Art Appreciation | ZGE 1101 | Module 1

2. Art is not Nature

ART AND HUMANITIES: WESTERN AND A work of art is man-made and although it may
FILIPINO CONCEPTS closely resemble nature, it can never duplicate nature.

• To be creative is not magic. It entails continuity that

3. Art involves Experience
requires time, practice, devotion, and passion It is an
We can appreciate art if we look at it, listen to it,
innate call for every human being to exert effort, to
touch it, and feel its presence.
be involved in action.
• Artists, in whatever field they are in, must patiently
CLASSIFICATION OF ART
hone their skills and improve their crafts.
1. Directly functional
WHAT IS ART? Art that we use in our daily lives (tools, roads, bridges,
furniture, kitchen utensils, dress)
• Art came from the word “ars” which means skill. It
is a human ingenuity in adapting natural things to
2. Indirectly functional
man’s use.
Arts that are perceived through the senses (painting,
• An artist uses his genius in transforming God-made
music, sculpture, dance, literary piece, theatrical
things into man-made things. (e.g., wood into
performances)
religious image, a house, a piece of furniture)
• Art covers all forms of human skill and all the things
ARTIST & ARTISAN
which human beings were able to produce by skilled
• Artist is an art practitioner such as painter, sculptor,
workmanship.
dancer, musician choreographer, etc. who produces
• In a more specialized sense, art applies to those
or creates indirectly functional arts with aesthetic
activities that express aesthetic ideas using skill and
value using imagination.
imagination in the creation of objects, through
• Artisan is a craftsman, such as carpenter, carver,
experiences about the environment or through
plumber, blacksmith, weaver, embroider, etc. who
other personal or collective experiences, which can
produces directly functional and/or decorative arts.
be shared with others.
• ART IS ANYTHING ACCOMPLISHED WITH GREAT
SKILL. FUNCTIONS OF ART
• While artists (painters, musicians, architect, actors,
THE MEANING OF ART APPRECIATION dancers, hairstylists, clothes designers) differ in the
• The knowledge and understanding of the universal art form, they engage in the arts basically to earn
and timeless qualities that identify all great art. money.
• It involves learning about certain time periods, • Artists have other purposes in engaging in art
movements, styles, and techniques so that a person activities. Some do it to express their emotions and
has a better understanding of the basis for the art as thoughts, real or imaginary. Others do it to produce
well as of the art itself. things of beauty (architectural wonders and
• It is the positive, perceptual, emotional, and masterpieces).
intellectual response to the beauty of artworks. • There are writers who are engaged in art to
persuade; among them are the propaganda writers,
copywriters, and editorial cartoonists.
ASSUMPTIONS OF ART
• Most artists intend to entertain people. That viewers
1. Art is universal
enjoy the sight of beautiful paintings, sculptures and
a. art as means of communication
buildings gives credence to the world of John Keats
b. art is timeless
who says, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
c. art addresses human needs
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1. Personal or Individual Function 6. Cultural Function
Arts serve as a vehicle for the expression of feelings, Art reflects society’s cultural ideas, values, and
emotions, motivations, and ideas. concerns, either collective or individual.
- The English poet Robert Browning expressed his love - Representations of the different worldviews,
to Elizabeth Barrett-Browning in the form of a poem religious beliefs, political ideas, and social values.
entitled: My last Duchess. Elizabeth did the same by - Buildings, furniture, clothes, and the like form part of
means of the poem How Do I Love Thee? the country’s material culture; while music, dance,
- Others do their thing because of their passion for and language, which is incorporated in oral and
their respective art form. Gary Valenciano renders written literature and drama, form part of its non-
concerts for free because he loves singing. material culture.
- Paintings, sculptures, architectural works, songs,
2. Social Function dances, dramas, and literary pieces are
Art seeks to influence proper human behavior. It embodiments of a nation’s culture.
expresses or describe individual, social, or
collective, and universal aspects of existence. 7. Religious Function
- Man is a social being and as such he associates with To increase awareness of man’s relationship with
his fellow beings. This association is evidenced by God and to promote better and stronger bonds
their choral singing and group dancing in religious between God and man.
rites and other practices. - People in the olden times worshipped their gods in
the form of songs and dances. The earliest dramatic
3. Economic Function (Commercial value) forms were religious in nature.
Artists engage in arts to earn money or exists if the - Greek paintings and sculptures were those of gods
artwork can sell for a fortune. and goddesses. The pyramids were built to entomb
- Many people believe that it does not pay to be an the pharaohs.
artist. This belief was negated by these facts. J. K.
Rowling, the author of the best-selling Harry Potter 8. Physical Function
series, became one of the most-highly- paid women Art is created to make our lives physically
in British history. Paintings of great painters comfortable.
(Michelangelo and Leonardo) are now worth millions - Houses and other buildings are constructed to
of dollars. protect their occupants and all the others inside
them.
4. Political Function - Many people claim that dance is one of the best
Artists use their work to convey their ideas and forms of exercise, while music is a form of therapy.
reactions about political events.
9. Aesthetic Function
5. Historical Function Artworks serve to beautify. Art for art ‘s sake
Art tells us some significant aspects about the past. - Paintings serve to decorate houses and buildings.
- Paintings, sculptures, architectural works, and other Sculptures serve to decorate churches and similar
art forms serve to record historical figures and edifices. Set designs, as well as costumes and props,
events. make dramas, dance performances, and song
- The Our Lady of EDSA Shrine is a sterling proof of the renditions not only realistic but also appealing to the
Filipino’s love of peace and freedom as it reminds audience.
those who pass by EDSA of the bloodless revolution
in Philippine history, emulated by other nations all
over the world.
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ART AS A HUMANISTIC DISCIPLINE ➢ ART - It is a diverse range of human activities in
creating visual, auditory, or performing artifacts
HUMANITIES (artworks), expressing the author's imaginative,
• It is a branch of knowledge that concern themselves conceptual ideas, or technical skill, intended to be
with human beings and their culture or with appreciated for their beauty or emotional power;
analytic and critical methods of inquiry derived refers to the conscious use of skill and creative
from an appreciation of human values and of the imagination especially in the production of aesthetic
unique ability of the human spirit to express itself. objects.
• “humanitas”; ERWIN PANOFSKY describes as ➢ CRAFT - It is an art, trade, or occupation requiring
