CHAPTER 3 Ex.

Some OPM singers render concerts for free because of their passion for music and
Objectives
 Discuss the different functions of art
 Distinguish between functional and non-functional art
 Realize the function of some art forms in daily life
 Explain the basic philosophical perspectives on the art
because of their generosity.
2. Social Function. As a social being, man associates with those around him. Art is an
avenue to extend his sense of belongingness and connection with people. Through art,
man learns to love and help each other. Art gathers man as one family and community,
through celebration like festivals, choral singing or group dancing in religious rituals.
Architectural structure like houses are built to unite families.

FUNCTIONS OF ART

Art plays an important role in the society. There is difficulty in quantifying the
functions of arts in the history of mankind being because almost all creations of man
had its own unique purpose. Different art forms have its unique functions and different
reasons for being created.

1. Personal or Individual Function. Artists have their personal reason as they try to
express themselves. An artist may create out of a need for self-expression, or
gratification. The artist might have wanted to communicate a thought or point to the
viewer.
Sinulog Festival- Cebu
1. Economic Function. Any art production will definitely involve money.
Reproduction of any artworks that would still become the highest-paid, or
even the reproduction of songs by great singers like Michael Jackson, Celine
Dion and Whitney Houston will gain millions of dollars. Film industries that
spent millions of pesos for the production. J.K. Rowling, the author of the
best-selling Harry Potter series, became one of the most highly paid woman
in British history.

Ex. Fernando Amorsolo, painted “Mango Pickers, 1936” (and others to showcase the
life and real experience of Filipinos working in the field and for some audience to
appreciate the beauty of nature.

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 in one cultural spirituality. People from the past worshipped their gods through
sculptures with music and dance. Nowadays, people are gathered in an architectural
structure like churches, arenas and other venues to worship and they incorporate music
and dance.

4. Political Function. Political aspect of one particular country plays a very distinctive
role nowadays. Arts became the political medium to promote their political programs
and political status.

The Basílica de la Sagrada Família also known as the Sagrada Família

5. Cultural Function. Tangible representations of one culture such as architectural

structures like buildings, sculpture like furniture and intangible representations like
music, dance, and language or literary piece form part of a nation’s culture. These
cultural representations through art forms serve as a channels to share and transmit
from one generation to another generation.
A synagogue is a Jewish or Samaritan house of worship.
7. Physical Function. Our health is our first priority, architectural structure like
hospitals, physical therapy center and laboratories are there to assist us for health care.
Music and dance perform an important role when our bodies need to rejuvenate and
revitalize, one example is Zumba dance and reflective music for yoga. Painting therapy
was proven as therapeutic by some cancer patient.

“Ati-Atihan Fesival” “Pandanggo sa Ilaw”

6. Religious Function. Art forms like architecture,

music, dance, and sculpture play an important role

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Zumba Dance Yoga
8. Aesthetic Function. Beautification adds appeal and excitement like displays of
paintings in an empty area on a wall. Fashion always aims for beauty that is appealing
to the eye. Film industries, Opera’s and Theater provide extravagant and beautiful
props and costumes for its realistic impact and appeal.
The Greatest Showman is a 2017 American musical drama film
Mural
FUNCTIONAL AND NON-FUNCTIONAL ARTS
Escalona (1992) classified arts into functional and non-functional
1. Functional arts – These are the arts which have practical usage.
Functional art refers to art forms that are produced to perform specific or
several purposes. An example of this classification is a chair. It is not
only the form of the chair that is presented. Its functional purpose is also
highly appreciated too.
Ex. A potter who creates tea sets is making functional art.
2. Non-Functional Arts- These are the arts which have no other purpose
except that of giving pleasure or life enhancement.
Ex. Paintings and such pieces of art that are created to view and
contemplate.
CLASSIFICATIONS OF ART
Artist always has the freedom to express themselves through countless ways
and several means, including visual arts, performing arts, decorative arts and applied
arts. Likewise, artist chooses subject for his artworks to express his intention. This
consideration will provide clues on the viewer’s understanding of the artworks and the
intentions of the artist.
1. Visual Arts- It deals with any creation of an artist that are primarily visual in nature.
a) Painting- It is a category in visual and fine arts that involves the application
of paint, pigment, color, or other medium to a surface (support base) in order
to present a picture of a subject. Paintings may have support bases such as
walls, paper, canvas, wood, concrete glass, cloth, or cardboard.
Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
The Mona Lisa was originally this type of portrait, but over time its
meaning has shifted and it has become an icon of the Renaissance—
perhaps the most recognized painting in the world.
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2. Performing Arts
The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh
Starry Night is one of the most recognized pieces of art in the world.
It is absolutely everywhere, too. It can be seen on coffee, mugs, t-shirts,
towels, magnets, etc.  cultures and used as a form of expression, social interaction and exercise or
There are various interpretations of Starry Night and one is that this
canvas depicts hope. It seems that van Gogh was showing that even with a
dark night such as this it is still possible to see light in the windows of the
houses. Furthermore, with shining stars filling the sky, there is always light to
guide you.
b) Sculpture- It is the art of carving, modelling, casting, assembling, and
constructing materials into figures of forms.
d) Plastic Arts - These are art forms that involve modeling or molding such as
sculpture and ceramics, or art involving the representation of solid objects
with three-dimensional effects.
Examples are architectural designs and construction of buildings and
other structures: landscape gardens, furnishing designs, City Planning,
Interior Design, Industrial Design, etc.
a) Dance- It is a type of art that generally involves movement of the body,
usually rhythmic and dependent to music, performed in many different
presented in a spiritual or performance setting. It may also be regarded as a
form of non-verbal communication between humans. This includes ballroom
dance, ballet, modern dance, hip-hop dance, folk dance and others.
b) Music - The art of combining sounds of varying pitches to produce a coherent
composition that is melodious, harmonious, intelligible, and expressive of
ideas and emotions. Examples of music are vocal music, instrumental music,
opera, music comedy, musical play and others.

