Art: Functions &

Philosophical
Perspectives
EMMANUEL R. SANTOS, LPT, MBA
TEACHER
Recap!

Outline that we can follow:

1. Background
a. What is the work of art about? (subject) NEXT WEEK
b. What is it for? (function) TODAY
2. What is it made of? (medium)
3. How is it put together? (elements & organization)
4. What is its mood, temper, personality? (style)
5. Is it good? (judgment)
At the end of the lesson, you will be
able to:

 Distinguish between directly functional and indirectly functional art;

 Explain and discuss the basic philosophical perspectives on the art;
 Realize the function of some art forms in daily life; and
 Apply concepts and theories on beauty and aesthetics in real life
scenarios.
Functions of Art

An inquiry on the function of art is an

inquiry on what art is for? Or more
particularly, what is it for?

Suppose when one asks, what is the Rizal

monument for? Why was it erected in
Luneta? Is it for pure sentimental value?
Or does it send a message to those who
witness it? In this string of questions, the
inquirer is hoping to get the function of
the piece of art in Luneta.
 Functions of Art

When it comes to function, different art forms

come with distinctive functions. There is no one-to-
one correspondence between an art and its
function. Some art forms are more functional than
others. Architecture, for example, as an art is
highly functional just like most applied arts.

Examples:
 Taj Mahal, a massive mausoleum of white
marble built in Agra was constructed in
memory of the favorite wife of Emperor Shah
Jahan.
Functions of Art

 On the other hand, painting and literature as

for forms of art that have the least to do with
practical values.
 When one examines and thinks of a painting
or a work of literature such as a poem or a
novel, one looks at the value of art itself and
not because of what it can do and benefit
us.
 Unlike practical arts, where the value of the
art in question lies in the practical benefits
one gains from it (a pot, a jewelry, or a house
or building).

http://www.zancan.fr/Artwork/1_home_and_fairies
Functions of Arts
 With painting and literature, one can only look at
the value of the product of art in and for itself. A
poem is beautiful regardless of its possible
ramifications in the society. Joyce Kilmer’s “Trees”
has maintained its popularity through the years
regardless of its application or practical benefits.

 This is definitely not to say that paintings and literary

works can never have any function. The two
masterpieces of our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal,
the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo served as
a catechist for Filipino revolutionaries to gather
strength in rejecting the oppressive forces of the
Spaniards in the Philippines in the nineteenth
century. The novels accrued value and as a
consequence, function.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/27/14/ef/2714ef2a384dab24f4a06d263f439df4.jpg?epik=dj0yJnU
9eEFhZmlpeWxFWXNQLXotOGFaLUh5U3hsZW9Tdk5IUUkmcD0wJm49WVBnWnhLYnE0YXBIcVpsU
zNHcHBLdyZ0PUFBQUFBR0FXVC1J
Roughly and broadly, the functions of art are classified into three:
1. Personal (public display or expression)
2. Social (celebration of to affect collective behavior)
3. Physical (utilitarian)
1. Personal Functions

 The personal functions of art are varied and highly

subjective. This mean that its functions depend on
the person– the artist who created the art.
 An artist may create an art out of the need for self-
expression.
 It can also be mere entertainment for his intended
audience. Often, the artist may not even intend to
mean anything with his work.
 Art may also be therapeutic. In some orphanages
and home for abandoned elders, art is used to
help residents process their emotions or while away
their time.

https://theartling.com/en/artzine/famous-abstract-art/
 2. Social Functions
 Art is considered to have a social function if and
when it addresses a particular collective interest as
opposed to a personal interest.
 Political art is a very common example of an art with
social function. Art may convey message of
contestation, or whatever message the artist intends
his work to carry.
 Often, art can also depict social conditions.
Photography, as an art form, delivers this kind of
function by taking photos of subjects in conditions
that people do not normally take a look at or give
attention to.
 Pictures of poverty may carry emotional overtones
that may solicit action or awareness from their
audience. Moreover, performance art like plays or
satires can also rouse emotions and rally people https://www.philippinesbasiceducation.us/2013/03/hapag-ng-pag-asa-table-of-hope.html
toward a particular end.
3. Physical Functions

 The physical functions of art are the

easiest to spot and understand. The
physical functions of art can be found
in artworks that are crafted in order to
serve some physical purpose.
 A Japanese raku bowl that serves a
physical function in a tea ceremony is
an example.
 Architecture, jewelry-making, and
even interior design are all forms of
arts that have physical function.

