Contemporary Arts-M2-1 st Quarter

Contemporary Arts
1
2
4-6

MS. RIZA P. CARIAGA

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 Contemporary Arts-M2-1 st Quarter

I. Module: Contemporary Phil. Arts from the Region

II. Lesson: Appreciating Contemporary Arts

III. Module Introduction and Focus Questions

Art viewers, can appreciate artworks if they can

understand and grasp the meaning of the artwork. The
viewers are also called “gazers,” “onlookers,” or
“audience.” In art viewing, viewers bring with them their
knowledge of art, biases, and judgment of beauty. This
means that when the viewers are educated in art or have
been exposed to different kinds of artworks in different
contexts, they can appreciate the physical qualities of the
artwork, interpret its content and meaning and make a
judgment whether it is beautiful or not.
https://iscp-nyc.org/event/salon-ambie-abano-and-
claudia-passeri
You have learned in Grades 7 to 8 about the
different kinds of art forms (photography, theatre,
sculpture, etc.), the elements of art (line, color, texture, etc.) and principles of
design (balance, proportion, rhythm, etc.). You have also learned about the culture
in which artists make their art as you learned about the Philippines, Asia, and the
Western world. These are all essential to the task at hand: description, analysis,
and interpretation of contemporary art.

To illustrate the way description, analysis, and interpretation are done, we

describe briefly Oscar Floirendo’s Motorela. The subject matter is motorela, a
popular mode of public transportation in Cagayan de Oro. Its body is a combination
of tricycle and jeepney. In this sculpture, Motorela is made of wood on which the
artist carved the basic parts of the vehicle: front view window, doors, and side
windows. The body of the vehicle is long and seems to have been stretched and
reduced in size as it goes farther from the viewer to show perspective. The artwork
projects a vehicle speeding up on a zigzag road. Here, the artist creatively projects
speed through an unmoving vehicle. The yellow paint that contrasts with brown
vanishes toward the tail end of the sculpture. The blue color on the wheels also
contributes to the illusion of speed. This beautiful art piece gives a fresh view of the
local public transportation that carries at least five people amidst heavy traffic.

IV: Lesson Coverage

In this lesson you will learn the following:

Lesson Title You’ll learn to…..

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Lesson 5-6  Description Applied to  Analyze the method of

Contemporary Arts description of
 Analysis and contemporary artworks
Interpretation in subject matter, medium,
Contemporary Art and form
 Apply description on a
sample contemporary
artwork:
 Analyze the method of
analysis and interpretation
that can be used for
contemporary art.
 Apply the method of
analysis and interpretation
on a sample contemporary
artwork.

V: Concept Map

Analysis and
Description
Interpretation
Applied to Appreciating in
Contemporary Contemporary Contemporary
Arts Arts Art

VI: Lesson Proper

 EXPLORE

Describing an artwork, especially if it is in the contemporary style, requires

knowledge of art: its scopes, principles, and production and understanding of the
artist and the factors that affect art-making Because many contemporary artists
react to issues in society, it also helps to know about the community and
environment in which the artist makes art.

In this lesson, you will learn how to describe contemporary art by discussing its
subject matter, material, art elements, and principles. Your knowledge of the
elements of art and principles of design is essential to description. You will

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encounter more materials and mediums in contemporary art and the form will have
more variations, compared to what you have learned in your previous art classes.
As mentioned in Chapter 1, there are more than 100 styles and movements under
contemporary art. In describing, we limit our discussion to the major art movement
styles and leave the other styles to the students who specialize in the study of art
history.

Description Applied to Contemporary Art

Artist's Statement:

"Play depicts reality in the battle field. It draws contrast between what innocent
minds use as source of their entertainment and the real scene in the battle arena”.
Michael Bacol, March 8,2015

There are three elements that constitute description of contemporary art: what the
artwork is all about (subject matter), what materials/medium were used in the
process of art-making, and the art elements, and principles. At this point, we do not
yet make any judgment.

Subject matter is what you see that is depicted in the artwork. It may be a
human form where the figures are engaged in an activity, or a combination of
texture and color. It may also be a figure made from found objects put together or
assembled into a coherent whole.

Material is what the artwork is made of. It can also be a combination of

objects used in the artwork.

Art elements and principles refer to the physical qualities of the image. The
artist uses color, lines, space and other elements to create visual images. These are
arranged into an organized manner that observes unity, harmony, rhythm, or other
principles of design in a creative way.

To guide you in describing the contemporary artwork, there are some

questions that you can answer under each element:

What is the main figure in the artwork?

The Subject Matter How is the main figure placed within

the artistic frame?

How do the other figures in the artwork

relate to the main figure?

