ART APPRECIATION Man has cultivated land, altered fauna and flora (Flora is plant life;

fauna refers to animals.) for survival, and marked his place in the
What is art all about? world through works like building infrastructures, sharpening swords
and spears, and melting gold. The initial meaning of the word “art”
● Art is something that is perennially around us. has something to do with all these crafts.
● Life presents us with many forms of and opportunities for
communion with the arts. The word “art” comes from the ancient Latin, Ars which means “a
craft or specialized form of skill, like carpentry or smiting or
“The object of any love, truly progresses” - Plato, Symposium of surgery” (Collingwood, 1938).
Beauty.
● Meaning as one moves through life, one locates better, ● Art then suggested the capacity to produce an intended
more beautiful objects of desire (Scott 2000). One can result from carefully planned steps or methods.
never be totally content with what is just before him. ● Art only means using the bare hands to produce
● THEORY OF FORMS: asserts that the physical world is something that will be useful to one’s day-to-day life.
not really the 'real' world; instead, ultimate reality exists
beyond our physical world. Ars in Medieval Latin came to mean “any special
Human beings are drawn toward what is good and ultimately, form of book-learning, such as grammar or logic, magic or
beautiful. astrology” (Collingwood, 1938).

Renaissance artists viewed their work as mere craftsmanship,

“artis” - italian word that means “Craftsmanship, skill, mastery
lacking the complexities and intonations.
of form, inventiveness, and the association that exist between
form and ideas and between material and techniques”
17th Century - “Aesthetics” ( Aristotle, study of beauty)
18th Century - distinguish “fine arts” and “useful arts”
“ar” - Aryan root that means “to join” or “put together”. “Fine arts” - visual, “not delicate or highly
Skilled arts but “beautiful
Arts” (Collingwood 1938).
“artezein” - greek word that means to “prepare” and “arkiskein”
meaning “to put together.” “The humanities constitute one of the oldest and most
important means of expression developed by man”
Why study the Humanities? - (Dudley et.al., 1960)

“Humanities” - latin types of human kindness / “The Galloping Wild Boar” - found in the cave of Altamira, Spain (
kind of human Upper Paleolithic Age)
 ● One of the instruments that prehistoric men already - No art can be created without a human who uses
showcased and manifested earliest attempts at recording his/her imagination and creativity to produce art.
man’s innermost interest, preoccupation, thoughts. - Artist is simply a person who creates art.

ASSUMPTIONS OF ART 6. Art is subjective

- Cannot be measured by its significance or the level
Assumption is a belief that is accepted as true or certain to of skill with which it is created. Subjective nature
occur without proof. makes art's only measurable quality is whether it
exists.
1. Art has been always created by all people - “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, art is never
- Arts thrive globally because it is well-liked and the same for every individual.
enjoyed, as they linger on due to their popularity
and love. (Works of Rizal, movie ‘The Ten NATURE OF ART
Commandments’)
1. Art is a diverse range of human activities
2. Art involves experience - Artistic activities involve creating, critiquing,
- The five senses are essential for experiencing studying the history of art, and promoting its
something, and appreciation of art cannot be aesthetics through visual, auditory, or
achieved without experiencing it. performing artworks. (madami kasing uri)

