as Realistic, anything which seen and

represented on its original form is always realistic.
Realism depicts the world, its events, and people as they
really are. There is no personification of people as
mythological beings, no one is glorified, romanticizing
anyone or anything is out. Realism is a social
commentary on the world in which we live. Artists took
the common and ordinary, and elevated them to a higher
status. The focus of Realism is on the common man. 

Abstraction in art is common definition of "abstract

art" is "not realistic." Yet many artists who call their work
abstract, actually do have a subject in mind when they pain
t. They take a figure or landscape and simplify it, exaggerate
it, or stylize it in some way. They are not trying to imitate
nature, but to use nature as a starting off point. Color, line,
and form are more important to them than the details of the
actual subject matter. They want to give a sense or feel for
the subject rather than an exact replication.

Art as distorted is a notion that the subject is in misshaped condition. Art functions
on so many levels and the human figure has always provoked the greatest response,
positive and negative. Some art is always a challenge and the best deserves more than a
glancing look. An element of mystery, the terror in one's soul, the unanswered question
only provides more reason to look longer

Identifying other Subjects of Art

Subjects could be: Landscapes, Still Lifes, Animals, Portrait, Figures, Everday Life,
History/ Legend, Religion/ Myth, Dreams/ Fantasies.

The Figures such as nude does not simply represent the body,
but relates it by analogy to all structures that have become part of
man’s imaginative experience. Representing the human body has
been central to art for millennia. The distinction between naked and
nude is that the former is the state of being unclothed, whereas in
the latter, the human body is displayed for the pleasure of the
typically male viewer.
 The portrait is perhaps the genre that most closely
signifies social and cultural values. A portrait is the visual
expression of a patron’s self-perception or aspirations within the
society in which he or she lives. Portrait is the medium used by
the elites to preserve their looks. The rise of merchant classes,
portraits became a popular way of expressing wealth,
status and piety.

The religious art serves a framework based on

theology. It may operate on many levels, but its role is
determined by religious doctrine. Over time, original functions
may become obscured, but the place occupied by art within
religious dogma can never be taken for granted. Periods of
iconoclasm, demonstrate its centrality to religion. Christian
art has a long history in which its function has been
periodically questioned by church leaders.

Myths are narratives that reinforce a society’s cultural

values. Mythical and allegorical subjects alluded to a wide
range of values, good and bad, designed to encourage virtous
behaviour. Mythical characters provided allegories for
contemporary human interests, such as love, virtue and moral
values.

Historical painting was the highest in the

hierarchy of genres. In painting could include
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.

Still Life was the lowest- rated genre of the academy, it

can represent domestic interiors with casually or
formally arranged objects, often on a table. For example, a
dying flower might allude to the transcience of life, or an
oyster, to fertility. Still life painting is also concerned with
the representation of “reality.”
 Landscape reflects our relationship with the land, nature
and place. In a landscape painting we see a constructed view
which carries a deeper narrative or significance. All landscapes
are created by humans, whether through the invention of an ideal
pastoral scene or the framing of a vista.

Everyday life is depicted in domestic settings or out

amongst the community, at markets or festivals. Debates on
the mechanisms used to paint “realistic” genre scenes revolve
around whether artists used the camera obscura to capture
precise details of perspective.

Functions of Art

Art function for Personal, social, and Physical needs.

The personal functions of art  may vary from person to person. An artist may create
out of a need for self-expression, or gratification. S/he might have wanted
to communicate a thought or point to the viewer. Perhaps the artist was trying to provide
an aesthetic experience, both for self and viewers. A piece might have been meant to
"merely" entertain others. Sometimes a piece isn't meant to have any meaning at all.

Art has social functions when it addresses aspects of (collective) life, as opposed to

one person's point of view or experience. Art that depicts social conditions performs social
functions. Social functions of art are those that go beyond personal intrinsic value to art's
social benefits. Individuals and their society are dynamically related. Art communicates.
Most often it is constructed with the intention of sharing responses to and opinions about
life with others. Art enriches, informs, and questions our world. When highly valued it can
be both a social and financial asset. Art can have powerful transformative and restorative
effects within a society as well.

The physical functions of art are most easily dealt with. Works of art that are created
to perform some service have physical functions. Architecture, any of the crafts and
industrial design are all types of art that have physical functions.
Art Criticism and Aesthetics

You have heard the saying “Don’t judge a

book by its cover.” What this saying means is that to
judge something fairly, you need to have all the
facts. It is not enough to look at the surface of the
object. You need to dig beneath the surface-to
understand as much as you can about the object.
In this lesson you will learn ways of looking at art
that will help increase your understanding and
appreciation of it.

ART CRITICISM
Have you ever looked at a work of art and wondered if there was more to the
painting than you understand? Works of art are sometimes like mysteries. Solving art
mysteries is one of the jobs of people in the field called art criticism. Art criticism is
studying, understanding, and judging works of art.
In carrying out their work, art critics often use a four-step system. The four steps are
describing, analyzing, interpreting, and judging.

Describing an Art Work

In describing an art work, the critic notes certain key facts. These includes the
following :
 The size of the work, the medium, and the process used. The credit line gives
the viewer information about the size of the work and the medium used. It also list
the process, such as serigraph or woodcut.
 The subject, object and details. The subject is the image viewers can easily
identify in an art work. The subject answer the question “what do I see when I look
at this work?”.
 The elements used in the work. Line and color are two of the elements of art that
play an important part in this work.
Notice that while every work of art uses elements, not all have subjects.. Because such
works are not “about” something, some viewer are uncertain how to describe them. These
viewers should learn to focus attention on the elements of art. This is what the critic – or
anyone else - will see in this work. This is called describing the formal aspects of the work.

Analyzing an Artwork
In analyzing an artwork,the critic focuses on the works composition.Composition is the
way the art principle are used to organize the art elements of color,line,shape,form,space
and texture. Find the long loaf of bread in the lower left and the chair in the lower right.
Notice how the diagonal lines of these and other objects lead your eye to the center of the
picture. There you find a small child grinning and looking out at you. The child is one of the
most important figures in the work.

Interpreting an Artwork
In interpreting an artwork the critic focuses on the work's content. This is the message,
idea or feeling expressed by artwork. Each art critic may interpret an artwork differently,
according to individual feelings. Your interpretation of an artwork will be based on your
opinion and experiences.

Judging an Artwork
In judging an artwork, the critic tells whether the work succeeds. He or she answers
the question “Is this a successful work of art?”
How exactly, the critic answers this question depends on his or her particular
aesthetic (ess-thet-ik) view. An aesthetic view is an idea, or school of thought, on what is
important in a work of art. Such views help critics better understand and explain the
meaning of art to others.

AESTHETICS AND ART

Through the ages, scholars have put forth many different aesthetic views. The following
are three common ones:
 The subject view. In this aesthetic view, a successful work of art is one with a
lifelike subject.
 The composition view. In this view, what is most important in an artwork is its
composition critics taking this view would praise the artist’s use of the elements and
principles of art to create a visually pleasing design.
 The content view. In this view, what counts most is the content, or the mood or
feeling, an art work communicates. Keep in mind that few critics limit themselves to
a single aesthetic view.