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/kintsugi-japanese-art-ceramic-repair
Other Functions of Art
 Music was used for dance and religion. Unlike
today, when one can just listen to music for the
sake of music’s sake.
 The ancient world saw music only as an
instrument to facilitate worship and invocation to
gods. Music also was essential to dance because
music assures synchronicity among dancers.
Moreover, music also guarantees that marches,
the case of warriors, were simultaneous.
 Today, music has expanded its function and
coverage. Music is listened to and made by
people for reasons that were foreign to early
civilizations. There is now a lot of music that has
no connection whatsoever to dance or religion.
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/praise-him-darlington-ike.html
Other Functions of Art
 Sculpture, on the other hand, is another functional art
form that has long existed for various purposes. Just
like music, from early days of humanity, sculptures
have been made by man most particularly for
religion. People erect status for the divine. In the
Roman Catholic world, the employment of sculptures
for religious purposes has remained vital, relevant and
symbolic.
 Sculptures were also made in order to commemorate
important figures in history. Jose Rizal’s monument in
Rizal Park and Andres Bonifacio’s monument in
Caloocan are common examples. In the University of
the Philippines, the iconic statue Oblation by
Guillermo E. Tolentino has remained a pillar of the
university and constant reminder of the need to offer
oneself up selflessly for the country.
https://sites.google.com/site/upvgpo/the
Other Functions of Art

 Another art form that readily lends itself

to multiple functions is architecture. In
fact, architecture might be the most
prominent functional art form.
 Unlike other forms of art like pots,
furniture, poetry, or even paintings,
buildings take so much time to erect and
destroy. A lot of investment is put into
making megastructures like the pyramids
of Giza, the acropolis, or the great
cathedrals of the Middle Ages. One
cannot simply dismiss taking into
consideration the function of a building
before construction. https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/pyramids-of-giza-egy-giza-giza.htm
 Does Art Always Have to be
Functional?
 While it has been shown that most arts are functional,
still there are some which are not.
 The value of a work of art does not depend on
function but on the work itself.
 The play of Aeschylus and the poetry of Robert Frost
and Edgar Allan Poe are still counted as examples of
great works of art despite their not having a known
function.
 In those whose functions are ascertained, however, it
is a different story. A functional object cannot be
claimed to be beautiful unless it can perform its
function sufficiently. Consider a house that cannot
even protect its resident from the nasty weather
outside or a spoon that spills the food on it. Adequate
performance of function partly determines the beauty
of a design in these functional art forms. https://authorajpalm.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/poetry-tuesday-the-road-not-
taken-by-mr-frost/
Does Art Always Have to be
Functional?

Despite these, efficiency cannot be

mistaken as beauty. While it certainly
determines beauty in some works of
art, an efficient functional object is
not necessarily beautiful. Art
demands so much more than mere
efficiency.