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The materials What are the materials or objects used

by the artist?

Do these materials bring out the

intended effect of the artist?

If the artist chose other materials, do

you think the same effect will be
achieved? Why and how?

The art elements and principles What are the dominant elements in the
artwork?

How are these used in the artwork?

How are line, shape, or volume used

within the artistic frame?

How are texture, movement, or space

used within the artistic frame?

What are the unifying features in the

artistic composition?

Are there any variations among the

repeated elements?

How does the art form appeal to the

visual sense?

Let us apply the three elements that constitute

description on Michaels Cacnio’s sculpture, Balloons

http://www.michaelcacnio.com/balloons.html

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The Subject Matter There are two figures in the sculpture,

What is the main figure in the artwork?
How is the main figure placed within
the artistic frame?
How do the other figures in the artwork
relate to the main figure?
one higher (female) and the other,
lower (male). They are attached to
each other in an unusual way, the male
holding on to the foot of the female
who is pulled upward by balloons Each
figure has his/her one hands up in the
air The lower figure has his leg holding
on to the staircase while the other leg
is bent in the air. The female figure is in
the same position.

The Materials Cacnio used brass for this sculpture. He

What are the materials or objects used
by the artist?
Do these materials bring out the
intended effect of the artist? If the
artist chose another material, do you
think the same effect will be achieved?
Why and how?
has mastery in the use of this medium
as shown in the figures’ big and small
parts. We note that the torso is a mass
that is welded smoothly. The fingers,
although tiny, are done with precision.
The balloons are painted to add variety
to the dominant calor, gold. The whole
piece is standing on a rectangular block
which also bears the signature of the
artist.

The Art Elements and Principles Perfect balance is achieved in the

sculpture. The weight of the two figures
What are the dominant elements in The is supported by the two legs of the
artwork? ladder which is standing freely and not
How are these used in the artwork? attached to the wall. The only
How are line, shape, or volume used connection of the two figures to the
within the artistic frame? How are ladder is the lower figure’s foot that is
texture, movement, or space Used pointed and attached on one step of the
within the artistic frame? ladder. From the head of the higher
figure down to her feet and on to the
What are the unifying features in the torso of the lower figure is straight line.
Artistic composition? Their arms on the air provide balance
to the whole figure.
Are there any variations among the
repeated elements? There is a repetition of form as seen in
the bended knees, arms on the air and
How does the art form appeal to the
pointed feet. The head of the higher
Visual sense?
figure is bent while the head of the
lower figure looks up, thus giving an

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impression that he is flying with her

and both will soon be up the air as they
are pulled upward by the balloons

The figures are light despite the use of

solid brass. They do not appear to be
heavy, in fact, they project a floating
effect. The sculpture shows grace, as
the figures seem to be dancing while
being pulled upward.

To be able to analyze and interpret contemporary art. We have to be aware

that there are multiple views of life, ideas, and reality that expressed by the artist.
Some artists believe that the person is affected by language, social relations, and
the unconscious. They think they are unable to effect change. Another group of
artists who call themselves “structuralists,” believe that a phenomenon can be
explained in relation to other phenomena. There are codes and signs that underlie
these phenomena so the work of the artist is to make these visible. They strive for
objectivity (as oppose to subjectivity). Coherence, and rigor supported by science
and theories. They search for universal truth and believe in unchanging human
nature.

The old system of artistic patronage was such that the artists were
dependent on patrons, such as the church, wealthy individuals, the state or
powerful institutions. But this has ended and the contemporary artists feel free to
experiment and make highly personal art. They coined the slogan, “Art for the sake
of art” and t er to themselves as “avante-garde.” They explore the use of new
technology, movement and speed, as well as fabrication and construction.

This lesson differentiates between modernism and post-modernism, the two

important and broad art movements that comprise contemporary art.

Analysis and Interpretation in Contemporary Art

Artist's Statement:

"Inspired by the song. He's Got the Whole World in His Arms, this works depicts
Jesus Christ embracing the whole world as symbolized by the heads inside his
embrace. There are 12 heads in the sculpture and it is very personal since I am one
of 12 children”. Harry Mark Gonzalez, 2015.

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Artist's Statement:

"With the onset of the Filipino workers' diaspora, these conversations have taken on
a larger and crucial role a lifeline for loved ones, a form of family reunion, a post-
modern confessional box for people separated by thousands of miles" -Manny
Montelibano, 2015..

It was the philosopher Immanuel Kant who laid the philosophical foundation
for artistic modernism that has influenced contemporary artists. According to Kant,
the viewers of art should put themselves in a state of sensory awareness, give up
their personal interests and not associate art with anything when they respond to it.
Therefore, they should consider art as independent of any purpose or utility other
than aesthetic value.

Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, beauty, and
value of art objects and experiences. It involves appreciating, understanding, and
judging the value of art. An aesthetic judgment should be neither personal nor
relative. The viewer should rise above time, place, and personal biases to reach a
judgment of art to which all reasonable people would agree. This is also called
"psychic distance”.

Contrary to Kant's idea is the belief of Clive Bell and Roger Fry that in
viewing art, the artist's intent or any social influence that went into the making of
an artwork should be disregarded. Instead, the "significant form” of the artwork is
what should be exclusively attended to. In this case, only the form is important and
attention to other aspects of the artwork such as its subject matter, narrative
content, function to a culture of references to the ordinary world, are considered
distractions to art viewing.

After World War II, critic Harold Rosenberg declared, "a painting is not a
picture of a thing it's the thing itself" Artists should “just paint" and not care about
anything else to push it to the extreme, artist Andy Warhol claimed that everything
is art. Pop art, comic book imagery, and the other art styles that emerged claimed
to have important narrative content and demanded social and cultural
interpretations beyond Bell and Pry's "form" In effect, the boundaries between high
art and low art and between the elite and popular audience were challenged.

Another point of view that has shaped contemporary art was Arthur Danto's
proclamation that art need not be beautiful; it need not have a pictorial subject;
and need not deploy its forms in pictorial space" An example is artist Pablo
Picasso's cubist style where he dropped the three-dimensional forms as well as "art,
the beautiful." Picasso and his followers eliminated the need to have an art object
itself because the idea is more important than the finished work.

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Arnold Hauser, on the other hand, believes in the social history of art. He
insists that visual image is a window to a specific time and space, to culture or to a
social condition. An artwork can "infer into the milieu or social environment in which
the artist lives or from where the artwork comes. It can also account in terms of its
actual origin for the outlook on life" (Hauser, 1959: 208).

Thus, the contemporary trends in art-making became pluralistic, open to

many variations in subject matter, content, form and material. The artist is free to
"deconstruct” or "re-contextualize art. This is the art that takes into account the
uniqueness of the individual, creativity and artistic genius, and unawareness of the
art market.

In post-modernism, artists believe that is it alright to copy masterpieces and

exhibit it as their own. The term used for this is "appropriating" or "borrowing" For
them, originality has to do with raising an issue rather than with inventing a new
image. Therefore, invention and uniqueness are no longer essential to making art.
Artist Sherrie Levine's works exemplify these qualities.

To contrast modern from postmodern artists: Modernists attempt to be pure

in their use of medium and believe in the possibility of universal communication.
Post modernists embrace a much wider array of art-making activities and projects
and tend to be eclectic regarding media and freely gather imagery techniques and
inspiration from a wide variety of sources, much of it from popular culture (Barrett,
2000) The works of both modern and post-modern artists are classified under
contemporary art.

Given the complex characteristics of art-making in the context of

contemporary art, young viewers like you should be guided in doing analysis and
interpretation of art.

Art Analysis and Interpretation

Art analysis starts with a description of an artwork. Here, the viewer focuses
on beauty. design qualities and the value of an artwork. This is where we determine
what the features suggest and decide why the artist used these to convey specific
ideas. Analysis requires an understanding of the content by separating the parts of
the subject matter This can lead to grasping the artwork's organizational structure,
nature, function, and value.

The various elements that constitute analysis are:

a. Determination of subject matter through naming events or issues associated with

the artwork

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b. Discussion of how the qualities of the artwork contribute to its appearance,

image or function

c. Effect of the materials/medium used

d. Your reaction to the artwork

You can also answer the following questions:

1. How did the artist make the artwork?

2. Is it a good artwork?
3. Do you like/dislike the artwork? Why?
4. How does it compare with other artworks in the same contemporary style?
5. What is the value of the artwork to you, the youth, or society?

Art interpretation is employed by the viewer after describing and analyzing an

artwork. Here, focus is on the expressive qualities, the meaning, theme, mood, or
idea communicated by the artist.

The various elements that constitute interpretation are:

a. Main idea and the overall meaning of the artwork:

b. Interpretive Statement: “Can I express what I think the artwork is about in
one sentence?
c. The evidence inside or outside the artwork that supports your interpretation

You can also answer the following questions:

1. What is the artwork about?

2. What is it intending to communicate?
3. What statement is the artist putting forward through the artwork?
4. Are there objects within the artistic frame that symbolize something? What
are these?
5. What is the meaning of the artwork?

