GEC 07

ART APPRECIATION

Lecture 1
Art and Humanities

The art and humanities aren’t just there to be consumed when we have a free moment.
We need them as medicine. They help us live.
- Barrack Obama

Objectives:
At the end of the lecture, students are expected to:
 Distinguish the humanities and the sciences as fields of learning.
 Understand the Filipino notion of personhood or pagkatao.
 Examine the history of art as a humanistic discipline.
 Compare and contrast the concepts of art according to Western thought and
Filipino thought.
 Discover the Filipino identity through the arts.
 Apply the Filipino sense of art in the process of appreciating art.

Lectures
1.1. Art as a Humanistic Discipline
1.2. The Humanities and the Filipino Personhood (Pagkatao)
1.3. The Filipino Concept of Art

Videos:
“Laura Morelli (2014). “Is there a difference between art and craft?” In https://www.you
tube.com/watch? v=tVdw60eCnJI

“Xiao Time: Damian Domingo, Ama ng PHL Painting at unang pormal na gurong Filipino
ng sining sa Pinas” (2014) in https://www.you tube.com/watch?v=3i8muLe9vss.

ANC-NCCA (2015). “Dayaw: Inukit, Hinulma, Nilikha (Iconic Symbols of the Indigenous)”
Episodes 3. In https://www.you tube.com/wat ch?v=8KlO 6_Jpd-4.
________________________________________________________________
Lecture 1.1
Art as a Humanistic Discipline

The Meaning of Humanities

Nine days before his death, Immanuel Kant was visited by his physician. Old, ill and nearly
blind, he rose from his chair and stood trembling with weakness and muttering unintelligible words.
Finally his faithful companion realized that he would not sit down again until the visitor had taken a
seat. This he did, and Kant then permitted himself to be helped to his chair and, after having
regained some of his strength, said, “The sense of humanity has not yet left me” The two men
were moved to tears. (Panofsky, 1955)

In the field of learning, there are two primary

divisions, Sciences and Humanities. The latter is
comprised of language, history, art, and
philosophy. In the discussion of Gabelo (2018),
humanities is composed of academic disciplines
that make it distinctive in both content and method
from the physical and biological sciences and from
the social sciences.
MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA
Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

Humanities deals with human phenomena. It is derived from Latin word

humanus, which means human, cultured, and refined. With the words’ origin, Humanities
in Latin is humanitas. According to Panofsky (1955), humanitas is the quality which
distinguishes man, not only from animals, but also, and even more so, from him who
belongs to the species homo without deserving of homo humanus; from the barbarian or
vulgarian who lacks pietas, that is respect for moral values and that gracious blend of
learning and urbanity which can only circumscribe by the discredited word “culture”
Based from the discussion of Estolas, Javier and Payno (2011), the said definition is
based on the philosophical view of humanism which stresses the dictum of Protagoras, a
Greek philosopher, that “man is the measure of all things,” implying that the humanities
emphasizes the dignity and worthiness of man and recognizes creative expressions.
Then, for White (1997) as cited by Leano and Agtani (2018), the humanities are the
stories, the ideas, and the words that help us make sense of our lives and our world. In
the explanation of Sanchez, et al. (2012), the term humanities refers to the arts - visual
arts such as architecture, painting, and sculpture; music, dance, the theater or drama,
and literature. They are the branches of learning concerned with human thought, feelings
and relations. The importance of the human being and his feelings and how he
expresses those loose feelings have always been the concern of the humanities.

Paradigm of Learning

The basic question in humanities is Who Am I? because the paradigm of learning in

humanities uses reflexive method. Martin and Jacobus
(2004) as cited by Gabelo (2018) explained that
humanities contains records of man’s quest for answers
to the fundamental questions he often asks about
himself and about the world he lives in. Unlike in the
paradigm for learning in the sciences, a scientist learns
about everything in the world through scientific method.
The idea is, for a person to understand the world, he
should start knowing himself first. The basic answer to
the question, who am I? is I am a human being.
According to Gabelo (2018), to be human is to show characteristics of rationality,
benevolence and care; to be cultured and refined is to show good tastes and manners
indicative of good, proper education. These are manifested in all he thoughts and actions
that center on human
interests and ideals, values
and sentiments. She also
added that, there are
fundamental principles that
stress the importance of the
individual and specific
human needs. One the
underlying principles is
self-concept which has
important role in one’s
growth and development.
It is said to be the
main reason why
humanists gain wisdom
rather than knowledge. In gaining knowledge, it is comparable to ancient Greek

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

philosopher, Thales of Miletus who investigated various areas of knowledge and

tried to explain cosmological events. In the illustration below, he fell to the ditch
while he was busy observing the sky. It is figuratively explaining that as human
beings tend to focus on the everything about the world, they may not see what is
most essential and important to them which are just in front of them or within their
grasp. Then, it will lead to forgetting to know anything about themselves.

What is Art?

According to Estolas, Javier and Payno (2011), art is derived from the Latin word,
ars, meaning ability or skill. In this sense, art is used in many varied ways. It covers those
areas of artistic creativity that seek to communicate beauty primarily through the senses.
Then, for Brommer (1997), art is difficult to define. He added that unlike light, though,
art isn’t one thing or single phenomenon. People create it, and that’s enough to make it
complicated and subject to many definitions. Furthermore, he said that art can be
personal, art call for social change, and art can portray human emotions as well as evoke
them. It can express harmony or disharmony, show simple and everyday in unfamiliar
ways, or be monumental, mysterious, and fantastic. Art is perhaps humanity’s most
essential universal language. While art uses visual images to communicate its messages,
we use words to describe the images, reactions and feelings we have about objects of
art.
Moreover, Martin and Jacobus (2008) defined art as something that brings us into
direct communication with others and reveals the essence of our existence. Also,
Sanchez, et al., 2012) viewed art as very important in our lives. They explained
that art constitutes one of the oldest and most important means of expression developed
by man. In this sense, Leano and Agtani (2018) also agreed to the idea that art helps us
make sense of our world, and it broadens our experience and understanding. The arts
enable us to imagine the unimaginable, and to connect us to the past, the present,
sometimes simultaneously. Then, it confirms to the idea of Sanchez et al. (2012) that
wherever men have lived together, art has sprung up among them as a language
charged with feeling and significance. The desire to to create this language appears to e
universal. As a cultural force, it is pervasive and potent. It shows itself even in primitive
societies.