3. Art is not nature; nature is not art 2. Art represents reality

- Art is created by humans, while nature is created - Representation is the use of signs that stand in for
by God. However, man can enhance nature, and take the place of something else.
making its enhanced beauty and artistry an art. - It is through representation that people organize
the world and reality through the act of naming
4. Art is cultural its elements.
- Art is human creation, it is cultural when it reflects - Signs are arranged in order to form semantic
people's way of life, religious practices, mores, constructions and express relations.
and traditions. - Art represents reality: it depicts objects or scenes
from the world.
5. Art is a form of creation
- Art is something that is created with imagination 3. Art is an expression
and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses - The expression contained in the form is an attempt
important ideas or feelings. to translate the unnamed and the unknown.
 - Intrinsic to our existence as humans is our quest to 6. Art is universal
create meaning, and art allows us to understand - Exclusivity is out of bounds when we speak of arts
our surroundings and mark our experiences. because it is for everyone. No barriers.
- Art is the true Esperanto, an artificial language, the
4. Art is means of communication of emotions one form of culture that is genuinely beyond
- Art serves various purposes, including national limitations.
communicating political, spiritual, philosophical
ideas, creating beauty, exploring perception, 7. Art is creation
expressing feelings, thoughts, and observations of - It is the combination of already existing material
human conditions. elements into new forms which become the
- Most art forms have the underlying intention to realization of a preconceived idea.
appeal to, and connect with, human emotion. - Art is the making of a new thing in response to a
- Art is used to call for unity and reconciliation. sense of need, man as its agent.
- Our country's anthem, historical heritage,
and art through festivals unite us, 8. Art is timeless
reminding us of our past struggles and - Art is timeless because it goes beyond the time of
unity. These elements help communicate our own existence.
and understand each tribe's unique culture. - Serves the basic needs of mankind, from ancient
- Art can also be used to communicate mutiny and time to the modern world.
rebellion. - Art started from the birth of man’s life; thus, it
- Rizal's works, "Noli Me Tangere" and "El would continue to live in accord with man’s
Filibusterismo," express his disagreement existence.
with Spanish control over Filipinos,
highlighting the crusades as a platform for CREATIVITY, IMAGINATION, EXPRESSION
resistance.
Art is a product of man's creativity, imagination, and expression,
5. Art matters not just daily perception of beauty. Nature, despite its extraordinary
- Allow us to express ourselves and illustrate the forms, is not considered art because it is not created by man.
world around us in a different light, helping us to
gain understanding of people and society, and Not even photographs or sketches of nature, though captured or
give hope while living in this world, illustrates the drawn by man, are works of art, but mere recordings of the beauty
human experience. in nature (Collins & Riley, 1931).

An artwork may be inspired by nature or other works of art, but

an artist invents his own forms and patterns due to what he
perceives as beautiful and incorporates them in creating his style, and simply make life a more unique and enjoyable
masterpiece. experience.

Not everyone is an artist, but, all are spectators of art. A creative artist does not simply copy or imitate another artist’s
work. He does not imitate the lines, flaws, colors, and patterns in
ART APPRECIATION AS A WAY OF LIFE recreating nature. He embraces originality, puts his own flavor into
his work, and calls in his own creative piece.
Jean-Paul Santre, famous French philosopher of the 12th century,
described the role of art as a creative work that depicts the world in Being creative nowadays can be quite challenging. What you
a completely different light and perspective, and the source is due thought was your own unique and creative idea may not be what it
to human freedom (Greene, 1995). seems to be after extensive research and that someone else has
coincidentally created that idea in another part of the world.
Artworks showcase unique beauty, often overlooked by the public.
Only those with a refined appreciation can truly appreciate and For instance, the campaign ad “It’s More Fun in the Philippines”
appreciate the artist's vision. used by the Department of Tourism (DOT) boomed in 2011, but
later it was found out that it was “allegedly plagiarized” from
Because of this, numerous artworks go unnoticed, artists are not Switzerland’s tourism slogan “It’s More Fun in Switzerland”, back
given enough credit, and they miss opportunities, sometimes taking in 1951. In DOT’ defense, former DOT secretary Ramon Jimenez
a lifetime before their contribution to the development of art is Jr, claimed that it was “purely coincidental”.
recognized.
Creativity should be baked with careful research on
In cultivating an appreciation of art, one should also exercise and related art to avoid such conflicts.
develop his taste for things that are fine and beautiful. This allows
individuals to make intelligent choices and decisions in acquiring ART AS A PRODUCT OF IMAGINATION: IMAGINATION AS A
necessities and luxuries, knowing what gives better value for time PRODUCT OF ART
or money while taking into consideration the aesthetic and
practical value. (Collins & Riley, 1931). Famous writers, painters, and musicians primarily derive their ideas
from the human mind, which is the foundation of creative solutions.

