Lecture 1.

2: The Humanities in
Western Civilization
Date: Monday, November 08, 2021

“Art as a Humanistic Discipline.” - Erwin Panofsky

Humanities comes from the Latin word "humanitas."

Divinitas

Gods in the state of perfection in heaven.

Humanitas

People in the state of culture in civilized society.

Barbaritas

Savages in the state of nature for survival

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 The Place of Humanities in the History of Western
Civilization
Ancient (800 BC)

Cosmocentric View

Protagoras - Man is the measure of all things.

Geocentrism - Man is at the center of the universe.

Medieval (300 AD)

Theocentric View

Scholasticism - Man is created in the image of God. Man is at the center of

creation.

Renaissance (1400)

Anthropocentric View

Humanism - Nothing is more wonderful than man.

Modern (1600)

Scientific-Technocentric View

Man is a part of nature.

Postmodern (1960)

Ecletic View

Man is a piece of everything.

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 Humanistic Disciplines
History

Human events happening in the world

Language

Written and oral forms of human communication

Philosophy

Human reason concerning reality

Art

Admiration (Art Appreciation) of human-made objects and the human creativity

(Art Creation) by which these objects are made

Comes from the Latin word "ars."

Liberal Art

focused on producing the student that had the general skills that apply
to all studies

Servile Art

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 focused on specific skills that only applied to one vocation.

Western Concept Art

Academic

Only schooled people are artists.

Elitist

Meant for the higher social class.

Hierarchical

Liberal art and servile art, high and low art, major art and minor art or craft, fine
art and practical art, folk art, indigenous art, popular art

Western Classification of The Arts

Major Art

Made by artists and primarily concerned with the form of beauty

Minor Art

Made by artisans and concerned with functionality and usefulness of human-

made objects (artifacts).

Minor Arts: Crafts

Ceramics

art made from ceramic materials, including clay.

Weaving

a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are
interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth.

Sewing

craft of fastening or attaching objects or parts of a garment by making stitches

with a needle and thread, either by hand or with a sewing machine.

Handicraft

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 a particular skill of making decorative objects by hand.

Carpentry

skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting,
shaping and installation of building materials.

Masonry

art and craft of building and fabricating in stone, clay, brick, or concrete block.

Stone Cutting

cutting and grinding rough rocks and raw stones into slabs or other workable
segments.

Gardening

the laying out and care of a plot of ground devoted partially or wholly to the
growing of plants.

Cooking

cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food.

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