TANAUAN INSTITUTE INC.

J. Gonzales st.,Brgy 4, Tanuan City Batangas 4232

COLLEGE DEPARTMENT
1st Semester, S.Y. 2020-2021

Activity Sheet in Arts Appreciation

Surname Given Name M.I.
A L B A N D I A M A R Y J O Y H.
Course: BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ACCOUNTANCY
Section 2 A Student No. BSA- 2043 Date: 1 0 1 1 2 0

Directions: Analyze the given pictures of different artworks below. Answer the questions given to you. Write it
on a one whole sheet of paper. Take a picture of it. Send it clearly. (You can do it in type form just make sure
you send it via document file.)

1.

The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci

a. If you could change this artwork, how would you change it? Why?

Different media may be used at specific stages in the process of creating a work of art. In
Leonardo’s The Last Supper, he used an oil/tempera mix and applied it to a dry wall because he wanted
to capture the look of an oil painting. But even within his lifetime it began to wear off.  From this concept, if
I could change this artwork it would probably be the materials he used. Although it can restore or
preserve, it’s not the same as the original version of it. Likewise, it is important to use materials that will
last long and be seen for the future generations.

b. Was this intended to be a work of art or not? Why do you think that? How does that impact your
understanding of the artwork?

Yes. I considered it as a work of art because great paintings like The  Last Supper are not just
“images.” They actively judge us. They confront and interpret us, bringing us into their world and their
drama. This is why all great painting is profoundly religious. Moreover, it is why all great paintings
continue to create their audience generation after generation, century after century. A painting is indeed a
vulnerable artifact and its existence is risky. But it is through its weakness that a painting reveals its
power.

c. What does this artwork teach us about the past?

 Leonardo’s The Last Supper artwork was noted for its clever use of color, light and anatomy. The
painting is also a subject of many discussions and conjectures. For instance, most people miss the
incredible sense of perspective the work displays. Furthermore, Leonardo was well known for his love of
symmetry. As you can noticed, the Last Supper layout is largely horizontal. Altogether, this artwork
teaches us the significance of these elements during the previous century.

d. How does this artwork teach us about the future?

Leonardo hadn’t worked on such a large painting and had no experience in the standard mural
medium of fresco. The painting was made using experimental pigments directly on the dry plaster wall.
Adapting and applying this kind of method, can teach us to try and experiment new ways in creating an
artwork. Moreover, interpretation is crucial in an artwork. It needs thoroughly understanding from small
details up to whole to obtain the real message of an artwork. For example, the changes reflected in the
painting of history’s famous dinner.

e. What does this artwork say about the culture in which it was produced?
Leonardo’s The Last Supper has reinterpreted the scene in terms of his own culture that most
“foreign” elements has been removed. For example, the clothing adopted is nearly classical toga and
cloak style which bears little relation to traditional Jewish clothing. The setting itself appears to be more
suited to a Renaissance palazzo than the house of a friend. The scenery glimpsed in the background
looks typically Tuscan than Palestine. Moreover, the food has been transformed from the traditional
Passover lamb. It has recently been interpreted as fish and the decidedly non-kosher grilled eels
completed with orange juices is a popular dish in Renaissance Italy.

f. What was happening in history when this artwork was made? How does that change your understanding
of the artwork?
Over time the Last Supper painting was ruined, but people began to restore it although it did not
exactly like its original one. During this time of Renaissance, there were wars and different conflicts that
occurred. They bombed Santa Maria Delle Grazie which was the church that Leonardo had painted on.
Due to the high quality of the painting and its value, it was restored over time. The first restoration did not
take people a long time to paint but the last restoration took them a long time and a lot of money.
The Last Supper serves as an example of how public and professional attitudes toward restoration
efforts are not only often contentious, but change over time. Whereas in the 19 th century and earlier,
restorations focused on overpainting in order to present the illusion of a perfectly finished work, modern
approaches tend to favor the exposure of missing pieces, and to make all additions visible and explicit.

g. What are the values and beliefs of the culture in which this artwork was made?
Humanism is reflected in Leonardo’s painting through many different aspects.  One aspect of the
painting that stuck out as a Humanism trait was how symmetrical the painting was.  One site by Smart
History drew lines onto the painting to show how symmetrical the painting was. Everything about the
picture screams symmetry. Jesus is even symmetric with himself, by laying his hands out to the side to
create an even triangle.  The Disciples also show actual human emotion, which was a huge aspect of
Humanism.  Every face shows some sort of actual human emotion, instead of just happiness.   Leonardo
wanted to display genuine human feelings, which went right alongside the Humanism movement.
. Last Supper is another one of the many examples of Leonardo Da Vinci showing the major
Renaissance values in his work.  The painting shows the Renaissance ideals of classicism and realism.
For example, classicism, because there is some architecture that was similar to the Greek and Roman.
Another example is realism because there is perspective and realistic colors. Last Supper is another one
of the many examples of Leonardo Da Vinci showing the major Renaissance values in his work.  

h. How might your interpretation of this artwork be different from someone in another culture?
It relates to different perspectives that people have based on their backgrounds. We all view the
artwork through different social lenses, although people with similar training/backgrounds might view the
artwork in similar ways. Knowledge creation therefore is a discursive process and some of the more
taken for granted knowledge in society can be linked to dominance perspectives, not indisputable facts.
2.

