URDANETA CITY UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

URDANETA CITY, PANGASINAN
SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT
Introduction to Art Appreciation
Second Semester, AY 2019-2020

ART APPRECIATION OVERVIEW

Humanities and Social Sciences both study the human behavior and interaction in social, cultural,
environmental, economic and political contexts. Major difference between the two is that humanities
involve a more critical and analytical approach whereas social sciences deal with more of a scientific
approach.

Humanities - comes from the Latin “humanus” which means human, cultured and refined.
- To be human is to have or show qualities like rationality, kindness and tenderness. It has
different connotations in different historical eras.
- The term humanities refers to the arts- the visual arts such as architecture, painting and
sculpture; music, dance, the theater or drama and literature.

Concern of the Humanities:

1. Importance of the human being and his feeling
2. How he expresses those feelings

ART- constitutes one of the oldest and most important means of expression developed by man.
- Art in its own language is universal because it is persuasive.
- Art like love is not easy to define.
- It is the communication of certain ideas and feelings by means of a sensuous medium- color,
sound, bronze, marble, words and film.
- It appeals to our minds, arouses our emotions, kindles our imagination and enchants our senses.

Visual arts is the art that we perceive through our eyes. It does not only involved painting and sculpture
but include such things as clothes, household appliances and the furnishings of our homes, schools,
churches and other buildings. Through the ideas selected by painters and sculptors and the forms they
create, they express their ideals, the hopes and the fears of the times in which they live.

Music is the combining and regulating sounds of varying pitch to produce compositions expressing
various ideas and emotions. Primary function is to entertain. Music is seen as one of the great arts of our
civilization, along with literature, painting, sculpture, architecture and dance. As an art, its bases its
appeal on the sensuous beauty of musical sounds. Music is a pure art enables it to convey emotions with
great intensity and can affect people directly.

Dance is also common to man even at the earliest times. It is the most direct of the arts for it makes use
of the human body as its medium. It springs from man’s love for expressive gestures, his release of
tension through rhythmic movement. Dance heightens the pleasure of being and at the same time
mirrors the life of society.

Drama is the art of the area of the theater. Motion picture is another form of theater. Through this,
people get to see dramatic performances every day. The radio makes drama available for the auditory
sense and the imagination. Play is a form of literature. Scenery and costume provide the visual arts and
music may serve as a background to set the mood or to serve as part of the plot. The opera is a drama set
to music.

What the arts have in common

The five areas of art identified as visual arts, music, dance, literature and drama. The common factor
with the arts is concerned with emotions, with our feelings about things.

Assumptions of Art
1. Art is universal.
Art is ageless and timeless. Age is not a factor in determining art. A great piece of art will never be
obsolete. Art is present on every part of the globe and in every period of time.
2. Art is not nature.
Art is man’s expression of his reception of nature. It his way of interpretation of nature.
3. Art involves experience.
All art depends on experience and if one is to know art, he must know it not as fact or information
but as experience.
Degustibus non disputandum est (Matters of taste are not matters of dispute). One cannot argue
with another person’s evaluation of art because one’s experience can never be known by another.

The Role of Art

1. Art appreciation as a way of life. - depicts the world in a completely different light and perspective
and the source is due to human freedom. It requires to have creativity and understanding of the art.
2. 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. Through this, one can be able to craft something bold, new

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 URDANETA CITY UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
URDANETA CITY, PANGASINAN
SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT
Introduction to Art Appreciation
Second Semester, AY 2019-2020
and better in the hopes of creating something that will stimulate change. Imagination allows endless
possibilities.
3. Art as expression- Art is creating something beautiful out of them.

The Artist
A person who exhibits exceptional skills in design, drawing, painting and like who works in one of the
performing arts like an actor or musician

2 kinds of artists
1. Creators
2. Performers

Process of Creation
1. Idea
2. Material and Process
3. Organization and Form

Methods of presenting the Art subjects

1. Realism - the subject is attempted to portray as it is. Artists try to be objective as possible.
2. Abstraction- the artist does not show the subject as an objective reality but his idea or feeling about
it.
3. Symbolism- visible sign of something invisible such as an idea or quality
4. Fauvism- is the style of les Fauves (French for "the wild beasts"), a group of early twentieth-century
modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong color over the representational or
realistic values retained by Impressionism. It is characterized by strong colors and fierce brushwork.
5. Dadaism- is a protest art movement as a reaction with the evils in the society and outgrown traditions
of art.
6. Futurism- Works are to be captured the speed and force of modern industrial society.
7. Surrealism- means super reality and emphasizes the activities of the subconscious state of the mind.
8. Expressionism- is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at
the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective
perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas.

