HUMANITIES 1

(Art Appreciation)

MODULE I

(THE HUMANITIES: ART AND ART

APPRECIATION)

Written exclusively for

CAP COLLEGE

by

MA. LOURDES C. SANCHEZ

1989

1
 CAP COLLEGE SELF-LEARNING SERIES

for

Humanities 1

MODULE I. THE HUMANITIES: ART AND ART APPRECIATION

Copyright c 1989

CAP COLLEGE
Makati City

and

Ma. Lourdes C. Sanchez

C. M. Recto Ave., Manila

-----
All rights reserved

CAP COLLEGE FOUNDATION, INC.

126 Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village,
1229 Makati City, Philippines

2
 INSTRUCTIONS TO THE STUDENT

At CAP College, you learn through self-instructional modules, otherwise known as

CAPSeLS (short for CAP College Self-Learning Series), such as the one you are now
reading. To gain most out of these materials, it is important that you observe the following
instructions:

1. Every subject or course has an average of five modules, each one of which
contains two to five or more lessons. You must satisfy the work prescribed by each
module before you can sit for the final examination that will determine whether you
pass or fail the course.

2. Make an effort to do some extra reading. The titles listed under “Suggested
Readings” are neither exclusive nor conclusive. Any reference book on the subject
will do.

3. Test your own progress by performing the Self-Progress Check Test at the end of
each lesson. Read the test instructions carefully and understand them well. Do not
look at the answers while taking the test.

4. Check your answers with the key at the end of the module. Unless, there is a
specific instruction on how to score your paper, compute it by dividing the correct
answers with the total number of points and multiplying the quotient by 100. Keep
your own scores. If you get 70% or higher, you pass; otherwise, you have to review
the lesson and do the re-test, if any, before advancing to the next one. Take note
that in some cases, these lesson tests are presented as Activities or Exercises. Do
them the same way.

5. After doing the test of the last lesson in each module, perform the Module Test at
the end of the module. Then clip the duly accomplished Module Test and submit it
to: The Dean of Studies, 126 Amorsolo cor. V.A. Rufino Sts., Legaspi Village, 1229
Makati City, Philippines. Or you may just send your answer sheets to the Module
Test by email: capcollege@capcow.com. Your paper will be corrected at the
College and you will be informed of the results soon thereafter. Meanwhile, go to
work on the next module, observing the same procedure all over again.

6. When you have submitted all the Module Tests of a subject, you may take the Final
Examination for that particular subject. However, you may choose to finish all the
module tests of all subjects before taking the Final Examinations.

7. Final Examinations are taken in person at CAP College or at designated Distance

Education Learning Centers or Examination Centers. If you are residing or working
abroad, arrangements will be made for you to take the examinations at the nearest
Philippine Embassy, Consulate Office or at a venue acceptable to both CAP
College and you. To arrange for the schedule of your Final Examination, you have
to inform CAP College one week before your preferred date through any of the
following: mail, email, fax or phone. Subsequently, you will then receive a Final
Notice containing the details on how to go about your examinations.

3
 CAP COLLEGE SELF-LEARNING SERIES

for

Humanities 1

(Art Appreciation)

MODULE I. THE HUMANITIES: ART AND ART APPRECIATION

Contents

Lesson 1. The Humanities: Nature Significance and Hope

Lesson 2. Art: What it is, What it Does

Lesson 3. Understanding Subject, Medium, Function

Lesson 4. Appreciating and Judging Art

4
 HUMANITIES 1

ART APPRECIATION

Description of the Course:

Introduction to the arts, development of perception into an artist's creation.

Scope of the Course:

The course consists of five units, each one constituting a module, as follows:

Module I. The Humanities: Art and the Fine Arts

Module II. The Visual Arts (Painting, Sculpture, Architecture)

Module III. The Literary Arts

Module IV. Music as Art and Science

Module V. The Performing Arts (Dance, Drama, Films)

5
 Module I

THE HUMANITIES ART AND FINE ARTS

Scope of the Module

This Module consists of four lessons, namely:

Lesson 1. The Humanities; Nature, Significance and Scope

Lesson 2. Art: What it is? What it Does?

Lesson 3. Understanding Subject, Medium, Function

Lesson 4. Appreciating and Judging Art

Overview of the Module

This module is designed to provide you with the know-how and the skill to recognize and
understand a good work of art. This modules deals with fundamental concepts
essential to the understanding and appreciation of the humanities, particularly the fine
arts.

Objectives of the Module

After completion of this module, you should be able to:

1. recognize art and distinguish this from pseudo art or from craft;

2. identify and describe the different types of art and know why they are art;

3. recognize the role that subject, medium and function play in a work of art;

4. deduce and perceive what the artist intended to put into a particular art work and to
relate this to your own immediate experience when confronted with the artist's creation;
and

5. be able to discuss critically your aesthetic reaction to any art work of your choice.

6
Suggested Readings:

Dudley, Louise et.al. The Humanities, 4th Ed. New York: Mc-Graw-Hill Book Co., Inc.,
1952.
Gettings, Fred. The Meaning and Magic of Art. London: Paul Hamlyn, Ltd., 1963.
Krause, Joseph H. The Nature of Art. New Jersey:Prentice Hall, Inc., 1976.
Ortiz, Ma. Aurora, et. al. Art: Perception andAppreciation. Manila: JMC Press,
Inc. 1976.
Sanchez, Custodiasa A., et. al. Introduction to theHumanities or (The Arts). Manila:
Rex Book Store, 1980.
Van de Bogart, Doris, Introduction to the HumanitiesNew York: Barnes and Noble, Inc.,
1968.

7
Humanities 1
Module I
Lesson 1. THE HUMANITIES: NATURE, SIGNIFICANCE AND SCOPE
(WHAT THEY ARE; WHAT THEY DO?)

Etymology and Meanings

The term "humanities" is Latin in origin. It evolved from humanus which means cultured,
refined. Down through the ages, the term "humanities" has assumed varied meanings
and usages. The first time the word surfaced was in reference to the writings of ancient
Latin authors. These writings were greatly valued for their clear, effective style which
made them readable.

During the Middle Ages, the metaphysics of religious philosophers whose primary
concern was spiritual preparation for the eternal life after this earthly life, were regarded
as the humanities. With the arrival of classical learning during the Renaissance
era, grammar, rhetorics, history, literature, music, philosophy, and theology were the set
of disciplines regarded by the universities, which taught them, as the humanities.Today,
the humanities is commonly perceived as revolving around the arts; specifically, the fine
arts. Placed, however, in its proper perspective, the arts are merely one of the areas of
the humanities.

What the Humanities Are; Nature and Scope:

The humanities are branches of learning that are of a primarily cultural character,
committed to the study of man and what concerns him as a human being. The
humanities cover the significant achievements of man as a rational and spiritual
being. The fields of knowledge that fall under the humanities, embrace all areas that
have to do with man as a thinking and fooling being. These include the arts,
languages, social sciences, philosophies and religion in so far as man's
relationship with his God is concerned.

The humanities may be likened to an umbrella. An umbrella has a number of steel ribs
to which the water-repellant cloth is attached. Art maybe viewed as one of this umbrella's
ribs. All subjects that center on man or that have to do with man are the other ribs of
this umbrella which is the humanities.

The thrust of the humanities may be illustrated thus:

hu-MAN-i-ties

HUMAN-i-ties

The first syllabication points to the essence of the nature of the humanities: that it is
man-centered. This thrust goes back to the time of the ancient Greeks. One of the
philosophical tenets that influenced the lives and the art of the ancient

8
Greeks was that "man is the measure of all things." Their adherence to this concept
is best seen in their sculpture. So concentrated were the sculptors on perfecting the
image of man to show him as the supreme being of creation that they idealized the human
figure in their art. This meant that they projected the perfect image of man as they
conceived this to be. Because the Greeks were great mathematicians they were able to
come up with what to them was the ideal proportion for the different parts of the human
anatomy. For instance, the height of a man should be seven times the length of this
head. As early as the 5th century B.C., Polycitus wrote a book entitled The Canon, which
contained those perceived ideal proportions of the human form. So high was the esteem
accorded to man that the ancient Greeks even humanized their gods and goddesses.
They visualized their deities as possessing the human form but in gigantic
proportions.

