CHAPTER 1

THE STUDY OF THE

HUMANITIES AND THE ARTS
“The sciences teach him
to make a living; the arts
teach him how to live.”
(Cruz, 1998)
 Integrative art as applied to
Contemporary Art
What are the Humanities?
- humanus, human, cultured, refined
- Based on the philosophy and ethical
perspective of humanism
 At present, here is a list of subjects
often covered in humanities courses:
1. Painting
2. Sculpture
3. Architecture
4. Photography
5. Literature
6. Music
7. Theatre
8. Dance
9. Film
 Visual Arts

Painting, Sculpture, Architecture and

Photography are collectively called as the Visual
Arts.

Visual Arts or spatial arts are those art forms

that we perceive with our eyes, and which
occupy space.
 Auditory arts
Literature and Music are referred to as auditory
or temporal arts that can be heard and are
expressed in time.
 Combined arts
Theatre, dance and film are classified as the
combined arts or the performing arts; those that
can be both seen or heard and unfold in both
space and time.
 Why do artists create art?
• Recognition (Ronald Ventura’s “Grayground)
• Worship (Joey Velasco’s “Hapag ng Pag-asa”
• Impulse (Levi Celerio made 4,000 songs)
• Self-expression
 Why study the Humanities?
• Makes us more human
• We can learn more of ourselves
• Makes us realize our own potentials and the
potentials of others much more thoroughly
• We value and appreciate beautiful things, as it
influences us, it “expands” ourselves.
 How to study the Humanities: Text,
Context and Subtext
To study the Humanities is to engage in a
dialogue with the past, one that brings us face
to face with the values of our ancestors, and
ultimately, our own.
 Text
The text of any primary source refers to its
medium (what it is made of), its form (its
outward shape) and its content (the subject it
describes).
 Context
We use the word context to describe the
historical and cultural background or
environment of the artwork. To determine the
context, we ask:

1. In what time and place did the artifact

originate?
2. How did it function within the society in
which it was created?
3. Was the purpose of the piece decorative,
didactic, magical, propagandistic?

4. Did it serve the religious or political needs of

the community or both?
 Subtext
The subtext of a literary or artistic object refers
to its secondary and implied meanings. The
subtext embraces the emotional or intellectual
messages embedded in, or implied by, a work of
art.
 The Values of Art
How can we tell if an artwork is great? Works of
art have certain standards by which all art works
can be measured for evaluation. Great works of
art are distinguished by the following qualities:
 1. Aesthetic Value
The concept of “aesthetic value” refers to that
value which causes an object to be a “work of
art”. This is a quality which appeals to our sense
of beauty.
 2. Intellectual Value
An art work stimulates thought. It enriches our
mental life by making us realize fundamental
truths about ourselves, about other human
beings, and about the world around us.
 3. Suggestiveness
This is the quality associated with the emotional
power of art. Great works of art move us deeply
and stir our feeling and imagination, giving and
evoking visions above and beyond the plain of
ordinary life and experience.
 4. Spiritual Value
Art elevates the spirit by bringing out moral
values which makes us a better person. The
capacity to inspire is part of the spiritual value of
art.
 5. Permanence
A great work of art endures. It can be viewed
again and again as each encounter gives fresh
delight and new insights and opens new worlds
of meaning and experience. Its appeal is lasting.
 6. Universality
Great art is timeless and timely. It is forever
relevant and appeals to one and all, anytime,
anywhere because it deals with elemental
feelings, fundamental truths, and universal
conditions.
 7. Style
This is the peculiar way in which an artist sees
his subject, forms his ideas, and expresses them.
Great art works are marked as much by their
memorable substance as well as by their
distinctive style. Style should suit content.
 8. Form
It is the organization, arrangement, or
framework of an artwork; the manner or style of
constructing, arranging and coordinating the
parts of a composition for a pleasing or effective
result.
The Four Coordinates of Art Criticism
“Art needs something outside of itself as a place
of reflection, discernment, and connection with
the larger world. Art for art’s sake is fine, if you
can get it. But then the connection to the real
becomes tenuous, and the connection to the
social disappears. If you want to engage, if you
want discourse, you need criticism.”

– David Levi Strauss

Every work of art, such as a poem, a
novel or an essay, a play, a musical
piece, a painting, etc. has four basic
coordinates:
1. The subject matter;
2. the artist;
3. the audience; and
4. Its own form.
These four coordinates of art are the
bases for the four principal approaches
to art criticism and appreciation. These
four approaches are:
1. Mimetic (based on the subject matter)
2. Expressive (based on the artist)
3. Pragmatic (based on the audience); and
4. Aesthetic or formal (based on the form).
 1. The subject matter
“Art is an imitation of an imitation of reality…”
(Plato, Greek philosopher)

“Art is a reflection or a mirror of reality.”