ASSUMPTIONS OF ART
Panisan, Bongabong, Boongaling & Trinidad (2018) gave three assumptions
about art; art is universal, art is not nature, and art involves experience. Below is
their explanation about the assumptions of art.
There are principles and bases of appreciating a work of art since it is in art
that man can communicate one’s individuality and way of life.

Art is Universal
Art is everywhere; wherever men have lived together, art has sprung up
among them as a language charged with feelings and significance. The desire to
create this language appears to be general, and art as a cultural force can be
pervasive and potent. Art has no limit, and it rises above cultures, races, and
civilization. It is timeless because it goes beyond the time of our own existence.

Art is not Nature

Art is man-made; it is a creation of man utilizing his thoughtful skill and artistry,
which undergoes process and planning. Art is artificial because it is just an
imitation or even an appropriation of reality and nature. It is a representation of
ideas, thoughts, and feelings that are communicated in creative and artistic ways.
Art that is created by God is divine, and art that is created by man is superficial or
temporary. Works of art are made by artists to adore the wonders of life and the
beauty of God’s creation.
MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA
Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

Art can never be natural because it is momentary in the constant

transformation of change; it does not change by itself unless manipulated by its
creator, which is man. Artists could make any work of art, but they definitely could
not form nature. From man’s experiences, we cannot even compare art with
nature because it is something mysterious, and it is made by the Divine
Providence whose depth and mystery is beyond human understanding.
Art involves experience.
Art is a depiction of our experiences. It demands taking part. Art involves
laying of pigments, moulding of clay, chipping of marble, casting of bronze,
constructing of buildings, singing of songs, playing roles on stage, acting, and
going through rhythmic movements in a dance. Every art does something
with some physical material, the body or something outside the body; thus,
the only way to find conviction and assertion is through immersion in the arts.
We can only appreciate art if we spend time to look at it, touch it, and feel it.

Functions of Art based on the discussion of Leano and Agtani (2018)

No piece of art can be assigned a function in essay form or in casual

conversation, it is not first considered within the proper context. Trying to classify
function depends on context.
That said, the functions of art normally fall into three categories. These are
personal, social and physical functions. These categories can and do, overlap in
any given piece of art (Essak, 2018)

The Personal Function

An artist may create out of need for self-expression, or gratification. He/She

might have wanted to communicate a thought or point to the viewer. Perhaps the
artist was trying to provide an aesthetic experience, both self and viewers. A
piece might have been meant to “merely” entertain others. Sometimes, a piece
isn’t meant to have any meaning at all.
On slightly higher level, art may serve the personal functions of control. Art is
used to bring order to a disorganized and disorderly world. Conversely, art can be
used to create confusion when an artist feels life is too dull and ordinary.
Art can also be therapeutic for both the artist and the viewer. Expressive art
therapy is the use of creative arts as a form of therapy and is a fantastic field that
has proven to work wonders in may people’s lives.

It can help someone express themselves, explore their emotions, manage

addictions, and improve self-esteem. Example, music. The therapeutic value of
music cannot be ignored. Woks of an art make us aware of other ways of thinking,
feeling, and imagining that have never occured to us before.

Another personal function of art is that of religious service. Religious art

usually expresses collective ideas about human life in relation to the divine. For
our purposes, then, an art of spiritual concern is any search for ultimate values
through the use of visual form. The crucifixion is an example of visual form in
relation to our religious belief. Another us the “The Last Supper” painting.

The Social Function

One cannot conceive of a society without art, for art is closely related to every
aspect of social life. Social functions of art are those that go beyond personal
intrinsic value to art’s social benefits. Individuals and their society are dynamically
related. Art communicates. Most often it is constructed with the intention of

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

sharing responses to and opinions about life with others. Art enriches, informs,
and questions world. When highly values, it can be both social and financial asset.
Art can have powerful transformattive and restorative effects within a society as
well.

Art performs a social function when:

1. Influences social behavior (Political Function). It seeks or tends to influence

the collective behavior of a people. Example is the “Bayanihan”. Some people
think that art designed to influence social behavior is corrupt, impure, “mere”
propaganda, and so on.

2. Display and celebration. It is created to be seen or used primarily in public

situation like fiestas, parade, etc.
One function of sculpture and painting is the commemoration of important
personages in society. The statues of national heroes that grace our parks and
plazas are commemorative works as are the commissioned paintings of leaders
or rulers. Often they serve to record important historical events, or reveal the
ideals of heroism and leadership that the community would want the young to
emulate.
Social description expresses or describes social or collective aspects of
existence as opposed to individual and personal kind of experiences.

The Physical Function

The physical functions of art are often the easiest to understand. Works of art
that are created to perform some service have physical functions.

1. Form and Function

The function of an object is generally essential in the basic form that it
takes. A chair is so designed as to allow the seated body rest comfortably on
it. The shapes, sizes, and different parts are harmoniously related to one
another and integrated into an object that fulfills and tells about their
particular purpose.

2. Architecture
The design of the building is determined primarily by its operational
function. What is the building for? Who are going to use it? How many are
they? The design that a building takes is also adapted to the climate of the
region. The architect must take the physical, psychological, and spiritual
needs of the family into account when he designs a house.

3. Community Planning
A community is more than just a group of buildings. It is a group of
individuals and families living in a particular locality because of common
interest and needs. Community planning involves the efficient organization of
buildings, roads, and spaces so that they meet the physical and aesthetic
needs of the community.

Community planning takes into consideration the assignment of areas for

proper land use. These are:

3.1 Residential districts

Special areas are assigned for residential purposes. The present
trend is to get away from overcrowded downtown districts and the
attendant problems and settle in areas where it is possible to blend
the charms of rural living with the conveniences of urban living.
MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA
Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

3.2 Industrial and commercial areas

These areas are usually located near the source raw materials. A
commercial area can be a cluster of small neighborhood stores, a
shopping complex in the suburbs, or a central downtown district. It is
usually situated where it can be reached easily by car or public
transport.
3.3 Civic centers
A community governs itself; it, therefore provides structures
where the functions of government can be efficiently carried out, and
which would, in appearance, be symbolic of community dignity and
pride.
3.4 Parks, plazas, and malls
The need for a balance between man-made structures and
natural areas is answered in the design of plazas and malls. These
may provide some relief from problems such as air and water
pollution, inadequate facilities for recreation, and lack of parking
space.
3.5 Streets and roads
Transportation must function with reasonable ease and rapidity
from one area to another. Streets are large or small according to their
function.

