ART APPRECIATION

HANDOUT FOR BSHM

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Prepared by Prof. Michael Villareal

MODULE 1 : Understanding Art and Humanities

POINT OF DISCUSSION

1. Definition, nature and importance of art

2. Function of the art
3. The Subject of the Art
3. Methods in Presenting Art

SOMETHING TO PONDER

The arts and humanities are academic disciplines that study human culture, context and
achievement. They span a huge range of subject areas and enormous timeframes, examining
the many different ways in which humans have sought to understand and express themselves
throughout history.
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WHAT IS ART? WHAT IS HUMANITIES?

Definition, nature and importance of art in humanities

WHAT IS ART?

“The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form
such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or
emotional power.”

“The various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and
dance.”

-Oxford Languages

“Art has always had, a profound effect on the quality of human life.”

-Scholars

“Art is controversial in contemporary philosophy.”

-Stanford Encyclopedia
WHAT IS HUMANITIES?

As an academic discipline

“Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture.”

In science and philosophy

“The fact or condition of being human; human nature.”

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF ARTS TO HUMANITIES?

The humanities and the arts are central to all human cultures throughout time.

CONCERNS OF ART

Among other concerns, art has typically concerned

1. creativity,
2. aesthetic communication,
3. symbols, and
4. the fine and applied arts.

CREATIVITY - Art has always evidenced a concern for creativity-that is, the act of
bringing forth new forces and forms

AESTHETIC COMMUNICATION - Art usually involves communication.

SYMBOL - Art also concerns symbols. Symbols usually involve tangible emblems of
something abstract: a mundane object evoking a higher realm.

FINE AND APPLIED ART - One last consideration in understanding art's concerns
involves the difference between fine art and applied art.
MODULE 2 : Functions of Arts

POINT OF DISCUSSION

1. Classification of arts according to purpose

and aesthetic values
2. Personal functions of Art
3. Social functions of Art
3. Physical functions of art
4. Determining the function of art

SOMETHING TO PONDER

Arts is regarded as impractical, not meant to meet the requirements of day-to-day living.

Within art, there exist purposes referred to as functions for which a piece of art may be
designed, but no art can be "assigned" a function—either in scholarly studies or casual
conversation—outside of the proper context. Art forms exist within very specific contexts that
must be considered when classifying them. Whether a particular piece of art has existed for
centuries or has yet to be created, it is functional in some way—all art exists for a reason and
these reasons make up the functions of art.
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FUNCTIONAL VS NON-FUNCTIONAL

WHEN DOES ART BECOMES FUNCTIONAL?

When architecture, weaving, furniture-making and few other crafts serve its purpose.

WHEN DOES ART BECOMES NON-FUNCTIONAL?

When painting, sculpture, literature, music, theater arts, film seem to serve only to amuse or
provide a pleasant escape from daily problems.

CLASSIFICATION OF ARTS ACCORDING TO ITS PURPOSE AND AESTHETIC VALUES

DIRECTLY FUNCTIONAL ART - an art object that could be commonly used by man but
at the same time exhibits aesthetic purposes.

INDIRECTLY FUNCTIONAL ART - this refer to the arts that are 'perceived through the
senses' such as fine arts, painting, sculpture, dance, literature, theatrical performances,
music,
and the like.
CATEGORIES OF FUNCTIONS OF ART

PERSONAL FUNCTION - Art is a vehicle for the artists' expression of their feelings and ideas.
The arts also serve as means of expression for people. The therapeutic value of music cannot
be ignored. Works of art make us aware of other ways of thinking, feeling,
and imagining that has occurred to us before.

1. Listening to music made us relax therefore help us releases tensions

2. Reading literary passages, quotations relieve us from stress, painful situations,
problems etc...
3. Art help us to educate your senses and sharpen our perception of colors, forms,
textures, design, sounds,
rhythm and harmonies
4. visual and auditory "literacy" intensified awareness of the beautiful in life
5. It can refine and elevate our aesthetic value
6. Works of art make us aware of other ways of thinking, feeling and imagining that
never occurred to us before

SOCIAL FUNCTION -none cannot conceive of a society without art, for art is
closely related to every aspect of social life.