And like man, these divinities were endowed with human weaknesses. For instance,
Zeus, their supreme god, was regarded as a playboy with many illegitimate children.
His wife, Hera, preoccupied herself plotting vengeance on her rivals. It did not matter to
her if some of these rivals were unwilling but helpless victims of her powerful
husband. Greek mythology is full of stories on incestuous relationships, of injustices,
of parricides and infanticides. The best and the worst traits of man were attributed to
their goods and goddesses.

Concern in man and interest in this world were re-awakened during the Renaissance
era. During the Medieval Ages prior to the Renaissance, the thrust was on
spirituality and the attainment of eternal salvation. During the Renaissance,
humanism emerged and projected "man as the center of all considerations."
Adherents to the humanistic movement called themselves humanists. They aimed to
optimize the "universal man "through a study of the classical past (the ancient Greco-
Roman eras) to find guiding principles for a now cultural life outside the religious sphere.
And they asserted the intrinsic value of man's life on earth. Michelangelo Buonarotti, one
of the be start is of the High Renaissance period, manifested in his fresco painting of
the creation of man on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome this return of interest in
man as man. He was primarily interested in nude human figures, monumental in size.

The most important concept bequeathed to us by the Renaissance is the optimistic

faith in man's ability to create enduring works of beauty. Reflected too in art of that era
was a renewed zest for life and for the concerns of this world.

HUMAN-i-ties. What does it mean to be human? Broadly, this means possessing

qualities and traits--both good and bad-- that only human beings have. These qualities
stem from man's having a heart, a mind, a body and a soul which determines what he
does and says. To be human also means to possess humane qualities like
compassion, concern for others, benevolence, etc.- qualities that suggest the nobility of
man. However, every now and then, one's being human is the convenient excuse
given for a manifested weakness in character. "Sapagkat ako'y tao lamang" is ingrained
in the Filipino psycho and surfaces as a convenient excuse whenever the need arises.

9
What the Humanities Can Do: Values of the Study

The humanities ask and try to answer certain basic questions such as: Who am I, really?
What is my real role in life? Am I a master of my fate? Is there one best way to live?
What will give me self-fulfillment and happiness? Is life worth living? Such questions
and others like them will help us get to know ourselves better. Thus, we shall be able
to plan the kind of life worth living and best suited to our needs and objectives. This is
the Socratic Method of "know thyself" through the humanities. The study of literature,
for instance, will be a big help in this enlightenment process.

The humanities challenge us to think of answers to these basic questions. Take

literature or drama, for instance. Both are full of universal and timeless truths that help
us to know not only life, the world and our fellowmen, but also ourselves better. The
art's in general mirror life and reflect man's in most thoughts, feelings and experiences.
Often we find self- identification in a literary piece or in a drama or in the mood
expressed by a musical piece. And the gems of thought picked up can served as guides
or patterns. The humanities are rich in food for thought. But ideas and experiences in
the humanities have their full effect only when they are examined critically, evaluated,
and appreciated.

The humanities reveal to us certain underlying patterns beneath life's apparent

confusion and make sense out of this confusion. Communication gaps,
misunderstandings, wars-- all these bring about chaos in our lives. The protagonists,
however, share the same basic emotions, hopes and dreams.

All respond positively to beauty. All react similarly to good fortune or adversity.
There is a sameness in human feeling, thinking and reactions that are reflected in
the humanity where we can see ourselves portrayed perhaps in a drama or in a novel.
Dance and music reflect universal moods and sentiments. Basically, we are all the
same. This truism is clarified, made ore colorful or even magnified in the different areas
of the humanities.

The humanities help to express our emotions and so release them. This is the
therapeutic value or the healing power of the humanities, particularly of art. When day
-to-day problems depress or bewilder or irritate us, do we not turn instinctively to the arts
for momentary solace? To divert our minds from fears and insecurities or to lesson
emotional pressures, we listen to music or to radio drama or watch television or see a
movie or read a book.

Turning to art in moments of stress or distress can be life's saving grace. The
humanities help us to cultivate a rational appreciation of beauty; to develop sensitive

10
awareness to what touches our lives; to enrich one's experience directly or indirectly,
to refine and ennoble our being and the totality of our personhood. Thus, through the
humanities in general and through the arts in particular, we can glean man's encounter
with and reflections on life and the intangibles in life. The quality of our lives will be
enriched and improved if we apply what we learn from the humanities.

The humanities constitute one of the oldest and most important means of expression
developed by man. It is rich in values that can make us better persons. Often
embedded beneath a surface of beauty, these values are communicated to us artfully
and subtly.

The humanities expose us to the best creative expressions of man through which we can
find self-identification and greater self-awareness of what we are and what we can hope
to be.

Thus, the humanities give us tangible insights and assurance of the depths and heights
that man can be capable of reaching and projecting in our search for meaning to our
existence.

11
Humanities 1
Module I
Lesson 1

SELF-PROGRESS CHECK TEST

Directions: Check your comprehension of Lesson 1 in this Module by writing the word or
words needed to complete each statement. This is an important part of the self- learning
process. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

1. The term "humanities" evolved from a latin word which, translated into English,
means __________ or __________.

2. Today, the humanities is commonly viewed as the ___________.

3. The humanities are primarily __________ in character.

4 & 5. The humanities revolve around the study of ___________ as a

_________________.

6. The humanities help us to cultivate a __________appreciation for beauty and

the beautiful.

7. The humanities have a ___________ value because they help release emotions and
pressures.

8. The humanities constitute one of the oldest and most important means of
____________ developed by man.

9. The man centered thrust in the arts was first manifested by the ancient ________
particularly in their sculpture.

10. The revival of interest in man as man took place during the ____________ era.

12
Humanities 1
Module I
Lesson 2. ART: WHAT IT IS; WHAT IT DOES

Etymology of Art

The word "art" comes from the Aryan rootword "ar" which means "to join" or to put
together."From this rootword, two Greek verbs evolved: arkiskein which means "to join
or put together" and artizein which means "toprepare".

The ancient Romans came up with the LAtin words ars and artis which became the
source of the English words "arts" and "artist."

The Meaning and Nature of Art

There are many ways of defining, describing and clarifying the word art.

One way of explaining it is to speak of art as the tangible or concrete expression of man's
creative talents skill, showing a vision of the artist in an aesthetic from that has
sensory appeal.

From the definition of art given above, we can pick out the essential characteristics of art.
These are:

1. Art is man-made. It manifests a special talent and skill of man.

2. Art has a concrete and tangible form.

3. Art is a means of human expression

4. Art is a product of man's creativity and imagination.

5. Art shows artistic vision and sensitivity.

6. Art has sensory appeal because it is aesthetic.

Included in the essence and nature of art are its timelessness and universality, its
capacity to evoke or stir an emotional or intellectual response; and its being a reflection or
a mirror of life.

Art is one of the creations of man developed to support values that exist apart from
what be considers necessary for his physical survival or comfort.

To those who associate art with beauty, art is often the manifestation of ideal beauty
through adequate physical forms. Thus, in a way, art may be viewed as the idealization
of the real as well as the realization of the ideal.

13
Some Values of Art

The primary value of art, particularly the fine arts, is its aesthetic value. The word
aesthetics came from the Greek word aesthanesthal which means "to feel" or "to perceive
with the senses."

Aesthetes deals with beauty and the beautiful especially with judgments of taste
concerning what it is perceived as beautiful. Aesthetics, therefore, has to do with
perceiving, experiencing, appreciating and enjoying what appeals to man's senses.

Beauty is a relative quality that represents the best example of a form based on a
predetermined standard of the ideal. Or, it is quality determined by the emergence
of a psychophysiological response in the observer.