4. Function and beauty

Man things remain the same in shape throughout the years because their
functional requirements do not allow for greater variations in their form. Time
has proved that their designs best enable them to accomplish their purpose.

Humanities and Art

According to Flores (1998), humanities as it deals with the arts has to identify key
areas.

1. Art as aesthetic performance

At the vital center of the Humanities is how the social person (not man or individual
or human being) encounters the world through emotion, thought, and action. No amount
of emperical natural and social science could make us abandon the wisdom that to
encounter the world is to encounter it multidimensionally and never in fragmented ways,
but always through a specific perspective. While there are distinctions built into the
relationship among the spheres of human emotions, thought, and action, we need not
delink the performative chain to celebrate false harmony. We only have to realize that, as
playwright Bertolt Brecht puts it, “to think feelings and feel thoughtfully” is to apprehend
the world in moments of contradiction and re-creation. The world in this encounter both
embedded and embodied in the body politic in the process of performance.
The concept of this encounter compels us to come to grips with the aesthetic
experience, or the manner in which makes sense of the world as we see, touch, hear,
taste, feel and intuit it. In the process, we discern the modes by which the world is
constituted and how we are constituted in relation to it, as well as the strategies by which
people transform nature or familiar convention into something different, into form which
transcends the tedium of structure. And the thorny issue here is that the transcendence
need not be solely ascribed to artistic practice. In other words, everyday life which
supposedly lies outside the domains of the art world is very much governed by aesthetic
logic.

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

2. Art as discourse and signifying system of cultural knowledge

The discussion of art as signifying practice of cultural knowledge sheds light on the
close relationship between technique and technology of meaning.

3. Art as social history.

The Humanities must not only be committed to aesthetic experience and the
language of artistic communication, but also to the social enactment of experience and
communication in a given historical context. As we encounter the world and speak the
language of art, we must also reckon with how the world is produced through labor and
capital. The scale of mural implicates, for instance, the public that must come under its
gaze. The still life emerges from middle-class patronage and reconstructs the spatial
logic of the home and domesticity. What is the relationship between the luster ans
density of oil and the politics of capitalist consumption? What are the social implications
of linear perspective?
These concerns and questions home into the question of social history of which art
is not only part but, in fact, participates in producing it. Social history produces art and art
produces social history not by reproducing it through imitation and reflection, but through
representation and reinvention using the labor and capital of artistic production. This
artistic production is never to be reified from the social conditions of production in history,
but must also be viewed as the sole determinant of aesthetic experience and artistic
meaning.

Artist and Artisan

Works of art are valued not only by

artists and patrons but also by entire
cultures. (Adams, 2011) When does a
creative work be called as art? What is
the distinction between art and craft?

During the early times, artists and

artisans work together as their patrons
would pay them collective. Collective
efforts were paid well rather than
individual work. A patron, someone
who commissions works of art, often orders more monumental tributes. (Adams,
2011, p. 2)

It was until 14th century when the distinction between

artist and artisan was slowly taken shape. There was a
sudden rise in the appreciation of individual creativity than
collective production. In the discussion of Hodge (2014) she
said that the role of the artist as “genius” developed during the
14th century, with a status far beyond that of the skilled artisan
and craftsman.

Then, in 1550, Geogio Visari, an Italian painter and

architect, published his book entitled, Lives of the Most
Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects. Personages
whose biographies were included in the his book, became
well-known. Also, it was the birth of the so-called “artist”

Gabelo (2018) identified what is an artist and an artisan. For her, artist is a person
who exhibits exceptional skills in the visual and/or
the performing arts. Unlike other people, artists are more sensitive, very perceptive and
more creative. They have the knack of interpreting ideas into an artistic form using as

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

their medium the words, pigments, clay, stone, musical notes or any combination that
may be best represent his image. Then, an artisan, on the other hand, is a person who is
skilled trade that involves making things by hands. He is a craftsworker who makes or
creates objects of great beauty by just using their hands. His creations may be functional
or decorative like an earthen pot or “palayok” for cooking or vase for decoration.
In the Western art, there are two classifications; major art and minor art. The former
is made by artists and primarily concerned with the form of beauty while the latter is
made by artisans and concerned with functionality and usefulness of human-made
objects. According to Leano and Agtani (2018), an artist is dedicated only to creative side,
making visually pleasing work for only for the enjoyment. And appreciation of the viewer
but with no functional value.Then, an artisan is essentially a manual worker who makes
items with his or her hands, and who through skill, experience. And talent can create
things of great beauty as well as being functional.

Take a look at the picture of the

ceiling of Sistine Chapel.Before
Michaelangelo painted the ceiling, it
was built first by artists and artisans.
But it is only Michaelangelo takes the
credit.
In the example, it is clear what an
artist and an artisan are capable of.
Both artists and artisans are creative
and have skills and talents. They are
both incomparable because each has
unique way of presenting their artistic
talent.

However, the Western concept of art, for an artist

to be called artist,one should attended in an
art school. Also, art is meant for higher social
class. Lastly, there is hierarchy between liberal
and servile art.

According to Adams (2011), in the West,

the major
visual arts fall
into three broad
categories: pictures, sculpture, and
architecture.
She added that pictures (from the Latin word
pingo, meaning “I paint”) are two-dimensional
images (from the Latin word imago, meaning
“likeness”) with height and width and are
usually flat. Pictures are not only paintings,
however: they include mosaics, stained glass,
tapestries, drawings, prints, and photographs

Aside from visual arts, music, dance drama and literature are also part of the
major Western art.

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

LECTURE 1.2
The Humanities and the Filipino Personhood (Pagkatao)

In lecture 1.1, it discussed the meaning and definition of Humanities. As it is

translated in Filipino, it is pagpapakatao from pagkatao and tao. In this discussion,
Covar’s (2015) Kaalamang Bayang Dalumat ng Pagkataong Pilipino will be used
to understand the Filipino personhood (pagkatao).

