Unit 1: Introduction to Art Appreciation

ART APPRECIATION
COURSE OUTLINE
Unit 1: Introduction to Art Appreciation
Lesson 1: What is Art: Introduction and Assumptions
Lesson 2: Art Appreciation: Creativity, Imagination, and Art Expression
Lesson 3: Functions of Art and Philosophy
Lesson 4: Subject and Content
Lesson 5: Artists and Artisans: Production Process, Medium, Technique, and
Curation
Lesson 6: Elements and Principles of Art
Unit 2: Art History
Lesson 1: Prehistoric Art
Lesson 2: Appreciating the Philippine Indigenous Art
Lesson 3: Western Art
Unit 3: Culture and the Arts
Lesson 1: Soulmaking, Appropriation, and Improvisation
Lesson 2: Art in Asia
 Unit 1: Introduction to Art Appreciation

Unit 1
Introduction to Art Appreciation

Introduction
Imagine what a society without art would be like? How would buildings look?
Could any kind of visual communication exist at all? These are questions that quickly necessitate
defining the boundaries of what does and does not constitute art. 
For many people, art is a tangible thing: a painting, sculpture, photograph, dance, poem
or play. Art is uniquely human and tied directly to culture. As an expressive medium, it allows us
to experience wide ranges of emotion, between joy or sorrow, or confusion and clarity. It gives
voice to ideas and feelings, connects us to the past, reflects the present, and anticipates the future.
This unit is designed to introduce art and its complexities. In this way, you come to
understand better the significance of arts in our daily living.

Unit Learning Outcomes

At the end of the unit, you will be able to:
a. Understand the role of humanities and arts in man’s attempt at fully realizing his
end;
b. Discuss the significance and functions of arts to man;
c. Demonstrate appreciation on the contribution of an artist or artisan in the
community; and
d. Analyze and explain how the art influences the person’s character and actions.

Lesson 1: What is Art: Introduction and Assumptions

Learning Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to:

a. Discuss the Humanities

b. Evaluate the perspectives behind the meaning of art; and
c. Characterize the assumptions of art.
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Activating Prior Knowledge

What is an art?

K W L
(What You Know) (What You want to Learn) (What You Learned)

Presentation of Content

The Humanities
The term “humanities” was first applied to the writings of ancient Latin authors which
were read not only for their clarity of language and forceful literary style, but also, and more
specially, for their moral teaching.

During the Medieval Age, the humanities dealt with the metaphysics of the religion
philosopher. The goal was the cultivation of the spiritual life and the preparation for the
hereafter.

During the Renaissance, the word came to refer to the set of disciplines taught in the
universities, which included grammar, rhetoric, history, literature, music, philosophy, and
theology- a body of knowledge aimed to make man “ human, cultured, and refined.

At present, the humanities serve to provide the student with certain skills and values
through arts. (Ortiz et al).

The term humanities refers to the arts- the visual arts such as architecture; painting and
sculpture; music; dance; the theater or drama; and literature. They are the branches of learning
 Unit 1: Introduction to Art Appreciation

concerned with human being and his feelings and how he expresses those feelings have always
been the concern of the humanities (Sanchez, 2001).

Understanding the Arts

We can say that art is the lifeblood of humanities because it conveys one’s feelings and
expressions. Art is the essential factor which motivates an individual to create and appreciate “a
thing of beauty.” But before we formally discuss art, let’s look at the etymological meaning as
well as the different meanings of art given by the experts.

Etymologically, art is derived from the Latin word “ars”, meaning craft or a specialized
form of skill.

Webster’s New Collegiate dictionary defines art as “The conscious use of skill and
creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetics objects.”