Andres Bonifacio Monument

The Andrés Bonifacio Monument, commonly known simply as
Bonifacio Monument or Monumento, is a memorial monument in Caloocan,
Philippines which was designed by the National Artist Guillermo Tolentino to
commemorate Philippine revolutionary Andrés Bonifacio, the founder and
Supremo of the Katipunan.
c) Theater- A play or a drama that is being re-created by an actress or actors to
c) Architecture- It is the art of designing and constructing buildings and other form a dramatic art form.
non-building structure for man’s use.

The Colosseum in Rome is the largest and most famous monument in the Roman

world. Ang Huling El Bimbo Miss Saigon

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 d) Film- or motion picture is the art of moving images; a visual medium that
tells stories and exposes reality. Thus, it is the manipulation of reality through
image and sound.
3. Literary Arts- written material such as poetry, novels, poems, drama and others. It
is highly expressive in nature with the choice of words and emotional images.
4. Digital Arts – like graphic arts, it has two-flat dimensional surface, such as
painting, drawing, photography and other products of printing industry with the aid of
computer and other electronic devices.
5. Pop Art- This group is characterized as gay and lively. It includes film, newspaper,
magazines, radio and television.
6. Gustatory Art of the cuisine- This involves skill in food preparation or food art.
7. Decorative Arts- They are visual objects produced for aesthetic function for
houses, interior designs, offices, cars and other structures.
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ARTS
Art as an Imitation
- In Plato’s metaphysics or view of reality, the things in this world are only
copies of the original, the eternal, and the true entities that can only be found
in the World of Forms.
- Plato was convinced that artists merely reinforce the belief in copies and
discourage men to reach for the real entities in the World of Forms.
- Art is an imitation of imitation. A painting is just an imitation of nature which
is also just an imitation of reality in the World of Forms.
- For Plato, art is dangerous because it provides a petty replacement for the real
entities than can only be attained through reason.
Art as a Representation
- Aristotle, agreed with Plato that art is a form of imitation.
- However, Aristotle considered art as an aid to philosophy in revealing the
truth.
- The kind of imitation that art does is not contrary to the reaching of
fundamental truths in the world
- Unlike Plato who thought that art is an imitation of another imitation.
Aristotle conceived of art as representing possible versions of reality.
- For, Aristotle, all kinds of art do not aim to represent reality as it is, it
endeavors to provide a version of what might be or the myriad possibilities of
reality.
Art as a Disinterested Judgement
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 - Immanuel Kant, in his Critique of Judgement considered the judgement of
beauty, the cornerstone of art, as something that can be universal despite its
subjectivity.
- Kant recognized that judgement of beauty is subjective.
- However, even subjective judgements are based on some universal criterion
for the said judgement.
Art as a Communication of Emotion

- According to Leo Tolstoy, art plays a huge role in communication to its

audience’s emotions that the artist previously experienced.
- In the same that language communications information to other people, art
communicates emotion.
- As a purveyor of man’s innermost feelings and thoughts, art is given a unique
opportunity to serve as a mechanism for social unity.
- Art is central to man’s existence because it makes accessible feelings and
emotions of people from the past and present.

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