In his discussion of pagkatao and katauhan, he started it by introducing a

Filipino saying, “Madali ang maging tao; mahirap pagkatao”. Then, he explained
that the words makatao, tumao, tauhan come from the base word “tao” Although
they have similar base word, they do not have similar meaning. This means that,
as you affix letters to the word “tao” it
generates other meaning. He cited Ramos
about the latter’s explanation about the
formed word as “kahan” would be affixed
to the word “tao” . The word “katauhan”
would be formed which has meaning in
English as humanity. He said that for
Miranda, it means humanhood.
Covar wants to explain that “ang
salitang pagkatao ay angkop na konsepto
bilang ‘personhood’ o pagiging taong
Pilipino” For him, being a human being is
biological which means a person is already born as human being. But the cultural
process makes it difficult to “become human” The “magpakatao” can be achieved
in the process call “pagpapakatao”

How does a human being become a Filipino?

He later explained the metaphor for a human

body and a jar. Here, you can refer to the Manunggul
Jar that was found at the Tabon Cave in Palawan.
It is perceived as a work of a great craftsman, a
master potter. The image on top of the jar cover is a
boat with two human figures representing two souls
on a voyage to the afterlife. It clearly shows the belief
of early Filipinos in life after death. It is dated to the
late Neolithic Perios, about 890 - 710 B.C.
(Panisan, Bongabong,Boongaling&Trinidad, 2018, p. 65-66)
Gabelo (2018) explained that Manunggul jar is 66.5 cm in height and 51 cm in
diameter as its widest part. She elaborated that its somewhat
oval body is crowned by a unique cover. She said that it is
surmounted by a group sculpture which is a
representation of the soul of the dead person being
transported by the figure rowing the bot into the after life.
In his discourse as how human being is comparable
to a jar, Covar said, it is part of Christian belief that ang
tao ay nagmula sa isang kipil na putik, hiningahan ng
Maykapal at naging si Adan. He also added the idea in
literature that human beings are like clays that can be transformed in various
shapes and figures. Moreover, he cited the burial tradition of placing handful of
soil on top of the coffin as way of recognizing the perspective that from dust we
come, from dust we shall return. Also, he mentioned the use of flower offering
during burial that later on according to him would turn to soil as time passes by.
MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA
Southern Luzon State University
College of Art and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

Furthermore, he proceed with the nature of “banga” that it is naturally made of

clay. Then, figuratively, “tao” also comes from “putik”
Similarly, Covar said that the body of a human being is just like a jar that has
loob, labas, and lalim. Also, he said that, “ang banga ay may labas, loob, at ilalim.
Gayundin naman ang kaluluwa ng tao. Sisidlan na banga. Ang laman nito ay
kaluluwa. Sa ilalim tumatahan ang kaluluwa kaniig ang budhi.”
The Filipino personhood has labas, loob,and lalim. Filipinos have
physical,intellectual,moral,emotional and spiritual characteristics.

Just like a jar, you cannot see what is inside of it, unless
you try take a look at it. In knowing a person, you can not
judge him by merely looking at his physical
appearance or labas ng pagkatao(kulay ng balat,
tinidg, iling, dibdib).You need to know the person in
order to fully understand who he really is by looking
at his loob ng pagkatao o kalooban (isip, talino,
ugali) Each person has unique personality, attitude,
behavior, ability, etc. Also, similar to a jar, every person
has lalim ng pagkatao. It is the spiritual aspect of man that is why, there is maitim
ang budhi and maputi ang budhi.
To fully understand the idea about kaluluwa in pagkataong Pilipino, read the
excerpt from Covar’s discourse.

Nuong unang panahon at magpahanggang ngayon, ang babaylan, baglan, katalonan, mambunong, talaytayan ang
nakapag-aalis ng langkap, o sapi sa pamamagitan ng karapatang ritwal gaya ng tawas, pagbuhos ng kumukulong tubig sa
katawan ng sinasapian na hindi ito nalalapnusan o pag-ipit ng mga daliri ng sinasapian, nagagalaw o inalangkapan.
Ibinabalik nila ang dating kaluluwa ng may katawan.

Ang pagkataong Pilipino sa konteksto ng kaluluwa ay may ilang tambalang kategorya: (1) maganda/pangit na
kaluluwa; (2) matuwid/ halang na kaluluwa; at (3) dalisay/maitim na kaluluwa. Ang budhi ay katambal ng kaluluwa. Kung ang
kaluluwa ay siyang nagpapagalaw ng buhay, ang budhi naman ay siyang humuhusga sa buhay na naganap na. Ang budhi
ay nag-uusig at siya ring umuukilkil. Ang pagsisisi at paghingi ng kapatawaran, pati na rin ang pagbabayad ng anumang
masamang nagawa ang maaaring magpatigil sa budhi sa pagpapatuloy ng pang-uusig at pang-uukilkil nito. Marahil ito ang
kalagayan ng mga kaluluwang ligaw, ligalig, lagalag kaya hindi matahimik hanggang hindi makapagparamdam at
ipinagdarasal. Sa aking hinuha, ang budhi ay hindi kaparis ng konsiyensya. Katulad ng budhi, may sapantaha akong ito’y
bagong salta sa ating wika at kamalayan. Sa aking palagay, ang lokasyon ng konsiyensya ay malapit sa kaisipan. Ito ang
nagtutulak sa paggawa ng mabuti o masama at nag-uusig kung masama ang nagawa. Ang lokasyon ng budhi katulad ng
kaluluwa ay laganap sa buong katauhan ng pagkatao, sa ilalim o kaibuturan. Tulad ng loob hindi natin maapuhap o
maipupuwesto ang mga ito sa parte ng ating katawan. Ang talaban ng kaluluwa at budhi sa isang dako; at loob at labas sa
kabilang ibayo, ang siyang kinasasadlakan ng iba’t ibang pagkatao na may iba’t ibang damdamin, isipan, kilos, at gawa…

