Topic 2: Art Appreciation: Creativity, Imagination, and Expression

Learning Objectives:

At the end of topic 2, you must be able to:

A. Differentiate art from nature;

B. Characterize artistic expression based on personal experiences with art;

C. Discuss the nature of art’s preliminary expression; and

C. Categorize works of art by citing personal experiences.

Introduction

You may have perceived beauty almost every day but not every beautiful thing that you
see or experience can be considered as work of art. Art should be a product of man’s creativity,
imagination, and expression. In creating a masterpiece, an artist is an influence by nature as
well as his own way of inventing his own forms and patterns depending on how he perceived
things as beautiful.

Art Appreciation as a Way of Life:

• Art as a creative work that depicts the world in a completely different light and
perspective, and the source is due to human freedom (Jean-Paul Sartre as cited in
Greene, 1995)

• Hence, refining one’s ability to appreciate art allows him to deeply understand the
purpose of artwork and recognize the beauty it possesses (Collins & Riley, 1931).

The Role of Creativity in Art Making:

 • In art, creativity is what sets apart one artwork from another.

• An artist embraces originality, puts his own flavor into his work, and calls it his own
creative piece.

Art as a Product of Imagination, Imagination as a Product of Art:

• Imagination is not constrained by the walls of the norm but goes beyond that.

• An artwork does not need to be a real thing but can be something that is imaginary
(Collingwood, 1938).

• Artists use their imagination that gives birth to reality through creation.

• In the same way that imagination produces art, art also inspires imagination.

Art as Expression:

• Robin George Collingwood, an English philosopher who is best known for his work
in aesthetics, explicated in his publication The Principles of Art (1938) that what an artist
does to emotion is not to induce it, but express it.

• Some forms of art expression include visual arts, film, performance art, poetry
performance, architecture, dance, literary arts, theater arts, and applied arts.

Points to Ponder:

• In the present context, why is being creative becoming more of a challenge?

• In what ways can imagination produce art? In what ways can art inspire
imagination?

• If given a chance, what art field are you going to explore? Why?

• How can you utilize the arts to express yourself, your community, and your
relation to others?

Summary
• Art is a product of a man’s creativity, imagination, and expression.

• Refining one’s ability to appreciate art allows him to deeply understand the
purpose of artwork and recognize the beauty it possesses.

• Creativity is what sets apart one artwork from another. A creative artist does not
simply copy or imitate another artist’s work.
• While through imagination, an artist is able to craft something bold, something
new, and something better in the hopes of creating something that will stimulate change

• Through expression, an artist is able to explore his own emotions while at the
same time, create something beautiful out of it.