maintaining our rationality and freedom while special skill, especially manual skill, dexterity.
keeping in mind our own fallibility and frailty. Thus, ➢ HIERARCHAL - It refers to any formalization which
responsibility for ourselves and tolerance to others. ranks different genres in an art form in terms of their
• As Panofsky says so beautifully, "For, if human prestige and cultural value.
existence could be thought of as a means rather than
an end, how much less could the records of human THE HUMANITIES IN WESTERN CIVILIZATION
activity be considered as value in themselves" 1. Cosmocentric View
• To the humanist there are two distinctions to be - Human person is studied or understood in relation
made: the one of nature and the one of culture. to the Cosmos. Here, the Cosmos is at the center.
Everything falls into one category or the other, being Hence, the Cosmos is given great importance.
that all things are either found in nature or are man-
made, and whatever camp that might be, the 2. Theocentric View
situation always must make sense at the end of the - where human person is being studied or
day. understood in reference to God. Here, human
• That said, the old ideas must maintain credibility, person is the image of God. He is being created by
not to be confused with validity, for even if God, in His own image and likeness.
something is outdated, it led to a new and improved - It is a philosophical viewpoint that acknowledges
thought or idea, and as a steppingstone was integral that all being basically, initially, and ultimately,
to our current knowledge. focuses around and in the transcendent God and
• According to the traditional theory of art, there is a finds in Him its raison d'être.
basic difference between an 'art' and a 'craft'. Put
simply, although both activities involve creative 3. Anthropocentric View
skills, the former involves a higher degree of - the human person himself is the point of the
intellectual involvement. In this rather artificial departure. He himself becomes the basis and object
distinction between arts and crafts, functionality is a of the study matter.
key factor. - It is a philosophical viewpoint arguing that human
➢ HISTORY - refers to a branch of knowledge that beings are the central or most significant entities in
records and explains past events. the world.
➢ LANGUAGE - refers to the subjects (such as reading,
spelling, literature, and composition) that aim at 4. Scientific-Technocentric
developing the student's comprehension and - believes in classical science, technology,
capacity for use of written and oral language. conventional economic thinking, and in the human
➢ PHILOSOPHY - refers to a search for a general control over nature. Such view is almost arrogant in
understanding of values and reality by chiefly its assumption that man is supremely able to
speculative rather than observational means. understand and control events to suit his purposes
and more anthropocentric in the sense that it views
humankind as separate from and superior to nature
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 and that the earth is regarded as a life support "scholar-painting", at least in theory practiced by
system for the benefit of human beings. gentleman amateurs. The Western hierarchy of
genres reflected similar attitudes.
5. Eclectic view
- refers to a conceptual approach that does not hold PERFORMING ARTS
rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, • Performing arts are a form of art in which artists use
but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or their voices, bodies, or inanimate objects to convey
ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, artistic expression. Performing arts include a range
or applies different theories in particular cases. of disciplines which are performed in front of a live
However, this is often without conventions or rules audience.
dictating how or which theories were combined. • Theatre, music, dance and object manipulation, and
other kinds of performances are present in all human
VISUAL ARTS cultures. The history of music and dance date to pre-
• The visual arts are art forms such as painting, historic times whereas circus skills date to at least
drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, Ancient Egypt. Many performing arts are performed
photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts, and professionally.
architecture. • Performance can be in purpose-built buildings, such
• Many artistic disciplines (performing arts, as theatres and opera houses, on open air stages at
conceptual art, textile arts) involve aspects of the festivals, on stages in tents such as circuses and on
visual arts as well as arts of other types. the street.
• Also included within the visual arts are the applied • Live performances before an audience are a form of
arts such as industrial design, graphic design, entertainment. The development of audio and video
fashion design, interior design, and decorative art. recording has allowed for private consumption of the
• Current usage of the term "visual arts" includes fine performing arts.
art as well as the applied or decorative arts and • The performing arts often aim to express one's
crafts, but this was not always the case. Before the emotions and feelings.
Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain and elsewhere
at the turn of the 20th century, the term 'artist' had FINE ARTS
for some centuries often been restricted to a person • It is creative art, especially visual art whose products
working in the fine arts (such as painting, sculpture, are to be appreciated primarily or solely for their
or printmaking) and not the decorative arts, craft, or imaginative, aesthetic, or intellectual content.
applied art media.
• The distinction was emphasized by artists of the ELITIST ART
Arts and Crafts Movement, who valued vernacular
• It favors a select group of people with a certain
art forms as much as high forms. Art schools made a
ancestry, intrinsic quality, high intellect, wealth,
distinction between the fine arts and the crafts,
special skills, or experience—are more likely to be
maintaining that a craftsperson could not be
constructive to society as a whole, and therefore
considered a practitioner of the arts.
deserve influence or authority greater than that of
• The increasing tendency to privilege painting, and to
others. most powerful, rich, or talented people
a lesser degree sculpture, above other arts has been
within a group, place, or society.
a feature of Western art as well as East Asian art. In
both regions, painting has been seen as relying to the
LINGUISTIC
highest degree on the imagination of the artist, and
the furthest removed from modulator – in Chinese • Linguistic art is the study and improvement of the
painting the most highly valued styles were those of arts of language. Traditionally, the primary divisions
in language arts are literature and language, where
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 language in this case refers to both linguistics, and
specific languages.
• Language arts instruction typically consists of a
combination of reading, writing (composition),
speaking, and listening. In schools, language arts are
taught alongside science, mathematics, and social
studies.
• It is the scientific study of language. It involves
analyzing language form, language meaning, and
language in context.