…Aking natalos na nababago ang pagkatao ng isang Pilipino kung siya ay linalangkapan, sinasapian, o sinasaniban.
Ang paliwanag ni Bulatao sa pagbabago ng pagkatao ay altered state of consciousness. Ngunit ito ay nananatiling isang
hinuha lamang sapagkat hindi pa natin talos kung anong prosesong pisikal ang nagbabago. Kung baga, nananatili tayong
nakagapos sa mga palantandaan lamang. Ang palantandaan ay ipinahihiwatig sa pagbabago ng damdamin, isipan, kilos,
gawa, pati na ang wika. Ang mga pagbabagong ito kaipala ay itinatakda ng iba’t ibang bahagi ng katawan, at ng kaluluwa.
Sa madaling salita, may dalawang klase ng pagkataong Pilipino na pinatotoohan ng pag-aaral na ito: (1) likas na pagkatao
at (2) pagkataong may sapi. Marahil marami pang kategorya ng pagkatao ang ating matatalos sa pamamagitan ng malawak
at malalim na pag-aaral

Pagpapakatao is the process how a

human being becomes Filipino. In study of
Humanities through art, students are
expected to discover and realize their own
identity as Filipinos. In the essay Legazpi,
he said that through a study of Philippine art,
we get evidence of how our ancestors lived
and died. Their art survives as an
imperishable record of their physical and
psychological experiences, their dreams,
and ideals.

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Art and Sciences
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ART APPRECIATION

Read the essay of Leonardo Z. Legaspi to comprephend how art becomes

vehicle in understanding national identity.
Understanding Through the Arts
Leonardo Z. Legaspi, O.P.

Fr. Leonardo Z. Legazpi is the 88th rector of the University of Santo Tomas. He is also the first Filipino rector of that
institution. He was born in Meycauyan, Bulacan, and finished his philosophical studies at St. Albert’s Priory in Hong Kong
and, in 1962, his doctoral degree in Sacred Theology at the University of Santo Tomas. He was a recipient of the TOYM
Award in 1974.
The essay which follows is the foreword to a special issue of Unitas, a UST journal dealing with the subject of the
search for national identity through the arts.

We are today going through a crucial but exciting period in our history. We are engaged in the difficult adventure of
shaping our nation’s destiny, of searching for our national identity. In this search, all the resources of our people should be
mobilized. And the arts, to my mind, are a most important vehicle by which the search can be ended.
We cannot find our national identity unless we have a clear picture of our history, our customs, our thoughts, and
aspirations. We cannot reach our goal unless we are able to identify those factors which, when synthesized, will define our
national soul and lead us to an understanding of ourselves and of our fellowmen.
Through a study of Philippine art, we get evidence of how our ancestors lived and died. Their art survives as an
imperishable record of their physical and psychological experiences, their dreams, and ideals.
Because we are a heterogeneous, polygot people with cultural differences made sharper by regional and geographic
divisions, the task of understanding becomes more complex because of the language barrier. Art, fortunately, knows no
diversity of language since it speaks directly to our senses. Therefore, understanding can be more felicitously reached
through it.
Through art, therefore, we gain notion of how the different races and cultures operated: through art, we become more
receptive to their ideas. The moment we realize that the differences are genuine, that they were not occasioned by
ignorance but by variations in background, religion, and social systems, we make an important step toward understanding
our fellowmen.
The auditive and visual arts, because of their persuasiveness and delicacy, penetrate the intelligence and the
sensitiveness of the spectator or listener. They help us become acquainted with each other or to get intuitive knowledge of
one another. And they enable us to pool our respective resources so that we can complement one another and arrive at an
authentic understanding of each other.
But if art is to accomplish its glorious mission of promoting understanding, harmony and peace, if it is to do it with
dignity and fruitfulness, it should not weigh down the soul and nail to the earth. Rather, art should lend wings to the soul so
that it can rise above trifles and paltriness, so that it can reach out to that which is eternal and true, beautiful and good, so
that it can get us to the only union that counts - union with God.
Only in this way can the splendid vision of St. Paul be literally realized. “For the invisible things of him, from the world,
are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made: his eternal power also, and divinity.”
It is with these twin objectives in mind, then - to participate in the search for national identity through the arts and to
promote unity, harmony, and peace through the understanding of art - that this publication was conceived.
Queddeng, G. (2013), Philippine Literature

What will be the possible effect to a person who will be blind about his
national identity? According to del Leon(2011), cultural identity is the world view
and values, beliefs, systems, knowledge, skills, practices,core principles and
ideas shared by a society. Then, based from his discussion, cultural identity is

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Art and Sciences
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ART APPRECIATION

“source of social empowerment” He added that, a person who is robbed by his

identity will become passive, lost, indolent, uncreative, and productive.
Colonialization led Filipinos to lost their identity that make them look at their
culture as inferior to other cultures specifically the Western culture. There are
many forms of alienation caused by westernization of Filipino culture such as
alienation from community, from our sources of cultural energy: thinking in
borrowed forms and the economics of dependency, from our race: The Doña
Victorina syndrome, from indigenous: denigrating the local, from land, from being
Filipino, and from sustainable living. With those alienations, Filipinos became
ashamed of their being Filipinos. According to de Leon, lack of pride in being
Filipino results in lack of commitment to the nation and, consequently, a low level
of achievement or even mediocrity—the “pwede na ‘yan” mentality.
It is a challenge on how Filipinos will again view themselves in a positive way.
A drastic “deconstruction” of the negative image is needed because having a
positive image will help them boost their morale. But how can Filipinos achieve it?

Below are the suggested recommendations and the communal character of

Philippine traditional cultures as reflected in the arts by de Leon:

Some Recommendations for Developing The Communal Character Of Philippine

a Filipino and Humanistic Perspective Traditional Cultures As Reflected In The Arts
 Heightening social consciousness and sense of  Integration of the arts with other values and functions
responsibility to the nation.  Unity of the arts
 Promoting people participation, local genius, and  Art is integrated with everyday life and not regarded
cultural diversity. as a separate activity.
 Promoting the local but thinking national or global:  Equality of opportunity for participation in the artistic
human communities, not the state, are the ultimate and creative process.
actors in the development process  Flexibility of material, technical, and formal
 Integrating the arts to social and cultural phenomena requirements
as lucid mirrors of social consciousness.  Use of available resources for artistic creation
 Emphasis on the creative process rather than the
finished product
 Simultaneity of conception and realization

Thus, art can be used as vehicle in

reaffirming and reclaiming national identity
among Filipinos. It will confer them strong ad
concrete definition of their identity as Filipinos.
The study of art will aid in the process of
Filipinos’ pagpapakatao because art can
provide us the most vivid images of social
relations and cultural values. They are perhaps
the most lucid symbols of a people’s quality of
being or consciousness.

