Humanities 1 Art Appreciation

Humanities from the Latin word HUMANUS which means human, cultured, and refined.
Art Tree
 ART IS COMPOSED OF TWO SECTIONS: THE VISUAL ART WHICH IS COMPRISED OF –
PAINTING, SCULPTURE AND ARCHITECTURE.
 THE PERFORMING ART WHICH IS COMPRISED OF – MUSIC, THEATER, LITERATURE AND
DANCE
Art as a Language
 Is charged with feelings and significance, the desire to create a universal language.
 Concerns itself with communication of certain ideas and feelings by means of a SENSOUS
MEDIUM like color, sound, marble, words and film.
 These sensuous medium are fashioned into symbolic language marked by beauty of design
and coherence in form.
 These symbols appeals to our mind, arouse our emotions, kindle our imagination and
enchant our senses.
WHAT IS THE COMPONENTS OF ART?
 Composed of an ARTIST who exhibits exceptional talents or skills in music, design, drawing
or writing; and
 The PERFORMER who interprets the art.
THE METHODS OF PRESENTING THE VISUAL ART
 1- REALISM – the attempt to portray the subject as it is. Realists try to be as objective as
possible.
 2- ABSTRACTION – the attempt of the artist to show only his idea or his feeling; not as objective
as the realist.
THE DIFFERENT ABSTRACT PRESENTATION 
1- DISTORTION – clearly manifested when the subject is in distorted condition or twisted out.
 2- ELONGATION – is when the art subject is lengthen, protracted or extended. 
3- MANGLING – is rarely used by artist today. Here, the subject is either cut, or mutilated. 
4- CUBISM – stresses abstract form through the use of a cone, cylinder or sphere at the expense
of other pictorial elements. The use of geometrical shapes is common in Pablo Picazzo & Paul
Cezanne art works. 
5- ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM – is a style that is characterized by the use of large canvasses and
a deliberate lack of refinement in the application of the paint, strong color, uneven brush strokes
and rough texture.

 OTHER WAYS OF PRESENTING THE VISUAL ART

1- SYMBOLISM – the use of a visible sign of an idea to convey to the viewers, readers or
audiences the message of his work.
 2- FAUVISM – the artist use of bright colors which shows pictures of comfort, joy and pleasure.
This is the method used by Henry Matisse, Raoul Drify and George Ronault. 
3- DADAISM – is a protest movement in the art that is playful and experimental. “Dada” means a
“hobby horse”. Dadaism is most often nonsensical. Marcel Duchamp is the famous painter using
this method.
 4- FUTURISM – developed in Italy about the same time as cubism appeared in France. Futurist
painters wanted their works to capture the mechanical energy of modern life. 
5- SURREALISM – this method mirrors the evils of the present society. Surrealism means super
realism, influenced by Freudian psychology which emphasizes the activities of the subconscious
state of the mind. 
6- IMPRESSIONISM – this method presented the artist’s impression on the art subject, not as
detailed as a realist painting. 
7- EXPRESSIONISM – are art works describing pathos, morbidity chaos or even defeat.
Introduced in Germany from 1900 – 1910.

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." - Thomas Merton.

Art has given wings for creativity to many and has been expressed in various ways, whether
through realism or abstract, impressionism or cubism. Although some of the most famous artists
have not always been trained formally in any specific way, there are certain basic elements of art
that need to be followed for any basic design. So, what exactly are they? These are components
that are required to create any work of art. Read on to know more about these elements.

Seven Elements of Art:

Line:
This is a mark that is made on a surface. Lines are the first element of art and are continuous
marks that are made on any surface with a moving point. A line can to used to express various
things or feelings; it can be used to show various moods or anything abstract. Lines can be used
in various ways to create different compositions. A horizontal or a vertical line can be used to
express various things in different ways, such as, only vertical lines can be used to express an
orderly feeling where are only horizontal lines can give a feeling of peace and stillness. Diagonal
lines are used to create feelings of movement. It is up to the artist how he/she conveys it, in the
best way possible through the use of lines. (A ship sailing a stormy sea will need diagonal lines to
represent movement.)

Shape:
A shape always has two dimensions, length as well as width. This is represented as an enclosed
area that is defined by color, value, space, texture and form. When lines form together, they
form shapes. Shapes can be geometrical, rectangles, ovals and squares. 

Form:
A form always has three dimensions; length, width and height. Examples of such would be cubes,
pyramids, spheres or even cylinders. Therefore, form has depth as well as height. Sculptures and
decorative arts serve as good examples for form. 

Value:
The value refers to the changes in the base color. This is also determined by how much light is
reflected or absorbed by any surface. Values mean the various intensities of the tones or colors.
This could be the highlights, midtones or even shadows in any painting or sculpture. 

Texture:
The texture is the quality of a surface or the way any work of art is represented. There are three
kinds of basic textures, actual, simulated and the invented texture. Lines and shading can be
used to create different textures as well. For example, if one is portraying certain fabrics, one
needs to give the feeling of the right texture so that it closely resembles what the artist is trying
to convey. 

Color:
Color always has three characteristics, which are hue, value and the intensity. Hue means the
shades (Red, yellow or pink), value refers to the lightness or the darkness and intensity refers to
the brightness or dullness of the work of art. 

Space:
Space is the creation of visual perspective; this gives the illusion of depth. Space can also mean
the way an artist uses the area within the picture plane. Real space is actually three-dimensional.
The way any artist uses the combination of positive and negative space can have a great effect
on his/her entire composition. The right use of space can go a long way in creating a bigger
impact with even minimum use of lines. Three-dimensional space can be created with the help of
shading and perspective to give a feeling of depth. 

Elements and principles of design also need to go hand in hand. Principles of design are used to
organize the structural elements of design. The elements of art should be used in the right
proportion to create any great work of art