Chapter 2

ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES OF ART

Certain principles underlie all the arts. These principles are the characteristic
features and are true of every art. They are the bases when one evaluates or judges an
artwork.

1. Background (Where is the artwork from?)

There is no art without background. All art is created by man resulting from

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man’s thoughts and feelings. So, the origin of every artwork is always the inner man
trying to find an avenue for expression. When we see an artwork, we usually ask what

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it is all about, what it is for and we want to discover the place of origin and the person
or group of people who created it with the influences that helped to shape it. We also
would like to know what other works and events are contemporary with it because

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works of art can help us know and understand the people and life of other times and
places.
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Some arts are representational which means they depict or describe a person,
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object, scene or situation. These are arts with subject. Examples are painting,
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sculpture, literature and theater arts. Other arts are without subject and they are
called non-representational. Examples are architecture and some musical pieces.
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They do not present identifiable objects or symbols.

Subject is the term used for whatever is represented in a work of art. It is not
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always essential to art. Subject could be a person, thing, event or situation depicted
by the artist. Painting, sculpture, literature, and the theater arts are generally
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classified as representational although there are paintings and sculptures without

subjects. Music, architecture, and many of the function arts are generally non-
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representational because they do not present stories or references of identifiable

objects or symbols. Rather, they appeal directly to the senses through their sensuous
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and expressive elements.

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Subject has three levels of meaning interpretation:

a. factual - literal presentation
b. conventional - special meaning related to a culture or religion
c. subjective - personal intention of the artist understood only through his
interpretation

Also, artworks have practical usefulness. Arts of this nature are called
functional or applied arts because they are designed to directly affect people.
Examples are architecture, weaving, furniture-making, textile, and a few crafts. On
the other hand, art which is concerned with the creation of objects of imagination for
its own sake without relation to function or utility is called non-functional or fine arts.
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Examples are painting, music, sculpture, literature and theater arts which seem more
to amuse people. Whatever function art has, the function influences and determines
the form. However, art demands something beyond functions as it reaches out to the
human spirit.

2. Medium (What is it made of?)

A work of art can exist only through a medium. Therefore, there is no art
without medium because it is the material the artist uses in creating his art. Medium
is the vehicle by which an artist externalizes and communicates his thoughts and
feelings. It is essential to all art because the names designated to artists are derived
from the medium used. The artist’s selection of medium is part of his artistic

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inspiration.

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The nature of each medium determines the way it can be worked and turned
into an artwork.

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The mediums are:

colored pigments - in painting US

any tangible thing such as stone, wood, metal, etc. - in sculpture
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various building materials - in architecture
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sound - in music
words - in literature
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parts of the body - in dance

According to medium, art can be classified into three groups:

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a. Visual or Space Arts - occupy space and can be seen

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b. Tonal or Time Arts - expressed in time and can be heard

c. Combined Arts - can both be seen and heard
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3. Composition or Organization (How are the elements put together?)

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All art is composed of certain raw materials or elements (shapes, tones,

words or colors of which a particular art is organized) that are arranged according to
some pattern to express meaning. The elements also serve as the bases in evaluating
or judging the artwork.

The two interlocking compositions of art are form and content. Form refers
to the visual aspect which provides a sensuous delight to the eyes of the viewer. It has
to do with colors, sound or words. Content is the intended meaning or message
underlying the form which is described as insight or lesson learned from the artwork.
A message is to be discovered and rediscovered by onlookers of an artwork as they
perceive and appreciate what lies beneath sounds, words, texture, and colors.
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4. Style (What is the nature of the artwork?)

All art has style which is defined as the nature of the finished form resulting
from the artist’s training, temperament and outlook in life. It is generally a reflection of
the artist’s personality as he applies a special technique in creating his art. It is the
distinctive quality of a work of art which relates it to other artworks. Style refers to the
development of peculiar forms in art that are related to particular historical periods, but
applies also to individual works of a single artist. It is the unique way an artist does a
particular thing by which he is known. It is style that makes the difference in artworks
among artists of the same medium and subject in their artwork.

Styles are certain common denominators of treatment and emphasis in artworks

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appearing consistently in a given age or period. However, they change just as the
fashion in clothes changes with the passing of years. It is style that makes the difference

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in artworks among artists of the same medium and subject in their artwork.