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Art Appreciation | ZGE 1101 | Module 2 • A representation is a type of recording in which the
sensory information about a physical object is
ART APPRECIATION AND THE HUMAN described in a medium.
FACULTIES • The degree to which an artistic representation
resembles the object it represents is a function of
resolution and does not bear on the denotation of
ANALYSIS OF ART BASED ON THREE HUMAN FACULTIES
the word.

VISUAL ELEMENTS
EMOTIONAL SUGGESTION
1. Color
- refers to the light reflected off objects. • One central feature of aesthetic experiences is their
- Color has three main characteristics: ability to arouse emotions in perceivers. It feels
▪ hue (red, green, blue, etc.) natural to experience joy, pleasure shivers down the
▪ value (how light or dark it is) spine, awe in sight of grandiose artworks, or
▪ intensity (how bright or dull it is). sometimes even negative emotions of fear, anger, or
- Colors can be described as: disgust in front of visually challenging stimuli.
▪ warm (red, yellow) • However, although it is generally agreed that the
▪ cool (blue, gray) arts can readily evoke emotions, the nature of these
depending on which end of the color spectrum experiences and specifically how emotions in the
they fall. arts are perceived and represented on a subjective,
bodily, and evaluative level is a heavily debated
2. Shape and form define objects in space. issue (see e.g., Konecni, 2015; Matthew Pelowski,
- Shapes have two dimensions–height and width–and Markey, Forster, Gerger, & Leder, 2017; Scherer,
are usually defined by lines. 2005).
- Forms exist in three dimensions, with height, width,
and depth. INTELLECTUAL MEANING
• Sometimes when we look at a piece of art, we
3. Line understand it. It’s meaning is obvious to us.
- an identifiable path created by a point moving in Sometimes we do not understand it on a rational
space. level, we simply feel something when we look at it.
- It is one-dimensional and can vary in width, We can’t always tell why.
direction, and length. • Artists rarely provide a clear explanation of what
- Lines often define the edges of a form. their work is about. The only thing we can tell is that
- Lines can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, there is a reason behind it. No act of creativity can
straight or curved, thick or thin. They lead your eye be said to come without meaning or substance.
around the composition and can communicate • Not every artist understands why he creates
information through their character and direction. something, but one thing that we can say beyond
doubt is that culture and surroundings are of
REPRESENTATION constant impact on the artist. And their work will
• To represent is "to bring to mind by description," often reflect in part their own culture and
also "to symbolize, to be the embodiment of"; from surroundings and often impart to us their own
representer (12c.), from L. representer, from re-, reactions to such things, although not always.
intensive prefix, + presenter "to present," lit. "to • In this, all art is connected. Nothing is truly devoid
place before". of meaning. Everything is a reaction to something.

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ART AND THE PERCEPTION OF REALITY the ways that the mind perceives and understands
• Perception in art – stands for a complex relation reality.
between visual stimuli and a personal understanding • The roots of representational theory date all the way
of them. back to ancient Greece when imitation theory was
- It is a theoretical postulate that aims to clarify the the foundation of artistic principles. According to the
relation between artworks and individual opinions ancient Greeks, the definitive role of art is to imitate
and evaluations. nature in its most perfect forms, which is why
• Far from being a universally established matrix of everybody in Greek sculpture is so impossibly (and
understanding art, perception is conditioned by a perhaps frustratingly) good-looking.
context from which observation and evaluation are • The representational theory has been an important
made. part of Western art since the fall of Rome, after
• Instead of general models of understanding, it is which art became less naturalistic for a while. The
conditioned by numerous factors, including political, direct imitation of reality in art was seen as an act of
social, cultural, gender and racial. It affects how we hubris - a human attempt to recreate the creation of
see art and what meanings we attribute to it but is God. However, through slight abstractions, artists
also an active factor in artistic creation. could still represent reality without blaspheming.
• It would be hard to make assertions about the
meaning of art without the previously established EXPRESSIVE THEORY
notions of value that come from multifaceted • sees the fundamental role of art as the expression of
perceptual conditionings. emotion.
• The views of both an artist and an observer
contribute to the understanding of art, and the first IMITATION THEORY
is not distinguished in its importance from the • Later theorists would revise imitation theory,
second.
claiming that the purpose of art was not to strictly
• As seen from numerous historical examples imitate nature, but to represent it in any form.
perception affects the meaning we attribute to art, • To these and later theorists, art should represent
and often such understandings change over the reality, but could do so in a myriad of ways. Artists
course of time. Some universal postulates may can focus on the ugly, the horrific, and even things
persist, but most of them are dependent on the
that cannot be physically seen. A perfect example is
particular social mores of a given time. the representation of God. While God cannot be
• Perception and our opinions are closely linked. seen, the figure of God or the presence of God is one
Turning to art, we can see that throughout history of the most ubiquitous motifs of Western art.
evaluation of artistic styles changed over the course • The job of art is not to directly imitate the
of time, which contributes to the above assertion of appearance of God, since God cannot be seen, but to
a connectedness between our opinions and find ways of representing divinity.
perception of art.