Visual Arts- perceive with our eyes

2 groups of visual arts:
1. Graphic (flat or two dimensional surface)
2. Plastic Arts (three-dimensional)

Graphic Arts - any form of visual artistic representation, especially painting, drawing, photography and in
portrayals of forms and symbols are record ed on a two dimensional surface.

1. Painting- is the process of applying pigment to a surface to secure effects involving forms and colors.
2. Drawing- is the art of representing something by lines made on a surface or the process of portraying
an object, scene or forms of decorative or symbolic meaning through lines, shading and textures in one or
more colors
3. Graphic processes- making multi-reproduction of graphic works
a) Relief painting- process whereby unwanted portions of design are cut away on the master
image
b) Intaglio painting- method of printing from a plate on which incised lines which carry the ink
leave a raised impression
i. Dry point- Artist draws directly on a metal plate with a sharp need and scratches lines or
grooves into the metal
ii. Etching- art of producing drawings or designs on metal plates covered with wax
iii. Engraving- done on a metal plate with a cutting tool called barin which leaves a V-shaped
trough
C) Surface Painting- printing is done from a flat (plane) surface
i. Lithography - art of printing from a flat stone or metal plate by a method based on the
repulsion between grease and water
ii. Silkscreen- Silk is stretched over a rectangular frame and unwanted portions in the design
are blocked out
4. Commercial Art- designing of books, ads, signs, posters or other displays to promote sale
5. Mechanical Processes- developed by commercial printers for rapid, large quantity reproduction of
words and pictures in one or more colors
6. Photography- chemical-mechanical process by which images are produced on sensitized surface by
action of light

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 URDANETA CITY UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
URDANETA CITY, PANGASINAN
SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT
Introduction to Art Appreciation
Second Semester, AY 2019-2020
Plastic Arts - includes all fields of the visual arts in which materials are organized into three-dimensional
forms

1. Architecture- art of designing and constructing buildings and other types of structures
2. Landscape Architecture- planning outdoor areas for human use and enjoyment
3. City planning- planning and arranging physical aspects of a large or small community
4. Interior Design- designate design and arrangement of architectural interiors for convenience and
beauty
5. Sculpture- design and construction of three dimensional forms representing natural objects or
imaginary shapes
6. Crafts- designing and making of objects by hands for use or for pleasure
7. Industrial Design- design of objects for machine production
8. Dress and costume design- design of wearing apparel
9. Theater Design- design of settings for dramatic productions

LITERATURE
- Art of combining spoken or written words and their meanings into forms which have artistic and
emotional appeal

1. Drama
2. Essay- non-fiction, expository writing ranging from informal, personal topics to closely reasoned
critical treatments of important subjects
3. Prose Friction- narrative stories created by the author as distinguished from true accounts
4. Poetry- use special forms and choice of words and emotional images
5. Miscellaneous- history, biography, letters, diaries, journals

MUSIC
-art of arranging sounds in rhythmic succession and generally in combination

1. Vocal music- composed primarily to be sung

2. Instrumental music
3. Music combined with other arts
a) Opera- drama set to music
b) Operetta and Musical Comedy- drama set to music but is light, popular, romantic and often
humorous or comic
c) Oratorio and Cantata- sacred musical drama in concert form
4. Ballet music and background music for motion pictures

Drama and Theater

- story re-created by actors on a stage in front of an audience

1. Tragedy- drama of serious nature in which the central character comes to some sad or disastrous end
2. Melodrama- action is sensational or romantic and usually has a happy ending
3. Comedy-plays with a happy ending
a) Romantic Comedy- light and amusing tale of lovers in some dilemma and solved happily
b) Farce- light, humorous play
c) Comedy of Manners- also called as drawing room comedy and the characters are usually high
society types and situations have little to do with real life
4. Miscellaneous
a) Tragicomedy- drama blending tragic and comic elements but which ends happily
b) Miracle and Mystery Plays- dramatized stories from the Bible and of the lives of saints
c) Morality Plays- characters represents specific vices and virtues
d) Closet Drama- designate plays written for reading rather than for staging
e) Piano Drama- based on piano works which revolve around the musical pieces composed under
the inspiration of a literary work

Dance
- Involves the movement of the body and feet in rhythm.