Although the primary value of art, particularly the fine arts, is aesthetic, art is
instructional in many ways. Since art mirrors life, one pleasurable way of learning about
life is through the arts. Experiences are an integral part of man's life. Whether an
artist intends to or not, he brings the vast store of his experiences to his art. What he
has experienced directly or vicariously (indirectly) is what his art conveys. Except
during the medieval period, art, however, is not meant to be didactic or moralistic.
Since it often communicates a perception or an experience from which we can benefit,
art, then, can be very educational.

Art as a form of emotional release gives it its therapeutic value. Medical science today
recognizes and accepts this therapeutic value of art. The healing power of art is no
longer regarded as a myth.

Restful landscape and seascape painting decorate hospital rooms. Hospital lobbies and
Nurses Stations are beautified with flower arrangements. Soothing music is sometimes
piped into expensive suites of some modern hospitals. And Pre-Med students are
required to enroll in Art Appreciation, Art and science have finally come together.

Therapy is no longer just physical. There is now a form of treatment known as mental or
emotional therapy. Art plays an important role in this kind of therapy now a days. On
his part, the artist, through his chosen art or medium of expressions, quenches
the fire in his soul which urges him to release his emotion. And we, who see beauty in
his work, in turn satisfy our desire for the beautiful. Art, thus, is therapeutic both to the
artist and to us who see and respond to his work.

On a more practical level, art provides man pleasant relaxation. Listening to music,
enjoying a dance concert, reading a book of a favorite author, watching television or
the movies or a play --all these have given man pleasurable moments of relaxation. Art
too, has been a tool for changes and reforms Jose Rizal's novels, Noli Me Tangere
and El Filibusterismo, Juan Luna's painting, the Spolarium, the poignant story of Uncle
Tom's Cabin, are just a few of many works of art that have powerfully stirred man to
agitate for change and reforms. The personal value that and individual may find in a
given work of art cannot be understood. A painting may recall a cherished childhood.
A song may bring back treasured memories. A statue may brighten one's patriotic fervor
or deepen one's piety and religiousity. Scenes from a movie or a play or a book may
serve as guides for future actions or decisions. Or perhaps, we may see ourselves,

14
our foibles, idiosyncracies, mistakes, in some fictional character and hopefully, acquire
the desire to rid ourselves of these. And, as Tolstoi, the great Russian novelist once
said, "art is a means of union among men". The values of art are indeed many. and
because art is all around us, since it has become part of modern existence, there is no
reason why we can not benefit from our encounters with the arts. For art has a lot to
give to all.

We sometimes gain insight into our own attitudes more quickly by questioning art
than by questioning ourselves. The attitudes of the artist as revealed in his art and our
attitudes are often similar, if not the same; only, the images of art are highly
concentrated since artists can bring their vision to the most intense focus.

Art can make us aware of other ways of thinking, feeling and imagining that may not have
occurred to us before.

Fundamental Precepts About Art

Art is timeless and universal. People everywhere down through the ages, have
created and enjoyed art. Art is for all people at all times and in all places.

Art is experience. It reflects the artist's experiences. At the same time, through art, the
onlooker can pick up these experiences are vicariously felt and assimilated by the
onlooker.

There can be no appreciation of art without experience. You can like or judge a poem, a
play, a sculpture or a painting unless you see these yourself. What you see becomes a
part of your experience. Since a work of art is always something to be seen or heard,
then it must be seen or heard for it to be known.

The experience of art is personal and individual. Your reaction to it will depend on
what you are, what you prefer, how your attitudes have been molded. how your feelings
have been conditioned. Since every experiences is accompanied by some emotional
responses you will either like or not like any art that you encounter.

Art is both expression and communication. The artist may primarily wish to simply
express himself in his art. However, knowingly or unknowingly, he shares with us
his thoughts, feelings, visions and aspirations and dreams. Often, we find self-
identification in some of these. For men are basically the same. We have the same
basic thoughts, feelings and aspirations. A man, through language, transmits his
thoughts to another. Through art he communicates his feelings. And we, who see or
hear the artist's expression of feeling, in turn experience the feeling which moved the
artist.

Art and nature are interlinked. Both have aesthetic value and appeal. Beauty resides in
both. But art is man-made; nature is not. Yet both have the power to move man. The
influence of both on man is tremendous. That nature has always been a favorite
subject of art is evident in landscapes, seascapes, nature poems, music evocative of
the sounds of nature, to name just a few examples.

15
Artists have looked towards nature as a guide and inspiration. They have tried to
show how beautiful nature can be by imitating it or copying its appearance as closely as
possible. Sometimes they have distorted its appearance to pass on some especial
feeling they have about nature.

Classifications of Art

Art, specifically the fine arts, whose primary value is the aesthetic value, may be
classified as the:

1. Visual arts - painting, sculpture, architecture

2. Music arts - pure or absolute music, program music

3. Literary arts - prose and poetry

4. Performing arts - dance, drama, pantomine

The fine arts have, for their primary purpose, the satisfaction of our sense or feeling
for beauty. The fine arts inevitably evoke aesthetics, whose Greek root word,
aesthanestai means "to feel"

There are arts other than the fine arts. Among these are the:

1. Folk arts - are the creative and aesthetic products of ethnic, indigenous groups
and common folk from provinces. e.g. Ifugao wood carving, shell and capiz mosaics
from coastal regions, Maranao bronze ware, Tibolo bead work.

2. Applied Arts - sometimes called practical arts or functional arts are both
aesthetic and useful for man's creature comfort and everyday needs. e.g.
embroidered tablecloth, doilies with appliques or out-work design, colorful hand woven
mats and blankets, decorative baskets, hand-painted vases and pottery.

3. Environmental arts - are concerned with the harmonious blending of natural

and man-made surroundings to create or enhances an aesthetic affect. e.g.
landscaping

4. Liberal Arts - refer to a systematized body of knowledge which evolved from the
medieval course of studies and which has been expanded to include fields of study that
develop the student as a total person.

5. Communication Arts - both oral and written are concerned with the correct, proficient
and effective use of language skills.

6. Home Arts - includes the study of interior design, culinary arts, crocket, knitting,
embroidery, dress designing, dressmaking, and similar endeavors associated with
women.

7. Commercial Arts - result from the use of art or artistic skills to produce aesthetically
attractive products to make these more saleable. This art is often made to be reproduced

16
and is intended as a means of selling a commodity. e.g. posters, sign boards,
advertisement bill boards

8. Industrial Arts - use beauty and the means to achieve this in order to transform and
improve materials manufactured for human use. e.g. cars, video machines

9. Martial arts - are a form of communication that enables man to use his body as a tool
of expression, for the development of a superb kinesthetic sense which allows him to
fully understand his body in a self-defense, exercise, or pure aesthetic experience or
spectacle.

10. Minor arts - Those art forms that failed to achieve the rank of the fine arts are the
minor arts or decorative arts. Because of their utilitarian aspects, objects in minor arts
are considered to be of less expressive or aesthetic value although imagination and
skill are also required for their production.

Included among minor arts are products of skilled craftsmen such as stone carvers,
every workers, weavers, potters, glass blowers, furniture makers, interior decorators, etc.
Because of their basic utilitarian functions, objects produced were not primarily
concerned with aesthetic or expressive values.

Concepts of Art

1. Subject - answers the question, "What is it about? (in reference to what is

portrayed or expressed in the art work).

2. Medium - refers to materials used by the artist and answers the question, "What is it
made of?"

3. Function -points to some practical use and value of a work of art.

4. Organization - reveals the use of certain structural principles in putting together

elements of art in the formation of an aesthetic composition.

5. Style - is the manner used by the artist in expressing himself in his art, which
reveals his individuality, creativeness, personality, or conformity to existing traditional
methods.

Why an Artist Creates

Take a printer. A printer paints for a variety of reasons. He may wish to express or
concretize a thought or a feeling. He may want to tell a story in pictures. Or he may
desire to capture a floating effect of light on an object and freeze this through lines and
color. Perhaps he wants to record visually an image or a scene.

