Topic 4: Knowing the Functions of Arts

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the session, you will be able to:
a. Discuss the different functions of art;
b. Demonstrate understanding how artists use images to
represent ad idea; and
c. Realize the function of some art forms in daily life.

Presentation of Content

From the activity given above, you have observed that each artwork
has its own function or purpose. Artists may convey their messages in
different ways.

To recognize and appreciate the function of arts not only within

ourselves but in the community as well, read the article written by Frederick
A. Horowitz.

MORE THAN YOU SEE: THE MANY FUNCTIONS OF ART

By Frederick A. Horowitz

Art has many different functions in human history. Each

society defined its own purposes for art, and produced an art suited to
those purposes. For ancient Romans, art served as a vehicle of
propaganda: their sculptures proclaimed victories, and their buildings
highly praised the power of the State. In modern societies like our
own, art serves different and sometimes contradictory purposes. One
artist paints in order to communicate a message to his audience, while
across the street another paints in order to please himself. A third artist
explores shapes and colors; a fourth illustrates books.

Art functions as:

1. An agent of magic (to ensure a successful hunt, perpetuate the soul

after death, triumph over an enemy, cure diseases, etc.)
 2. An aid to meditation
3. An agent to ritual
4. A record of events, objects, situations
5. A substitute for real thing, or a symbol
6. A souvenir
7. Propaganda to impress, persuade or change thinking or behavior
8. Communication of stories, ideas, events
9. An agent of social control
10. Amusement or entertainment
11. A mean of moral improvement
12. education
13. A means of self-expression
14. Self-revelation
15. Release of emotions
16. Exploration of vision
17. A reflection and interpretation of life
18. An expression of beauty
19. Decoration or embellishment
20. Monetary investment
21. A status symbol

The functions of arts are wide ranging. Art is as broad as human experience.
All of art comes out of life and is bound up with life. Art is meaningful, but
meaningful in ways that differ from society to society, from time to time, and
from person to person.
Adapted from More Than You See: A Guide to Art
New York: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1992

With the numerous listed functions of arts, they may normally fall into
three categories as mentioned by Esaak (2019). These are personal, social,
and physical functions.

1. Personal Function

There are many types of personal function, and they are subjective
and will, therefore, vary from person to person.

An artist may create out of a need for self-expression, or gratification.

S/he might have wanted to communicate a thought or point to the viewer.
Perhaps the artist was trying to provide an aesthetic experience, both for self
and viewers. A piece might have been meant to "merely" entertain others.
Sometimes a piece isn't meant to have any meaning at all.

Further, art may serve the personal functions of control. Art has been
used to attempt to exert magical control over time, or the seasons or even the
acquisition of food. Art is used to bring order to a messy and disorderly world.
Conversely, art can be used to create chaos when an artist feels life is too
staid and ordinary. Art can also be therapeutic - for both the artist and the
viewer.

2. Social Function

According to Ortiz et al. (1976), art performs a social function when:

a. It seeks or tends to influence the collective behavior of a people.

b. It is created to be seen or used primarily in public situations.
c. It expresses or describes social or collective aspects of
existence as opposed to individual and personal kinds of
experiences.

Influencing Social Behavior

• Pictorial form is very powerful means of putting across a message.

• Paintings, photographs, posters, cartoons have been used to
express humanitarian concern as well as ideological or political
comment.
• Satire- which puts up people and institutions to ridicule so that they
will change- is effectively communicated in various cartoons and
caricatures.
• Editorial cartoons convey the message more directly and clearly
than the printed word does. Cartoonists comment on the
foibles(weaknesses) of society and of its leaders, with the hope
that something is done to correct these faults and improve the
human condition.
• Literature has served just as well for political and ideological
expression. It is a powerful tool in shaping society and its manners.
Urbana at Felisa by Modesto de Castro- an epistolary novel of the
19th century, became the Filipino code of ethics of the time,
guiding the youth on how to conduct themselves in church, in
social gatherings, in school, and at home.
 • Propaganda Literature has swayed people’s minds and feelings
toward certain ends.
• Religion has especially capitalized on the arts to spread beliefs and
reinforce and sustain faith. It plays noble functions as enlightening
us in our spiritual beliefs and elevating our moral character.
• Advertising art aims to affect the buying behavior of people.
These include posters, billboards, magazine and newspapers adds,
catalogs, handbills, package design, radio, television.

