What is Art? 4.

“Above all, artists must not be only in

art galleries or museums — they must be
Introduction and Assumptions
present in all possible activities. The artist must
ART: An Introduction Someone once be the sponsor of hought in whatever endeavor
said that art is a lot like love – people take on, at every level.” - Michelangelo
incomprehensible, profound, and complex. It is Pistoletto in Art’s Responsibility
not always easy to figure out, that is, an
5. “Let each man exercise the art he
individual will not easily understand art at first
knows.” - The Greek philosopher Aristophanes,
encounter. Art oftentimes says something. It
writing in the 4th century B.C.
contains a message -- something that speaks to
us but in a different language. It tells about our What is Art? (With excerpts from Art
thoughts, our notions and feelings through a Appreciation by Caslib Jr., B., Garing, D. C., &
powerful medium – may it be through colors, Casaul, J. R., 2018, p.2-8)
sounds, limestone, wood, letters, and motion
Art is all around us. Some people may
pictures. Each medium is shaped with beauty,
think or say that they are not engaged into the
design, and form. Art has the ability to capture
field of arts but it is certain that encounters in
our minds and open our senses. It sets our
art are inevitable. A student who puts his
imagination free. Art is something in which its
earphones on and listens to the Kpop playlist
definition is up to the artist and art institutions
stored in her phone while walking through the
across the globe.
nooks of CLSU is already immersing herself in
As Pooke and Newall (2008) put it, “art the arts. A business executive who flicks through
can be a term designated by the artist and by the channels of her television and looks for the
the institutions of the art world, rather than by perfect TV show to cap off the night or a mother
any external process of validation.” Pooke and who chooses from her closet the best clothes to
Newall (2008) furthermore state that wear to go to the market is already engaging in
irrespective of classification, “all definitions of the arts. Some may not be aware of it but they
art are reconciled through culture, history and are already experiencing or have already
language.” History, culture and language are, experienced the beauty of art. Then again, art is
therefore, all connected to art. Here are various everywhere and it comes in many different
definitions or notions of art, from various forms.
writers and artists:
In spite seeing art in almost every
1. “Art is not a thing — it is a way.” - corner of the world, it seems as though it is still
Elbert Hubbard in a 1908 volume of Little not enough. People want to see, hear, feel and
Journeys to the Homes of Great Teachers experience art. This is probably the reason why
people keep producing art.
2. “Art is the most intense mode of
individualism that the world has known.” - There is always that yearning to see
Oscar Wilde in The Soul of Man Under Socialism things that are of great beauty and quality. After
all, it is a human nature to be attracted towards
3. “Art enables us to find ourselves and
objects that are noble and lovely.
lose ourselves at the same time.” - Thomas
Merton in No Man Is An Island. For man to stay alive, he has used his
tools and materials to change his surroundings.
He built houses and other structures using his
bare hands. He ARTS 1100 (Art Appreciation) inherent in its ancient form of craft. Early
Page 4 of 8 assembled wooden chairs and tables renaissance artists saw their activities merely as
to support his needs. He utilized fire to soften craftsmanship, devoid of a whole lot of
metals to create other objects. He found ways intonations that are attached to the word now.
to make knives sharper. These actions were for Seventeenth Century
man’s necessities. The earliest definitions of art
• It was during the seventeenth century when
have something to do with these types of craft.
the problem and idea of aesthetics, the study of
1. “ARS” – a craft or specialized form of beauty, began to unfold distinctly from the
skill, like carpentry or smithying or notion of technical workmanship, which was the
surgery.” original conception of the word “art”.
Eighteenth Century
• The word “art” comes from the ancient Latin
ars which means a “craft or specialized form of • It was finally in the eighteenth century when
skill, like carpentry or smithying or surgery” the word has evolved to distinguish between
(Collingwood, 1938 as cited in Caslib et. al., the fine arts and the useful arts.
2018).
• The fine arts would come to mean “not
• Art then suggested the capacity to produce delicate or highly skilled arts, but ‘beautiful’
an intended result from carefully planned steps arts” (Collingwood, 1938 as cited in Caslib et.
or method. al., 2018). This is something more akin to what
is now considered art. “The Galloping Wild
• The concept of art that we know now was
Boar” found in the cave of Altamira, Spain
different from the concept of art that people
had in the ancient times. During the ancient • It was discovered that there were attempts
times, the meaning of art had something to do where man did not just create tools for survival
with building objects solely for necessity or daily but also for expression of his thoughts and
use. emotions. It is shown in history that man did
not only evolve in the physical sense but also in
• A man is said to be engaged in art when he
the cultural sense. Then, they were cave
performs the step-by-step procedure he created
painters. Now, they have come to be so
for himself to be able to produce the house or
excellent in painting and in all other forms of
any infrastructure that he has perfectly planned.
art.
2. ART is “any special form of book-
• As a Spaniard and his daughter were going
learning, such as grammar or logic,
into a cave in 1879, they saw paintings of a wild
magic or astrology.” Arts in Medieval
boar, hind and bison. These pictures were said
Latin
to belong to the Upper Paleolithic Age,
• Arts in Medieval Latin came to mean according to research.
something different. It meant “any special form
• These paintings in the cave show that pre-
of book-learning, such as grammar or logic,
historic men have used their gears not just to
magic or astrology” (Collingwood, 1938 as cited
survive but to document humankind’s deepest
in Caslib et. al., 2018). ARTS 1100 (Art
thoughts, ARTS 1100 (Art Appreciation) Page 6
Appreciation) Page 5 of 8 Renaissance Period
of 8 concerns and emotions. These were proofs
• It was only during the Renaissance Period that that man has been expressing himself long
the word reacquired a meaning that was
before they were aware of how it is to be language which has also been seen in the
human. ancient times. This is what makes art
UNIVERSAL. (Sanchez et. al., 2012, p. 3) ARTS
• The concept of the ‘humanities’ or man
1100 (Art Appreciation)
humanizing himself has long existed even
before man became conscious of it. 2. ART IS NOT NATURE