Creating beauty can be need for the gifted. Not many possess this gift, this talent to
transform an unattractive material like a chunk of stone or a block of wood into a
beautiful statue; or to string words into powerful, moving poetry; or to mix colors,
lines and forms to produce a lovely painting. The artist usually feels much more strongly

17
than we do, this urge to create beautiful object. The artist, it seems, needs to create
beauty for less gifted men to enjoy.

To a certain extent, there is a little of the artist in each of us. For the need to put beauty
where none or very little exists, is in all of us. We apply make-up and carefully match
clothes, shoes, accessories to improve our appearance. We decorate our homes,
offices, churches to create an aesthetic effect. Others take up artful hobbies such
as sketching, painting for the pleasure and satisfaction derived from these.

Not only does beauty appeal to all, but the need to put in the essence of beauty in
things we do or make is a human need that seeks to be expressed. It is up to us to
discover our artistic potentials which can be developed to give us a sense of self-
fulfillment.

The arts have always been an integral part of man's life. In prehistoric times, however,
what we now regard as art, such as sketching animal figures on walls of caves,
chanting, and gyrating rhythmically to the beat of some crude persuasion instrument
was part of folkways, folk beliefs, social and religious rituals, and the demands of
man's existence.

The arts, therefore, are one of the oldest and most natural means of expression
developed by man. Whenever and wherever man have lived together and have
interacted with one another and with their environment art sprung up. However, works
of art do not spring into being as isolated phenomena, but are created as part of the
normal human activity reflecting the taste, judgement, human evaluations of the artist
who conceived them; and often of the time and milieu of which they are a part.

Art continues to be relevant to our lives. Art is for all- rich or poor, young or old. It is not
just for these who can afford it. We do not have to own a work of art to enjoy it.
Merely looking at an edifying architectural splendor like a gothic cathedral, for
instance, or listening to a violin concerto already gives us pleasure. The less we have of
material possessions, the more we need art. For art enriches and enhances the quality of
our existence.

The need for art, and the beauty therein, does not diminish as one grows older. On the
contrary, as we mature and acquire more experiences, our perception and
understanding improve and deepen and so does our capacity to appreciate.

(SEE NO. 3 OF “INSTRUCTIONS TO THE STUDENT”)

18
Humanities 1
Module I
Lesson 2

SELF-PROGRESS CHECK TEST

Fill in the blanks.

1 & 2. Art is for all people at all times and in all places. Art, therefore, is __________ and
_____________.

3. Art has _______________ appeal.

4. & 5. Art is the product of man's _________ and __________.

6. The primary value of the fine arts is its _________ value.

7. Aesthetics deals with ____________.

8. Art as a form of emotional release gives it its _______ value.

9. Art is both expression and ______________.

10. The manner used by the artist in expressing himself in his

art is called ____________.

(SEE NO. 4 OF “INSTRUCTIONS TO THE STUDENT”)

19
Humanities 1
Module I
Lesson 3. UNDERSTANDING SUBJECT MEDIUM, FUNCTION OF THE ART

Subject and its Places in Art

The subject of art is no different from the subject of a sentence. Both answer the
question, "What is it about?" If the subject of a sentence tells what is spoken about
in that sentences, the subject of art tells what the art work is all about. This may be
a person, place, object, experience, incident, thought or feeling. In art, therefore,
subject is the term used for whatever is represented in a work.

When we are exposed to any work of art, our instinctive reactions is to ask, "What is
it?" or "What does it portray or convey?" Often, it is with the recognition of the subject
matter that our consideration of the work stops. To stop there would be regrettable. The
recognition of subject is important in the artistic experience. Mush that has been written
about clarifies the subject of great works by world-renowned artists. Such
understanding of the art work, however, is not enough and does not do justice to the
work.

If it were enough, a verbal description would be the exact equivalent of a painting. But
this is not so clearly, there are other considerations that affect our experience and
contribute to the specific meaning of the art work. To many of us, a work of art becomes
more appealing and more easily acceptable if what is represented is recognizable and
familiar. Our understanding of what is portrayed or communicated is an added bonus.

Objective and Non-objective Art

Not all art has subject. Art may or may not have subject, it is called objective or
representational art. Art without subject is called non-objective or non-representational
art. The greatness of a work of art does not depend on whether it has subject or not.
There are many works of art with subject. There are also many great art works without
subject. Non-objective art does not represent identifiable objects or symbols nor refer to
anything found in objective reality. Non-objective art appeals directly to the senses
mainly because of pleasing organization of their elements resulting in an aesthetically
expressive composition.

A painter, for instance, with the use of lines, forms. Colors may come up with a
beautiful composition. Although it does not represent or refer to anything, it appeals to
the senses and satisfies our desire for beauty.

Many modern artists have done away with the use of subject in their art. Instead, they
have focused on their work of art as an object in itself that is by no means less complete.

Especial mention must be made of music and its use or non- use of subject because of
the use of certain terms peculiar to music. Music with subject is called program music.
Songs whose lyrics are narrative, descriptive or explanatory necessarily belong to this
category. Program music, however, does not always have lyrics. Take Franz Liszt's
Liebestraumo (Dream of Love). It was composed as a piano piece. It does not have any

20
lyrics. But it is program music because it has a subject. There are many instrumental
music without lyrics that are representational. The title of the musical piece will indicate if
it has subject or not.

Music without subject is called pure or absolute music. To this category belong the
sonatas, sonatinas, concerto, fugue, symphonies that are non-representational.
Usually the title gives the musical form and a number or letter." At other times the title
gives the composer's name and the musical form. e.g. Melody in F by A. Rubenstein
Minuet in G by Ludwig Van Beethoven Sonatina Op. 3b, no. 1 - by G. Clementi Wlatz in E
Flat - by P. Tschaikowsky Of the fine arts, architecture has the least use of subject
because it is functional and not representational. Literature and drama have the most
use of subject since every word written or spoken by characters represents an idea or
feeling. Of the combined arts ( visual and auditory together) the theatre, the films, the
operas, always have subject. Sculpture painting, music, dance may or may not have
subject. The applied arts, too, may or may not have subject.

The unique fusion of subject matter and specific visual form which characterizes the
particular work of art or the combined effect of subject matter and visual form is the
expressive content of the art work.

This expressive content is embodied in a form. Differences in color, shape, texture, line
and the way these and other elements are combined are not more technical differences
in art. These are differences in feeling or expression.

A great artist can have such a mastery of subject that he can disregard all the rules and
still create a great work of art.

Art Subjects

What are among the favorite art subjects of artists down through the ages?

1. Man - his portrait, his experiences, his thoughts and feelings, his interests and
activities, his interactions with his fellowmen, his relationship with his God, his reactions
to his surroundings.

2. Nature - The artists sees nature not just with his eyes and moods but also in terms of
art. e.g. a monochromatic bunch of assorted flowers, the contrast of dark and light, the
pre-dominance of primary hues.

3. Religion - his characterized concepts of God. One of the earliest searches of man
was discovering the image of his gods.

4. Folklore - folk beliefs, folkways, legends, myths, epics.

5. Customs and traditions

6. Historical events

7. Philosophies

21
8. Dreams and the subconscious

9. Outer space and heavenly bodies

10. Other Works of Art - e.g. "The Man With the Hoe", a powerful poem by Edwin
Markham, was based on Francois Millet's painting of a peasant before the French
revolution.

Another example is the popular love song entitled " A Time For Us." This was inspired
by the movie version of William Shakespeare's play, "Romeo and Juliet."

The listing of the sources of art subject is by no means complete. Artist derive their
subject whenever and wherever they are moved to express their thoughts or feelings.
Sometimes, an artist becomes interested in a thing for itself and makes this the subject of
his painting. Perhaps, certain things about his project will catch his attention and interest
him. These will become important to his work. These help to make his personal style.
Painting allows a wider range of subjects than sculpture. Literature, however, has a
broader range of subject than sculpture.