A. INFLUENCING SOCIAL BEHAVIOR

1. Art performs a social function when it influences social behavior. It seeks or tends
to influence the collective behavior of people
a. Influence the way we think, feel or act
b. They cause us to laugh at certain phenomena, raise our voice in protest over
certain matters
c. can bring decisions to collective change or improve human conditions

B. DISPLAY AND CELEBRATION

1. Art performs a social function when it displays and celebrates. It is created to be seen
or used primarily in public situations. One function of sculpture and painting is the
commemoration of important personages in society. The Statues of national heroes that
grace our parks and plazas are commemorative works as are the commissioned
paintings of leaders or rulers. Often they serve to record important historical events, or
reveal the ideals of heroism and leadership that the community would want the young to
emulate
a. display like painting and sculpture is the commemorations of important
persons in society
b. Celebration Rituals, Religious worship, Ceremonies, Commemorations,
Traditions, Festivals
 C. SOCIAL DESCRIPTION

1. Art performs a social function when it becomes a social description. It expresses or

describes social or collective aspects of existence as opposed to individual and personal
kind of experiences
a. Present/describe historical pictures, art works are vital historical documents
b. Describe the society that produce these material

PHYSICAL FUNCTION - Works of arts become objects which function to make our lives
physically comfortable.

a. artifacts that make our lives physically comfortable

b. designing a functional object is making the thing exactly right for its use and at the
same time pleasing to the eye

OTHER FUNCTIONS

Economic Functions
Political Functions
Historical Functions
Cultural Functions
Religious Functions

METHODS IN PRESENTING ARTS

REALISM
ABSTRACTION
FAUVISM
DADAISM
ROMANTICISM
IMPRESSIONISM
EXPRESSIONISM
FUTURISM ‘
SURREALISM

REALISM - In the arts, the accurate, detailed, unembellished depiction of nature or of

contemporary life. Realism rejects imaginative idealization in favour of a close observation of
outward appearances. As such, realism in its broad sense has comprised many artistic currents
in different civilizations.

ABSTRACTIONISM - Abstract art is art that does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction
of a visual reality but instead use shapes, colours, forms and gestural marks to achieve its effect
The artwork is not realistic. Types of abstract art
 Distortion. The subject is in misshaped condition.
Elongation. The subject is lengthened for protraction or extension.
Mangling. Subjects are either cut, lacerated, mutilated or hacked.
Cubism. Subjects are shown in basic geometrical shapes.

FAUVISM - Fauvism was known for bold, vibrant, almost acidic colours used in unusual
juxtaposition, and an intuitive, highly gestural application of paint. The artists of Fauvism were
experimenting with the ways in which colour could be liberated from subject matter. They
purposefully painted recognisable imagery but with surprising chromatic dissonance; a sky
could be red, or a woman’s face green, allowing for colour to convey meaning in its own right,
outside of its connection to the object depicted.Themes are either ethical, philosophical or
psychological. Subjects express comfort, joy or happiness.

DADAISM - Dadaism mocked and antagonized the conventions of art itself, emphasizing the
illogical, irrational, and absurd. They try to provoke the public with outrageous forms of arts.
Dadaist artists often utilized collage, montage, and assemblage of disparate elements to create
their art. These artists often had left-wing political views and created work that questioned every
aspect of society and culture.

ROMANTICISM - Romantic art focused on emotions, feelings, and moods of all kinds including
spirituality, imagination, mystery, and fervor. The subject matter varied widely including
landscapes, religion, revolution, and peaceful beauty.

IMPRESSIONISM - Impressionism describes a style of painting developed in France during the

mid-to-late 19th century; characterizations of the style include small, visible brushstrokes that
offer the bare impression of form, unblended color and an emphasis on the accurate depiction of
natural light.