(Aristotle, Greek philosopher)

• Aspects of nature, human concerns in the

realm of experience, action and deed, ideas,
emotions and moods, other forms of art.
 According to subject matter, art may
be classified into two types:
1. Representational or Figurative Art

2. Non-representational or Non-objective art

 According to subject matter, art may
be classified into two types:
1. Representational or Figurative Art
- Portrays or depicts something other than its
own form.
- “Venus de Milo”, Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”,
Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf”, Tchaikovsky’s
ballet “Swan Lake”
- Literature is principally representational.
2. Non-representational or Non-objective art
- Represents nothing except its own form.
- Pyramids of Egypt, Mondrian’s non-figurative
paintings, the symphonies of Mozart
- In non-objective art (i.e. architecture), subject
matter and form are one: the form is the
subject.
 1. The subject matter
“Art is an imitation of an imitation of reality…”
(Plato, Greek philosopher)
= idealist, art is far removed from reality which
exists in the realm of Ideals or Universals, i.e.
shadows, reflections of things on water

“Art is a reflection or a mirror of reality.” (Aristotle,

Greek philosopher)
= empiricist, rejected the belief in the realm of
ideals
 Mimetic
• From the Greek word mimesis, imitation
• The mimetic approach stresses the
importance of subject matter or content in
art.
• The merit of work of a work of art lies in its
subject; the beauty of the subject and its
significance are the bases for aesthetic
judgment.
 2. The artist, writer, or creator
“He who touches this book, touches the man.” –
Walt Whitman, an American poet, “Leaves of
Grass”

- Art is a means of expression, a medium for

communicating an idea, an emotion or some
other human experience, an impression of life, a
vision of beauty. The art becomes an extension
of the artist, his personality and individuality
• The expressive approach to art criticism
stresses the relationship of the artwork to its
creator.
• The artist himself becomes the major element
generating both the artistic product and the
norms by which the work is to be judged.
 3. Audience or readers
• Art is an experience. Art always has an
audience, even if this audience is none other
than the artist himself.

Aside from its essential value (aesthetic), art

may have secondary values: religious,
philosophical, moral, historical, political, social,
scientific, commercial, sentimental, practical.
The approach to art criticism, which emphasizes
the value and importance of art to its audience,
is known as the pragmatic approach.
 4. Form
“There are no moral or immoral books; they are
either well-written or badly writen.”

– Oscar Wilde, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”

 How to Critique Art works
1. Describe what you see
a. Artist’s name
b. The title of work
c. Type of art work
d. The subject of the painting
e. Objects in the painting
f. First impression. Note the characteristics of
the art work that first jump out at you.
 How to Critique Art works
1. Describe what you see
g. Colors used.
h. Shapes, lines and texture.
i. Light saturation
j. Sensory qualities. Identify the predominant
mood and visual effect.
 How to Critique Art works
2. Analyze the art work.
a. Color
b. Shapes, forms or lines
c. Texture
d. Light and shadow
e. How each technical element contributes to
the mood, meaning and aesthetic sensation
of the art work.
 How to Critique Artworks
3. Interpret the art work
a. Communicate the artist’s statement.
Describe what you think the artist is trying to
say through the work of art.

b. Expound on the feeling conveyed by the

artwork. Describe what the art work means to
you, and why.
 How to Critique Artworks
3. Interpret the art work

c. Explain what you feel is the artist’s intended

purpose for creating that particular work of art.
Examine why the artist made the choices in
technique, materials, and subject matter and
how they relate to the intended purpose.
 How to Critique Artworks
3. Interpret the art work

d. Identify symbols in the artwork and describe

how they relate to the artist’s technical choices
and contribute to the artist’s execution of the
intended purpose.
 How to Critique Artworks
4. Evaluate the art work
a. State what you think the artwork’s value is.
Does it evoke nostalgia, incite anger or to
impart beauty? Explain why you feel this way.
b. Describe the artwork’s relevance to the art
community and to people as a whole.
c. Explain where you feel the artwork has a
strong value and where you think it falls
short.
 How to Critique Artworks
5. Use art vocabulary in your art critique

Your goal is not to say whether or not the art is

good, but rather to impart as best as you can the
visceral response the artwork incites.