REPRESENTATIONAL THEORY
• At its most basic, the representational theory states
that the fundamental, definitive quality of art is the
ability to capture some aspect of reality.
• In short, if it's not a reflection of something that
actually exists, then it's not art.
• This means that art can be defined foremost as an
extension of human perception; it's a way to reflect
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Art Appreciation | ZGE 1101 | Module 3 • Thus, aesthetics is broader in scope than the
philosophy of art. It is also broader than the
AESTHETICS: THE PHILOSOPHY OF ART AND philosophy of beauty, in that it applies to any of the
BEAUTY responses we might expect works of art or
entertainment to elicit, whether positive or negative.
• Aestheticians ask questions like "What is a work of
AESTHETIC
art?", "What makes a work of art successful?”, “Why
• The word aesthetic is derived from the Greek
do we find certain things beautiful?", "How can
αἰσθητικός (aisthetikos, meaning "esthetic,
things of very different categories be considered
sensitive, sentient, pertaining to sense
equally beautiful?", "Is there a connection between
perception"), which in turn was derived from
art and morality?", "Can art be a vehicle of truth?",
αἰσθάνομαι (aisthanomai, meaning "I perceive, feel,
"Are aesthetic judgments objective statements or
sense" and related to αἴσθησις (aisthēsis,
purely subjective expressions of personal
"sensation"). Aesthetics in this central sense has
attitudes?", "Can aesthetic judgments be improved
been said to start with the series of articles on “The
or trained?"
Pleasures of the Imagination “which the journalist
• In very general terms, it examines what makes
Joseph Addison wrote in the early issues of the
something beautiful, sublime, disgusting, fun, cute,
magazine The Spectator in 1712.
silly, entertaining, pretentious, discordant,
• The term "aesthetics" was appropriated and coined
harmonious, boring, humorous, or tragic.
with new meaning by the German philosopher
• Theories of art and art itself exist within a context—
ALEXANDER BAUMGARTEN in his dissertation
philosophical, cultural, class and gender specific—
Meditationes philosophicae de nonnullis ad
from which it emerges and without which it does
poemapertinentibus ("Philosophical considerations
not exist.
of some matters pertaining the poem") in 1735;
Baumgarten chose "aesthetics" because he wished • Philosophers and art theorists cannot escape the
to emphasize the experience of art as a means of influence of past philosophers and theorists any
knowing. more than they can remain untouched by current
trends in film, technology, and architecture.
• Aesthetics, a not very tidy intellectual discipline, is a
heterogeneous collection of problems that concern • Art and culture and theories of art and culture are
the arts primarily but also relate to nature. even inseparably and organically linked together.
though his later definition in the fragment Aesthetica Furthermore, this is not a static or eternal pattern
(1750) is more often referred to as the first definition but one that is dynamic, fluid, constantly changing
of modern aesthetics. historically over time.
• Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy concerned • Principal changes in philosophy (generally) are likely
with the nature and appreciation of art, beauty, and to become more influential in the philosophy of art.
good taste. It has also been defined as "critical There is a profound convergence between general
reflection on art, culture and nature". The word philosophy and philosophy of art. Let me express
“aesthetics" derives from the Greek "aisthetikos", three general trends that are important to keep in
meaning "of sense perception". Along with Ethics, mind as we discuss pre-aesthetic, aesthetic, and
aesthetics is part of axiology (the study of values and postmodern theories over the duration of this
value judgments). course. As Sartwell points out, Europe only
developed the concept of the aesthetic in the 18th
• In practice, we distinguish between:
century.
▪ Aesthetic Judgments – the appreciation of any
object, not necessarily an art object
▪ Artistic Judgments – the appreciation or
criticism of a work of art.
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3 BROAD MOVEMENTS IN PHILOSOPHY THAT ARE European cave paintings, Native American wood
IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER WHEN WE REFLECT UPON carvings are not really art according to some because
QUESTIONS CONCERNING ART they were made by people before the emergence of
1. Deep suspicion that we cannot hope to fix any single aesthetic experience.
ontology, any universally adequate unchanging • So, art created as art, aesthetic experience, and
account of human cognition or human interests or aesthetics are notions that all arose together. These
human concerns. human ways of interpreting the world have not
2. We must reflect upon the contingent and tacit always existed since the dawn of human society and
practices of human life. These are central to not even since the beginning of Western civilization.
philosophical reflection Philosophy is often thought of as a kind of systematic
3. There cannot be any canon or principles or reflection of our ordinary commonsense intuitions
conceptual priorities in accord with which and deeply rooted beliefs and assumptions. This
philosophical theories may be shown to be would mean that aesthetics is a reflection on ideas
approaching systematic closure on any questions. we already have about art, artists.
• If aesthetics is a branch of philosophy and philosophy
• Aesthetics – as the study of art and beauty. reflects our ordinary commonsense intuition, then,
• Aesthetic Experience – the proper way of approach in a sense, we already know what art, aesthetics, and
and experience art and beauty. artists are.
• Modern Art – art for art’s sake; • Our way of viewing art from an aesthetic point of
▪ All arose together at approx. the same time view is only one way of looking at things. It appears
as expressions of modernist culture at a certain point in the history of certain cultures
(somewhere between the Renaissance and and may just was easily disappear and be replaced by
the middle of the 20th century). another way of viewing things.
• Aesthetics is the name of the philosophical study of • The ideas of aesthetic enjoyment and fine art and
art and natural beauty. It is a relatively new branch artist arose in what we call the modern period (end
of philosophy that arose in the early 18th century of 17th century to middle of 20th).
(early 1700’s) in England and Germany, over 2000
years after the beginnings of other branches of MAIN POINTS OF MODERN AESTHETICS
Western philosophy (which began in Greece around 1. Aesthetic experience is nonutilitarian
600 B.C.E.) 2. AE is detached from ordinary self-interested pursuits
• Aesthetics is closely related to the concept of (is disinterested)
aesthetic experience. 3. Works of art are made to be viewed aesthetically—
and so just to be enjoyed (For no other purpose)
HUMANS EXPERIENCE THE WORLD IN TWO 4. Everyone can appreciate art just by adopting the
FUNDAMENTALLY WAYS (BAUMGARTEN) aesthetic point of view
▪ Logically — that is a thorn, it will hurt if it pricks me 5. Artists see things in a unique way and creatively find
▪ Aesthetically — enjoying a sunset, looking at innovative ways of communicating that vision to us
seashells, enjoying a work of art. These things are 6. Artists show us how to look at the world, how to
beautiful because you are looking at them understand ourselves, who we are
aesthetically. 7. Works of art express these unusual ideas of artists
8. Great works of art must be innovative and creative,
• What we call art, or more properly fine art, is expressing new ideas in new ways
therefore, according to the 18th +19th century 9. The history of art is the history of these great
tradition of the aesthetic, those objects made by innovations by these great artists
humans to be enjoyed aesthetically. So, Paleolithic 10. Art is not hard to understand—it just requires that
we adopt the aesthetic point of view
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• The story of aesthetics begins with THOMAS
HOBBE’s claim that all human perception is self-
interested. Many people disagreed with Hobbes and
though that some human actions were disinterested,
that is, done for their own sake, enjoyed, and
appreciated for their own sake. And one large subset
of such disinterested actions was those associated
with art and natural beauty.
• The reaction began in Britain with the EARL OF
SHAFTESBURY (1671-1713) who said we can love
things for themselves (good wine, a beautiful
sunset, a painting). Deciding what we should love
and appreciate in this way is a matter of taste, a kind
of inner sensation, or feeling. It is not something you
can learn from a book.
• As I mentioned earlier, In the 1750’s Alexander
Baumgarten pursued this idea by dividing all human
thought into two broad categories—logic and
aesthetics. After Baumgarten, the British worked on
the idea of good taste as kind of refined sensibility
available to anyone who would adopt the detached,
disinterested aesthetic point of view. And still later,
at the very end of the 18th century, the German
philosopher, IMMANUEL KANT synthesized the
work of the British taste theorists and the German
attempts to define the aesthetic as differentiated
from the logical, and Kant’s efforts well defined and
stabilized the tradition of the aesthetic attitude for
the next 150 years.