EXPRESSIONISM - artistic style in which the artist seeks to depict not objective reality but
rather the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse within a person.
The artist accomplishes this aim through distortion, exaggeration, primitivism, and fantasy and
through the vivid, jarring, violent, or dynamic application of formal elements.

FUTURISM - Its’ works aims to capture the speed and force of modern industrial society and to
glorify the mechanical energy of modern life.The characteristics of futurism are a focus on the
technical progress of the modern machine age, dynamism, speed, energy, vitality and change.

SURREALISM - The characteristics of surrealism include strange images or bizarre

juxtapositions, unconsciousness as a valid reality, dream-like artwork or symbolic images,
automatism techniques to create random effects, distorted figures or biomorphic shapes,
depiction of perverse sexuality, and chance or spontaneity.
MODULE 3 : Principles of Arts

POINT OF DISCUSSION

Demonstrate understanding on the different elements and principles of arts

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ELEMENTS OF ART

LINE - An element of art defined by a point moving in space. Line may be two-or
three-dimensional, descriptive, implied, or abstract.

SHAPE - An element of art that is two-dimensional, flat, or limited to height and width.

FORM - An element of art that is three-dimensional and encloses volume; includes

height, width and depth (as in a cube, a sphere, a pyramid, or a cylinder). Form may also
be free flowing.

VALUE - The lightness or darkness of tones or colors. White is the lightest value; black is
the darkest. The value halfway between these extremes is called middle gray.

SPACE - An element of art by which positive and negative areas are defined or a sense
of depth achieved in a work of art .

COLOR - An element of art made up of three properties: hue, value, and intensity.

• Hue: name of color

• Value: hue’s lightness and darkness a color’s value changes when white or
black is added)

• Intensity: quality of brightness and purity

high intensity= color is strong and bright;

low intensity= color is faint and dull)

TEXTURE - An element of art that refers to the way things feel, or look as if they might
feel if touched.

PRINCIPLES OF ART
 RHYTHM - A principle of design that indicates movement, created by the careful
placement of
repeated elements in a work of art to cause a visual tempo or beat.

BALANCE - A way of combining elements to add a feeling of equilibrium or stability to a

work of art. Major types are symmetrical and asymmetrical.

EMPHASIS - A way of combining elements to stress the differences between those

elements.

PROPORTION - A principle of design that refers to the relationship

GRADATION - A way of combining elements by using a series of gradual changes in

those elements. (large shapes to small shapes, dark hue to light hue, etc)

HARMONY - A way of combining similar elements in an artwork to accent their

similarities (achieved through use of repetitions and subtle gradual changes)

VARIETY - A principle of design concerned with diversity or contrast. Variety is achieved

by using different shapes, sizes, and/or colors in a work of art.

MOVEMENT - A principle of design used to create the look and feeling of action and to
guide the viewer’s eye throughout the work of art.

AESTHETIC ARTS AND CRAFTS

Esthetics is a branch of Alexander Baumgarten's philosophy devoted to the study of art

and beauty that was popular in the 18th century. It is derived from the Greek word eisthesis,
which means "perception." The principles governing the nature and appreciation of beauty,
particularly in visual art, are also referred to by this term.

The term "craft," on the other hand, comes from the German word Kraft, which means
"power" or "ability," and is most commonly used in decorative arts or related artistic practice. It
also refers to the use of one's hands to apply human skills. It makes things for various human
purposes and displays their beauty in relation to a goal other than the object itself.

Arts and Crafts began in Europe during the nineteenth century as a design reform and a
social movement led by William Morris. It entails activities involving the creation of things that
necessitates a combination of skill, speed, and patience.

His pattern designs, particularly on fabrics and wallpapers, made him famous in
Walthamstow, England. Morris, a socialist, believed that a designer should be able to work in
any medium to create designs with intricate intertwining fruit, flower, and foliage patterns. He
died in London, England, on October 3, 1896, at the age of 62.
TYPES OF ARTS AND CRAFTS

Artists may have special skills and perceptions, but they are also people with needs and
the desire to meet those needs. Creating various works of art that are well received by one's
audiences can lead to social acceptance and recognition for an artist. Their artwork has been
used to create aesthetically pleasing environments. Textile, wood, metal, paper or canvass, and
plant crafts are among the various types of arts and crafts.