When man was still a caveman, he was already an artist with his knowing this. He carved
wood, bones and rocks into shapes he found around him. He scratched designs on the
walls of his caves and colored these with dyes and clays. In spite of crude tools,he
made things of beauty that survive to this day. Her first subjects were animals because
of the significance of these to him. Animals were important to the caveman as food.
Very often, too, these animals made man their food. Besides,primitive people
believed that a created image of something is as real as the thing itself. They further
believed that if they had an image of an animal they would have some power over
that animal.

To primitive man, producing an image was tantamount to having the ability to

capture the spirit of that which was pictured.

And even for more sophisticated man, the ability to draw or paint was often considered a
divine gift. Thus, rendering a likeness has powerful connotations far beyond the act
of reproduction.

Despite the fact that the word "art" did not exist in prehistoric times, art has always
been an integral part of man's life. For the arts are one of the oldest and most natural
means of expression developed by man. Whenever men have lived together, art
had sprung up. These were in the form of language, or animal sketches on walls and
ceilings of cave dwellings, or ritualistic chants and rhythmic body movements, or in the
form of shelter. We find art in every age all over the world; even in the most primitive
areas where these are not regarded as art but as part of life and living.

Sometime during the existence of an object, artists have held to be of sufficient

significance to be singled out as an art subject. This does not imply art objects can be
of special significance. Nor does it suggest that objects of especial significance can
automatically be art objects.

22
Objects can be religiously, socially, economically, technologically significant and
not be art. An object to be identified as an art form must have its primary worth in
aesthetics and should be capable of producing ad aesthetic response.

Because of the scope and varying nature of art objects, art is multifaceted, relativistic
phenomenon. Art is many things. It does not have a monolithic character,
considering the complexities of art or the nature of man who creates it.

Ways of Presenting Subject In Art:

In presenting anything, subject included, certain methods or styles are used to be both
aesthetic and effective. Because artists are individuals with varied tastes,
perceptions and intentions, they use different methods. The choice of method depends
on the artist's creativity to express the idea, feeling or experience he wishes to
communicate.

Among the different ways used by artist are:

1. Realism - which presents and organizes details of art subjects as a visual fact
or as it is in an obvious, natural, life-like and sometimes, almost photographic manner.
Strictly speaking, however, there is no such thing as a total reproduction or imitation of
reality. An artist inevitably puts in something of himself in his work, which may not be
found in the model he used. Or perhaps, he may leave out or alter certain details.
Many great painters have been able to create the illusion of reality through a selective
use of details.

A realistic story, for instance, man use an event or a situation that did happen.
Usually, however, the writer blends imaginative details and personages. But the story
appears as something which could really have happened or may possibly happen.
As a whole, however, such a story is regarded as an imaginative narrative despite the
use of an actual incident or a real personage. Even if the subject is from nature, the
artist often modifies, add, or leaves out and organizes details to project the particular
idea or feeling that he wishes to express.

2. Abstraction - selects and emphasizes an aspects of the subject and presents this as
the whole subject. Thus, the artist does not show the subject as objective reality but only
his concept or priority or point of emphasis or his feeling about it. Abstract art, therefore,
is without representational intentions, having little or no resemblance to natural
appearance.

The term abstract means "to move away" or "separate". The term is used for that type
of art presentation which moves away from showing the object as it is in its entirety.
Ignoring the exact form of an object, the abstract artist concentrates not only on one
phase of the subject but on the essence of the subject and not on its natural shape.

In some abstract works, sufficient likeness makes the subject recognizable. This is
usually termed semi-abstract. In other abstract works, the subject has been reduced to
geometric forms hardly identifiable. Most abstract works are labeled with a little or identify
of the subject -- if it is an objective abstract work to make sure that the work is not
misinterpreted.

23
Abstract art may be objective or non-objective. In other words, it may or not have
subject. The fact that the art work is abstract makes it more difficult for the on looker to
distinguish whether there is subject or not. This is why titles or labels of such art works
are very important.

3. Distortion - which means "misshapened" or "deformed", is between realism and

abstractions, with the subject remaining recognizable.

In distortion, one or more features or details of the subject is exaggerated,

emphasizing this and making it different from the natural form. Distortion usually
dramatizes the shape or creates an emotional effect. El Greco, the noted exponent of
this style, in his painting of the Resurrection, elongated the torso of Christ, thus
enhancing the illusion of rising.

4. Symbolism - is the suggestive or representational presentation of the subject,

using symbols closely identified with the subjects.

A symbol is a visible sign of what's invisible. For instance, the cross represents
man's salvation. A dove symbolizes peace. An owl stands for wisdom. A lamb
signifies meekness.

Such relationships of object and meaning sometimes are rooted in traditional or

conventional associations and usages or perceived aptness.

If symbols are made use of in the visual arts, all the more they are resorted to in the
literary arts. The beauty, and at the same time, the difficulty in reading poetry is
attributed to the abundant use of symbolism.

A symbol is like shorthand. The symbol used may suggest or make one recall the story
associated with the figure. Take the image of Mercury. Mercury's symbols are the flat
cap with wings on either side, winged sandals and a staff with a snake entwined. The
wings on his cap and sandals suggest fleet footedness and makes one recall that he is
the messenger of the gods in Roman mythology.

Both Greek and Roman methodology are rich in symbols. Christians art of the
medieval age likewise abounds in symbols. We recognizes images of saints mainly
because of the symbols they carry. Take St. Peter. He is depicted as an old man with
white board, holding a big iron key or rooster. There is a biblical story behind each
symbol. Mary Magdalene's holding of a bottle of perfume also has a biblical story behind
it.

Symbolism flourished during the Early Medieval Era out necessity. That was the age
of martyrs and persecution of early Christians by pagan Roman soldiers. To survive
and escape detection by their persecutors, the early Christians resorted to using of
symbols to identify themselves to their fellow Christians. Among early Christian
symbols were the lamb, a palm leaf or olive branch, a ship's anchor, a cluster of grapes,
a loaf of bread. The fat white lamb stood for Jesus, the Lamb of God. The olive
branch recalled Jesus triumphant entry to Jerusalem which is now commemorated
during Palm Sunday. The anchor stood for hope and steadfast faith. The cluster of

24
grapes and the loaf of bread symbolize the wine and host, transformed into the blood
and body of Christ during Holy Mass.

In a theatrical presentation, signs or symbols become in evidence to indicate some

detail or phase of the story. For instance, the putting up of a star lantern would signify
the coming of Christmas, without any dialogue saying so.

There are signs today that we are again approaching an age of symbolism is giving
away to new conceptions of reality which have multiple dimensions and renewed
significance. At present, there is a revival of interest in the symbol and its meaning. The
danger, however, is that we tend to attribute symbolic meaning where none was meant by
the artist. The late short story writer Estrella D. Alfon, for instance, in one of her talks
deplored this layman's tendency. Her short story, Woman from the Well, mentioned a
leafless, siniguelas tree outside the batalan. She lamented that whenever this story came
up for discussion in short story classes, the leafless siniguelas tree was always
mentioned as symbolic of the barren or childless heroine of the story. According to the
author, she had no such symbolic intention in mind when she wrote the story. The
leafless tree was simply a part of the setting of the story. Such enthusiastic attributing of
symbolic meanings by readers or onlookers, in the case of painting and sculpture, is not
uncommon. Herein lies the danger of interpretation of the art work.

5. Surrealism - (super realism) is an artistic attempt to unravel a deeper reality than

that found in everyday life by bringing together outer and inner reality. Influenced by
Freudian psychology, it developed into dreams, fantasy, and the chance associations of
the subconscious mind. In expressing what is in the subconscious, the surrealist
sometimes come up with dream-like or nightmarish and grotes que figures and scenes.
One such example is Salvador Dali's painting, The Persistence of Memory. This
painting shows four limp watches supposed to depict the relatively, flexibility, and
destructibility of time. Such presentation of subject shows not only what exists in the
world but also what is in man's mind. Because surrealist paintings often show violent or
cruel aspects of man's thinking, they are not pleasant to behold. Many are even turned
off by such presentation of subject. Such are the paintings of Benjamin Mendoza, the
Bolivan painter, who came to the Philippines and tried to assassinate Pope Paul VI, the
first Pope to came to the Philippines. One painting of Mendoza showed a bamboo pole
pierced through the body of a cobra with a human face. Not all surrealistic art, however,
depict cruelty and nightmares. There are informative and symbolical surrealistic
paintings such as Marc Chagall's I and My Village. This painting has been given a
socio- economic and political interpretation based on realities in Russia.