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Art Appreciation | ZGE 1101 | Module 4 example, the most carefully drawn circle turns out to
be irregular if you inspect it closely enough. Like The
ART AND PHILOSOPHY: IMITATIONALISM Point, The Line, and all geometric shapes, The Circle
AND REPRESENTATIONISM is a mathematical ideal. It is not possible to draw a
Real Circle, but only an imperfect physical copy (or
IMITATIONALISM instance) of one.
• Imitationalism is a theory of art that judge’s artwork • Beauty, Justice, and The Circle are all examples of
based on how real it looks. An Imitationalist is what PLATO called Forms or Ideas. Other
focused on creating art that looks as real as possible philosophers have called them Universals. Many
and believes that artistic success can only be particular things can have the form of a circle, or of
achieved through the exact recreation of an image. justice, or beauty.
From an Imitationalist viewpoint, if an artwork does • For Plato, these Forms are perfect Ideals, but they
not look real or believable it is not of any value. are also more real than physical objects. He called
• Some extreme Imitationalists have used their talent them "the Really Real". The world of the Forms is
for recreating believable space and form to create rational and unchanging; the world of physical
works of art that make you think they are actually appearances is changeable and irrational, and only
real. This method of painting is called trompe l'oeil, has reality to the extent that it succeeds in imitating
a French phrase that means “to fool the eye” and the Forms. The mind or soul belongs to the Ideal
that is exactly what it does. world; the body and its passions are stuck in the
• The imitationalism or mimetic theory of art claims muck of the physical world. So, the best human life
that artwork is best when it imitates life. We’ve all is one that strives to understand and to imitate the
experienced seeing an artwork from a distance and Forms as closely as possible. That life is the life of the
mistaking it for the real thing, rather than a replica. mind, the life of the Philosopher (literally, the lover
Those pieces are prized under imitationalism. The of wisdom).
most realistic, the better. • Self-control, especially control of the passions, is
essential to the soul that wants to avoid the
temptations of sensuality, greed, and ambition, and
PLATO’S WORLD OF FORMS
move on to the Ideal World in the next life.
• Plato's influence on western culture generally is a
very strong one, and this includes a strong influence
PLATO’S ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE
on the arts, and on theories of art. In the case of the
arts and aesthetic theory that influence is mostly • Plato considers that the human life on this earth is
indirect and is best understood if one knows a little like an ignorant and miserable life in a deep cave.
bit about his philosophy. People have their legs and necks chained so that they
• Plato saw the changing physical world as a poor, cannot move from their places or cannot see around
decaying copy of a perfect, rational, eternal, and them. There is fire above and behind them and they
changeless original. The beauty of a flower, or a can see only the shadows falling over the walls, as in
sunset, a piece of music or a love affair, is an a puppet show.
imperfect copy of Beauty Itself. In this world of • Due to this limited condition, whatever they see on
changing appearances, while you might catch a the wall is taken to be the truth. As they have been
glimpse of that ravishing perfection, it will always living with this condition for ages, they have no
fade. It’s just a pointer to the perfect beauty of the knowledge of the real world outside their cave. Thus,
eternal. The same goes for other Essences, like the images on the wall and the echo of various voices
Justice. Anyone knows that Real Justice is too much are the ultimate truth for them.
to hope for in this corrupt world. The best you can • When any one of them is set free and dragged up to
find is a rough approximation. To take a third the mouth of the cave, he suffers sharp pains. First,

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 his freed limbs give him pain, and then the toil of impressionists found that they could capture the
climbing upward gives him pain, and then the momentary and transient effects of sunlight by
daylight of the outside real world dazzles his eyes. He working quickly, in front of their subjects, in the
must habituate himself to the new surroundings and open air (en plein air) rather than in a studio.
new objects. As his eyes get adjusted, he begins to This resulted in a greater awareness of light and
see the real truth. Thus, he considers himself color and the shifting pattern of the natural
fortunate for having this opportunity to see the truth scene. Brushwork became rapid and broken into
and pities his fellow prisoners who are still living in separate dabs in order to render the fleeting
that dark ignorant world. quality of light.
• Thus, according to Plato, the cave is the world of the ➢ IDEALISM – is the tendency to represent things
senses, which prevents our upward journey to the as aesthetic sensibility would have them rather
world of reality. The upward journey is the rise of the than as they are.
soul into the intellectual world. In this world of ➢ STYLIZATION – is the decorative generalization
knowledge, the idea of good comes at the end. Once of figures and objects by means of various
this good is achieved, man gains all things beautiful conventional techniques, including the
and right ethically, and reason and truth simplification of line, form, and relationships of
intellectually. space and color. Stylization is a natural method
of rhythmic organization in decorative art, where
REPRESENTATIONAL THEORY OF ART the subordination of each pictorial element to
• At its most basic, the representational theory states the overall composition is particularly important.
that the fundamental, definitive quality of art is the Stylization is most characteristic of
ability to capture some aspect of reality. In short, if ornamentation, in which the object depicted
it's not a reflection of something that actually becomes a motif of a pattern.
exists, then it's not art.
• This means that art can be defined foremost as an
extension of human perception; it's a way to reflect
the ways that the mind perceives and understands
reality.
• Representational artwork aims to represent actual
objects or subjects from reality. Subcategories under
representational art include Realism,
Impressionism, Idealism, and Stylization. All these
forms of representationalism represent actual
subjects from reality. Although some of these forms
are taking steps toward abstraction, they still fall
under the category of representation.
➢ REALISM – the accurate, detailed,
unembellished depiction of nature or of
contemporary life.
➢ IMPRESSIONISM – was developed by Claude
Monet and other Paris-based artists from the
early 1860s. (Though the process of painting on
the spot can be said to have been pioneered in
Britain by John Constable in around 1813–17
through his desire to paint nature in a realistic
way). Instead of painting in a studio, the
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Art Appreciation | ZGE 1101 | Module 5 depicted, and emotions from life expressed, but
these are irrelevant to the principal purpose of art.
ART AND PHILOSOPHY: FORMALISM AND • Indeed, art is much less adapted to the telling of a
EXPRESSIONISM story or the representation of the world than it is to
the presentation of colors, sounds, and other items
in the art medium simply for their own sake.
FORMALIST THEORY OF ART
• Most people who claim to enjoy paintings, for
• The formalistic approach directs that art be analyzed
example, enjoy them not as presentations but as
by reviewing form and style.
representations of things and situations in life, and
• Elements like color, shapes, textures, and line are
thus their response is not of a kind that is unique to
emphasized, while the context of the work is de-
art but one that takes them back to the emotions of
emphasized, and made a secondary characteristic—
life, from which they came. They could use art to take
at times taken completely out of consequence.
them into a realm of pure form unknown to anyone
• The assessment of a piece of artwork is based purely
who is unacquainted with art, but instead they use it
on the artist’s skill and not on the choice of subject
to direct them back to the feelings and situations of
matter, with the value based primarily on the use of
life. Thus, according to the formalists, these viewers
elements with little regard for the viewer’s
miss the opportunity of being taken into a fresh
perception of the context.
world of purely aesthetic experience and get from a
• Formalism was not confined to evaluating art; it was
work only what they bring to it: familiar
also used liberally in both music and literature.
experiences and emotions they employ the work to
• In music, the theory was used to explain that music
recall.
is judged based on the basic composition of the
• What, then, should be brought from life to art?
notes, and only intellectual understanding is of value
Knowledge of life’s struggles and emotions?
when assessing musical pieces. The listener’s
Knowledge at least of what people are like, and what
emotional reaction provides no additional value to
visual objects look like? Not even these things, for
the music’s worth.
even they get in the way. Representation is not bad
• Against all the foregoing accounts of the function of
in itself; it is merely irrelevant. Only if the
art stands another, which belongs distinctively to the
representation is satisfactory as form and
20th century—the theory of art as form, or
contributes to the general abstract design can it be
formalism.
said to matter aesthetically.
• The import of formalism can best be seen by noting
• Most formalists have directed their attention
what it was reacting against: art as representation,
primarily to visual art. The prerequisite for
art as expression, art as a vehicle of truth or
appreciating this, they believe, is a sense of form
knowledge or moral betterment or social
and color and a knowledge of three-dimensional
improvement. Formalists do not deny that art can do
space (the last required because otherwise a cube,
these things, but they believe that the true purpose
for example, would appear in a painting as a flat
of art is subverted by its being made to do these
pattern and would be unable to play the
things.
architectural role intended for it).
• “Art for art’s sake, not art for life’s sake” is the
• Armed with this bit of knowledge from life, they have
watchword of formalism. Art is there to be enjoyed,
all they need (as far as knowledge of the world
to be savored, for the perception of the intricate
outside art is concerned) for appreciating visual art.
arrangements of lines and colors, of musical tones,
Armed with more than this, they would find their
of words, and combinations of these.
attention drawn away from the sublimities of art to
• By means of these mediums it is true that objects in
the more approachable concerns of humanity (such
the world can be represented, scenes from life
as representation).

