Lesson 1

INTRODUCTION TO ART APPRECIATION:

Definition and Assumption of Arts

ETYMOLOGY OF ART
The word “art” is rooted in the 13th century French word art, which means
skill as a result of learning or practice, and the Latin word ars, meaning ability or
practical skills; “Artis”, an Italian word which means craftsmanship, skill,mastery of
form, inventiveness and the association tha exist between form and ides and between
material and techniques; from the Aryan root “ar” which means to join or put
together; from the Greek words “artizein” which means to prepare, and
“arkiskein”, meaning to put together. Art covers many meanings including ability,
process, and product. As ability, art is the human capacity to make things of beauty
and things that stir us; it is creativity.
Art is uniquely human and tied directly to culture. It takes the ordinary and
makes it extraordinary. It asks questions about who we are, what we value, the
meaning of beauty and the human condition. Art is studied because “it is among the
highest expressions of culture, embodying its ideals and aspirations, challenging its
assumptions and beliefs, and creating new visions and possibilities for it to pursue”
(Sayre, XVI).

FOUR COMMON ESSENTIALS OF ART:

1. Art has to be man-made.
2. Art must be creative.
3. Art must benefit and satisfy man.
4. Art is expressed through certain medium or material by which the artist
communicates himself to his audience.

ART APPRECIATION
The term art appreciation is referred to the knowledge of the general and
everlasting qualities that classify all great art. It is seen used to refer to the
exploration of visual art forms or the introduction of basic principles of visual
literacy. It refers to analyzing the form of an artwork to general audiences to
enhance their enjoyment of such works of art. It may be analyzed without reference
to subject matter, symbolism or historical context.
Art appreciation can be subjective depending on personal preference to
aesthetics and form, or it can be based on several elements and principle of design
and also depends on social and cultural acceptance. Most of the modern art critics
and art historians draw back from this term, underrating art appreciation as
demanding too little serious thought.
Art appreciation in the humanities is being able to look at a work of art and form a
wise opinion of the work. Art appreciation therefore, deals with the learning or
understanding and creating works and enjoying them.
It takes an artist to make art. One may perceive beauty on a daily basis.
However, not every beautiful thing that can be seen or experienced may truly be
called a work of art.

Art Appreciation as a way of life

“The role of art as a creative work is to depict the world in a completely
different light and perspective” – Jean-Paul Sartre
Each artwork beholds beauty in its own kind, the kind that the artist sees and wants
the viewers to perceive.

The Role of Creativity in Art Making

Creativity requires thinking outside the box. In art, creativity is what sets apart
one artwork from another.
When can we say that something is creative? When we have not seen anything like
it… When it is out of the ordinary… When it is not just a copy or imitation of
someone’s work …THERE IS ORIGINALITY!

When can we say a person is creative?

Robert Weisberg says that creative refers to novel products of value as in “The
airplane was a creative invention”. “Creative” also refers to the person who produces
the work as in “Picasso was creative”. “Creativity then refers to both to the capacity
to produce such works. Nowadays, being creative can be quite challenging.

✍ ACTIVITY 1

Art has been defined in various ways given by different authors,

philosophers, and educators. Think as many words that can be related to
art, from those words organize them to come up with the idea of your
own definition of arts.

ASSUMPTIONS OF ART
These are ways principles and bases of appreciating a work of art since it is in
art that man can communicate one’s individuality and way of life.
1. Art is Universal and Timeless. Art is everywhere, wherever men have lived
together, art has sprung up among them as a language charged with feelings
and significance. Art has no limits and it rises above cultures, races, and
civilization.
2. Art is Not Nature. Art is man-made, it is a creation of man utilizing his
thoughtful skill and artistry, which undergoes process and planning. Art that
 is created by God is divine, and art that is created by man is superficial or
temporary. Art is made by man, whereas nature is a given around us.

3. Art Involves Experience. Art is a depiction of our experiences. It demands

taking part. It does not require full detail, just an experience - “Actual
doing of something.” All art works depends on experience, and if one is to
know art, he must know it not as fact or information but as an experience.”
We can only appreciate art if we spend time to look at it, touch it, and feel
its presence.

4. Art is a product of imagination; imagination is a product of art.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to
all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire
world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” – Albert
Einstein

5. Art as expression. “What an artist does to an emotion is not to induce it,

but to express it. Through expression, he can explore his own emotions and
at the same time, create something beautiful out of them.” – Robin George
Collingwood
Expressing emotions is different from describing emotions. This makes
people’s art not a reflection of what is outside or external to them, but a
reflection of their inner selves.

✍ ACTIVITY
2

Take a picture of any random objects that you see in your

surroundings using digital camera or mobile phone. Take into
consideration the subject’s general aesthetic appeal. Write a short
explanation on why you chose it and how it affects your creativity and
imagination.