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Module 1

rts
ppr
By: ALDWIN

ecia
SAM PORRAL
DUARTE
This course is divided into two
sections, Visual Arts and Music,
respectively. The course aims to

tion
UNIVERSITY VISION: By 2024, WU-P is a
Methodist institution of Learning that fosters
academic excellence, innovative research,
transformative leadership, environmental
stewardship and health care service at par with
global standards imbued with social holiness.
UNIVERSITY MISSION: Wesleyan University-
Philippines provides quality education and
compassionate healthcare services imbued with
Wesleyan spirituality, to produce competent
graduates committed to the healing of persons
and the whole of creation for the Glory of God.
develop an awareness and
appreciation for both fields, by giving
stimulating activities alongside the
usual classroom lecture. The section
on Music introduces the fundamental
elements of music-how these are
manipulated, utilized, and manifested
in our daily music listening
experiences. A historical approach in
the final chapter provides a cursory
yet colorfully cultural listening
journey throughout the ages, from
the past up to the present.

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1. Learning Outcomes

1. Relate the nature of art to human experiences. Through a healthy understanding of the
relevance of art in one’s life, especially in this season of pandemic, learning its other aspects
will make more sense and value to our socio-emotional well-being.
2. relate art to yourself: to your context, experiences and longings as a person
3. inculcate values and humanistic attitude towards art
4. create an art work of any form as a means to express/ comment/ or cope to our current
situation as a society.

2. Lesson/Topic
1. ) Beauty: (how we use the quarantine time to create positive art advocacies)
2. ) Happiness and Hope: (the rise of free entertainment shows/free online theatrical shows)
3. ) Identity and understanding the self: (using art to increase our perspectives about ourselves)
4. ) Grief and healing (using art to cope)
5. ) Remembering and mark-making (creating artworks that are testimonies to the world)
6. ) Raising awareness (protest art that speaks out and voices out)
7. ) Culture and togetherness (using art and the internet as a tool to socialize)

1. EXPLORATION
1.Beauty
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A popular quote from the 3rd century and true to anything you
happen to be beholding.
When it comes to art, some may say that not all art is beautiful, that, in fact, it should not be
beautiful, always.  As with many aspects of life, such as peace, faith, love and happiness, one man’s
view is vastly different to another.  It is, then, one’s opinion.  Or not?
The options are vast and the interpretations are many. And that is, perhaps, what it comes down to –
interpretation.
 From a subjective stance, beauty is what you make of it, what your preference is, what calls to
your heart, soul and mind.
 Objectively, the harshest of views, and not necessarily the truest, beauty means perfection,
absolute precision and the essence of purity.  Object views are often what society has decided
is so.
The debate can continue until the cows come home.  But maybe we can look into history to
decide what beauty is and whether art is, in fact, beautiful.
So, if we take these words to heart, it would appear that art should evoke a feeling inside of us. 
Whether it is a bad feeling or good, it must bring about a change of being.

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Art can be so powerful an influence, that we could be inspired to produce a work of art
ourselves.  Art as a therapy could instill a sense of well-being for some and not only relax them, but
allow them to think clearly about troubling matters.  Some art may have the opposite effect.  An art
piece may just have us building up feelings of anger, of pure rage and we may just react differently to
people after being subjected to those graphics.
But isn’t that also the beauty of art.  If something can arouse such powerful emotions within us,
cause us to behave in a certain manner and perhaps say things that we normally would not say, and
then surely this makes art a beautiful expression of our inner emotions
Winckelmann, a German Art Historian, claimed that beauty boiled down to three key factors
 The beauty of form
 The beauty of an idea
The beauty of expression, which, he says, is only possible in the presence of the first two factors.
So then, beauty must be the highest form of expression and in turn, the highest aim of art.

2.Happiness and Hope

The difference the arts make to our wellbeing have long been understood, and more
importantly felt, by those engaging with arts practices, dedicating their lives to participation and
engagement with this diverse field of creativity.
Research is beginning to affirm these understandings, demonstrating that arts are clearly
associated with wellbeing and good health- including happiness and hope.