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• Shorn of this extraneous knowledge and coming to 2 TYPES OF ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST PAINTERS
painting with eyes innocent of extraneous concepts, 1. Action Painters
viewers could then be in a position to look at what • such as Jackson Pollock and Willem De Kooning
painting presents directly to their vision—complex who focused on an active gestural style.
arrangements of forms and colours—which, for • used a style that involved streaks and overlapping
reasons thus far unexplained, have the capacity to lines of paint which implied movement in the
move recipients deeply with emotions utterly alien artwork.
to the emotions of life. • The artist Franz Kline is a well-known Abstract
Expressionist Action painter, and his painting is a
ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM good example of an Action painting.
• Abstract Expressionism is a term applied to a • The use of layers of paint and rigid contrasting
movement in American painting that flourished in edges are common characteristics of the Action
New York City after World War II, sometimes painting style.
referred to as the New York School or, more
narrowly, as action painting. 2. Color Field Painters
• The varied work produced by the Abstract • The more passive “colour-field” painters, notably
Expressionists resists definition as a cohesive style; Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and Clyfford Still,
instead, these artists shared an interest in using who were concerned with reflection and mood.
abstraction to convey strong emotional or • Focused on color and contrast
expressive content. • The Barnett Newman painting is a good example of
• Abstract Expressionism is best known for large-scale the Color Field painting style. This painting is a
paintings that break away from traditional horizontal painting with contrasting vertical lines
processes, often taking the canvas off the easel and dividing the piece into sections or fields. Like many
using unconventional materials such as house of the Color Field painters, this painting
paint. emphasizes fields of color and aims to capture the
• While Abstract Expressionism is often considered for attention and emotion of the viewer with fields of
its advancements in painting, its ideas had deep color.
resonance in many mediums, including drawing and • That said, it is not always easy to draw a precise line
sculpture. between these two types of Abstract Expressionism,
• Abstract Expressionist painters explored new ways of and several artists contributed to both (Visual-Arts-
creating art, reinvigorating, and reinventing the Cork). There are two styles within the Abstract
medium. They changed the nature of painting with Expressionism movement which the artists can be
their large, abstract canvases, energetic and gestural categorized.
lines, and new artistic processes. Many artists • However, some of the Abstract Expressionists
experimented with nontraditional materials, such practiced both styles. The distinctions between the
as commercial paints and housepainter’s brushes. two styles can sometimes be hard to determine in
• Artists also developed new techniques to apply certain artists work due to the influence that both
paint, such as moving the canvas from the easel to Action painters and Color Field painters had on each
the floor and working on unstretched and unprimed other.
canvas.
• With these unconventional ways of painting, the EXPRESSIONIST THEORY OF ART
Abstract Expressionists sought new forms of self- • Artistic style in which the artist seeks to depict not
expression and personal freedom in their work. objective reality but rather the subjective emotions
and responses that objects and events arouse
within a person.
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• The artist accomplishes this aim through distortion, Henry Moore, Graham Sutherland, Francis Bacon,
exaggeration, primitivism, and fantasy and through Alberto Giacometti, Jean Dubuffet, Georg Baselitz,
the vivid, jarring, violent, or dynamic application of Anselm Kiefer, and the neo-expressionism of the
formal elements. 1980s.
• In a broader sense, Expressionism is one of the main
currents of art in the later 19th and the 20th AESTHETIC HEDONISM
centuries, and its qualities of highly subjective, • According to one kind of theory, the function of art
personal, spontaneous self-expression are typical of is to produce just one kind of effect upon its
a wide range of modern artists and art movements. audience: pleasure. It may also inform or instruct,
• Expressionism can also be seen as a permanent represent, or express, but first and foremost it must
tendency in Germanic and Nordic art from at least please. The more pleasure it gives, the better the art.
the European Middle Ages, particularly in times of • If the theory is left in this simple form, it yields the
social change or spiritual crisis, and in this sense, it result that glossy and superficial works and those
forms the converse of the rationalist and classicizing containing nothing difficult, or obscure are the best
tendencies of Italy and later of France. works of art.
• More specifically, Expressionism as a distinct style or • Thus, on the hedonistic account, King Lear might
movement refers to a number of German artists, as come out far behind Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s
well as Austrian, French, and Russian ones, who The Song of Hiawatha, or Joyce Kilmer’s “Trees,” in
became active in the years before World War I and view of the difficulty of comprehending Shakespeare
remained so throughout much of the interwar by many people and the pleasant, easy lilting quality
period. of Longfellow’s poem; similarly, a simple ditty might
• Expressionist theory is concerned with the content come out ahead of Bach’s Mass in B Minor. True,
of the work of art. Some critics claim that no object Shakespeare and Bach might produce more pleasure
can be considered art if it fails to arouse an in the long run since their works have endured
emotional response in the viewer. The expressive through more centuries, but, on the other hand, the
qualities are the most important to them. simple works can be apprehended and enjoyed by
• Their theory, Emotionalism, requires that a work of vastly more people.
art must arouse a response of feelings, moods, or • In any case, the theory has often been amended to
emotions in the viewer. read “aesthetic pleasure” rather than simply
• In expressionist art, color can be highly intense and “pleasure”—thus placing great importance on
non-naturalistic, brushwork is typically free and exactly how the term “aesthetic” is to be defined.
paint application tends to be generous and highly • The definition of this troublesome term is beyond
textured. the scope of this article (see aesthetics); it will simply
• Expressionist art tends to be emotional and be said here that no quick and easy way of
sometimes mystical. It can be seen as an extension distinguishing aesthetic pleasures from other
of Romanticism. pleasures will suffice for the task at hand.
• Although the term expressionist can be applied to • If it is said, for example, that aesthetic pleasure
artworks from any era, it is generally applied to art of consists in satisfaction taken in the contemplation of
the twentieth century. sensuous particulars (tones, colours, shapes, smells,
• It may be said to start with Vincent Van Gogh and tastes) for their own sake—that is, for no further end
then form a major stream of modern art embracing, and without ulterior motive—then one confronts the
among many others, Edvard Munch, fauvism and fact that as much pleasure may be taken in single
Henri Matisse, Georges Rouault, the Brücke and smells and tastes for their own sakes, without any
Blaue Reiter groups, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, reference beyond them, as may be taken in the most
Paul Klee, Max Beckmann, most of Pablo Picasso, complex works of art.