• Art is man’s expression of his reception of

nature. Art is man’s way of interpreting nature.

• What we find in nature should not be

ASSUMPTIONS OF ART
expected to be present in art too.
1.ART IS UNIVERSAL
• Movies may be a reinterpretation based on an
• Art has always been timeless and universal, individual’s subjective experience of nature.
spanning generations and continents through
• Artists are not meant to duplicate nature.
and through.
3. ART INVOLVES EXPERIENCE
• In every country and generation, there is
always art. • Unlike fields of knowledge that involve data,
art is known by experiencing. In order to know
• Age is not a factor in determining art.
what an artwork is, we have to sense it, see or
• “An art is not good because it is old but old hear it, and see AND hear it.
because it is good” (Dudley et. al., 1960 as cited
• “All art depends on experience and if one is to
in Caslib et. al., 2018).
know ART, he must know it not as a fact or
• A great piece of work will never be obsolete. information but as EXPERIENCE” (Dudley et. al.,
1960 as cited in Caslib et. al., 2018).
• Art will always be present because human
beings will always express themselves. • Every experience with art is accompanied by
some emotion.
• “In every age or country, there is always art.
Wherever we go, whether it be a city or a • Feelings and emotions are concrete proofs
province, here or abroad, we surely have to pass that the artwork has been experienced.
buildings of various sorts – houses, schools,
THE ROLE OF CREATIVITY IN ART MAKING
churches, stores and others. Some of them
(based on Art Appreciation by Caslib Jr., B.,
appear attractive and inviting; some do not. We
Garing, D. C., & Casaul, J. R., 2018, p.13- 15)
look at some of them with awe and admiration”
(Sanchez et. al., 2012, p. 3). It takes an artist to make art. Not every
beautiful thing that can be seen or experienced
• As mentioned in the book Introduction to the
may truly be called a work of art. Art is a
Humanities by Sanchez et. al. (2012), art is vital
product of man’s creativity, imagination, and
in life. Art is comprised of one of the earliest
expression. Creativity requires thinking outside
and most vital ways created by man to express
of the box.
himself. In every place man has set his foot on;
art was also there as the language imbedded • Creativity is often used to solve problems that
with emotions and undertones. There is a have never occurred before, conflate function
strong force among humans to produce this and style and simply make life a more unique
and enjoyable experience. ARTS 1100 (Art However, in terms of art, one has to be
Appreciation) aware of the fact that art may serve different
functions or purposes but the function is not a
• In art, CREATIVITY is what sets apart one
necessity for its existence. Following the phrase
artwork from another. A creative artist does not
“art for art’s sake” by the French philosopher
simply copy or imitate another artist’s work. He
Victor Cousin, art does not need to serve any
embraces ORIGINALITY, puts his own flavor into
purpose nor justification for its existence
his work and calls it his own creative piece.
(Encyclopædia Britannica, 2021). Therefore, just
because an artwork does not serve a particular
purpose does not mean that it shall not be
regarded as a work of art.

