ART APPRECIATION

Cavite West Point College

LESSON 1
ASSUMPTIONS AND NATURE OF ARTS
I. Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

 Define and identify assumptions and nature of arts

 Give the significance of assumptions and nature of arts in real life situation.
 Cite Filipino artwork

II. Content:

Art has been created by all people at all times, in all countries, and it lives because of its well-liked and enjoyed. If you
want to appreciate art, you should first experience it.

WHAT IS ART?
 Art is something that is perennially around us.
 The word ART comes from the ancient Latin, ars which means a “craft or specialized form of skill, like
carpentry or surgery” (Collingwood, 1938).

 Ars in Medieval Latin came to mean something different. It meant “any special form of book- learning,
such as grammar or logic, magic or astrology” (Collingwood, 1983).

 The fine arts would come to mean “not delicate or highly skilled arts, but “beautiful arts” (Collingwood,
1983).

 “The humanities constitute one of the oldest and most important means of expression developed by
man” (Dudley et al., 1960). Human history has witnessed how man evolved not just physically but
also culturally, from cave painters to men of exquisite paintbrush users of the present.

 First known use of the word was during the 13th century

WHAT IS APPRECIATION?
 The act of recognizing or understanding that something is valuable or important
 A feeling or expression of admiration, approval or gratitude
 Judgment and evaluation

WHAT IS ART APPRECIATION?

 Recognition of the good qualities and understanding or art
 Acquiring knowledge leads to appreciation
 Knowing vocabulary, concepts, themes, processes and materials
 Knowing context
 Does not require liking or loving
 Is the knowledge and understanding of the universal and timeless qualities that identify all great art?
 "The more you appreciate and understand the art of different eras, movements, styles, and techniques, the better
you can develop, evaluate and improve your own artwork"

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ASSUMPTIONS OF ART

1. ART IS UNIVERSAL
o Timeless because it continually evolves, spanning generations and continents through and through.
o Art knows no limit.
o Misconception: Artistic made long time ago.
o Age is not a factor in determining art.
o It reaches the farthest and the most isolated spots in the universe.
o In every country and in every generation, there is always art. Often times, people feel that what
is considered artistic are only those which have been made long time ago. This is a
misconception. Age is not a factor in determining art. “An art is not good not because it is old,
but old because it is good” (Dudley et al., 1960)

o In the Philippines, the works of Jose Rizal and Francisco Balagtas are not being read because
they are old.
o Florante at Laura never fails to teach high school students the beauty of love, one that is
universal and pure.
o Ibong Adarna, another Filipino masterpiece, has always captured the imagination of the young
with its timeless lessons.
o When we recite the Psalms, we feel in communion with King David as we feel one with him in
his conversation with God.
o When we listen to a Kundiman or perform folk dances, we still enjoy the way our Filipino
ancestors while away their time in the past.

2. ART IS NOT NATURE

o Art is not nature because in many ways, art is not “natural”, it is an artificial construct created by man.
Sometimes it appears to be close to nature or it may even sometimes “go beyond” nature but it always
returns to the mind, heart and hands of man.

3. ART INVOLVES EXPERIENCE

o It does not full detail but just an experience. Actual doing of something.

o Getting this far without a satisfactory definition of art can be quite weird for some. For most
people, art does not require a full definition. Art is just experience. By experience, we mean the
“actual doing of something” (Dudley et al., 1960) and it also affirmed that all art depends on
experience, and if one is to know art, he must know it not as fact or information but as an
experience.

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ART APPRECIATION
Cavite West Point College

LESSON 2
FUNCTIONS OF ART AND PHILOSOPHY

I. Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

a) Identify the functions of art;

b) Explain and discuss the basic philosophical perspective on the art;
c) Apply philosophical perspective real life scenarios;

II.Content:

FUNCTIONS OF ART

Functions of art is an inquiry on what art is for. When it comes to functions, different art form come with
distinctive functions, some may be functional more than others.

The value of the art lies in the practical benefits from it. One may look at the value based on its specific purpose
or for personal.

Personal Functions of Art

Personal functions of art are highly subjective and depends on the artist who created the art. An art
may be created for expressing self, for entertainment or for other purposes.

Social Functions of Art

If an art is opposed to personal interest and for collective interest it is considered to have a social
function. Art may convey, message such as to support, to protest, contestation and other messages
an artist intends to carry at his work.

Political Art is a very common example of an art with a social function.

Art can depict social conditions such as photography of industrialization and poverty.

Performance art like plays serves social functions as it rouses emotions for a common situation a
society has.

Physical functions of Art

This are artworks that are crafted in order to serve physical purpose such as jars, plates, and
jewelries.