1. Ethnologic- folk dancing associated with national and cultural groups

2. Social or Ballroom Dance- waltz, foxtrot. Rhumba and tango
3. Ballet- formalized type of dance which originated in the royal courts of the Middle Ages
4. Modern- also called contemporary or interpretative dances which represent rebellion against the
classical formalism of ballet and emphasize personal communication of moods and themes.
5. Musical Comedy- combines various forms of ballet, modern tap and acrobatics

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 URDANETA CITY UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
URDANETA CITY, PANGASINAN
SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT
Introduction to Art Appreciation
Second Semester, AY 2019-2020

10 Well-Known Filipino Artists

1. Fernando Amorsolo(1892-1972)- Labelled the country’s first National Artist in 1972 by then President
Marcos, Fernando Amorsolo is often known as the ‘Grand Old Man of Philippine Art’. The Spanish-trained
realist developed a backlighting technique, where his colorful depictions of local people reflect the
radiance of the Philippine sun. The figures and illuminated landscapes magically glow on the canvas.
Despite his deteriorating health and failing eyesight, he remained prolific until the end, producing up to
10 paintings a month until his death at the age of 80. Amorsolo’s creativity defines the nation’s culture
and heritage to this day. The Vargas Musuem – found inside the campus of his alma mater, the
University of the Philippines, displays a notable selection of his work.
2. Jose Joya (1931-1995)-A Filipino pioneer of Abstract expressionism, multi-media painter José Joya
uses bold and vibrant colours with a variety of painting techniques, layering, loose impasto strokes and
controlled drips. His harmonious colours are influenced by Philippine landscapes and tropical wildlife. His
mastery lies in gestural paintings, where the paint is applied spontaneously on canvas, sometimes
directly out of the tube or through the use of broad strokes with brushes.

3. Pacita Abad (1946-2004) -Born on the northern island of Batanes, the internationally revered artist
first obtained a degree in Political Science at the University of the Philippines. Her staunch activism
against the Marcos regime in the 1970s, led her to move to San Francisco to initially study law – but she
found her true calling with art. Her paintings consist of vibrant colors and a constant change of patterns
and materials. Earlier work dealt with socio-political depictions of people, indigenous masks, tropical
flowers, and underwater scenes. Pacita created a unique technique called ‘trapunto’, where she stitches
and stuffs her vibrant canvases with a wide range of materials such as cloth, metal, beads, buttons, shells,
glass and ceramics, to give her work a three-dimensional look. Her many travels across the globe with her
husband have served as an inspiration for the techniques and materials used in her art. Pacita has
participated in over 60 exhibitions across the United States, Latin America, and Europe.

She is noted to have worked on more than 5,000 pieces of art – her masterwork being Alkaff Bridge,
Singapore, a 55-meter bridge covered in over 2,000 colourful circles. It was completed a few months
before she passed away from lung cancer in 2004.

4. Ang Kiukok (1935-2005)

Born to Chinese immigrants, Ang Kiukok is the pioneer of Philippine modern figurative expressionism.
Rewarded as the country’s National Artist in 2001, he was one of the most successful commercial figures
on the local art scene from the 1960s until his death from cancer in 2005. Like Amorsolo, his paintings are
popular at auctions and have received exceptionally high bids at Sotheby’s and Christie’s. He is known for
his distinct cubist and surrealist portrayals of the crucifixion of Christ and mother and child. However, he
is acclaimed for his series of Fishermen at Sea, which connects both energy, faith and the struggle of
fishermen under a vibrant crimson sun labouring together to bring in the haul for the day. His notable
works are represented in the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the National Historical Museum of Taipei
and the National Museum in Singapore.

5. Benedicto Cabrera (1942-present)Fondly known as ‘BenCab’ in the Philippines, Cabrera is the

best-selling commercial painter of his generation and a prominent head of the local contemporary art
scene. He studied under José Joya at the University of the Philippines and received his degree in Fine Arts
in 1963. His fruitful career has spanned five decades, where his paintings, etchings, sketches, and prints
have been exhibited across Asia, Europe, and the US. He currently resides in the chilly northern hill
station of Baguio, where he established his own four-level BenCab Museum on Asin Road that features
an eclectic selection of indigenous artifacts, personal works, and an overwhelming collection of paintings
from contemporary Filipino artists.

6. Kidlat Tahimik (1942-present)

A close friend of BenCab and Baguio native is critically acclaimed director Kidlat Tahimik. Known as the
father of Philippine independent film, the government recently conferred upon him the Order of National
Artist for Film in October 2018. Born Eric de Guia, Kidlat Tahimik means ‘silent lightning’ in Tagalog.
Before entering cinema, Kidlat studied at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School,

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 URDANETA CITY UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
URDANETA CITY, PANGASINAN
SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT
Introduction to Art Appreciation
Second Semester, AY 2019-2020
earning a Masters in Business Administration. His work is associated with Third Cinema, a film movement
that denounces neo-colonialism and the capitalist system. His films have been prominent at film festivals
across America, Europe, and Asia. He is highly respected among directors Werner Herzog and Francis
Ford Copolla, who were both instrumental in helping him present his most famous semi-autobiographical
work Perfumed Nightmare in 1977. The film combines documentary and essay techniques that provide a
somewhat humorous but sharp critique of the social divide between the rich and poor in the Philippines.