The development of art styles can be traced back from the past to the present

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through different periods. Each period or era has distinctive characteristic features

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of artworks reflecting the state or condition of humanity that created them. They
reveal the basic urges and aspirations of people in different places and periods of
time. Prehistoric artworks were created before man knew how to read and write.
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Primitive arts are those which are not affected by modernization and are usually
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inspired by superstitious beliefs and magic.

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The following are the major stylistic periods, their approximate dates, and
general characteristics:
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Greek Golden Age 500 B.C.- 410 B.C. Classicism, Humanism

Medieval 320 A.D.- 1400 A.D. Holiness, Godliness,
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Sacredness
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Renaissance 1300 - 1590 Secularism, Worldliness,

Exploration
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Baroque 1600 - 1750 Extravagance,

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Ostentation, Grandeur
Neo-classic 1700 - 1800 Elegance, Orderliness,
Formality
Romantic 1775 - 1890 Sentimentalism,
Individualism, Rebellion
Modern 1900 - to the present Abstraction, Scientism,
Expressionism

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 Comparative Characteristics of Art Styles
Modern or
Archaic or Primitive Classical Romantic Contemporary
Daring Calm Restless Confusing
Original Ideal Sentimental Distorted
Sacred Traditional Revolutionary Wild
Symbolic Natural Experimental Eclectic
A Mental Image A Visual Image A Multiple Image A Fragmental Image

The artistic history of Greece began in the Minoan pre-historical civilization

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and later gave birth to Western classical art styles in the ancient Hellenistic Period.
Greek art exhibits classicism and humanism and is seen and felt mainly in their

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architecture, sculpture, painted potery, and literature. Man was put on a pedestal and
became the center of all things. Their architecture in the form of Doric, Ionic and
Corinthian columns seen in temples were dedicated to mythical gods and goddesses.

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Medieval art spans over one thousand years of art history in Europe including
Early Christian Art, Byzantine Art, Romanesque Art, and Gothic Art. Its distinctive
style was more focused on spiritual expression rather than physical beauty. The
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Medieval man was generally sober, religious, and concerned more of his soul’s
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salvation.
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The Renaissance meaning “rebirth” was more of a cultural and political

movement that began in Florence, Italy in the late Middle Ages. It encompasses
many secular, intellectual, and worldly pursuits based on classical sources. Painting
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was at its peak in the hands of many-talented great masters such as Da Vinci,
Michelangelo, Raphael, etc. Painters formulated the laws of linear and aerial
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perspectives and the mathematics of representing three-dimensional reality on flat

surfaces. Sculptors became interested in the human body and represented it
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realistically. The “universal man” was the Renaissance ideal being trained in body,
mind and spirit for his exalted position in society.
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Baroque which means “rough pearl” was Western cultural style exemplified
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by grandeur, drama, opulence, lavish ornamentation and an over-all sense of awe to

generally express triumphant power and control.

Neo-classic style of the 18th century emphasized formal pattern and discipline
and simply a nostalgia for classical ideals. It was the pursuit of perfection by means of
rules and order which appealed to the sophisticated courtly taste. Rococo was the
prominent decoration style which tended toward gracefulness and charm.

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 Romanticism is a complex, literary, and intellectual movement that
originated in the middle of the 18th century in Western Europe. It was partly a revolt
against aristocratic social norms, stressing strong emotion as a source of aesthetic
experience. It legitimized the individual imagination as a critical authority which
permitted freedom from classical notions of form in art.

Modern or contemporary art refers to artistic works of the 19th century up to

the present. Past traditions are thrown aside in a spirit of experimentation with new
ways of seeing with the characteristics style of abstraction.

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Activity:

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Pick out seven (7) from the photos of artworks in the succeeding pages,
representing the seven (7) styles. Research and find out about the following:

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a. background

b. medium US
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c. stylistic period they represent
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Parthenon

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Statue of Athena Statue of Zeus

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Castle of the Middle Ages
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Mona Lisa
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painting of da Vinci
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Westminster Abbey St. Francis of Assisi

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Pieta (Left) & Statue of David (Right) by Michelangelo

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Facade of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome Rheims Cathedral in France

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Birth of Venus by Botticelli

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Sistine Ceiling Painting

(The Last Judgment by Michelangelo)

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Painting of Delacroix Kandinsky, The Black Art

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Painting of Goya
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Spoliarium by Juan Luna

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Sunflower by Van Gogh Abstract painting

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Empire State Building in New York Fernande by Picasso

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Rice by Fernando Amorsolo Cultural Center of the Philippines

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