Guernica- Pablo Picasso

a. If you could change this artwork, how would you change it? Why?
The size of the painting also acts to physically distance the onlooker: it is 3.49 meters (11  ft. 5 in)
tall and 7.76 meters (25 ft. 6 in) wide and cannot be seen properly close-up. If I could change this artwork, it
would probably be the size and the spaces between figures. Although grasping the message of the work
parallels the effort to understand history. It isn’t presented beautifully on a plate. Therefore, spaces between
figures provides an understandable and presentable artwork.

b. Was this intended to be a work of art or not? Why do you think that? How does that impact your
understanding of the artwork?
Yes. Guernica’s artwork shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals,
particularly innocent civilians. It is important to consider the purpose of an artist in the “real world.” The role
of an artist is varied, but one of the main purposes of an artist in the real world is to get one’s art “out there”
to be seen by as many people as possible.
Speculations as to the exact meaning of the jumble of tortured images are as numerous and varied
as the people who have viewed the painting. There is no doubt that  Guernica challenges our notions of
warfare as heroic and exposes it as a brutal act of self-destruction. But it is a trademark of Picasso's art that
any symbol can hold many often contradictory meanings and he precise significance of the imagery in
Guernica remains cryptic.

c. What does this artwork teach us about the past?

Picasso’s artwork aim is not to depict reality as it arrives to the human being through their senses
(sight, smell, feeling, etc.) but to convey a message. He doesn’t try to describe the scene as if he were a
mere spectator. He creates a fictitious scene full of reality, where he wants to show the meaning of war;
and for this purpose. He plays with perspective, shape, the characters, the color, etc., and perhaps most
importantly of all, with symbols. For instance, Guernica became a marker of humanity, the message of
which is still understood by people all over the world. It create awareness of the war and raise funds for
Spanish refugees.
 d. How does this artwork teach us about the future?
Picasso’s Guernica was masterfully painted mural. This is a special and unique painting that stands
out amongst the rest of Picasso’s body of work. Guernica serve as an inspiration, this is a symbolical
painting, not a narrative one. That means its main purpose is not to describe what happened in the
Basque city but to act as an expression against war and brutality. From this idea, Guernica teach us the
value of a message in an artwork. Whereas he used it as a way of communicating to its viewer about his
thoughts on the issues he encounter during his time. Meaning in an artwork is more important than style
and skill, because it is the ultimate purpose of creative work.

e. What does this artwork say about the culture in which it was produced?
In its formal composition, Picasso combines the Christian triptych (traditionally an altar piece
depicting Christ’ suffering on the cross on a large central panel, flanked by two narrower wings) with the
classical Greek triangular pediment (a sculptured gable). In this way, Picasso’s combination distils
highpoints of European culture and uses them against barbarism. The painting shows two animals and
five people. All of these have symbolic functions. The bull and the horse – are traditional symbols of
Spanish popular culture, classical mythology, indeed any farming or nomadic cultures breeding horses
and bulls. The clearest symbolic figures aside from these are the torch-bearer and the pieta.

f. What was happening in history when this artwork was made? How does that change your understanding of
the artwork?
Picasso drew inspiration from one of the most shocking chapters of that war. It is the attack by
the German Condor Legion and the Italian Legionary Air Force on the Spanish city of Guernica, in the
Basque Country. This bloody attack took place on market day when much of the local population was
gathered in the town’s streets. This plus the fact that this was the first carpet bombing to be performed
during the Spanish Civil War (a progressive and systematic attack on one location, aimed at destroying it
completely) are the most likely explanations of why Picasso chose to focus on Guernica as a symbol for
the war in general.
In an artwork like Guernica, it should be seen as what art can actually contribute towards the self-
assertion that liberates every human being and protects the individual against overwhelming forces such
as political crime, war, and death.

g. What are the values and beliefs of the culture in which this artwork was made?
Guernica  was nothing short of prophetic: a painting that perfectly contains the inhumanity and
horror of modern war, and stands as a timeless warning of what mankind is capable of. The piece
became synonymous with places where defenseless civilians came under attack . By doing so, it began to
take on particular resonance for anti-war protestors who began treating the piece as a source of
motivation and the tragedy of the Spanish town as a reference.

h. How might your interpretation of this artwork be different from someone in another culture?
Another way to understand why making cultural distinctions is useful in figuring out "what
something means" in another culture, is to acknowledge that what we call "reality" may have more than
one meaning or interpretation, often vastly different. Most human beings have a tendency to believe that
what they see is "real," and assume anyone observing or experiencing the same situation would
"naturally" describe, react to, or characterize the event in the same way they do.

Prepared by: Noted by:

KENNETH D. MALABANAN L.P.T. NELIA P. MANANGUIT ED.D

Instructor Dean of Studies