A. Textile Arts and Crafts

Textile comes from the Latin word texere, which means "to braid" or "to construct." It also
refers to any craft that involves working with fabric, yarn, or surface design, and it uses plant
or synthetic fibers to create functional or decorative objects.

1. Cross-stitch- Stitching, a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which

X-shaped stitches in a tiled, raster-like pattern are used to form a picture, can also be a
form of natural pain relief.
2. Crocket is a technique for making fabric out of yarn, thread, or other materials. Using
a crochet hook, make strands.
3. Sewing is the art of attaching or fastening objects with stitches made with thread. a
needle and a spool of thread
4. The process of making shoes is known as shoemaking.
5. Macramé is a type of textile-making that requires very few tools and only a
basic understanding of knotting.
6. Millinery is the art of designing and making hats.
7. String art is a form of art made up of colored thread strung between points. a
geometric abstract design

B. Crafts made of wood

These are skills related to the woods, such as finding one's way through the woods,
hunting, trapping, and so on. It also has implications for subsistence lifestyles, such as hunting
and gathering (Horace, 1906). The following are some of them:

1. Carpentry is a skilled trade that involves the cutting, shaping, and installation of
building materials during construction.
2. Marquetry is the art and craft of applying thin slices of wood veneer to a structure to
create decorative patterns.
3. Wood carving is a type of woodworking in which a knife or chisel is used to carve a
wooden figure or object.
4. Cabinetry is the art of creating a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and
drawers to store various items.
5. Upholstery refers to the process of creating cushions and covers for furniture.
C. Metal Arts and Crafts

The art of executing artistic designs in metal for both practical and aesthetic purposes is
referred to as this. These arts are created to create decorative or functional items that are
beneficial and useful to everyone. Bronze, silver, gold, tin, copper, lead, brass, and iron are
used in these pieces. The following are some of them:

1. Jewelry, which includes brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, is a type
of personal adornment.
2. Metal Casting- A liquid material (bronze, copper, glass, aluminum, and iron) is poured
into a mold with a hollow cavity of the desired shape and allowed to solidify.
3. Welded sculpture is a type of sculpture created using welding techniques.

D. Crafts made out of paper or canvas.

It's a tough plain-woven fabric that's used to make backpacks, tents, marquees, and
other environmentally friendly items. The following are some of them:

1. The process of physically assembling a book from folded or unfolded sheets of paper
or other material is known as bookbinding.
2. Card making is a technique for making greeting cards that is done by hand.
3. Collage is a technique in which an artwork is created by combining various forms to
form a new whole.
4. Origami is a paper folding Japanese cultural art form.
5. Papier-Mache is a composite material made up of paper or pulp pieces, sometimes
reinforced with textiles, and bound together with an adhesive.
6. Scrapbooking is a technique for organizing, preserving, and presenting personal and
family history in the form of a book.
7. Rubber stamping is a craft in which a dye or pigment-based ink is applied to a carved,
molded, laser-engraved, or vulcanized image or pattern on a sheet of rubber.

E. Plant Crafts

These are skills that are performed using plant parts as the medium. The following are
some of them:

1. Corn dolly making is the process of creating shapes and figures out of straw (known
as 'dollies') (such as barley, oats, and wheat).
2. Floral design is the art of creating a pleasing and balanced composition with
plant materials and flowers.
3. Flower petals and leaves are flattened and light and moisture are excluded by
pressing them in a flower press.
THE MAIN ARTS CLASSIFICATION

1. What are the Visual Arts?

These are the forms of art that produce primarily visual works (forms perceived by the
eyes). The man can capture the beauty of nature on a piece of paper, allowing others to
appreciate the image captured.