Surrealism, a style in painting and in literature, was started by French poet, Andre
Breton in 1924.

6. Primitivism - seeks truth beyond the sophistication we have come to regard as part
of modern existence. This manner or presenting subject is a conscious attempt to be
quaint and child-like. Frenchman Paul Gaugins's painting, The Sulking Woman, is an
example of this style. His depiction of primitive idyllic life in the South Pacific using
bright, sunny colors typify this style.

7. Classicism - as shown in ancient Greco-Roman art emphasized symmetry, balance,

and emotional restraint. We see these in the repeated use of uniformly-spaced

25
columns in ancient Greek temples and the semi-circular arched windows of the
Roman Coliseum.

8. Romanticism - was, in a way, rebellion against the rigidity of the classical style, in the
desire for freedom of expression. A product of emotional reaction of the artist to his
fellowmen and to his environment, this style shows the extent of flexibility and subjectivity.

In the literary arts, particularly in poetry, romanticism is characterized by an affinity

with nature and the rural country folk, and sympathy for the poor and the
downtrodden. We read these in the poems of England's romantic poets such as
William Wordsworth, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Robert Burns, etc.

9. Impressionism - is an artistic product of the reaction against the perceived abuse of

the romantics. In painting, short broken strokes are used to show movement and play of
light on the subject, the spontaneity of feeling, and the fleeting, elusive effects of
atmosphere.

French painters, at the start of the 20th century, experimented with form.
Impressionism was a result of such experimentation. "Impressionism" as a term
referring to this style evolved from a painting of Claude Monet entitled,
Impressionism:

Sunrise

The favorite subjects of impressionist painters were drawn from ordinary day-to-day
activities of the common folk such as a pair of children holding hands while crossing a
meadow, or a woman seated on a sidewalk cafe, staring at people passing by, or a man
and woman at a country dance.

When the first impressionistic painting appeared in Paris, these were met with ridicule
and sneers by those accustomed to paintings of kings and nobility and historical and
biblical scenes that created permanent effects on life and on mankind. Impressionism
searched for a new way to define form through color and light.

10. Pointillism or Divisionism - is a neo-impressionist technique of painting in little dots of

pure color, often contrasting, to create a luminous effect.

11. Fauvism - the first important art movement of the 1900's and led by Henri Matisse,
used striking, bold bright colors spilling over freely.

The term fauvism is rooted in the French word fauves or wild beasts. Fauvistic painters
preferred subjects portraying comfort, joy and pleasure. They avoided ethical,
philosophical and psychological themes Vivid, spontaneous color effects were used in
an effect to liberate the painter's instincts. The trunk of a banana plant, for instance, need
not be green. It could be electric blue or bright orange or any other bright color, such is
fauvism.

26
12. Cubism - is based on a projection of abstract geometric forms. It transposed
natural forms into abstract arrangements of overlapping or transparent planes. As
cubism progressed, it completely eliminated subject matter; leaving only composition
and expression. Such is Piet Mondrian's cubistic painting entitle "Composition".

Because Cezanne initiated this style out of concern for structure which is traceable to
classicism, he is known as the "Father of Cubism". Today, however, Picasso, who
developed cubism together with Braque in the early 20th century, is more associated to
this style. Cubism is easily recognized because the subject is depicted by means of
squares and rectangles. In the Philippines, Anita Magsaysay is identified with this style.

13. Futurism - developed from cubism. As a style in painting, it aimed at dynamism

through depiction of various stages of movement or action. It tried to capture movement
and the dynamism of the modern world; often glorifying mechanical energy of modern
life. That is why its favorite subjects include cars, motorcycles, trains which stand for
speed and force of the modern industrial milieu. Futurism developed in Italy at
approximately the same time cubism appeared in France.

14. Dadaism - was a protest movement in the arts, which started after the first decade of
the 1900's in Zurich, Switzerland. It was a reaction against perceived outworn traditions
in art and the ends in society.

The term "dadaism" came from the French word "dada" which means 'hobby horse."
This style tried to rock and provoke. An experimental movement in art, especially in
literature, it used fantasy and normally un artistic material.

15. Expressionism - emphasis the "inner world" of subjective feelings rather than
descriptions of the subject. It gives an art work a personal intensity and meaning. This
style usually depicts extreme states of the mind, emotional turmoil, spiritual disturbances,
tragic moods, social stress and unrest.

Expressionistic art is characterized by the use of intense color, monumental form and
expressive line, uneven brush strokes, strokes, rough texture and other signs of
deliberate lack of refinement in applying paint. Large canvasses are often used in
the portrayal of expressionistic art.

The Necessity of Medium in Art

The term "medium" came from Latin. Translated into English, this Latin word signifies
"means". Applied to art, medium refers to the means by which the artist communicates
his idea, feeling or experience. Medium, then, is the material out of which an artist
creates his art work. Art can not exist without medium, although art can exist without
subject and function. Art has to exist in some medium to be recognized as art. An artist
has to translate his idea, feeling or experience into a form that can be perceived and
shared by others. The artist has to concretize and objectify what is on his mind and in
his heart. He can not go around saying, for instances, that he just finished a landscape
in his mind. He has to use lines, value, color, volume and perspective and organize
these into an aesthetic visual composition called painting. It would be impossible to
approached an artistic idea without recourse to some physical medium.

27
The Artist's Choice of Medium

When an artist envisions an art work to be created, part of his inspiration or plan
includes his choice of medium. This choice becomes a part of his creative activity. His
decision to draw in ink or in charcoal or to carve in wood or in marble will be significant to
the form he will come up with.

An artist's choice of medium may depend on the following factors:

1. What can best express what he wants to communicate

2. What materials are readily available or within his means

3. Climate and other geographical conditions that could affect the medium

4. The taste and style of the artist

5. The envisioned use or purpose of the art object

Aside from these considerations, an artist usually chooses a medium that he can handle
well. However, the nature of a medium determines the way it can be worked into an
art work. A sculptor, for instance, will have to east bronze. Wood or marble will have to
be chiseled.

Not all mediums can be used to express anything. Each medium has its own
possibilities and limitations which the artist should consider. The nature of the medium
often determines what can be expressed through it. Wood, for instance, can be earned
detailedly. This, however, cannot be done with limestone or adobe which would easily
be chipped.

An artist should be able to make his medium produce the effects that are part of his
artistic vision. His skillful useof his chosen medium is part of his individuality and
creativity. Artists using the same medium may use different techniques in handling the
medium. Techniques may vary depending on the artist's objective or as the need
arises.

Each new material and each new technique present possibilities for fresh
expressions and distinct expressions. An artist may use more than one medium. The
High Renaissance artist, Michelangelo Buonarotti, for instance, was a painter, a
sculpture and an architect. He, therefore, used varied mediums depending on whether
he was painting, carving or building tombs and chapels. William Blake, the British poet,
not only wrote poems but also sketched the ideas of the poem around the page on
which the poem was written. Jose Rizal was not only a writer. He was also a skilled
sculptor and painter. He too, naturally suited his choice medium to his art.

Classification of Art According to Medium

1. Visual arts or space arts - are those arts which use mediums

28
that can be seen and which occupy space. This arts may either be:
a) two-dimensional- like painting, drawing, print-making, photography
b) three-dimensional - like sculpture, architecture, the applied arts or artistic crafts

2. Auditory and phonetic arts or time arts - are those whose mediums can be heard or
which are expressed in time.

3. Combined Music, Literature - are those arts whose mediums can be both seen and
heard. They exist in both spaces and time. e.g. dance, drama, opera, films. Along with
music, the combined arts are better known as performing arts.