Architecture, jewelry-making, interior design all serves physical functions.

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Other functions of art may serve culture, history and religion. Music is an artwork used for different purposes
such events for culture, historical and religious gatherings. Sculpture, poems, spoken poetry, movies and
other form of arts are used for its specific functions.

PHILOSOPHY OF ART

Art as a representation (Mimesis)

o Art is a representation or replication of something that is beautiful or meaningful.
o Plato asserted that when artists are making or performing art they are imitating. Art imitates
physical things (objects or events).
o How faithful is the subject replicated? -good art-
o Art represents version of reality. Art serves two particular purposes: art allows for the experience of
pleasure and art has an ability to be instructive and teach its audience things about life.

Art as expression of emotional content

o An artwork expresses a definite feeling
e.g. sublime feeling

Art as a skill or mastery

o The term art is used to simply refer to skill or mastery that is manifested in the outstanding product of an
endeavor.

Art as a process or a product of creative skill

o Art is a process because it involves arranging the aesthetic elements in an artistically interesting and appealing manner.
o Art is a product because it includes human creations, different activities and manners of expression.

Art as a universal language

o The language of art is diverse. Each art form has its own artistic elements
- Literature
- Music
- Theatre
o Art expresses feelings and ideas shared by all individuals regardless of culture

Art as a representation of reality

o Art is a reflection or a mirror of reality

Art reflects the characteristics of a period

o Medieval period - the dominance of the church initiated the expression of spiritual truths

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In the visual arts, figures were presented in idealized 'flat' forms to signify a lack of focus on the material world
o Renaissance period - the value ascribed to the material world was shown in more defined and realistic rendition of the
human body in the visual arts
The focus on the material world is shown in the 'three-dimensional' reality of landscapes

o Modern period - characterizes the idealistic search for truth and the realization that it is not attainable; thus, relativity is
accepted as an unavoidable truth
This is manifested by the varies experimentations of artistic expressions

Art shows the manner of existence of the people of long ago

o We gain awareness that the people during the old stone age lived in caves and that they manifested their artistry by
drawings and sketching

LESSON 3
A. ARTISTS AND ARTISANS

I. Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:
a) Differentiate artist and artisans
b) Identify production process, medium, technique, and curation
c) Cite Filipino artists and artisans

II. Content:
Artist is an art practitioner such as painter, sculptor, choreographer dancer, musician, a poet who
produces or creates indirectly functional arts with aesthetic value using imagination.

Artisan is a craftsman, such as carpenter, carver, plumber, blacksmith, weaver embroider and etc.
who produces directly functional and/or decorative arts.

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Famous Personalities of Art and their Works

1. LEONARDO DA VINCI • Born: 04-15-1452, Vinci, Italy
• Profile: Painter, Architect, Sculptor, Inventor, Military Engineer and Draftsman.
• Died: 05-2- 1519, Amboise, France
• Quotes: “He who thinks little, errs much” • Famous Works: The Last Supper Mona Lisa

2. VINCENT VAN GOGH • Born: 03-30-1853 Zundert, Italy

• Profile: Painter • Died: 07-29-1890 Amboise, France
• Quotes: “I dream of painting and then I paint my dream.”
• Famous Works: The Starry Night, Sunflowers, Irises

3. MICHELANGELO • Born: 4-6-1475, Caprese Michelangelo, Italy

• Profile: Painter, Architect, Poet • Died: 2-18-1564, Rome, Italy
• Quotes: “Genius is eternal patience.”
• Famous Works: David, Creation of Adam, St. Peter’s Basilica

4. CLAUDE MONET • Born: 11-14-1840, Paris, France • Profile: Painter, Philosopher

• Died: 12-5-1926, Giverny, France
• Quotes: “The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration.”
• Famous Works: Water Lilies, Impression Sunrise

5. FRIDA KAHLO • Born: 07-06-1907, Mexico City, Mexico • Profile: Painter

• Died: 07-13-1954, Mexico City. Mexico
• Quotes:” I never paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality.”
• Famous Works: The Two Fridas, SELF-PORTRAIT WITH THORN NECKLACE AND
HUMMINGBIRD, The Broken Column

6. GEORGIA O’KEEFFE • Born: 11-15-1887, Wisconsin, USA • Profile: Painter

• Died: 03-06-1986, New Mexico , USA • Quotes: “The days you work are the best days.”
• Famous Works: Black Iris, Cow’s Skull: Red, White and Blue

7. EDGAR DEGAS • Born: 7-19-1834, Paris, France • Profile: Painter, Sculptor

• Died: 9-27-1917, Paris, France • Quotes: “Art is not what you see, but what you make
others see.”
• Famous Works: The Absinthe Drinker, The Dance Class, The Bellelli Family