It is a visual art form that is primarily used in the form of paintings, drawings,
and sculptures. Visual arts in various forms The visual arts are further divided into forms based
on how they are created and how they are used, such as:

A. Painting

It is the process of applying pigment suspended in a carrier (or medium) to

a surface (support) such as paper, canvas, or a wall using a binding agent (a glue).
This type of visual art aims to elicit an emotional response from the audience. It is
the practice of using a brush or other objects to apply colors or other media to a surface.
Painting is a two-dimensional visual language that expresses ideas and emotions
while also creating aesthetic qualities. The shapes, lines, colors, tones, and
textures of this language are used in a variety of ways to create sensations of volume,
space, movement, and light on a flat surface. These elements are combined into
expressive patterns to depict real or supernatural phenomena, interpret a narrative
theme, or create completely abstract visual relationships.

B. Drawing

Refers to the process of creating an image with a variety of tools and techniques.
It usually entails making marks on a surface with dry media such as graphite pencils,
pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoals, pastels, and markers,
or moving a tool across a surface with dry media such as graphite pencils, pen and
ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoals, pastels, and markers.
This type of art improves our perception of the world and trains us to capture its
details in a two-dimensional medium. Throughout history and in today's art world, this
has been a critical component of art. Drawing as a formal artistic creation can be defined
as the primarily linear rendition of objects in the visible world, as well as the visualization
of concepts, thoughts, attitudes, emotions, and fantasies, symbols, and even abstract
forms.

C. Photography

➢It is the process of making pictures by means of the action of light.

➢ The process is done through mechanical shutters or electronically timed exposure of
photons into chemical processing or digitizing devices known as cameras.
➢ This form of art is a process of creating portraits by recording radiation on a
 radiation-sensitive medium, such as electronic image sensors or photographic films.

Photography is the art of capturing light with a camera, usually via a digital sensor or
film, to create an image. With the right camera equipment, you can even photograph
wavelengths of light invisible to the human eye, including UV, infrared, and radio.

The first permanent photograph was captured in 1826 (some sources say 1827) by
Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in France. It shows the roof of a building lit by the sun. You
can see it reproduced below:

What is the purpose of photography?

The purpose of photography can vary depending on what the photographer is trying to
achieve.

For example, documentary and news photographers capture images for the
purpose of
providing a detailed account of actual events, while hobbyist photographers aim
to capture life moments with their families and friends.

What are the types of photography?

There are many different types of photography, such as landscape, macro, wildlife,
portrait, documentary, fashion, travel and event photography..

What do you need for photography?

To start taking pictures, all you need is a camera, which can be anything from a basic
smartphone to an advanced DSLR or a mirrorless camera. However, photography
equipment is not all that important – light, subject, emotion and composition are all
critical elements of a successful photograph.

What is the most common type of photography?

There are a number of photography genres that are very popular today. These include
portrait, landscape, architecture, fashion, food, sports, wildlife, macro, street, event and
documentary photography.

2. The Plastic Arts,

What is it?

➢ It refers to a term for art forms that involve physical manipulation of a

plastic/wood/rock medium by molding or modeling such as sculpture or ceramics.
➢ The term has also been applied to all the visual (non-literary, non-musical) arts.
 Sculpture
➢ This form of plastic arts characterized as the art of representing an imagined
or observed objects in hard materials such as glass, metals, or wood in three
dimensions.
➢ It is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard or plastic
material, sound, or text and or light, commonly stone (either rock or marble), clay, metal,
glass, or wood.

3. The Applied Arts,

What is it?

➢ This category of art encompasses the application of aesthetic designs to everyday

functional objects.
➢ They are the application of design and decoration to everyday objects to make them
aesthetically pleasing.

Forms of Applied arts Some of them include:

A. Architecture

➢ It refers to the process and the product of planning, designing, and

constructing buildings or any other structures.

B. Fashion

➢ It is a popular aesthetic expression in a certain time and context, especially in

clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle and body.
Note: These examples are under the classification of applied arts because they
are widely used by people for their everyday lives.

