An Introduction to the Humanities and Arts

 The word “Humanities” comes from the Latin “humanus” which means human, cultured,
refined.
 Humanities aims at exploring the intrinsic value of man’s life on earth.
 It refers to art, literature, music, architecture, dance and the theatre—in which human
subjectivity is emphasized and individual expressiveness is realized.

Major Areas of Humanities

– Language Studies (Philology)

– Literary Studies
– Cultural Studies
– History
– The Arts

Defining Art
– Webster Dictionary defines Art as the “human ingenuity in adapting natural things to man’s
use.”

– Cubist Artist, Pablo Picasso says “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

– Irish poet and playwright, Oscar Wilde, thinks that “it is through art, and through art only, that
we can realize perfection; through art and art only that we can shield ourselves from the perils
of actual existence.”

Leo Tolstoy’s Philosophy of Art

– Art cannot be defined as an activity which produces beauty.

– Art is a means of communication, and is an important means of expression of any experience, or

of any aspect of the human condition.

– Art does not belong to any particular class of society.

–  Good art is intelligible and comprehensible. Bad art is unintelligible and incomprehensible. 

– The most important quality of any work of art is its sincerity.

– Good art must communicate some form of religious experience.

– Art must conform to standards that are not strictly aesthetic, but moral and social.
The Maker and The Viewer

– There are two important parties involved in art: The Maker and The Viewer.

– The maker of art is called the Artist.

– Since the maker of art is a human person, he/she brings with him/her, his/her ideas, ideals,
feelings, fears, emotions, social condition and everything else that concern the person doing art.

– The one who evaluates and appreciates art is the Viewer.

– The viewer receives the meaning being communicated through an artwork.

The Paradox of Art: Mimesis vs. Anti-Mimesis

– Philosophers, scholars, academicians have been trying to find answer to the following
philosophical question:

– Does Art imitate Life? Or Does life imitate art?

– Ancient Greeks, particularly Plato, believe that the former is true. Plato claims that works of art
are created in correspondence to the physical world in which they exist. He calls this process of
art imitating life as mimesis.

– Oscar Wilde says that the latter may be true - that art may be capable of producing reality itself.
This counterargument against the Platonic philosophy of art has become known as Anti-
Mimesis.

Defining Beauty

“Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and
each mind perceives a different beauty” (David Hume).

We take pleasure in something because we judge it beautiful, rather than judging it beautiful because
we find it pleasurable (Immanuel Kant). 

Feminist Naomi Wolf argues that beauty is a myth – an oppressive system established by male-
dominated institutions designed to degrade and oppress women.

Umberto Eco believes that beauty is relative to time and one’s cultural background.
 Principles of Art

(A) Harmony (also called unity) is achieved when all the elements
of a thing are put together to come up with a coherent whole.

(B) Balance known as physical equilibrium is the stability produced

by even distribution of weight on each side of the thing.

(C) Rhythm is the repetitive pattern of a succession of similar or

identical items.

(D) Proportion is the comparative relationship of the different

parts in relation to the whole.

(E) Emphasis is giving proper importance to one or more parts

of the thing of the whole thing itself.
 Genres of Art

– Visual Arts are those forms perceived by the eyes. These include painting, sculpture, and
architecture.

– Graphic Arts are those visual arts that have length and width; thus they are also called two-
dimensional arts.

– Plastic Arts are those visual arts that have length, width, and volume; thus, they are called
three-dimensional arts

– Audio-Visual Arts are those forms perceived by both ears and eyes. They are also called
performing arts.

– Literary Arts are those presented in the written mode, and intended to be read.

Factors Affecting Arts

– Geographical Factors

– Historical Factors

– Social Factors

– Ideational Factors

– Psychological Factors

– Technical Factors

– Political Factors

– Economic Factors

Purposes of Art:
Why do we make Art?

– Art is a vital and persistent aspect of human experience.

– To impose order on disorder and to create form from formlessness.

– The wish to leave behind after death something of value by which to be remembered - the wish
to preserve one’s likeness after death.
 Functions of Art

– Personal or Individual Function

– Social Function

– Economic Function

– Political Function

– Histo-cultural function

– Religious Function

– Physical Function

– Aesthetic Function

Art Movements

Art Movements are simply a historical convenience for grouping together artists of a certain period or
style so that they may be understood within a specific context.

REALISM

- When objects are depicted in the way they would normally appear in
nature, the presentation is said to be realistic.

- It attempts to present the world as it appears to the everyday senses,

and sought to depict ordinary lives of ordinary people without
exaggeration or idealization.

- Realism is the method of presenting subjects as they appear in real life.

