MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION TO ART APPRECIATION

Topic 4: Subject and Content

Learning Objectives:
At the end of topic 4, you must be able to:
A. Differentiate representational art and non-representational art;
B. Discuss the difference between an artwork’s subject and its content;
C. Identify the subject matter and content of specific examples of art; and
D. Enumerate the sources of the subjects of some of the most recognizable works
of art in Philippine art history.

 The primary stage of engaging with art is its perception.

 Subjectivity is illustrated in the way that selective perception renders one or two
details more prominent than others, prompting the viewer to focus on some
details as essential or as standouts.
 In the arts, there are also observable qualities that the artwork holds that will
point to its subject, and sometimes even to its content.

Types of Subject:
• Representational art – have subjects that refer to objects or events occurring in
the real world.
• Non-representational art – does not make a reference to the real world, whether
it is a person, place, thing, or even a particular event. It is stripped down to visual
elements such as shapes, lines, and colors that are employed to translate a
particular feeling, emotion, and even concept.

Sources and Kinds of Subject:

• Often, even a singular source of inspiration can yield multiple translations.
Content in Art:
• To recognize and grasp the message of the artwork, the viewer may sometimes
need to go beyond what is visible.
• There are various levels of meaning – factual, conventional, and the possibility of
a variety of meanings.

Points to Ponder:

• What are the hurdles of accessing art in terms of its subject and content?
• Where do artists source their subjects?
• Why do you think that in the Philippines, people are not engaged in art activities?
• How important is perception in engaging in art?

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Questions and Answers:

1. What are the hurdles of accessing art in terms of its subject and content?
Answer: The notion that in order for one to appreciate art, one must be ale to
extract a specific image and derive a certain meaning from the work.
2. Where do artists source their subjects?
Answer: Artists can source their subjects from nature, religious connections, and
history.
3. Name an example of an artwork and speculate on the content of the artwork based
on its factual, conventional, and subjective meanings.
Answers may vary.

Summary
• One may begin by looking at perceivable features of the artwork. Taking note of
what is apparent will provide clues as to what the intended meaning of the artist
might be.
Knowing more about the context of its creation—from the artist’s inspiration, reference
or source, will prove useful in understanding the meaning of the artwork.

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Topic 5: Artists and Artisans

Learning Objectives:
At the end of topic 5, you must be able to:
A. Outline the history of the emergence of artists and artisans;
B. Recognize and critically discuss the function of state sponsorship in the field of
arts and culture through the National Artists Award and the Gawad sa Manlilikha
ng Bayan (GAMABA);
C. Identify and define the different individuals and groups who take on varied roles
in the world of art and culture; and
D. Classify the practices of artists in terms of form, medium, and technique.

Early on, artists were embedded in the development of culture, and in turn, art
was nurtured by the varying cultures in which it existed.

The Artisan and the Guilds:

* The practice of artists was not grounded on the idea of individual capacities or
success; rather, in the commitment to work together as a collective. Guilds were a type
of social fellowship, an association structured with rules, customs, rights, and
responsibilities. With a lifetime commitment to a particular trade, an artisan develops
immense skill and expertise in his craft.

The Artist and His Studio:

• The site that saw the shift from a craftsman to an independent artist was a very
personal space for the artist himself, which is the studio.
Other Players in the World of Art:
• In the last century, some of the roles that have been existent since the beginning
of art history have been properly dealt with—ascribed with a name—and
legitimized into a sophisticated network of relationships and exchanges. This
network is what we call the art world.
• What must be recognized is that, as Becker contended, there are numerous
people who either work in consent or dissension, and in doing so, continuously
(re)-define, (in)validate, maintain (or abolish), reproduce, and circulate the
“cultural category of art, and to produce the consent of the entire society in the
legitimacy of the art world’s authority to do so” (Irvine, 2013).
Production Process:
• The process of creating an artwork does not necessarily follow a linear
progression.

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• The process is essentially tripartite: (1) preproduction, (2) production, and (3)
postproduction.
Medium and Technique:
• Medium is the mode of expression in which the concept, idea, or message is
conveyed.
The technique of the artwork shows the level of familiarity with the medium being
manipulated.

Engagement with Art:

• The defining roles and nature of exhibitions have had an interesting evolution,
changing alongside the demands of the society that purports to partake in its
display.
• The art exhibition, by its nature, holds a mirror up to society, reflecting its
interests and concerns while at the same time challenging its ideologies and
preconceptions.
Awards and Citations:
*After an artist has spent considerable time in honing his skills, establishing the
relevance of the body of his works, and even gaining respect from his colleagues in the
art world, he may be considered or nominated for awards and citations.

Points to Ponder:
• What makes the art world a complex system?
• Why does the process of creating an artwork have an anarchic dimension to it?

Questions and Answers:

1. What do you think is the role of the artist in the 21 st century society?
Answers may vary.
2. How relevant still are the awards National Artists and GAMABA, not only to the art
world, but also to the Filipino society as a whole?
Answers may vary.
3. Analyze and critique state-sponsored recognition for artists and cultural workers.
What do you think are some of the considerations that must be addressed with regard
to these?
Answers may vary.
Summary

The evolution of the artist throughout history is one of the most interesting
progressions in the affairs of man.

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Topic 6: Elements and Principles of Art

Learning Objectives:
At the end of topic 6, you must be able to:

A. Enumerate the different elements of visual and auditory art;

B. Differentiate the principles of art;
C. Provide examples of the interrelatedness of some of the elements and principles
of art;
D. Explain the relevance of the elements and principles of art in the study of art and
its products (artworks); and
E. Illustrate examples of hybrid art and dissect what art forms are combined therein

Elements of Art: Visual

• These elements of art are generally produced when something is done to the
medium after the technique is carried out.
• To enumerate, the elements of art and design are the following: line, shape and
form, space, color, and texture.
Planes and Perspectives:
• Picture plane is the actual surface of the painting or drawing, where no illusion of
a third dimension exists.
• Aside from this technique, linear perspective changed the way pictorial
representation was done.
Elements of Art: Auditory
• Perhaps one of the most widespread forms of art, whose intersection in daily life
is most perceptible, is music. Music is sound organized in a specific time.
• Some of the common elements of music are the following: rhythm, dynamics,
melody, harmony, timbre, and texture.
Principles of Art:
• The principles of art will provide explicit ways in which these elements are used,
how they are manipulated, how they interact, and how they inform the overall
composition of the artwork to assist the artist in conveying his intention.
• These principles are: balance, scale and proportion, emphasis and contrast,
unity and variety, harmony, movement, rhythm, and repetition and pattern.
Combined or Hybrid Art:
• In combined arts, improvisation is often tapped in addition to practical and logical
considerations of creating an artwork.
• Another movement that is reminiscent of the motivations of the Renaissance, and
whose emergence is hinged on the frontiers of science and technology, is called
hybrid arts

Points to Ponder:

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• In two-dimension artworks such as paintings, cite the elements and principles of

art that when utilized in the composition of the artwork, will help simulate or
suggest the three-dimensional space.
• How can hybrid artworks expand imagination?

Questions and Answers:

1. What are the elements of art?
line, shape and form, space, color, and texture
2. In two-dimension artworks such as paintings, cite the elements and principles of art
that when utilized in the composition of the artwork, will help simulate or suggest the
three-dimensional space.
3. What is the relevance of combined arts and hybrid art in the 21 st century?
Answers may vary.

Summary
The elements and principles of art are essential to any artwork. Some of them
will be more obvious than others, becoming the anchors in which the viewer may latch
on to engage with the artwork.

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