FUNCTIONS AND PHILOSOPHICAL

PERSPECTIVES OF ART
FUNCTIONS OF ART
Introduction
(With excerpts from Art Appreciation by Caslib
Everything exists for a purpose. Even Jr., B., Garing, D. C., & Casaul, J. R., 2018, p. 25-
before life started or something is created, the 30)
nature of its existence is already predicted and
it is expected to find its end at a certain point of ● “An inquiry on the function of art is an
its lifetime. As Aristotle stated, every substance inquiry on what art is for” (Caslib et. al, 2018).
has an end or purpose, which is called telos in
● Therefore, discussing the function of
Greek, and its nature pushes it towards reaching
art means finding its purpose.
this end (Aristotle as cited in Caslib et. al, 2018).
A baby who develops into a grown individual ● Caslib et.al (2018) classified the
and a seed that becomes a tree exemplifies this functions of art into the following:
notion.
● Personal (public display or expression)
Moreover, Aristotle added that there is
● Social (celebration or to affect
a significant relationship between a thing’s
collective behavior)
purpose, function, and identity. In the case of
human beings, their end which is to be happy ● Physical (utilitarian)
and fulfilled, can only be reached once they
practice rationality (Caslib et. al, 2018).
Whenever individuals do not use their faculty of 1. PERSONAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
reason, they lose their identity as humans. This
can also be seen in the case of a table that is ● Since this is a personal function, the function
said to cease to be one if it fails to serve its is highly subjective.
purpose as a table. The same goes for a pencil ● The function depends on the artist who
that cannot be used in writing. This reflects the created the artwork so it may vary from an artist
idea that when something fails to reach or to another.
perform its end or function, it loses its identity
(Caslib et. al, 2018). ● Artworks under the personal function could
serve the following purposes:
A. SELF-EXPRESSION contestation, or question an existing ideology. It
may also contain social issues such as poverty,
● The artist wants to express herself/himself or
corruption, gender inequality, and racial
she/he wants to communicate an idea to the
discrimination.
audience.
● Examples of arts with social functions are
● Dancing, music, poetry, painting are some
political art, photography, satirical plays, films,
great examples of this function.
and songs.
B. ENTERTAINMENT
3. PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
● The artist wants to entertain her/his
● Art has a physical function when it is created
audience.
to serve a physical or utilitarian purpose.
● Visual arts are some of the examples.
● For art’s physical function, objects are
created to become containers and tools
(Feldman, 1967). Therefore, the artwork does
C. THERAPEUTIC VALUE not only hold beauty that captures the eyes; it is
● Art becomes therapeutic when it is being used also useful.
to lessen stress, improve happiness, or ● Art forms under the applied arts, such as
overcome a traumatic experience. architecture, industrial design, ceramic art,
● Painting is the best example here. interior design, and fashion design, have a
physical function.
2. SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
1. ART AS AN IMITATION
● Art serves a social function when it goes
beyond the personal interest of the artist. With ● Plato, The Republic
this function, art serves as a tool to address ● According to Plato, artists are imitators and
collective interests or issues. art is a mere imitation of reality. He believes
● In Art as Image and Idea, Feldman (1967, p. everything in this world is just a mere copy of
36) stated that “all works of art perform a social the “perfect” things which can only be found in
function since they are created for an the World of Forms.
audience.” He also wrote that art has a social ● To be able to get into the World of Forms, one
function when it does the following: has to be rational. This rationality can be gained
1. It seeks or tends to influence the collective through formal education. However, with the
behavior of people; presence of art in the school curriculum, one
will never achieve this rationality for her/his
2. It is created to be seen or used primarily in mind will be corrupted by the “illusion” brought
public situations; and by the artworks (Plato in Caslib et al, 2018).
3. It expresses or describes collective aspects of ● Thus, he was against the inclusion of art as a
existence as opposed to individual and personal subject in the curriculum since he believes that
kinds of experience. arts corrupt the minds of the people.
● Through the artworks, the artist may depict
social conditions, carry a message of protest or
● For Plato, arts appeal to emotion rather than ● By disinterested judgment, Kant means “we
to rationality. Page 5 of 9 ARTS 1100 (Art take pleasure in something because we judge it
Appreciation) beautiful, rather than judging it beautiful
because we find it pleasurable” (Burnham, n.d).
● Poetry rouses emotions and feelings and
thus, clouds the rationality of people. ● A work of art possesses beauty as its property
and it elicits a feeling of satisfaction from its
2. ART AS A REPRESENTATION
audience because of its own beauty. Thus,
● Aristotle, Poetics despite the people’s differences, they will be
able to recognize the beauty that is inherent in
● Like Plato, Aristotle also believes in the notion the artwork and the feeling of satisfaction felt
that art is a form of imitation. However, for by one audience can also be felt by other
Aristotle, art is an aid to philosophy in revealing audiences primarily because of the artwork’s
the truth. beauty (Kant in Caslib et. al, 2018; Burham, n.d)
● For Aristotle, art is a literary representation of
what things might be.