The Role of Function in Arts

Function in art suggests practical usefulness. It answers the question, "What is the
art work for?" Except in architecture, function is hardly considered in the fine arts.
Because of its inherent purpose, architecture is functional. The rest of the fine arts may
or may not have some practical use and are mainly non-functional. Function plays a
larger role in some arts than in others. However, as in all cases, there are exceptions
to this contention.

Take expository and argumentative writings, news stories, pictures, advertisements,

religious statues, coins, medals, medallions. Each illustrates an art form; yet each is,
in some way, functional. Each has a purpose other than aesthetic. Jose Rizal's novels,
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo fanned the smoldering anger of the Filipino who
saw themselves in the abused characters of the two novels. The same may be said about
Harriet Beacher Stowe's story, "Uncle Tom's Cabin", which vividly portrayed the pitiful
conditions of the Negro slaves in America.

The story incensed American human rightists of the period and increased the number
of adherents to the anti-slavery movement which culminated in Abraham Lincoln's
Emancipation Proclamation which later became an amendment to the U.S.
Constitution. Literature and painting, however, continue to be generally regarded as
the least functional of the arts. Architecture and the applied arts are the most directly
functional. Buildings, in fact, are known by their functions, school, hospital, residential
home, office, church, etc......

In a way, however, even the fine arts, serve a practical purpose. When we want, for
instance, to check ourselves up by getting rid of a depressed mood, we can listen to
lively dance music or read a humorous story or watch a cosmic show on television.

Some fine arts started as functional art. Music and dance belong to this category. Booth
are rooted religious and social rituals that were an integral part of ancient folkways.
Even as music developed into an art form, it did not entirely shed off its functional
nature. There are lullabies, work songs, courting songs, martial music, songs of worship,
patriotic songs etc...... Prior to and during the E.D.S.A. bloodless revolution of 1986,
the song "Bayan Ko" fanned the patriotic fervor of the people and made them braver and
more determined to topple the Marcos dictatorship and to restore lost freedoms. In
basketball games, cheering squads spur on the players to victory. The powerful
appeal and effect of music on man's emotions have been proven time and again.

29
The Effect of Function on Form

When an artist object or an artwork has some practical use, the shape or form of the
object conforms to how it is used. Form, then is dependent on function. And rightly so.
For if an object is made for some purpose, it should be made so that it can do what it is
supposed to do. Take baskets for instance. Baskets have varied forms and varied
uses. Finely woven baskets have a function which baskets designed with holes can not
perform. One's choice of basket will depend on how the basket will be used. The
choice of form, then, will hinge on the intended function.

Evaluating Functional Arts

Two questions should be asked when evaluating functional art:

1. Is it aesthetic enough or artistic enough to be art?

2. How well does it perform its function?

Unlike in non-functional art where the aesthetic of the work is the hole consideration,
functional art demands efficiency in the performance. The value of functional art depends
on whether its form conforms to its function. In other words, is the function of the object
carried out effectively because of its appropriate form? Many functional arts use
mediums which in themselves, are directly practical and useful. The value or importance
of any work art work, it should be remembered, depends on the artistry of the work itself
and net on whether it is functional or net.

(SEE NO. 3 OF “INSTRUCTIONS TO THE STUDENT”)

30
Humanities 1
Module I
Lesson 3

SELF-PROGRESS CHECK TEST

Directions: Using a separate sheet, supply the missing word or expression based
on Lesson 3.

Supply the missing answer:

1. ________ tells what the art work is about.

2. Art with subject is called _____________________.

3. Art without subject is called __________________.

4. If music has no subject it is called _____________ music.

5. Music with subject is called ____________ music.

6. ______ is a term that refers to art materials.

7. The practical use of an art object is called its _________.

8. _______ arts are those arts whose mediums can both be seen and heard

9. Art may exist without subject and function; but it cannot exist without ____________.

10. The almost photographic way of depicting subject is art is called _____________.

(SEE NO. 4 OF “INSTRUCTIONS TO THE STUDENT”)

31
Humanities 1
Module I
Lesson 4. Appreciating and Judging Art

Art and the Aesthetic Reaction

Art identifies certain objects or experiences as valuable because they elicit human
responses or judgments about qualities other than those normally associated with
practical usefulness or technologically purposeful or morality. These qualities
determine the aesthetic characteristics of an object or experience and, when
recognized, cause the aesthetic reaction.

The aesthetic reaction, however, is not restricted to art forms. One can react to the
beauty of nature or of a person. Man's aesthetic reaction and his capacity to create art
are part of his humanness and as such, are two of the factors that set him apart from
other animal forms.

Basic to the aesthetic reaction is usually a sense of awe at the object's physical qualities,
the skill with which it was produced, its complexity, or the insights one might develop
from it. We tend to marvel at the artists to produce a form that sensitively reflects
nature or the imaginative thinking of mankind.

Aesthetic reaction involves aesthetic perception and aesthetic response. Aesthetic

perception is the first stage of aesthetic reaction. This perception brings into primary
consideration the recognition that a form is beautiful. An individual's capacity to
respond aesthetically, that is, to recognize and react to beauty, depends on his ability
and willingness to perceive objects apart from their everyday qualities and in terms of
their formal characteristics. Once the onlooker is psychologically set to perceive the
object as aesthetic, it makes little difference what the specific formal characteristics are
or how they are arranged.

In a sense, the onlooker is preconditioned to accept the form as aesthetic when the
parts take in the conceptual qualities of the total image.

The means by which the art object is perceived is important because the form of the art
object is affected almost as much by the way the onlooker views it, as by the manner in
which the artist had envisioned his work.

If the art object appeals directly to the senses and/or the emotions, the image need not try
to meet any standards other than its own. It is essentially a receiver and a transmitter of
a value or a moaning from a source other than itself. the forms are inherently capable
of triggering a satisfying emotional or sensory response pattern.

If, however, perception of the art form depends on the establishment of an intellectual
involvement, the image must provide relationships among the various parts of the form
within the formal context, or between the form and a tradition against which it can be
judged. The satisfaction that results take place because the tension produced by the
initial stimulation is released and understanding develops.

32
The intellectual involvement can be based on different levels of response. First, the
response may be to narrative or symbolic factors. On a more abstract level, the response
may be to logic or rationality. On an even more abstract level, the response may be to
the proportional relationships of the parts that make up the form.

In each case, some learning is required to recognize the stimuli. The second stage of
aesthetic reaction is the aesthetic response. We can respond aesthetically to an
object whose primary purpose is utilitarian, economic, moral, etc... Only by shifting our
focus from its primary purpose to its characteristics.

In the aesthetic consideration of designed products or examples of the applied arts,

the skillful way of manufacturing the object is an important factor. Objects become more
valuable in our judgment when they can be evaluated positively on more than one value
level.

Appreciating Art

What is appreciation? In the broadest sense, it is the liking of something for itself.
It is also having vivid pleasant experiences. Art appreciation, like any other
pleasure, is an experience. It is a direct personal experience. This cannot be taught by
another. We can, however, be motivated or inspired or led to appreciate and enjoy art.
But first we must understand art before we can appreciate it. And there can be no
appreciation of art without experiencing it first. We cannot like or judge a painting, a
sculpture, a poem, a play unless we see these ourselves. These, then, becomes part of
our experience.

One who wishes to know and like the arts better may start by concentrating on some of
the basis for appreciation- some qualities of the art work that other people have
enjoyed. Our eyes and ears should first be opened to art so that seeing or hearing, we
may understand. Understanding art is the basis for appreciating it.

Artists can teach us how to see or her and how to enjoy. Their vision, then, becomes
ours too. They help us, through their presentation of their art work, make our
perceptual grasp of the world meaningful, satisfying, and communicable.

One of the basic ways of beginning to understand art is by asking questions about this.
For instance, while looking at a landscape, one may ask questions such as:

1. What type of language does the artist recreate?

2. Is it pleasant or hostile? Imagine yourself part of the scene. Are you drawn in or
held back from the scene?

3. Is the artist concerned with depicting the space surface details, textures, movement
of the topography as they would be seen? Or are these qualities invisible to the senses
for which the artist has sought drawing or painting equivalents?