8. EDVARD MUNCH • Born: 12-12-1863, Adalsbruk, Norway • Profile: Painter

• Died: 1-23-1944, Oslo, Norway • Quotes: “From my rotting body, flowers shall grow
and I am in them and that is eternity. “
Famous Works: The Scream, The Day After, The Dance of Life

9. JACKSON POLLOCK • Born: 1-28-1912, Wyoming, USA • Profile: Painter

• Died: 8-11-1956, NY, USA
• Quotes: “The painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through.”
• Famous Works: The Number 5, The Number 11, The Number 31

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10. PABLO PICASSO • Born: 10-26-1881, Malaga, Spain • Profile: Painter, Sculptor,
Ceramicist, Stage Designer, Poet and a Playwright. • Died: 4-8-1973, Mougins, France
• Quotes: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows
up.”
• Famous Works: Guernica, The Young Ladies of Avignon, The Weeping Woman, Self-Portrait

11. GUSTAV KLIMT • Born: 7-14-1862, Baumgarten, Austria • Profile: Painter

• Died: 2-6-1918, Vienna, Austria • Quotes: “Truth is like fire; to tell the truth means to glow
and burn.” Famous Works: The Kiss, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, The Virgin

12. HENRY MOORE • Born: 7-30-1898, Castleford, Unite Kingdom • Profile: Sculptor
• Died: 8-31-1986 • Quotes: “One never knows what each day is going to bring. The
important thing is to be open and ready for it.”
• Famous Works: Reclining Figures, King and Queen, Bird Basket

13. SALVADOR DALI • Born: 5-11-1904, Figueres, Spain • Profile: Painter, Draftsman
• Died: 1-23-1989, Figueres, Spain • Quotes: “Intelligence without ambition is a bird
without wings.”
• Famous Works: The Persistence of Memory, Swans, Reflecting Elephants

14. PAUL CÉZANNE • Born: 1-19-1839, Aix-en, France • Profile: Painter

• Died: 10- 22-1906, Aix-en, France • Quotes: “We live in a rainbow of chaos.”
• Famous Works: The Bather, The Basket of Apples, Pyramid of Skulls

15. DIEGO RIVERA • Born: 12-8-1886, Guanajuato, Mexico • Profile: Painter

• Died: 11-24-1957, Mexico City, Mexico
• Quotes: “I've never believed in God, but I believe in Picasso. “
• Famous Works: The Man at the Crossroad, The Alarm Clock, The Flower Carrier

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LESSON 3
B. MEDIUMS AND TECHNIQUES
MEDIUMS OF VISUAL ARTS
MEDIUM – means by which an artist communicates his idea. These are the materials which are used by an artist to
interpret his feelings or thoughts. Many mediums have been used in creating different works of art.

THE MEDIUMS OF VISUAL ART IN 2-D

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THE MEDIUMS OF VISUAL ART IN 3-D

TECHNIQUES OF VISUAL ARTS

TECHNIQUE – means a process or a method of using

the medium in a manner that he wishes to finish an
artwork

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BLOWING/GLASS BLOWING – is a glass forming technique that humans have used to shape glass since the 1 st century
B.C. The technique consists of inflating molten glass with a blowpipe to form a sort of glass bubble

ETCHING - A process/technique in which a special needle is used to draw a design on a metal plate or surface overlaid
with wax. The plate/surface is then treated with acid, inked and finally used to print reproductions of the design

PRINTING – In art, this means reproduction; a single design is made to be multiplied

Nowadays, printing is as popular as painting and sculpture.

TRANSFER DESIGN - (or trace technique) is a type of printing method. Ink or oil paint is spread evenly with a roller on a
resin or glass plate and paper is then placed over the top. By applying pressure from the back of the paper and drawing
on it, the ink is transferred from the plate to the paper

TINKERING - Is an art attempt to create or repair or improve something in a casual or desultory way
(spinning and springing) (playful technique)

SPLATTERING - A painting technique in which paint is flung, with the flick of a brush, onto the painting surface.
Also known as drip painting or action painting

THROWING – The entire activity of shaping the clay; To throw the clay means to bend it between your finger joints

COLORING - The act or process of applying colors; Change of appearance (as by adding color into it)

FLOWING – (or flow painting) A fluid painting technique used to create art by pouring paint into a canvass

CUTTING – A piece cut off from something, especially what remains when something is being trimmed or prepared;
The action of cutting something (paper, wood, stone, plant, etc.)

PHOTOGRAPHY – An actual likeness of the design; It is the use of camera to produce the desired copy

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