Display and Celebration

• Commemoration of important personages in society serves to

record important historical events, or reveals the ideals of
heroism and leadership that the community would want the
young to emulate.
• Rituals have played an important role in people’s lives and
have influenced the growth of certain arts as well.
• Public celebrations, such as festivals and other activities, unite
people in a shared experience, just as the celebration of important
phase of life do.

Social Description

• Art works are vital historical documents.

• Tools, weapons furniture, paintings, statues, stories and songs and buildings reflect
the feelings, struggles and achievements of people. They reveal how people
thought, felt, and lived in a certain historical period.
• Temples, sculptures, epics, plays and even the pottery of ancient Greece tell us so
much about the age when man first regarded himself as the measure of all things.
• Portraits are informative.

3. Physical Function

The physical functions of art are often the easiest to understand.

Works of art that are created to perform some service have physical
functions.

Tools and containers are objects which function to make our lives
physically comfortable. Functional works of art may be classified as either
tools or containers.
 Take a look at the given terms below. Reflect why these are
categorized this way.
1. A spoon- tool
2. A car- tool
3. A building- container
4. A Community- container
5. A ceramic vase- container
6. A chair-container

Note that architecture, any of the crafts, and industrial design are all types
of art that have physical functions.

An example of the physical function of art

Art that has a physical function usually

relates to items that can be used for a
practical purpose because of their physical
structure, despite their artistic appeal.

Examples include architecture, which can

be breathtaking, but still primarily serves a
physical function. This chair is a good
example of physical art. Its design means https://arts-literature.blurtit.com/1097823/what-
are-the-functions-of-art
that it is immediately aesthetically
interesting to the eye, but its main function
is to be a comfortable chair to sit on.
 References
Barrios, Romeo A. (2012). An Experimental Approach in the Study of the
Humanities. Ermita, Manila: Educational Publishing House.
Dela Cruz et al. (2003). The New Dimensions in Learning English III. Sampaloc,
Manila: Rex Book Store, Inc.
Esaak, Shelley (2019).The Important Functions of Art. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-the-functions-of-art- 182414
on June 18,
Estolas, Josefina V., Clarita G. Javier, & Nieves Pada-Payno. Introduction to
Humanities(Arts for Fine Living). Mandaluyong City: National Book
Store, Inc.
Horowitz, Frederick (1992). More Than You See: A Guide to Art. New York:
Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, Inc.
Merriam Webster. Illustrated Contemporary Dictionary, Encyclopedia
Edition,(Chicago, Illinois: J.G. Feguson, Publishing Co., 1987, pp. 718, 757.
Ortiz, Ma. Aurora R. et al. (1976). Art: Perception and Appreciation. Manila:
University of the East.
Sanchez, Custodiosa A., Paz F. Abad, & Loreta V. Jao. (2001). Introduction to
Humanities. Quezon City: Rex Printing Company, Inc.
Retrieved from https://courses.lumenting.com/boundeless arthistory/chapter/what-
is-art/ on September 5, 2018.
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https://news.abscbn.com/news/multimedia/photo/11/26/18/erasing-filipino-in-
college-education on June 19, 2019.
Retrieved from https://arts-literature.blurtit.com/1097823/what-are-the-functions-
of-art on June 19, 2019.
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pasalubong-cagayan/ on June 19, 2019.

Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-

d&q=Rizal%27Park+Image on June 19, 2019.

Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-clothing-1991476 on

August 15, 2020.
Retrieved from
https://www.facebook.com/CassilyLakeResort/photos/a.211317662790691/21131
7636124027 on August 15, 2020.
Retrieved from https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/claire-danes-is-surprised-
as-leonardo-dicaprio-takes-her-hand-to-kiss-picture-id168603201?s=2048x2048
on August 15, 2020.
Summary of the Unit
In this Unit, you have found that The Humanities were
distinguished from sciences wherein the Humanities deal with man’s
internal world with his personality and experiences, matters that cannot
be measured, classified, or controlled. On the other hand, sciences deal
with the external world of man, as well as with the facets of man’s being
that can be subjected to observation, measurement, and
experimentation. Despite their uniqueness, both the humanities and the
sciences are necessary for the holistic development of an individual
ready to embrace the complexity of the changing world.
Basic concepts and assumptions about art were made clear. Art
is the lifeblood of humanities because it conveys one’s feelings and
expressions. Arts are grouped into two: major arts and minor arts.
Major arts include painting, architecture, sculpture, literature, music,
and dance; while minor arts include the decorative arts, the popular
arts, the graphic arts, the plastics arts, and industrial arts. Further, art
has three functions which include personal, social, and physical
functions.