After you have done the tedious work of describing analyzing and interpreting
the contemporary artwork, you can now make a judgment: Is it a good artwork? On
what criteria and evidence did you base your judgment? Based on the criteria
and evidence, what is your judgment about the quality of the artwork?

Sample Application of Art Analysis

In Harry Mark Gonzales’ sculpture, the subject matter is God embracing

mankind. The dark color of wood evokes human feelings and attracts the
viewer to go closer to look at the expression on the faces of God and the
human beings engulfed in His embrace.
https://brainly.ph/question/
8328930

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The expression on the figures’ faces is one of love and dependence, devoid of
anger and hatred. Such depiction of divine love makes the viewer want to be in
God’s embrace. It is a beautiful art piece that is perfect for display indoors, one that
can stimulate conversation among guests. It also exemplifies God’s love, a value
essential to humanity.

Sample Application of Art Interpretation

Manny Montelibano’s digital art entitled, Discretion

of the Lip Movement. is an expression of human
engagement in communication. It is part of an
installation that used variable materials. Lifeline
materials are used for telephones by media players.
Although this is a part of an installation, it can stand https://www.facebook.com/98Bcollaboratory/photos/
manny-montelibanomariano-manny-g-montelibano-iii-b-
on its own as it is able to show the human emotion 1971-lives-and-works-in-bacol/1460137644106344/
experienced by people who communicate, even when
they are continents away from each other. Communication is a two-way process.
This is shown in the two images in one frame. The dynamic interaction facilitated by
speech and language is depicted by the white lines and spaces that break the
monotony of red. The artist’s choice of digital form as medium delivers the meaning
of the artwork effectively. This makes the artwork beautiful.

Summary

Describing an artwork, especially if it is in the contemporary style, requires

knowledge of art: its scope, principles, and production and understanding of the
artist and the factors that affect art-making. There are three elements that
constitute a description of contemporary art: what the artwork is all about (subject
matter) what materials/ medium were used in the process of art-making, and the
art form.

Art analysis follows description of an artwork. Here, the viewer focuses on

beauty, design qualities, and the value of an artwork. This is where we determine
what the features suggest and decide why the artists used to convey specific ideas.
Analysis requires an understanding of the content by separating the parts of the
subject matter. Art interpretation is employed by the viewer after describing and
analyzing an artwork. Here, we focus on the expressive qualities, the meaning,
theme, mood, or idea communicated by the artist. These two are essential to art
appreciation before making a judgment on whether the artwork is beautiful or not.

Book Reference: Ramirez, V. E. (2016). Contemporary Philippine Arts from the

Regions, Vibal Group, Inc.

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ANSWER SHEETS

Name: ________________________________________

Section and Strand :_________________

LEVELING-UP ACTIVITIES

Lesson 5

Activity 1

1. Art form is achieved in the sculpture by

_____________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________
2. The sculpture appears light despite the brass materials because
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3. It can be said that the artist has achieved mastery of use of the material
because
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Activity 2

Describe the painting Puerto Galera IV by Pacita Abad, use the three elememts
that constitute description in contemporary art.

https://pacitaabad.com/artworks/
categories/5/501-underwater-wilderness-
puerto-galera-iv-1986/

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the What is the main figure in

subject the artwork?
matter
How do the other figures in
the artwork relate to the
main figure?

the What are the materials or

Materials objects used by the artist?

Do these materials bring out

the intended effect of the
artist? If the artist chose
another material, do you
think the same effect will be
achieved? Why and how?

the Art What are the dominant

Elements elements in The artwork?
and
Principles How are these used in the
artwork? How are line, shape,
or volume used within the
artistic frame? How are
texture, movement, or space
Used within the artistic
frame?

What are the unifying

features in the Artistic
composition?

Are there any variations

among the repeated
elements?

How does the art form appeal

to the Visual sense?

Lesson 6

ACTIVITY 3

4. What are the characteristics of modern art?

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_____________________________________________________________
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5. How does the post-modern art differ from modern art?
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6. It is necessary for the viewers to understand the philosophy, theories, and
issues that shaped contemporary art because

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Activity 4

Write an art analysis of Manny Montelibano’s digital art entitled. Discretion of the
Lip Movement (see p.11). Use the elements and guide questions on the below.

Elements Statements

a. Determine the subject

matter by naming
events or issues
associated with the
artwork.
b. Discuss how the
qualities of the artwork
contribute to its
appearance, image or
function.
c. Describe the effects of
the materials/medium
used.
d. Give your reaction to
the artwork.

Elements Answer

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a. How did the artist make

the artwork?
b. Is it a good artwork?
c. Do you like/dislike the
artwork? why?
d. How does it compare
with other artworks?
e. What is the value of the
artwork to you, the
youth, or society?

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