LECTURE NOTES

II. Definition of Art, Art Appreciation, Art History, Creativity and

Imagination

1. Art
Art is a subject under humanities. There is no one universal definition of art since art is
subjective. It is subjective in the sense that people differ in their perception of an object
or thing. Some people may consider an object as something beautiful and meaningful
while others may consider it as ugly or meaningless. In other words, different authors and
writers define art in various ways as they perceive it.
Here under are some of the definitions of art given by various authors and writers.
1. Art is derived from the Latin word “ars,” meaning ability or skill - J.V. Estolas ‘
2. Art is taken from the Italian word “artis,” which means craftsmanship, skill, mastery
of form, inventiveness, and the associations that exists between form and ideas, between
material and technique. - A. Tan
3. Art is a product of man's need to express himself - F. Zulueta
4. Art is concerned itself with the communication of certain ideas and feelings by means
of sensuous medium, color, sound, bronze, marble, words and film - C. Sanchez
5. Art is that which brings life in harmony with the world - Plato

2. Art Appreciation

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.

3. Art History

Art history is the study of objects of art in their historical development and
stylistic contexts; that is genre, design, format, and style. The study includes painting,
sculpture, architecture, ceramics, furniture, and other decorative objects (Mansfield,
2002).
As a term, art history, its product being history of art, encompasses several
methods of studying the visual arts; in common usage referring to works of art and
architecture.
4. Creativity and Imagination

The biggest difference between creativity and imagination is that imagination is

thinking of something whether it is an object, place, time, etc., that is not present, while
creativity is doing something meaningful with your imagination. Imagination allows us to
think of things that are not real or around us at any given time, creativity allows us to do
something meaningful with our imaginations.
Imagination is about seeing the impossible, or unreal. Creativity is using
imagination to unleash the potential of existing ideas in order to create new and valuable
ones.