4. Music

What is it?

➢ It is the art of combining and regulating sounds to produce or express emotions.

➢ This form of art helps to express our mood and feel the way through our emotions
and ideas. Based on a study, different types of music may be suitable to different
moods though classical music is still recommended as the most calming music option.

5. Dance,

What is it?
 ➢ An ancient way of art that uses the human body as the medium of expression.
➢ It involves movements and gestures to express something.
➢ This form of art is expressed through body movement which entails social interaction,
or presented in a spiritual or performance setting.

6. The Performing Arts

What is it?

➢ It refers to forms of art in which artists use their voices, bodies or inanimate objects to
convey artistic expression. It may include a range of disciplines which are performed in
front of a live audience, inducing theater, music, and dance.
➢ They include numerous cultural expressions that reflect human creativity and that are
also found, to some extent, in many other intangible cultural heritage domains.
Drama
➢ It is the art of portraying or enacting events and experiences of every people.
➢ Drama is a play that is acted out. It is a reflection of the everyday lives of people. It
shows how people seriously or humorously experience some eventful period in their
lives. It combines the arts of the actor, author, director, designer, and others.
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REFERENCES:
● Mario Perniola, 20th Century Aesthetics. Towards A Theory of Feeling, translated by Massimo
Verdicchio, London, New Delhi, New York, Sydney: Bloomsbury,
2013, ISBN 978-1441118509.
● Chung-yuan, Chang (1963–1970). Creativity and Taoism, A Study of Chinese Philosophy, Art, and
Poetry. New York: Harper Torchbooks. ISBN 978-0061319686.
● Handbook of Phenomenological Aesthetics. Edited by Hans Rainer Sepp and Lester Embree.
(Series: Contributions To Phenomenology, Vol. 59) Springer,
● Dordrecht / Heidelberg / London / New York 2010. ISBN 978-904812470
● Theodor W. Adorno, Aesthetic Theory, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 1997.
● Ayn Rand, The Romantic Manifesto: A Philosophy of Literature, New York: New American Library,
1971
● Derek Allan, Art and the Human Adventure, Andre Malraux's Theory of Art, Rodopi, 2009
● Derek Allan. Art and Time, Cambridge Scholars, 2013.
● Augros, Robert M., Stanciu, George N., The New Story of Science: mind and the universe, Lake
Bluff, Ill.:
● Regnery Gateway, 1984. ISBN 0895268337 (has significant material on Art, Science and their
philosophies)
● John Bender and Gene Blocker, Contemporary Philosophy of Art: Readings in Analytic Aesthetics
1993.
● René Bergeron. L'Art et sa spiritualité. Québec, QC.: Éditions du Pelican, 1961.
● Christine Buci-Glucksmann (2003), Esthétique de l'éphémère, Galilée. (French)
● Noël Carroll (2000), Theories of Art Today, University of Wisconsin Press.
● Mario Costa (1999) (in Italian), L'estetica dei media. Avanguardie e tecnologia, Milan: Castelvecchi,
ISBN 8882101657.
● Benedetto Croce (1922), Aesthetic as Science of Expression and General Linguistic.
● E.S. Dallas (1866), The Gay Science, 2 volumes, on the aesthetics of poetry.
● Danto, Arthur (2003), The Abuse of Beauty: Aesthetics and the Concept of Art, Open Court.
● Stephen Davies (1991), Definitions of Art.
● Terry Eagleton (1990), The Ideology of the Aesthetic. Blackwell. ISBN 0631163026
● Susan L. Feagin and Patrick Maynard (1997), Aesthetics. Oxford Readers.

● Penny Florence and Nicola Foster (eds.) (2000), Differential Aesthetics. London: Ashgate. ISBN
075461493X
● Berys Gaut and Dominic McIver Lopes (eds.), Routledge Companion to Aesthetics. 3rd ed. London
and New York: Routledge, 2013.