FUNCTIONS OF ART AND PHILOSOPHY: SUBJECT AND CONTENT

Various art forms contain a variety of subject and content

Subjects of Art
What are the subjects of art?
 Components of Work of Art:
Subject - visual focus; answers the question what
Content - meaning that is communicated by the artist; answers the
question why
Form - development and configuration of artwork; answers the question
how

What is a subject? (Ortiz, Erestain, Guillermo, Montano, Pillar 1976)

Subjects of Art - refers to any person, object, scene or event described
or represented in works of art. Some arts have subject, others do not.
 Person/s - people
 Object/s - subject to photography
 Scene/s - nature, scenery
 Event/s -

What are the types of representing subjects? (Ortiz et al., 1976)

 Art can be categorized based on how the subject is represented.
Representational or objective arts are those that have subject with
identifiable objects and symbols. On the other hand, non-representational
o non-objective arts are those that have no subject and are not presented
as identifiable objects or symbols in descriptions, stories, or references.

Representational Arts
 Have subject
 Use identifiable objects or symbols
 Also called objective arts
- figurative art - represents the real world
- examples: painting of Monalisa, painting of Fernando Amorsolo
which is Palay Maiden

Non-Representational Arts
 Do not have subject
 Do not present descriptions, stories or references to identifiable
objects or symbols
 Also called non-objective arts
- do not make a reference to real world
- visual elements: shapes elements
- examples: abstract arts
What are the sources of subjects? (Ortiz et al., 1976)
 Nature
 Historical Events
 Mythologies
 Traditions
 Historical Texts
 Other Works of Art
What are the kinds of subjects? (Ortiz et al., 1976)
 Landscapes, Seascapes, Cityscapes
 Still Life
 Animals
 Portraits
 Figures
 Everyday Life
 History and Legend
 Religion and Mythology
 Dreams and Fantasies
Contents of Art
What are the contents of art?

What is content.meaning? (Ortiz et al., 1976)

 While subject refers to the objects referred to by the artist, the cintent
refers to what the artist expresses or communicates in the whole work,
Sometimes it is spoken as the “meaning” of the artwork. One may not
always easily recognize the content, but it is transmitted by the way the
subjects and form interact in the work.
Content = Meaning

According to Clever (1996), there are three different levels of meaning that a
subject matter may acquire.
 Factual Meaning -
 Conventional Meaning
 Subject Meaning
Factual meaning - literal statement or the narrative …
Conventional meaning -
Subjective meaning -
MIDTERM ACTIVITY 1
Deadline: March 9, 2022