● More than imitating reality, art represents

possible versions of reality or the “what ifs” in
life.
4. Art as a Communication of Emotion
● It provides its audience with different
● Leo Tolstoy, What is Art?
possibilities through its representation.
● For Tolstoy, art plays a huge role in
● For Aristotle, there are two purposes of art:
communicating to its audience emotions that
a. For the experience of pleasure the artist previously experienced.
(entertainment)
● Through the distinct language of music or
● Horrible experience can be an object in song, for example, the audience is given the
comedy b. For instructing its audience chance to experience the happiness, sadness,
(cognitive) pain, or bitterness embedded in the artwork.

● It can be instructive and teach its audience ● As a comprehensible and intellectual

things about life (i.e. Greek plays) language, Tolstoy argues that “Good art can
communicate its meaning to most people,
3. Art as a Disinterested Judgement because it expresses its meaning in a way which
● Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgment can be understood by everyone” (Scott, 2002).

● Immanuel Kant considered the judgment of ● Moreover, Tolstoy believes that art has a
beauty, the cornerstone of art, as something social dimension. As a purveyor of man’s
that can be universal despite its subjectivity. innermost feelings and thoughts, art may serve
as a mechanism for social unity and cohesion.
● For Kant, even subjective judgments are
based on some universal criterion for the said ● Through the artworks, an audience from the
judgment and aesthetic judgment is a cognitive present generation may still understand or
activity. relate to the pains or struggles of people from
the past or a different country as art can
communicate these feelings regardless of the
time and place of its creation.