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Art and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

Lecture 1.3
THE FILIPINO CONCEPT OF ART

The Filipino concept of art is different

and has no distinction from the Western
concept. In the Philippines, an artist is an
artist. The focus of how an artist is gauged
the standard of his artwork is based on his
talent. This notions can be traced back from
Damian Domingo Gabor, father of
Philippine painting.

He was given a chance to showcase his

talent in painting
because Spaniards
thought that he was a Spanish descent. The said mistake
became his ticket to have commissioned works. He did
not only paint for his patron, Sociedad Economica de los
Amigos del Pais but he also painted images of common
Filipinos. He even made albums of people wearing their
daily costumes. It was said that, he a vision of making art
more accessible to the Filipinos (Indios). Then, later on
founded the first Art School in the Philippines Escuela
Dibujo y Pintura in Tondo Manila in 1821. Also, he
became professor and director of the Philippine Art Academy. This opened
opportunity to other Filipino artists to hone their skills using Western education in
art.

Aside from Damian Domingo, Juan Luna

and Felix R. Hidalgo also placed a remarkable
and firm position in the field of art. Juan
Luna’s Spoliarium won gold medal and Felix
R. Hidalgo’s Las Virgenes Cristianas
Expuestas al Populacho (Christian Virgins
Exposed to the Populace) won silver medal in
Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1884.
For Rizal, in his speech, the winning to
expositon had proven that Filipinos were
equal with the Spaniards, so that the Filipinos
deserve the recognition of other people in the world with equal dignity and
respect.
With this,
they
showed
that
Filipinos
are also
great in
the field of
art. They
were able
to showcase that Filipino talents can also
match with other astute artists in other
nations. Filipinos. Futhermore, for Rizal,
Luna and Hidalgo are the pride of Spain as

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Art and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

of the Philippines-though born in the Philippines, they might have been born in
Spain, for genius has no country; genius bursts forth everywhere….

The Filipino concept of art has no trace of Western ideals because of the
experiences of Damian Domingo, Felix R. Hidalgo, and Juan Luna that anyone
can become artist. Also, they took advantage of the concepts and ideas that
they learned from Western education. They utilized it to enhance their talents.
Thus, other Filipino artists did the same to maximize their skills in art.

It was said that, it changed the

identity of Philippine art. Filipino
artists subsumed in their artworks
Western concepts and ideas. The
given image of two women, it was
also painted by Luna entitled,
Espana y Filipinas. The woman on
the left side with longer dress is
symbol for Western art, and the
woman on the right side with shorter
dress is symbol for Philippine art.
Filipino artists integrated both
Western art and Philippine art, in doing their artworks which result to magnificent
paintings, sculptures, songs, etc.
As a whole, Filipino identity in the arts harmonized Philippine art to Western
art.

References:
Adams, L. (2011). A History of Western Art. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hills Companies, Inc.
Ayala, F. (2010). The Difference for Being Human: Morality. Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences of the
United States of America. Vol. 107 (2).
Brommer, G. F. (1997). Discovering Art History. 3rd ed. Massachusetts: Davis Publications, inc.
De Leon, F. (2015). “Defining the Filipino Through the Arts,” Philippine Humanities Review.upd.edu.ph/index. php/phr/
article/ download/4737/4273.
Devilles, G. C., R. R. Maiquez and R. B. Tolentino. (2018). Art Sense (Sensing the Arts in the Everyday.Quezon City: C&E
Publishing, Inc.
Estolas, J., C. G. Javier, and N. P. Payno. (2011). Introduction to Humanities (Arts for Fine Living). Mandaluyong City:
National Bookstore Inc.
Flores, P. D. (1998). “Theoretical Approaches to Humanities” in Humanities Art and Society. Quezon City: UP Philippine
Press, 1998. pp. 34 - 45.
Gabelo, N. (2018). Art Appreciation. Muntinlupa City: Panday-Lahi Publishing House, Inc.
Hodge, (2014). Art: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Artists and their Works. New York: Random House
Publishing.
Leano, R. D. and J. M. B. Agtani (2018). Art Appreciaiton for College Students. Manila: Mindshapers Co., Inc.
Legazpi, L. (2013)”Understanding Through the Art” in Literature of the Philippines. Lucban, Quezon: Southern Luzon State
University. .
Martin D. & L. Jacobos. (2008). The Humanities through the Arts. 9th ed. New York: McGraw Hill Companies.
Panofsky, E. (1955). “The History of Art as a Humanistic Discipline ” in Meaning in the Visual Arts. Australia: Penguin
Books, 1955. pp. 1-25.Sanchez, C. A., P. F. Abad, L. O. Jao., and R. A. Sanchez. (2012). introduction to the
Humanities. 6th ed. Manila: Rex Bookstore.

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Art and Sciences
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ART APPRECIATION

LECTURE 2
Art Appreciation and the Human Faculties

The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.

-Aristotle
_____________________________________________________________________
Objectives
At the end of the lecture, students are expected to:
 Define art appreciation.
 Relate the study of art to the fields of philosophy and psychology.
 Examine the human faculties as basis for the appreciation of art.
 Analyze works of art according to four levels: perceptual elements, representations,
emotional suggestions, and intellectual meaning.
 Make an artwork that shows the four levels of analysis.
 Evaluate the merit or demerit of works of art based on the concept of art as reality.
 Apply the concept of art as reality to the Renaissance style of art, cubism, de stilj,
and ready-made art.

Lectures
2.1. Art and the Human Essence
2.2. The Process of Art Appreciation
2.3. Art and the Perception of Reality

Videos
“What is art for? Alain de Botton’s Animated Guide,” (2015). In https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVlQOyt FCRI.

“What is the Treachery of Images,” in https:// www.you tube.com/watch? v=atH

QpANmHCE.

Lecture 2.1
Art and the Human Essence
If the basic question in Humanities is who am I? and the answer is I am a
human being, what is the answer in the question, what is a human being?
The essence of being a human being is based on the three human faculties;
mind, will and senses. Human beings are rational beings, capable to think and to
give reason. Also, they are able to feel various emotions. Then, they are also
capable to feel perceptual sensations using their
senses.
Man uses his faculties in understanding things
around him. He is able to react because of how he
facilitates his faculties. This implies that the nature of
being a human being is based on his intellectual,
emotional and perceptual abilities.
The Process of Art Appreciation
Before discussion of the process of art appreciation. Let us talk about first the
meaning of art appreciation.

