Unit I

The Arts and the Humanities

LESSON 1:

Objectives:

1. Define the important technologies related to the study of Arts and Humanities
2. Explain the meaning, nature and importance of the arts in our lives

Concepts:

A. THE HUMANITIES

The term humanities is derived from the Latin word “humanus” meaning,
“human”, “refined” and “cultured”. It generally refers to art, literature, music,
architecture, dance and the theatre—areas in which human subjectivity is emphasized
and individual expressiveness is dramatized. The importance of human beings and their
feelings are the main concern of the humanities.

Broadly speaking, they are records of human’s quest for answers to the
fundamental questions they ask about themselves and about life. The content of the
humanities is anything that is inherently human – their experiences, values,
sentiments, ideals, and goals. The humanities are thus expressions of human feelings
and thoughts.

B. ART: ITS MEANING, NATURE AND IMPORTANCE

B.1 Definition:

Art is derived from the Latin word “ars” meaning “ability” or “skill”. It covers
those areas of artistic creativity that seek to communicate beauty primarily through
senses. Art embraces the visual arts, literature, music and dance.

B.2 The Nature of Art:

1. Art is everywhere

Art as it is found everywhere is very much part of our lives. We cannot

deny its presence even if we want to.

We find art in the clothes we wear, the furniture and furnishings, style of
houses, and vehicles. We find art objects in home and in the community, in
religion, in trade and in industry.

Example:

 Coins, medals and pendants are examples of relief sculptures

 Paper bills and postage stamps are examples of engravings
 Statues of angels or saints are example of free- standing sculptures
 Multicolored design on the sides and inside the jeepney are examples of
decorative arts
 All these things are part of human efforts to lessen the drabness and tedium of
everyday living and transform the environment into a more interesting place to live in.

2. Art as an expression and communication

No one can contain an intense emotion within the self for long. The tension that
results would compel the person to unburden the self or share the feeling with others.

We express our emotional state by some visible signs and activities. This
expression however, is not only limited to the revelation of emotions but also extends to
the personal and social values of the artist and the penetrating psychological insights
into reality that are conveyed through the arts.

3. Art as Creation

Humans have been led by an innate craving for order to create objects that are
delightful to perceive. The word “creation” in this sense refers to the act of combining
and re-ordering already existing materials so that the new objects is formed.

As a creative activity, art involves skill or expertness in handling materials and

organizing them into new, structurally pleasing, and significant units. This skill does
not just happen. It is acquired through long training and constant practice. Therefore,
art is a planned activity.

4. Art and Experience

It has been said that the art is experience, because all art demands experience;
but probably it is clearer to say that all art involves experience, that there can be no
appreciation without experience.

At least three major kinds of experiences are involved in the artistic activity:

a. An artist has an experience that he/she wants to communicate

b. The artist expresses the self – that of creating the art object or form
c. When the work is done, there is the artist’s gratifying experience of having
accomplished something significant.

There is a varying combination of sensory, emotional and intellectual responses

involved in experiencing art, these are experiences of the onlookers and listeners.

Sensory responses happens when we feel a kind of delight or joy in many forms
of art suing merely our senses. The onlookers and listeners do not seem to need deeper
understanding of what the artist has tried to express and how he manages to achieve
his purposes.
 Emotional response is triggered by the recognition of a familiar situation
presented as the subject of the work. This may stem from memories evoked by the
subject.

Intellectual response is manifested in the delight of the mind to some works of

art because these works whose unique arrangements of elements apart from the subject
matter, stimulate the intellect more than they do the emotions.

5. Art and Appreciation

Art is not nature. A work of art is made by human beings. Artists frequently find
their inspiration and subject matter in nature, as artists do use nature as a medium,
but art in itself is not nature.

6. Art and Beauty

The desire for beauty and order around is another basic human need. This
provides the needed comfort and balance in our lives.

However, what we call beauty is relative. Our concepts of beauty also changes
over time and beauty varies among cultures, too.

B.3. Importance/ Values and Reasons for Art

1. Artworks are valuable sources of inspiration and aesthetic experiences.

2. We commemorate certain occasions with paintings, songs, dances and dramatic
plays to heighten their importance and keep records of such events.
3. Through the artist’s work, we get a glimpse of the thoughts, feelings and beliefs of the
people in their time and the forces of their environment that influenced their works of
art.
4. We value beautiful things as a consequence of our encounter with the arts.
5. Out of aesthetic experience we derive from arts, we may be influenced to change our
ways. They may transform us into a highly cultured, dignified and respectable human
beings.