- In Philippine art, Fernando Amorsolo is dubbed as the Father of Philippine Realism.

 ABSTRACTIONISM

Abstract art can be a painting or sculpture that does not depict a

person, place or thing in the natural world.

Abstractionism is drawing away from realism.

An abstractionist draws away from reality as he creates his artwork.

His product is a departure from what is presented in real life.

SYMBOLISM

- In the arts, the use of symbols to concentrate or intensify

meaning, making the work more subjective than objective.

- Symbolist painters rejected realism and impressionism. They

felt that art should not simply depict, but should suggest
ideas, moods, and psychological states through colour, line,
and form.

The artist shows the subject as it appears in real life but he intends to let it represent something.

Juan Luna’s spolarium depicting a soldier dragging a slave exposes the oppression suffered by the
Filipinos from the hands of the Spaniards as he lets the soldier symbolize the Spaniards and the slave
represent the Filipinos.

FAUVISM

Fauvism (fauves. “wild beasts”) is characterized by paintings that used

intensely vivid, non-naturalistic and exuberant colours.

Fauvism is optimistic realism.

It is presenting the real-life subject with the use of bright colors

suggesting comfort, joy, and pleasure.
PAINTING

• The expression of ideas and emotions, with the creation of certain aesthetic qualities, in a two-
dimensional visual language.

• An artist’s decision to use a particular medium, such as tempera, fresco, oil, acrylic,

watercolour or other water-based paints, ink, gouache, encaustic, or casein

• The elements of painting are the basic components or building blocks of a painting (and art
generally). In Western art they are generally considered to be:

• Color

• Tone (or value)

• Line (a narrow mark made by a brush, or a line created where two things meet)

• Shape (2D, can be positive or negative) and Form (3D)

• Space (or volume)

• Texture (or pattern)

Color

• is the most basic element of a painting. Every color has three aspects to it: hue or name, value
or tone, and intensity.

• Hue – Pure Color (Red, Blue…..).

• Value – Amount of Black or White in color.

• Intensity – Degree of Purity of color.

Tone

• refers to the degree of lightness or darkness of an area. 

• Tone varies from the bright white of a light source through shades of gray to the deepest black
shadows. 

Line

• Is used to control our eye, create unity and balance. Help construct meanings.
 • Line can be described as a moving dot.  Line is perhaps the most basic element of drawing.

Shape

• an element of art that is a two-dimensional area that is defined in some way.  A shape may have
an outline around it or you may recognize it by its area.

• Geometric shapes - precise shapes that can be described using mathematical formulas.  Ex.
Circle, square, triangle, oval, rectangle, parallelogram, trapezoid, pentagon, pentagram,
hexagon, and octagon.

• Freeform Shapes -  also called organic shapes, are irregular and uneven shapes.  Their outlines
may be curved, angular, or a combination of both

• Form -  an element of art, means objects that have three dimensions.  I like to think of form as a
3-D shape

Space

• Is the area around, above, and within an object.  With consideration to drawings and paintings,
our goal is to create the illusion of space.

Six (6) ways an artist can create the illusion of space on a 2-Dimensional surface.

• Overlapping - occurs when objects that are closer to the viewer prevent the view of objects
that are behind them.

•Placement on the
paper - Objects placed higher within the picture plane will appear further away.

Size - Objects that are smaller will appear further away from the viewer.

Detail - Objects that are further away should have less detail than objects that are
closer to the viewer.

• Color and Value - Objects that are further away are lighter in value, while
objects that are closer are typically darker in value.
 • • Perspective - Linear perspective is a drawing method that uses lines to create
the illusion of space on a flat surface.

Texture

• Implied – suggested roughness or smoothness of objects in the composition.

• Real – what it would feel like if you touch it.

ELEMENTS

BRIEF HISTORY OF PHILIPPINE PAINTING

• Artistic paintings were introduced to the Filipinos in the 16th century when the Spaniards
arrived in the Philippines.

• the Spaniards used paintings as religious propaganda to spread Catholicism throughout the
Philippines. These paintings, appearing mostly on church walls, featured religious figures
appearing in Catholic teachings.

• In the early 19th century, wealthier, educated Filipinos introduced more secular Filipino art,
causing art in the Philippines to deviate from religious motifs.

STYLES IN PAINTING

Abstract Art

• refers to a style of painting that does not use figurative reality as a reference.

• the artist alludes to his or her subject and reduces it to a simplified form.

4 Types of Abstract Art

• Abstract Expressionism - Abstract expressionism paintings are emotionally intense and

spontaneously created by the artist.