4. Does the artist show nature as lawless or has he imposed his own concept of order
on it? Could he have found an intrinsic order in nature?

33
5. Does the painting show evidence of man's relation to nature as part of the subject?

6. Study attentively the devices and styles used by the artist to fix his observations,
impulses or fantasies. Reflect on how these up the over-all mood and quality of the work.
Analysing an art work like this will load to a rational and not instinctive appreciation of
art. A rational appreciation where the mind is convinced that the art work is worth liking
is a deeper and a more lasting type of appreciation.

The Appreciative Attitude

Enlarging our understanding of the arts to increase our appreciation of them, go

together. For art can not be understood without appreciation and appreciation
depends on understanding.

Roughly speaking, the appreciative attitude is opposed to both the practical and the
analytical. When one is very practical, one is not thinking about the delights of the
present or the sensuous quality of the thing before him. Rather, one is more concerned
about some future goal and means of attaining this, and sees in the objects around him
only the relations these have to his goal. One sees things as tools or instruments and
values these not for themselves but only as means to ends. An example is a former who
sees a cloud merely as a sign of rain which his crops need. Only if this farmer stops
being practical for a moment will he see the cloud as a mass of moving, changing
shapes fascinating to the eye.

Similarly, if a man is being purely analytic, he does not enjoy the thing for itself but
considers it as something to be classified, related to other things be cause and effect,
or broken down into elements which can be correlated and formulated into laws. A
meteorologist, looking at a cloud, for instance, will immediately begin to classify the cloud
as cumulous in type and from this classification and other relations observed, he draws
inferences and perhaps will predict an electrical storm. In his attitude as scientist, the
meteorologist is interested in these relations and predictions and does not appreciate the
cloud for itself; just like the farmer.

To appreciate an object, then, we have to get away from thinking about what uses the
object has for us or what relations can be analyzed out of it. To appreciate is to find
delight in something for just the thing it is in our perception.

Actually, if we can keep the practical and analytical attitudes off and keep our
perceptions and emotional responses seen, almost inevitably, what we see before
us will be appreciated. It will be either liked or disliked for itself. If it is liked, this is
what we mean by an object of appreciation. It is the sort of thing that is often called
"a thing of beauty."

To some extent then, it is within our power to find things beautiful or not, at will. If we
bring an appreciative attitude to the world around us, we right away find much to
appreciate. The cloud is out there, ready to be appreciated by anybody with the
appreciative attitude. But if we are absorbed in practical matters, it will be very difficult for

34
the beauty of the cloud to break through out mind and senses and be perceived as an
object of immediate enjoyment.

There are, to be sure, some things so obviously and intensely enjoyable that it
surprise us if people do not enjoy them. Yet, even a sunset does not always make
itself felt. There is always some need of cooperation on the onlookers part. At least, one
must bring some readiness to be appreciative. There are, however, some objects so
designed that they stimulate the appreciative attitude and sustain this attitude once it
is attained. These are works of art. If we can understand these art objects and the
ways in which they give us enjoyment or the ways we can get enjoyment out of them,
then we shall be able to understand objects of appreciation.

Analyzing and Judging Art

When analyzing a work of art, it is both helpful and sound procedure to begin with a
detailed consideration of the content or ideas, feelings, experiences, that the artist
sought to convey. After all, our usual initial reaction to an art work is to ask the
question, "what is it?" or "what is it about?"

Once a satisfactory answer to the above questions is reached, attention then can be
focused on how well the medium was able to express the artist's subject or intention.

A consideration of how the parts of a composition were put together as part of the
artist's aesthetic vision and skill should come next. This may require know-how on the
part of the of the evaluating the art work. A knowledge of art principles and principles of
design are needed to do justice to the work of art.

Our response to an artist's style can be a very personal matter. Sometimes the reaction
is instinctive, spontaneous, and difficult to explain. The sound and valid evaluation,
however, is not based on such a response but on a rational or intellectual basis
reflecting some understanding and knowledge of art and aesthetics and principles
underlying these.

Throughout the history of art, content and form have been interrelated. An analysis of
a work of art should bring out, step by step, what the artist wanted to show and how he
did this. In analyzing the aesthetic means the artist used such as line, color, texture,
space order, how each of these contributed to the quality of the work as a whole, should
be pointed out.

It is not right to simply dissect a work of art into a series of parts and leave them just
like that. Being able to see and discuss, if needed, how all parts of a composition blend
and work together, is essential. For first and foremost, the composition should be
regarded in its totality.

Relevance to the theme or mood of the art work is important to consider when rendering,
for instance, on the choice and use of certain shapes or colors. If this poses some
difficulty, one can try imagining a change of color or shape. Then consider the result and
its effect on the total expressiveness.

35
Essential to an analysis of art are patience, concentration and care. You may find that
when you do your first analyses, no idea may surface right away. This way be due to
inexperience or difficulty in concentrating. Although this may happen, your exposure
to the art work is, in itself, valuable. Perhaps this will be the artist has done. Constant
exposure and prolonged contact will help in remembering details and will train us to
conjure in our mind a painting or a sculpture absent from our sight.

Sometimes, the attempt to describe a work of art will push further our faculties, then
when we merely contemplate it passively.

It should not come as a surprise that at the start of the analysis, certain features of
the art work will be more understandable than others. These observations should be
noted as they come. Be attentive to, but not uncritical of, first impressions. Consider
first major characteristics such as theme, form, not minute details like brush strokes.

Observations, especially when written, should be clear and logically organized, showing
interrelationships, where possible. The conclusion of an analysis should indicate what
the artist did or was not able to do.

A good analysis of a painting or sculpture involves a certain amount of description.

By itself, however, description is not analysis. The reader of the analysis should be able
to visualize in his mind the appearance of what is discussed. Part of the analysis should
be on why things were done as they were. Relating observations to specific areas or to a
part of the art work will facilitate verification of these if so desired.

The most difficult properties of art to analyze and communicate are the qualities of
an object, the mood generated by the artist's medium, or the impression of precision
or improvisation in technique. For the English language and more so, Pilipino, are not
perfectly adapted for dialogue with visual ideas and the effects of line, color, shades and
space.

It is possible, however, to work within the possibilities of our communicative tool or

medium, despite limitations.

Although in the study and analysis of works of art there is the danger of becoming so
concerned with the artist and the circumstances surrounding the work of art that the
fresh, direct experience of the work is lost, a greater knowledge of an artist's
production can sharpen our awareness of the subtleties of his work and often reveal
new content which may not have initially perceived.

36
Humanities 1
Module 1
Lesson 4

SELF-PROGRESS CHECK TEST

Fill in the blanks

1. & 2. Aesthetic reaction involves __________ and _____________.

3. _________ is the liking of something and having pleasant sensory, emotive or

mental experiences because of it.

4. Art appreciation, like any other pleasure, is an ____________.

5. Art must first be __________ before it can be appreciated.

6. A ________ appreciation of an art work is better than an instinctive appreciation of it.

7. & 8. The appreciative attitude is opposed to the ___________ and the

________________.

9. & 10. In the history of art, ________ and __________ have been interrelated.

(SEE NO. 4 OF INSTRUCTIONS TO THE STUDENT”)

37
Humanities 1
Module I

ANSWER KEYS TO THE SELF-PROGRESS CHECK TESTS

Lesson 1 Lesson 2

1. cultured or refined 1. timeless

2. arts 2. universal

3. cultural 3. sensory

4. man 4. creativity

5. human being 5. imagination

6. rational 6. aesthetic

7. therapeutic 7. beauty

8. expression 8. therapeutic

9. Greeks 9. communication

10. Renaissance 10. style

Lesson 3 Lesson 4

1. subject 1. aesthetic perception

2. objective/representational 2. aesthetic response

3. non-objective/representational 3. appreciation

4. pure/absolute 4. experience

5. program 5. understood

6. medium 6. rational

7. function 7. practical

8. combined 8. analytical

38
9. medium 9. form

10. realism 10. content

39
40