B.4. Some Basic Assumptions about the Arts

Our attitude towards the arts may be influenced by these assumptions:

1. Art has been created by various people, at all paces and time. Art exists because it
is liked and enjoyed.
2. Art does not grow old
3. Art is something to be seen or heard
4. Art is the product of human’s imagination and skill in doing things
5. Nature is artful. Its beauty and artistry could be enhanced
 C. A WORK OF ART

C.1. Definition

A work of art is an activity that involves both imagination and skill in

accomplishing it. It creates aesthetic feelings or experiences which delight and satisfy our
desire for beautiful things.

C.2. Some Guidelines in Understanding a Work of Art

1. What did the artist make? What it is about? (This concerns the subject)
2. What did the artist want to show in the whole of the artwork? What is it for? (This
concerns the function of the art)
3. What is the artwork made of? (This refers to the materials or mediums and the elements
that are used to create it)
4. How are the materials and elements put together or organized? (This refers to the
organization)
5. What are its mood, temper and personality? (This refers to the style)
6. How good is it? (This refers to the judgment)

LESSON 2: THE ARTIST AND THEIR ARTWORKS

Objectives:

1. Name local and foreign artists and their artworks

2. Identify artworks found in our own homes and how they affect our lives.

Concepts:

A. An Artist

An artist is a person who exhibits exceptional skills in design, drawing, painting,

etc. He/she is one who works in one of the performing arts like an actor or musician.
Unlike other people, artists are more sensitive to nature and more creative. The posses an
unusual degree of knack for interpreting ideas in artistic forms through the use of words,
pigments, stone, notes, or any of the other materials.

B. Kinds or Classification of Artists

I. Two kinds of Artists

1. Creators- ex. Composers write songs to be sung by talented singers

2. Performers- ex. Singers recreate what has been composed

II. Other Classification of Artists

1. The Visual Artists- ex. Painters, architects, sculptors, etc.

2. Artists in Music and Dance (Art of Movement) – ex. Dancers and singers
3. The Literary Arts- ex. Novels, playwrights, poets, etc.
 C. Artist’s Credo

“Arts for art’s sake.”

It implies that beauty is the reason for the artwork.

LESSON 3: CLASSIFICATION/ GROUPINGS OF ARTS

Objectives:

1. Classify arts according to:

a. General Classifications
b. Other Classification
2. Give examples for each classification
3. Identify artworks found in our own homes and how they affect our lives.

Concepts:

A. General Classification

1. Major Arts- involve human’s skill to create works of art that are in form, content
and execution, aesthetically pleasing and meaningful as in music, painting,
architecture and sculpture; they are called major arts because they appeal to the
senses of sight, hearing and feeling.

2. Minor Arts- the aesthetic factor lies in the “styling”, they are addressed primarily to
the sense of sight and their usefulness; they are inferior in degree, especially in the
extent of aesthetic quality.

B. Other Classification of Arts

1. Visual Arts- those we perceive with our eyes

a. Graphic Arts- covers any form of visual artistic expression like
painting, drawing, photography, etc. or in which portrayals of forms
and symbols are recorded on a two- dimensional surface.
b. Plastic Arts- includes all fields of fields of the visual arts in which
materials are organized into three- dimensional forms. Examples are
architecture, sculpture and landscaping.

2. Performing Arts- those that use movements, words and gestures to show the art.
Examples are dancing, singing, magic show or theatre arts.

3. Literary Arts- a combination of spoken or written words and their meanings into
forms which have artistic and emotional appeal. Examples of these are novels, short
stories and anecdotes.

4. Popular Arts- an art form intended to be received and appreciated by ordinary people
in literate, technologically advanced society dominated by urban culture. Arts such
as movies, television shows and radio programs are examples of this classification.
 5. Gustatory Arts of the Cuisine- involves special skills in food preparation. Fruit
carving and bar tending are just some of these examples.

6. Decorative Arts- are used to beautify or accessorize an area or space. We often use
this art in our homes and offices to make our place livable. Examples of these are
furniture, ceramic vases and pots and many others.

GUIDE QUESTION

1. Is art important in our life? Why or why not?

Name:___________________________________________________________ Score:_______
Year and Section: _______________________________________________ Date: ________

Activity No. 1
Humanities and the Arts

1. Research on one foreign and one local artist, their biography and list of artworks.
2. Paste the picture of the artists and write down the artwork that they have created on
this page.
3. Present the picture and the researched background and artworks of these artists.

LOCAL ARTIST:

Name: ________________________________
Place of Birth: _________________________
Title of artworks created:
1. ________________________________
2. ________________________________
3. ________________________________

FOREIGN ARTIST:

Name: ________________________________
Place of Birth: ________________________
Title of Artworks created:
1. ________________________________
2. ________________________________
3. ________________________________