What is Art Appreciation?

In art appreciation, the person serves as the

spectator or viewer of the object which is the work of art.
The appreciation transpires as the person admires the
MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA
Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

art work.
Art appreciation is an encounter between the artwork and the audience
(viewer, listener, etc.). We the audience seek meanings of artwork from our
experience and life world relating to what the artwork tries to convey. Such an
encounter can only happen in various sensory experiences, of seeing, listening,
smelling touching, and feeling. These sensory experiences are ways and media
by which we make sense of the artwork in question. By processing the sensory
experiences and telling us that we always see more, the artwork becomes more
visible or meaningful, and that we transformed in the process. (Devilles, Maiquez,
and Tolentino, 2018) Then, Ariola (2014) said that art appreciation refers to the
pursuit of happiness of knowledge and understanding of the universal and
timeless qualities characterizing works of art. It invokes an analysis of the works
based on acknowledged elements of composition and principles of design,
through enjoyment of the humanities is enhanced. Also, Leano and Agtani (2018)
discussed that art appreciation is referred to the knowledge of the general and
everlasting qualities that classify all great art. It is used to refer to the exploration
of visual art forms or the introduction of basic principles of visual literacy. It refers
to analyzing the form of an artwork to general audiences to enhance their
enjoyment of such works of art. It may be analyzed without reference to subject
matter, symbolism or historical context. Art appreciation can be subjective
depending on personal preference to aesthetics and form, or it can be based on
several elements and principles of design and also depends on social and
cultural acceptance. Most of the modern art critics and art historians draw back
from this term, underrating art appreciation as demanding too little serious
thought.
Art appreciation is explained as positive,
perceptual, emotional, intellectual response to
the beauty of artworks. Viewers will have a
positive response in the artwork if it pleases
him on its aesthetic nature. He has responses
because he uses uses his senses to collate
the sense-data and representation of the
artwork. Then, using the sense-data and
representations, viewers will be able to feel
the emotions and to find the meaning in the
artwork. The viewer will be able to get the
perceptual, emotional and intellectual
responses because he communicated to the artwork. He cannot react to the
artwork unless he undergoes the process of communicating to it.

ANALYSIS OF ART BASED ON THE THREE HUMAN FACULTIES

In analyzing an artwork, there are three levels of analysis that a student

should understand. These levels are level of the senses, level of the will, and
level of the mind. The first level is the level of the senses. It pertains to
PERCEPTUAL ELEMENTS (Sense-Data: Lines, Color, Shapes, etc.) and
REPRESENTATIONS (Things, People, Objects, Events). Then, the second level
is the level of the will which refers to EMOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS (Happy, Sad,
Afraid etc.). The third level which is the highest level is level of the mind. It
pertains to INTELLECTUAL MEANING (Ideas, Concepts, Symbolism).

Each type of artwork has different ways on how to apply the three levels of
analysis. In this discussion, the three levels are applied to visual art.

LEVEL OF THE SENSES

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
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ART APPRECIATION

The sequence in analyzing the artwork must start from level of the senses. It
is basic because students will just identify their immediate observation about
the art work. For visual arts, they will identify the color, shape, texture and other
visual observations. Then, representations are also included in the analysis in
level of the senses. The representation is identifying the person, thing, event, and
other representations.

Examples:

LEVEL OF THE WILL

The perceptual elements and representations will help in getting the level of
the will. Take a look at the examples, the emotional suggestion of the artwork is
determined by the color, lines, and representations.

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

LEVEL OF THE MIND

It pertains to ideas, concepts, and symbols in art. The first two levels will help
in identifying the intellectual meaning of the artwork. In determining the other
levels, it will be easier to generate concepts, ideas and symbols.

Example:

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

Art and the Perception of Reality

Art has various definitions, It is talent, skill, passion, emotion, idea, truth,
reality, goodness, beauty, goodness, beauty, form, expression, representation,
power, etc. Art can also be reality.
What do you see in the picture below? You answer will probably be, it is a
chair.

In the next picture, which art is the most beautiful for the concept of art as
reality?

There are two kinds art as to subject according to Panisan, Bongabong,

Boongaling and Trinidad (2018). These are representational or objective art and
nonrepresentational art or non objective art. The former refers to those arts that
depict (repesent) objects that are commonly recognized by most people. They
attempt to copy, even if in a subjective manner, something that is real. They use
form and are concerned with what is to be depicted in the artwork.

The paintings of Leonardo

Da Vinci (picture on the left)
and Pablo Picasso (picture on
the right) are representational
or objective art because they
portray their subject as it is.
However, they do not
have the same style in
representing their subject.

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
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ART APPRECIATION

Which of the two artworks look more real? Leodnardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is
seen as an art as representational image using realism. Realism depicts the
artist’s attempt of portraying the subject as it is. Realists try to be as objective as
possible. A work of art is realistic when the presentation and organization details
in the work seem so real, just like a photograph. Realism is the most popular way
of presenting art subjects. (Gabelo, 2018, p. 28)
Then, Pablo Picasso’s The Weeping Woman as an art is seen as abstract
image but still representational. Abstract means “to move away or to separate
from” Abstraction as subject presentation moves away from reality, from
presenting the subject as it really is. It involves the process of simplifying or
reorganizing characteristics and elements of the work to adhere to the artist’s
level of artistic expression. The artist usually selects and renders the subject with
its shape, and colors altered.The artist, so interested in one characteristic of the
subject does not show the subject as seen in reality, but presents it based on his
ideas or his feeling about it. (Gabelo, 2018, p. 28). The Weeping Woman as a
representation of a woman is represented using cubism. The most influential
style of the early twentieth century was Cubism, which, like Fauvism, developed
in Paris. Cubism was essentially a revolution in the artist’s approach to space,
both on the flat surface of the picture and in sculpture. Cubism, however, together
with the nonfigurative innovations of Expressionism, soon became the wave of
the artistic future. (Adams, 2011, p. 479) Also, according to Gabelo (2018)
cubism is an abstract form that is presented through the use of figures: a cone,
cylinder, sphere, triangle, square, cube, and circle in place of real pictorial
elements. The Cubists want to show forms in their basic geometrical shapes.
Between the two representations of women, Pablo Picasso’s The Weeping
Woman is said to be more real than Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Based from
visual observation, there is limited view to the various angles on the face of Mona
Lisa. You see only the front view of the woman. Unlike in The Weeping Woman,
the artistic style of Pablo Picasso gave viewers to see the different angles of face
of the woman and to have an illusion that she is moving.