• Color Field - Color field paintings are characterized by large, solid colors on a flat plane. The
colors are the subjects themselves, and they are normally painted on large canvas material.
• Lyrical Abstraction - Lyrical abstraction refers to abstract paintings that are softer and more
romantic in nature. (Side of St. George, 1968, Paul Jenkins)

• Cubism - Cubism is characterized by geometric figures. Cubist painters analyze the subject and
break it up into a geometric abstract form. (Three Musicians, 1921 Pablo Picasso)

• Surrealism- The images in these paintings are often illogical and have a dream-like quality about
them. (Joan Miró, The Tilled Field, (1923–1924), 

• Conceptual Art- Is a modern art style where the artist believes that concept is more important
than artwork itself. (Marcel Duchamp, No. 2 Nude Descending a Staircase,1911–12)

• Pop Art- occurred as a reaction to abstract expressionism, which mid-1950s British artists
believed was art that was far-removed from daily life. (Three Flags, 1958 Jasper Johns)

• Photorealism- one that looks as realistic as a photograph. This is done by taking a picture of the
subject and then painting it. (Phoenix, (Oil in Canvas). Glennray Tutor 2005

• Hyperrealism- Is an advancement of the photorealism art movement. Artists use high-resolution

cameras to take photographs and paint them on canvas. (Richard Estes "Flughafen Airport“
1981)

• Minimalism- Minimalism is an art movement that is, as expected, characterized by simplicity.

Minimalist paintings strip down the subject to its very essence. (Onement 1, 1948 Barnett
Newman)

• Futurism- Concerns itself with subjects like the technology, speed, violence, and the future of
the world. It concerns itself with the depiction of man’s triumph over nature. (David Burliuk,
Revolution 1917)

• Impressionism- It is characterized by thin brushstrokes and an emphasis on the depiction of

light. It is often painted outdoors to capture sunlight and color of their subjects. (Claude Monet,
Sunrise 1872)

• Fauvism- Is an art movement that occurred sometime after impressionism. Fauvist

Paintings focus on strong color. Artists employing this style have wild brush strokes and highly
simplified subjects. (The Drying Sails, André Derain, 1905)

FAMOUS PAINTINGS OF THE WORLD

• Mona Lisa – Leonardo da Vinci. (1503 or 1504)

• The Last Supper – Leonardo da Vinci
• The Creation Of Adam – Michelangelo. (1508 – 1512)
• Starry Night – Vincent van Gogh. (1889)
 • The Scream – Edvard Munch. 1893
• The Persistence Of Memory – Salvador Dali (1931)
• Girl With A Pearl Earring – Johannes Vermeer. (1665)
• The Night Watch – Rembrandt van Rijn. (1642)
• Self-Portrait Without Beard – Vincent van Gogh
• Guernica – Pablo Picasso. (1937)

THE FILIPINO PAINTERS

Juan Luna

• (October 23, 1857 – December 7, 1899) was a Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activist of
the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recognized
Philippine artists. The Spoliarium

Vicente Manansala

• (January 22, 1910 - August 22, 1981) was a Filipino cubist painter and illustrator.

• Manansala's canvases were described as masterpieces that brought the cultures of the barrio
and the city together. Jeepneys, Madonna of the Slums

Hernando R. Ocampo

• (April 28, 1911 – December 28, 1978) was a Filipino National Artist in the visual arts.

• Hernando Ruiz Ocampo was a leading radical modernist artist in the Philippines. The Contrast by
HR Ocampo

Cesar Legaspi

• April 2, 1917 in Tondo, Manila (1917–1994) is a Filipino National Artist awardee in painting.

Frugal Meal by Cesar Legaspi

Fernando Amorsolo

• (May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972) is one of the most important artists in the history of painting in
the Philippines.
 • Amorsolo is best known for his illuminated landscapes, which often portrayed traditional Filipino
customs, culture, fiestas and occupations. Rice Planting, Fruit Pickers, Princess Urduja,
Fishing Scene by Fernando Amorsolo

Victorio C. Edades

• emerged as the “Father of Modern Philippine Painting”.

• Unlike, Amorsolo’s bright, sunny, cheerful hues, Edades’ colors were dark and somber with
subject matter or themes depicting laborers, factory workers or the simple folk in all their dirt,
sweat and grime. The Builders,

"Botong"

• was a distinguished muralist from and best known for his historical pieces. Also known as the
Poet of Angono, Rizal he single-handedly brought back the art of mural painting in Philippines.
• He was one of the of the modernist artists together with Galo Ocampo and Victorio Edades
known as " The Triumvirate" who broke away from romanticism style of Fernando Amorsolo’s
Philippine Scenes. Magpupukot