7. Eduardo Masferré (1909-1995)

Further north of Baguio, in the mountainous province of Sagada, Eduardo Masferré was born to a Filipino
mother and Spanish soldier. He is regarded as the Father of Philippine photography. He documented with
great detail the everyday lives of indigenous people of the Cordilleras. The self-taught photographer
processed his own film in a makeshift darkroom and managed to even produce prints without electricity.
His photographs capture the culture of the people in his community and serve as a documentation of
their customary practices and rituals. Masferré’s photographs have found their way into exhibitions
around the world. The Smithsonian Institution carries at least 120 prints of his works for the National
Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C.

He is remembered for his book on the People of the Philippine Cordillera Photographs 1934-1956, which
was published in 1988. A country inn and café in Sagada is named after him and is worth the visit to see
copies of his prints and purchase souvenirs created in Masferré’s honor.

8. Agnes Arellano (1949-present)

Born to a family of prominent male architects, sculptress Agnes Arellano is best known for her surrealist
and expressionist work in plaster, bronze and cold-cast marble. Her sculptures highlight the female body
and draw from themes surrounding sexuality, religion, and mysticism. Borrowing from the term of poet
Gerard Manley Hopkins, Agnes attributes her work to ‘inscapes’, that assert an internal unity among
various elements in her installations and sculptures. Drawing from the tragic death of her parents and
sister from a house fire in 1981, her work explores themes of creation and destruction, and the cycles of
life from birth to death.

9. Roberto Chabet (1937-2013)

Born Roberto Rodriguez, he used his mother’s maiden name Chabet when he began his career in art. He
was a mentor to many students at the University of the Philippines, where he taught for over 30 years,
and is acknowledged as the father of conceptual art in the Philippines. Chabet initially studied
architecture but his conceptual art installations, collages, and sculptures in the 1960s and 70s made him a
rebellious figure on the local art scene. He was the founding museum director of the Cultural Center of
the Philippines from 1967-1970, where he established the 13 Artists Awards that highlight the
achievements of young artists whose works show a contemporary view of art-making and thinking.

10. Napoleon Abueva (1930-2018)

Noted as the Father of Modern Filipino sculpture, Abueva attended the University of the Philippines with
Joya and was mentored by noted sculptor Guillermo Tolentino, at the College of Fine Arts. Born in Bohol,
he is also the youngest National Artist awardee appointed by then President Marcos, at the age of 46. His
expertise was seen in a wide array of materials such as hard wood, abode, steel, cement, marble, and
bronze.

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 URDANETA CITY UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
URDANETA CITY, PANGASINAN
SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT
Introduction to Art Appreciation
Second Semester, AY 2019-2020

Functions and Philosophical Perspectives on Art

According to Aristotle, every particular substance in the world has an end, or telos in Greek which means
purpose. This is linked with function. For a thing to reach its purpose, it must also fulfill its function. Man,
in Aristotle’s view of reality, is bound to achieve a life of fulfillment and happiness or in Greek,
eudaimonia. All move towards the final end. However, happiness, the supposed end of man is linked
with his function, which is being rational. One can only be happy if he is rational. Man’s natural end, telos,
is connected with his function, which is rationality. Telos and function are both related to a thing’s
identity.

3 Functions of the Art

1. Personal functions of the art- functions depend on the person created the art
2. Social functions of the art- when it addresses a particular collective interest as opposed to a personal
interest
3. Physical functions of the art

Of all the arts, architecture is the most prominent art form.

Philosophical perspectives on Art

Art as an Imitation
From his book, The Republic, Plato mentioned that art is a mere imitation and artists are imitators. In his
ideal Republic, art should not be included as a subject in the curriculum and banning of artists.There are 2
reasons why he was suspicious with the arts and the artists: they appeal to the emotion rather than the
rationality of men and they imitate rather than lead one to reality. Art is dangerous because it provides a
petty replacement for the real entities that can only be attained through reason.

Art as a representation
Aristotle, one of Plato’s student, agreed to the claim that art is a form of imitation. He considered art as
an aid in philosophy in revealing the truth. Aristotle conceived of art as representing possible versions of
reality. There were two particular purposes for the art in an Aristotelian view. First, art allows the
experience of pleasure. Secondly, art has an ability to be instructive and teach its audience things about
life.

Art as a Disinterested Judgment

Immanuel Kant in his book, Critique of Judgement, he considered the judgment of beauty, the
cornerstone of art,as something that can be universal despite its subjectivity.

Art as a Communication of Emotion

Leo Tolstoy said that art serves as a language, a communication device that articulates feelings and
emotions that are otherwise unavailable to the audience. Art is central to man’s existence because it
makes accessible feelings and emotions of people from the past and present, from one continent to
another.

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