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

Among the three images, which art looks most real? As explained, the first
two paintings were representations of women using two different styles. The third
painting was entitled Composition with Red,Yellow and Blue by Piet Mondrian. It
is said that, Mondrian’s painting is the most real as compared to Mona Lisa and
The Weeping Woman. According to Broomer (997), De Stijl (The style) of
Mondrian is a coldly intellectual approach to design which pioneered that led to
the development of nonrepresentational syle. De Stijl was the complete reliance
on design and the elimination of all feelings and emotion.
Here, art is seen as form composed of shapes, colors and other perceptual
elements. Hodge (2014) explained that Mondrian was convinced that to imitate
the real, three-dimensional world on a flat surface was superficial. She also
discussed that Mondrian’s theory was based on his philosophical beliefs about
the spiritual order underlying the world. She said that Mondrian believed that
artists should seek inner truths, rather than simply copying the objects around
them.
The philosophical notion of of Mondrian makes Composition with Red,Yellow
and Blue to be the most real among the three paintings. Being real is something
should not be represented with the thing itself.

In the previous discussion, Mondrian’s painting is the most real among the
other paintings. The fourth painting is the White on white by Malevich.
Kazimir Malevich was undoubtably one of the most influential modernist
artists and the first one to engage fully in geometric abstraction. He marked the
start of suprematism, the Russian avant-garde movement, through his own
unique philosophy of perception and painting. (Sokolova, 2014) According to
Hodge (2014), as a devout Christian, Malevich thought along mystical lies an felt
very satisfied with representational painting. She also said that Malevich
wanted to ‘free art from the burden of object’
In the discussion of Sokolokova (2014), she said that Suprematism was
an art consisting of basic geometric form that focused on spiritual purity, often
MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA
Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
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ART APPRECIATION

painted in monochrome. In addition, she mentioned that the movement rejected

all the conventional definitions of art, in favour of an artistic exploration of a
spiritual reality, Suprematism was meant to be universally comprehensible
regardless of cultural or ethnic origin. She added that, Malevich hoped to use the
revolution as a start of a new society, in which materialism would eventually lead
to spiritual freedom.
Adajar et al. (2018) discussed that Suprematism is centered in the
supremacy of feelings in pictorial art, the abandonment of perspective and its
dealing with dealing pure feeling. She also added that Malevich believed that his
new art is superior than the art past - purer, more truthful.

Meanwhile, Adams (2011) said that in Malevich’s book The Non-objective

World, he summed up his philosophy of Suprematism as follows:
“Artists have always been partial to the use of the human face
in their representations, for they have seen in it (the versatile,
mobile, expressive mimic) the best vehicle with which to convey their feelings.
The Suprematists have nevertheless abandoned the representation of the human
face (and of natural objects in general) and have found new symbols with which
to render direct feelings (rather than externalized reflections
of feelings), for the Suprematist does not observe and does not touch—he feels.”

With the philosophy of Malevich, Suprematism is abandonment if

representations. According to Adajar et al. (2018), it is not about the imitation of
reality or physical world. Also, they pointed out that the purity of abstract painting,
the Suprematist to be specific, is to reformulate art as the icon of meditation.

On the those notions, the painting of Malevich, White on white is the most
real among Mona Lisa, The Weeping Woman and Composition with Red,Yellow
and Blue because it presents art on its purest form.

At the beginning of the discussion, this question was asked, which art is the
most beautiful for the concept of art as reality?
The fifth image is the artwork of Marcel Duchamp entitled, Fountain.
According to Adajar et al. (2018), Duchamp’s Fountain in 1917 was considered
as the first conceptual artwork. Hodge (2014) said that it was a urinal and he
turned it upside down and signed it with the pseudonym, R. Mutt.
His revolutionary ideas, and his invention of the concept of “ready-made” - in
which ordinary everyday objects already in existence (usually manufactured) are
exhibited as art - have caused considerable controversy, but they have opened
our eyes to new possibilities. (Vaizey, 1989)

MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences
 GEC 07
ART APPRECIATION

The Fountain by Duchamp is is the most beautiful for the concept of art as
reality because art seen as the object itself.

Now, the answer to the question, what is

on the illustration? is not a chair but it is a
painting of a chair. It is not real. It is just a
representation of a real chair.

Read Art and Illusion an excerpt from Adam’s book. This will explain how art
can deceive the eyes of the viewer of the artwork.

Art and Illusion

Before considering illusion and the arts, it is necessary to point out that when we think of illusion
in connection with an image, we usually assume that the image is true to life, or naturalistic. This is
often, but not always, the case. With certain exceptions, Western art was mainly representational
until the twentieth century. Representational, or figurative, art depicts recognizable natural forms or
created objects. When the subjects of representational pictures and sculptures are so convincingly
portrayed that they may be mistaken for the real thing, they are said to be illusionistic. Where the
artist’s purpose is to fool the eye, the effect is described by the French term trompe l’oeil. The nature
of pictorial illusion was simply but eloquently stated by the Belgian Surrealist painter René Magritte in
The Betrayal of Images. This work is a convincing (although not a trompe l’oeil) rendition of a pipe.
Directly below the image, Magritte reminds the viewer that in fact it is not a pipe at all—“Ceci n’est
pas une pipe.” (“This is not a pipe.”). To the extent that observers are convinced by
the image, they have been betrayed. Even though Magritte was right about illusion falling short of
reality, the observer nevertheless enjoys having been fooled. The pleasure conveyed by illusion is
embedded in the term itself; it comes from the Latin word ludere, meaning “to play” as well as “to
mimic” and “to deceive.”

Adams, L. (2011). A History of Western Art. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hills Companies, Inc.

Adajar, C. C. et al. (2018). Art Appreciation. Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House, Inc.
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MARIA GLORIA R. BECO-NADA

Southern Luzon State University
College of Arts and Sciences