Art according to Writers and Philosophers:

“Art is not, as the metaphysicians say, the manifestation of some mysterious idea of
beauty of God: it is not, as the aesthetical physiologists say, a game in which man lets off his
excess of stored-up energy; it is not the expression of man’s emotions by external signs; it is not
the production of pleasing objects, above all, it is not pleasure; but it is a means of unions
among men, joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the life and
progress toward well-being of individuals and humanity.” Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy

“Art teaches nothing, except the significance of life.” American writer Henry Miller

“Art is higher type of knowledge than experience.” Greek philosopher Aristotle

“The object of art is to give life a shape.” French dramatist Jean Anouilh

“Art is science in the flesh.” French poet and playwright Jean Couteau

“All art is social,” because it is the result of a relationship between an artist and his time.”
Historian James Adams

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.” Irish poet and
playwright Oscar Wilde

“Art is a discovery and development of elementary principles of nature into beautiful

forms suitable for human use.” American architect, interior designer, writer, and educator
Frank Lloyd Wright

3 Assumptions of Art
Art is Universal and Timeless
Art has always been timeless and universal, it transcends cultures, races, and civilization.
As long as human beings exist, art is feasible, alive, and dynamic.
In every country and in every generation, there is always art. Oftentimes, people feel that
what is considered artistic are only those which have been made long time ago. This is a
 Unit 1: Introduction to Art Appreciation

misconception. Age is not a factor in determining art. An “..art is not good because it is old, but
old because it is good” (Dudley et al., 1960).
In the Philippines, the works of Jose Rizal and Francisco Balagtas are not being read
because they are old. Otherwise, works of other Filipinos who have long died would have been
required in junior high school too. The pieces mentioned ae read in school and have remained to
be with us because they are good.

Art is not Nature

One important characteristic of art is that it is not nature. Art is man’s expression of his
reception of nature. Art is man’s way of interpreting nature. Art is not nature, it is manmade,
whereas nature is a given around us. It is in this juncture that they can be considered opposites.
What we find in nature should not be expected to be present in art too. Movies are not meant to
be direct representations of reality. They may, according to moviemaker’s perception of reality,
be reinterpretation or even distortion of nature.

Art Involves Experience

For most people, art does not require full definition. Art is just experience. By
experience, we mean the “actual doing of something” (Dudley et al., 1960). When one says that
he has an experience of something, he often means that he knows what that something is.
Knowing a thing is different from hearing from others what the said thing is.
Art is always an experience. Unlike fields of knowledge that involve data, art is known
by experiencing. A painter cannot claim to know how to paint if he has not tried holding a brush.
A sculptor cannot produce a work of art if a chisel is foreign to him. Dudley et al. (1960)
affirmed that “art depends on experience, and if one is to know art, he must know it not as a fact
or information but as experience.

Application
(Answers can be encoded or written on a sheet of paper)

Name: __________________________________________________ Date: __________

Yr. & Sec.: ______________________________________________ Score: _________

1. Select at least five(5) artworks which you consider important to you, then explain
each of them.(5points)

Artworks Explanation
1.

2.

3.
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4.

5.

2. Give a situation where an artist could make use of nature in producing an artwork.
(5points)
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3. Identify a work of art in your community that is still very much admired and
treasured today. Is the message conveyed by the artist universal? Explain your
answer. (10points)

Artwork Message Photo

Feedback

Name: __________________________________________________ Date: __________

 Unit 1: Introduction to Art Appreciation

Yr. & Sec.: ______________________________________________ Score: _________

I. Tell whether the statement is true or false. Write your answer on the space
provided before each number. (5pts.)
_______1. The term humanities refers to the arts- the visual arts such as
architecture; painting and sculpture; music; dance; the theater or
drama; and literature.
_______2. Nature doesn’t have something to do about art.
_______3. During Renaissance period, the word humanities was considered as a
body of knowledge aimed to make man “human, cultured, and refined.
_______4. The function of art varies from person to person.
_______5. Age is a factor in determining art.

II. Read the following questions below, then answer each of them briefly. Each
question will be treated 5 points. You will be graded based on substance (3points)
grammar and organization (2 points).

1. How does art involve experience?

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2. Explain this quotation: An “art is not good because it is old, but old because it
is good” (Dudley et al., 1960).
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References
Retrieved form https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sac-artappreciation/chapter/oer1-4/
on August 13, 2020.
Caslib Jr. B. N. et al., (2018). Art Appreciation. Manila: Rex Book Store, Inc.