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• For that matter, pleasure in playing a game (one not
played for money) is pleasure in doing something for
its own sake, as is the pleasure of robbing a house if
it is done not for money but for “kicks.” If something
is found pleasurable, ordinarily the pleasure is what
one wants from it, not something else beyond it.
• Moreover, if it is said that a work of art should be a
means toward pleasure, that is treading suspiciously
near to the opposed view that art should not be a
means to an end but an end in itself.
• If someone says, “Why do you go jogging every
morning for three miles? Because you feel the
exercise is good for you?” and another person
answers, “No, not that at all, I just enjoy doing it,”
this would ordinarily and quite sensibly be taken as
saying that the person did not do exercise as a means
toward an end but as an end in itself.
• If something is done just because it is enjoyed, in
common parlance this would be taken to be “doing
it as an end in itself”; if one objected, “No, I’m not
doing it as an end in itself, I’m doing it as a means
toward the enjoyment I’ll get out of it,” the reply
would be considered sophistical, for doing it for
enjoyment’s sake is precisely what is ordinarily
meant (or one thing that is ordinarily meant) by the
statement that a thing is being done for its own sake.
• In any case, the effect of great works of art upon a
reader or viewer or listener can hardly be described
as merely hedonistic.
• No one would presumably wish to deny that art can
and should give us pleasure, but few would wish to
assert that pleasure is all that it should give us.
• If one were to ask, “How did viewing Picasso’s
Guernica affect you?” and the reply was, “I found it
pleasant,” we would conclude that the reaction to
the painting was, to say the least, inadequate.
• Great art may please; it may also move, shock,
challenge, or change the lives of those who
experience it deeply. Pleasure is only one of many
kinds of effects it produces.

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Art Appreciation | ZGE 1101 | Module 6 • In scenic design, "line" could refer to the contour of
a set, an onstage structure against the cyclorama or
ELEMENTS OF DESIGN linear effects because of scenic painting.
• Line creates shape.
WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF ART? • Lines have direction: vertical, horizontal, oblique
• The elements and principles of art are the building • Direction evokes emotion:
blocks or foundations upon which a work of art is Oblique lines and action, danger, suddenness
created. zigzags
• According to Esaak (2017), the elements of art are Curved lines comfort and ease
sort of like atoms in that both "building blocks" for Horizontal lines distance and calm
creating something. Vertical lines height and strength
• It includes line, shape, form, space, texture, value, Jagged lines turmoil and anxiety
and color. Diagonal line movement and direction
• Artists manipulate these seven elements, mix them
in with principles of design, and compose a piece of SHAPE
art. Not every work of art contains every one of • An area that stands out from the space next to or
these elements, but at least two are always present. around it.
• For example, a sculptor, by default, must have • Any self-contained area with defined form or
both form and space in a sculpture, because these outline.
elements are three-dimensional. They can also be • Shape has size, which may connote significance or
made to appear in two-dimensional works through insignificance, strength, or weakness.
the use of perspective and shading. • A colored shape on a white background is itself
• Art would be sunk without line, sometimes known as a positive shape creating a negative shape (the
"a moving point." While line isn't something found in background).
nature, it is essential as a concept to depicting
objects and symbols and defining shapes. COLOR
• Texture is another element, like form or space, that • The visual element that has the strongest effect on
can be real (run your fingers over an Oriental rug, or our emotions. We use color to create the mood or
hold an unglazed pot), created (think of van Gogh's atmosphere of an artwork.
lumpy, impasto-ed canvases) or implied (through
clever use of shading).
• Now, I will try not to leap up and down and pinwheel
my arms in large, excited arcs over color, but really -
- it's often the whole point for us visual types. Show
me a red spectrum, regardless of value (lightness or
darkness), and my brain yells "Hallelujah!" Then, of
course, there are all those lovely, soothing blues...