3. Understanding the Self and Identity

 Art is a search for what is our own—our essential nature, the kernel of our true individuality.
Our genuine beliefs, innate talents, and deepest inclinations can be discovered and seen
clearly through the lens of a creative medium. The inherent longing to become who we are,
the sheer discovery of what rings true to ourselves represent the initial stages of the artist’s
way. To know what feeds our unique nature, helping it thrive and grow, is an art of the
highest order.
 Not only does art mirror our essential characteristics, it is also a means of observing our
conditioned personality—the legacy of our upbringing, education, and the unique compilation
of our experiences. Creative work reflects the whole of our personality. What we experience
in our lives will eventually make its way into our creative expression. All art is
autobiographical, to one degree or another, and has its seeds in the particular nature of the
artist’s experience. The way it shows itself is highly instructive. Creative work is a form of self-
portrayal. No matter what our mode of inquiry—autobiography, realism, fiction, or non-
representation—we often see a good deal of ourselves reflected in our works.
 The creative process asks that we strive toward a balanced development. While a correlation
may exist between creativity and madness, the greatest art arises from the search for
wholeness of body and spirit. Artists encounter their world deeply and intensely—extending
well beyond neurosis. An active engagement with art reveals the nature of our balance or
imbalance. There is a natural intelligence of each part of our nature: mind, body, and feelings.
 Art reveals our cultural heritage and collective conditions, allowing us to observe the societal
attitudes as well as generational standards that have influenced us literally from birth. Among
today’s artists and critics, massive attention is paid to the connotative signs in works of art
that, when deconstructed through a rigorous theoretical matrix, treat images as a cultural
text. That is to say, images are about images — the fashions, tastes, and attitudes of

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contemporary society are witnessed through media, advertising, and pop culture. Art then
becomes a simultaneous mirror and critique of the culture-at-large.
 Art is a means toward the discovery and expression of Self. At its deepest level, the creative
process transports us into universal, transpersonal realms. It is highly paradoxical. Through
creativity we may be privileged with moments of realization of life’s unity. Yet we also deeply
recognize our embodied nature, the forms that grow from our unique individuality.

4. Grief and healing

Art as therapy harnesses the power of expressing yourself in this way. On the surface, it may seem that
you’re simply “making something nice” when you, say, paint or draw. The creation process, however, can
prompt you to dig deep and express and explore your inner self in new ways—unleash buried feelings,
showcase your true self and so on—that may be otherwise difficult.
Looking at someone else’s art—at a museum, gallery or studio—may provide a similar emotional release.
Sometimes viewing others’ creative works can help us heal through the message evoked or the medium used.
Maybe it’s the expression of the person in the photograph that intrigues you or the pretty pattern in the wood
grain of a handmade rocking chair that comforts you. It’s the connection you feel to the art that, hopefully,
impacts you in a meaningful way.
• I am more open-minded
• I paint every day now
• I feel more positivity in all areas of my life
• I feel more creative in my work as a coach/healer and yoga teacher
• I am much more relaxed
• I know my goals and have clarity
• I feel more self-love
• I feel more compassion
• I feel more connected to my body and just want to take care of it
• I acknowledge who I am

5. Remembering and mark-making

Marks are the alphabet that forms the words that make the prose, and are the elements with which
the drawing is made. Mark-making is the broad term used to include all marks that are made visible as a
manifestation of applied or gestural energy. It is the gestural language of drawing, and marks are the
component parts within it. There are an infinite number of marks possible, and our nomenclature for them
is limited - lines, dots, dashes, smudges, etc. It is difficult to refer to specific marks, and know that the term
adequately communicates its intended meaning. Everybody makes his or her own unique set of marks and
every medium has its own particular quality of mark.

6. Raising Awareness
Ideas for Using Art to Raise Awareness:
 Create an exhibit on street harassment for display at a local art gallery or a community event. For
example, depict (photograph, drawing) women who have been harassed and accompanied by a quote
about how it makes them feel. Create a 3-D map and cover it in blinking lights to signify every place a
street harassment incident has occurred in a specific area during a certain timeframe. Collect clothing
from women in which they were harassed and display them in a clothesline format. Include the
harassment story for each article of clothing.
 Organize or participate in an anti-street harassment poster campaign on campus or in the community.
 Design anti-street harassment signs or posters to display in the community, including places where
harassment tends to occur.

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 Make your own “caution tape” that marks an area where you were harassed. Write your stories on the
tape and name it a “street harassment zone.”
 Organize or participate in street performance, such as role playing street harassment and encouraging
audience participation in dialogue afterward.
 Volunteer your artistic talents to help other efforts. For example, design a logo or banner for an anti-
street harassment website or event, or design handouts and posters advertising an anti-street
harassment documentary screening or event.
 Support local art by donating money or by attending the exhibits. Invite someone who does not know
very much about street harassment to attend.