https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/150378075030639397/visual-search/
Philosophical Perspectives on Art
ART AS AN IMITATION; ART AS A REPRESENTATION; ART AS
DISINTERESTED JUDGMENT; ART AS A COMMUNICATION OF EMOTION
1. Plato- Art as an Imitation
 Plato in his masterpiece, The Republic, particularly
paints a picture of artists as imitators and art as mere
imitation. In his description of the ideal republic,
Plato advises against the inclusion of art as a subject
in the curriculum and the banning of artists in the
Republic.
 Plato was convinced that artists merely reinforce the
belief in copies and discourage men to reach for the
real entities in the World of Forms.
 Plato was deeply suspicious of arts and artists for two
reasons: they appeal to the emotions rather than
rational faculty of men and they imitate rather than
lead one to reality.
 The arts then are to be banished, alongside the
practitioners, so that the attitudes and actions of the
members of the Republic will not be corrupted by
the influence of the arts. For Plato, art is dangerous
because it provides a petty replacement for the real https://www.britannica.com/biography/Plato
entities that can only be attained through reason.
 2. Aristotle- Art as representation
 Aristotle, Plato’s most important student in philosophy,
agreed with his teacher that art is a form of imitation.
However, in contrast to disgust that his master hold for
art, Aristotle considered art as an aid to philosophy in
revealing truth.
 The kind of imitation that art does is not antithetical to the
reaching of fundamental truths in the world.
 For Aristotle, all kinds of art including poetry, music,
dance, painting, and sculpture, do not aim to represent
reality as it is. What art endeavors to do is to provide a
vision of what might be or the myriad of possibilities in
reality.
 In Aristotelian worldview, art serves two particular
purposes. First, art allows for the experience of pleasure.
Experiences that are otherwise repugnant can become https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/world/europe/greece-
aristotle-tomb.html

entertaining in art.
 3. Immanuel Kant- Art as a
Disinterested Judgment
 Kant considered the judgment of beauty, the cornerstone
of art, as something that can be universal despite its
subjectivity.
 Kant mentioned that judgment of beauty, and therefore,
art, is innately autonomous from specific interests.
Therefore, even aesthetic judgment for Kant is a cognitive
study.
 There is something in the work of art that makes it capable
of inciting the same feeling of pleasure and satisfaction
from any perceiver, regardless of his condition.
 For Kant, every human being, after perception and free
play of his faculties, should recognize the beauty that is
inherent in a work of art. This is the kind of universality that
a judgment of beauty is assumed by Kant to have. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanuel_Kant#/media/File:Kant_gemaelde_3.jpg
 4. Leo Tolstoy- Art as
communication of emotion
 Tolstoy defended the production of the sometimes
extremely extravagant art, like operas, despite extreme
poverty in the world.
 For him, art plays a huge role in communication to its
audience’s emotions that the artist previously
experienced. Art then serves as a language, a
communication device that articulates feelings and
emotions that are otherwise unavailable to the audience.
 In the same way that language communicates
information to other people, art communicate emotions.
 Tolstoy is fighting for the social dimension of art. As a
purveyor of man’s innermost feelings and thoughts, art is
given a unique opportunity to serve as a mechanism for
social unity. Art is central to man’s existence because it https://mosaicmagazine.com/observation/arts-culture/2015/03/how-lev-tolstoy-

makes accessible feelings and emotions of people from

became-leo-tolstoy/

the past and present.

Performance Task 3
In celebration of the National Arts Month in the
Philippines (February), let us have a glimpse of
some of our national artists by watching this
video on this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t7CV0_i
MCU
After watching, answer the following:
1. Write your insights about the video by sharing
your realizations and new learnings.
2. Choose one artist featured in the video who
inspired you the most. Share the reason by
explaining what he/she said/did that appealed
to your senses the most.
3. Research further on your chosen artist in item #2,
select ONE of his/her masterpieces that appeal to
you the most and answer the following:
a. What is the form of the chosen
masterpiece? (e.g. musical composition,
painting, sculpture, choreography, film etc.)
b. What made you pick this particular
masterpiece?
b. In your opinion, is the chosen masterpiece
directly functional or indirectly functional?
Explain.
b. Can we categorize the function of the
chosen masterpiece as personal, social or
physical or combination? Explain.
References
Caslib, B., Garing, D., & Casaul, J. (2018). Art Appreciation. Manila: Rex Bookstore, Inc.

Dudley, L., & Faricy, A. (n.d.). The Humanities. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Sanchez, C., Abad, P., & Jao, L. (2011). Introduction to the Humanities. Manila: Rex Bookstore, Inc.