LINE
• Path of a moving point.
• A linear mark on a page or screen, made with an • Classification of colors:
instrument like a brush, pencil, pen, or mouse; or the Primary Colors red, yellow, blue
line created by the meeting of two shapes. Secondary Colors orange, violet, green
Tertiary Colors combination of primary
and secondary colors
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 (red-violet, red-orange, TEXTURE
yellow-orange, yellow- • The surface quality of an artwork.
green, blue-green and • The roughness or smoothness of the material from
blue-violet) which it is made.
▪ Actual Texture – the way the surface of an
Complementary Colors colors situated opposite object actually feels.
each other in the color ▪ Visual Texture – the way the surface of an
wheel object appears to feel, without having any
Adjacent colors situated next to actual texture
each other in the color • The apparent or actual quality of the surface: grainy
wheel furry, bumpy.
Cool colors colors that are • Texture can be either felt (tactile), seen (visual) or
inconspicuous and not both felt and seen.
striking to the eyes (also • In a drawing, texture can be created by varying light
called receding colors) and dark strokes or lines which can also imply
Warm Colors colors that are depth.
conspicuous and striking
to the eyes (also called SPACE
advancing colors) • The area defined by a shape or form.
• The distance between objects, or the dimensions of
• The phenomenon created when the human eye length, width, and depth.
reacts to the energy and frequency of light. The ▪ Positive Space – is the area where shapes and
ability of our brains to sort this information delivers forms exist.
the colors we live with and enjoy. ▪ Negative Space – is the empty area around
▪ Light is additive – working towards white. shapes and forms.
▪ Paint or pigment is subtractive – working
towards black. PROPORTION
• The admixture of light is a combination of red, blue,
• The harmonious relation of parts to each other or to
and green light in different proportion. Mixing red,
the whole.
blue, and yellow can create any pigment color.
• If you look through a prism (or see a rainbow) you
FORM
see the main colors of the spectrum: violet, indigo,
• The physical volume of a shape and the space that it
blue, green, yellow, red, orange.
occupies.
• Value – which refers to the lightness or darkness of
the color. It is used to create a focal point within a
painting or drawing.
• The human eye is immediately drawn to a light
element against a dark element. This creates the
focal point of interest.
• Tint (color plus white) is high-value color, whereas
shade (color plus black) is low value color.
• Hue, intense or saturated color, has nothing added.
• Color may connote emotion (excitement, rage,
peace) and stimulate brain activity (action,
relaxation, concentration).

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Art Appreciation | ZGE 1101 | Module 7

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
• Concepts that refer to the relationships of the
elements of design to each other and to the total
composition.
• They guide how we arrange those visible
elements to make effective compositions.
• These include Balance, Unity, Variety, Harmony,
Movement, Rhythm, and Emphasis
• The elements and principles of design are the
building blocks. The elements of design are the
things that make up a design. ▪ Asymmetrical balance – wherein there is a
• The principles of art (or the principles of design) are sense of balance achieved through careful
essentially a set of criteria which are used to explain planning of elements; ex: three small objects on
how the visual elements are arranged in a work of one side of a page may be arranged to balance
art. one large object on the other
• It represents how the artist uses the elements of - The two sides of a composition are not the
art to create an effect and to help convey the artist's same but appear to have an equal visual
intent. weight, nonetheless.
- With asymmetrical balance, there is an
BALANCE unevenly distribution of the elements within
the format meaning, balancing a large photo
• The state of equal relationship; the sense of stability
with several small graphics.
when weight is distributed equally on either side of
- Sometimes you may create tension by
a vertical axis; a pleasing arrangement of parts in a
intentionally avoiding balance. Asymmetrical
whole.
balance can be subtle or obvious.
• Distribution of visual weight; the concept of visual
- Uneven elements present us with more
equilibrium
possibilities for arranging the page and creating
There are different kinds of balance: interesting designs than do perfectly
symmetrical objects.
▪ Symmetrical balance – wherein each side is the
- Asymmetrical layouts are generally more
mirror-image of the other.
dynamic; by intentionally ignoring balance, the
- Symmetrical tends to have the same visual
designer can create tension, express
weight on each half (length or width) of the
movement, or convey a mood such as anger,
page (Bear 2017). excitement, joy or casual amusement (Bear,
- When both sides of a piece are equal; that is,
2017).
they are identical or almost identical.
- To create an asymmetric design is always set
- Symmetrical balance can be established by
aside but when you do it perfectly your design is
drawing an imaginary line through the center of
eye-catching.
the work, either horizontally or vertically, and
making each half identically or very visually
similar.

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 • It refers to how well all the visual elements work
together in a work of art.
• Elements which are in harmony should have some
kind of logical progression or relationship.

MOVEMENT

• The sense that static elements on a page or plane

can seem to be in motion, possibly because our brain
understands that movement is about to happen or is
actually happening.
• For example, A dancer is balanced so delicately that
▪ Radial balance – wherein the design elements
he must move or fall over; or running figures are so
swirl out from a central axis (star, explosion)
blurry that our brain attributes speed to them.
- A variation of symmetrical balance in which the
• The result of using the elements of art such that
elements are arranged equally around a
they move the viewer's eye around and within the
central point.
image.

UNITY
RHYTHM

• The sense of “oneness” in a work of art; the sense

• The sense that our eyes are being carried from one
that the design components or objects belong
part of the design or painting to another; this may
together.
happen abruptly through the use of jagged lines,
• Unity is achieved by placing components close
abrupt shifts of colour or shape, or in a flowing
together (proximity), by repetition, or by creating a
circular way.
sense of flow whereby the eye is led from one
• Repetition of design elements also contribute to a
aspect of the work to another using line, direction
sense of rhythm. Repetition of line or other elements
or colour.
create rhythm, and mood (calm, restful versus
unsettled or dangerous).
VARIETY
• It is created by movement implied through the
repetition of elements of art in a non-uniform but
• The use of different colours, sizes, shapes, etc. to
organized way.
create interest and avoid monotony.
• It is created when one or more elements of design
• Variety may be achieved by varying aspects of the
are used repeatedly to create a feeling of organized
same theme.
movement.
• The use of several elements of design to hold the
viewer’s attention and to guide the viewer’s eye
EMPHASIS
through and around the work of art.

• The sense that our attention is being focused to a

HARMONY
particular spot – a centre of attention – achieved by:
▪ Scale – a larger object dominates smaller
• The sense of order or agreement-among the parts
objects
of a whole; aesthetically pleasing relationships
▪ Colour – one bright colour against subdued
among parts of a whole. For example, the harmony
colours catches the eye
of colour in a painting.

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 ▪ Contrast – the juxtaposition of black and white,
dark, and light highlights differences
▪ Position – an object placed in the foreground, or
the center of a work dominates, as does one in
isolation from other objects
• It is when the artist creates an area of the
composition that is visually dominant and
commands the viewer's attention. This is often
achieved by contrast.

PROPORTION

• The ratio of one art element to another. It also

refers to the appropriate relation of shapes and
quantities of objects to each other so that the scale
of the artwork always makes visual sense.
• An understanding of the scale of specific design
elements on a single object; these elements
include size, shape, texture, and color.
• Proportion is concerned with the relationship
between parts of a whole.

SCALE

• Scale in art describes the size of one object in

relation to another and refers to our perception of
perspective and proportion.
• Scale in art can also refer to the overall size of the
work.
• An understanding of how the size of one object in
a space relates to the size of the other objects in
the space, as well as the size of the space itself.
• Scale also describes the size of an object in relation
to the human figure; for example, furniture is
designed to human scale.

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