7. Culture and Togetherness

Cultural practices, especially the purposeful making of things, embody our values and, I would argue, are
the basis of the good mental health of a society. These practices help contribute to an individual and collective
sense of identity and citizenship.

Art [including craft and design] is a kind of thinking/making which enables people to form and develop
their identity. It is a self-affirming activity which helps us to interpret, think about, add to or challenge our
cultural life.

Low self-esteem and negative behaviour [in other words, poor mental health] are rife in many schools.
Poor self-esteem is not only self-destructive but also fosters reckless stewards for the future. Those who face
the brunt of society's inequalities internalize their problems more than ever before. Those who work with
them, such as teachers, face difficult challenges.
Art influences society by changing opinions, instilling values and translating experiences across space and time.
Research has shown art affects the fundamental sense of self.

Painting, sculpture, music, literature and the other arts are often considered to be the repository of a
society’s collective memory. Art preserves what fact-based historical records cannot: how it felt to exist in a
particular place at a particular time.

Art in this sense is communication; it allows people from different cultures and different times to
communicate with each other via images, sounds and stories. Art is often a vehicle for social change. It can
give voice to the politically or socially disenfranchised. A song, film or novel can rouse emotions in those who
encounter it, inspiring them to rally for change.

2. ACTIVITY
Additional Learning References:
Beauty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wd_32L6e-w
Hope and Happiness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL30PQxy0O8
Identity and understanding the self: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TWAFsT7yfk
Grief and healing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZosf5Vohd8
Raising awareness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuPCEqG7ogQ
Culture and togetherness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1gfrrevD1A

Synchronous Activity: Online exchange of ideas, examples and analyses.

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Asynchronous activity:

General Direction: Answer fully the question below. Encode the 500 word-essay in an A4 size
bond paper using Calibri (body) size 11 with narrow margins. And include one clear photo of
the artwork fit in one sheet. Do not forget to include your name, course and year. Put it on your
compilation folder for Arts Appreciation Subject for collection purposes after the end of the
subject session.

Scenario: Let us assume that you’re an entrepreneur and is selling one artwork from the
province of Aurora. You have to convince a hotel-owner from a five-star hotel in Singapore to
buy the art work using your essay.

Task: Identify one artwork from the province of Aurora that worth the persuasion of the hotel-
owner. The content of your essay should be able to comprehensively, descriptively and
convincingly answer this question:

“What artwork of Aurora Province has all the considerations such as beauty,
hope and happiness, healing, identifying self, mark-making, raising awareness
and culture and togetherness?”

3. REFERENCES
 https://www.virtosuart.com/blog/what-makes-art-beautiful
 https://philosophynow.org/issues/108/What_is_Art_and_or_What_is_Beauty
 https://www.theartist.me/design/what-beauty-art/
 http://www.whatiflearning.com/example/art-and-hope/
 https://www.thomasneel.com/published-articles/27-artist-s-perspective/275-artist-perspectv-
happiness
 https://www.paintingsinhospitals.org.uk/7-art-makes-us-happier-and-more-satisfied-with-our-
lives
 http://theslenderthread.org/five-ways-of-self-knowing-through-art/
 https://www.arts.gov/NEARTS/2014v3-healing-properties-art-health/healing-through-
creativity
 https://thriveglobal.com/stories/healing-through-art/
 https://www.google.com/url?
sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiGvpW_3dPrAh
XyFqYKHRHgDTcQFjAXegQIBhAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.utdallas.edu%2F~melacy
%2Fpages%2FDrawing%2FAS01_MarkMaking_DrawingProjects
%2FMarkMaking.html&usg=AOvVaw1ykCRJkHvXoYBb_fs7jqyr
 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1389224X.2011.544458?journalCode=raee20
 http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/toolkits/art/
 https://www.tidegloballearning.net/further-reading-reflections/exploring-cultural-identities-
through-art
 https://study.com/academy/lesson/art-as-a-representation-of-culture.html
 https://www.masterpiecemixers.com/art-affect-culture-society/#:~:text=Art%20influences
%20society%20by%20changing,of%20a%20society%27s%20collective%20memory.

Arts Appreciation: First Semester, academic Year 2020-2021