ROLE OF CREATIVITY IN ART MAKING “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge
ORIGINALITY is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination
embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know
Creativity requires thinking outside the box. It is often used to solve and understand”.
problems that have never occurred before, conflate function, and - Albert Einstein
Imagination is not constrained by the walls of the norm but goes Collingwood further illustrated that expresses emotions is something
beyond that. That is why people rely on curiosity and imagination different from describing emotions. Expression, on the other hand,
for advancement. Through imagination, one is able to craft individualizes. An artist has the freedom to express himself the
something bold, something new, and something better in the hopes way he wants to. Hence, there is no specific technique in
of creating something that will stimulate change. Imagination allows expression. This makes peoples art not a reflection of what is
endless possibilities. outside or external to them, but a reflection of their inner selves.

An artwork does not need to be a real thing, but can be something Ways of Expressing Oneself through Art
that is imaginary (Collingwood, 1938).
1. VISUAL
Take for example a musician who thinks of a tune in his head. That - Creations that fall under this category are those that
making of this tune in his head makes it an imaginary tune, an appeal to the sense of sight and are mainly visual
imaginative creation, an imaginary art. It remains imaginary until he in nature.
hums, sings, or writes down the notes of the tune on paper. - Artists produce visual arts driven by their desire to
(Collingwood 1938). reproduce things that they have seen in the way
that they perceived them (Collins & Riley, 1931).
However, something imaginary does not necessarily mean it cannot - paintings, drawings, letterings, printing, sculptures,
be called art. Artists use their imagination that gives birth to digital imaging and more.
reality through creation. In the same way that imagination 2. FILM
produces art, art also inspires imagination. - It refers to the art of putting together successions
of still images to create an illusion of movement.
ART AS AN EXPRESSION - Film making focuses on its aesthetic, cultural, and
social value and is considered as both an art and
Feelings like excitement, fear, or agitation may be unconscious, but an industry.
they remain unspoken until expressed, and understanding the - Films are created using various techniques such as
nature of these emotions is crucial for understanding and motion picture cameras, animation, and Computer
expressing them. Generated Imagery (CGI).
- Film making simulates experiences or creates one
Robin George Collingwood, an English philosopher best known for that is beyond the scope of our imagination as it
his works in aesthetics, argued in The Principles of Art (1938) that aims to deliver ideas, feelings, or beauty to its
what an artist does to an emotion is not to induce it. Through viewers. The art of filmmaking is so complex, it must
expression, he can explore his own emotions and at the same consider many important elements such as lighting,
time, create something beautiful out of them. musical score, visual effects, direction, and more.
3. PERFORMANCE ART may say that choreography does not allow this, but
- It is a live art and the artist’s medium is mainly the in art expression, dancers are not confined to set
human body which he or she uses to perform, but steps and rules but are free to create and invent
also employs other kinds of art such as visual art, their own movements if they deem them graceful
props, or sound. and beautiful.
4 ELEMENTS:
Time 7. LITERARY ART
Place - Literary artists use words to express themselves
Performer/s and communicate emotions to readers, but simply
Relationship between audience and being a writer doesn't make them a literary artist.
performer - Literary art goes beyond the usual professional,
academic, journalistic, and other technical forms of
4. POETRY PERFORMANCE writing. It focuses on writing using a unique style,
- Poetry is an art form where the artist expresses his not following a specific format or norm. It may
emotions through words. include fiction or non - fiction such as novels,
- Poetry uses carefully selected words to convey biographies, and poems.
emotions, using emotional, musical, and spatial
values beyond literal meaning. 8. THEATER
- The poem's artistic value is enhanced by - Uses live performers to present accounts or
movements, tone, volume, and intensity, and some imaginary events before a live audience.
poets create poems from emotions from other art - Theater art performances usually follow a script,
forms. though they should not be confused with literary arts.

5. ARCHITECTURE 9. APPLIED ARTS

- Art is the pursuit and creation of beautiful things - It is incorporating elements of style and design
while architecture is the making of beautiful to everyday items with the aim of increasing
buildings. However, their aesthetic value. Artists in this field bring
- Some buildings are just built for functionality, but beauty, charm, and comfort into many things that are
some are beautifully constructed. useful in everyday life (Collins & Riley, 1931).
- Applied arts, including industrial, interior, fashion,
6. DANCE and graphic design, combine functional style
- It is a series of movements that allows the through exploration, expression, and careful
rhythm of the music accompaniment. material and technique selection.
- Dancing is a creative form that allows people to
freely express themselves. It has no rules. You