AAP101: ART APPRECIATION

Unit I: Discovering Art and the Arts

Lesson I, Part 1: The Nature of Art

“Art is nothing more than the shadow of humanity.”

Henry James (1843-1916)

INTRODUCTION

❑ Art is one of the building blocks of civilization; no significant culture or society has ever
flourished without it.
❑ Throughout history, artistic works have taken on many forms and served many
purposes, and they have constantly evolved in the process.
❑ Art has always been regarded through times as an avenue for witnessing truth,
beauty, and goodness.
❑ Man is the agent of art – the craftsman – the ingenious creator of beauty captivated
by the immense resources in creation, to which he gives form and meaning.
❑ As such, man is the noblest fruit of the Creator; he uses something that already
exists in the visible world as a vast field in which human inventiveness might assert
itself.

LESSON PROPER

Understanding Humanity

❑ Human attributes or qualities

1. Rationality – being logical; being reasonable; being imaginative
✓ Creative inventions are a reflection of the human imagination at work.
Man has an almost limitless imagination.
✓ Only man has the ability to create pictures in the mind and then
manipulate materials from the earth to bring into reality what was
imagined.
✓ Imagination ignites creativity and gives the human mind its uniqueness.

2. Creativity
✓ The act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality.
✓ Creativity is a highly advanced mental process that involves dreaming or
imagination, development and innovation. Human creativity helped bring
about the technological age.
✓ Creativity is an attribute of social man who transforms the world and
shapes his destiny purposefully and consciously.
✓ 2 processes: thinking then producing

ADDENDUM:

THE MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences was first proposed by Dr. Howard Gardner in his 1983
book “Frames of Mind”, where he broadens the definition of intelligence and outlines several
distinct types of intellectual competencies.

Howard Earl Gardner (born July 11, 1943) is an American

developmental psychologist and the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs
Research Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard
Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA,
United States.

He writes that we may all have these intelligences, but our profile of these intelligences may
differ individually based on genetics or experience.
Gardner defines intelligence as a “bio psychological potential to process information that can
be activated in a cultural setting to solve problems or create products that are of value in a
culture” (Gardner, 2000, p.28).

To broaden this notion of intelligence, Gardner introduced eight (8) different types of
intelligences consisting of:

1. Linguistic-Verbal Intelligence (word smart). The ability to read, write and

communicate.

Potential career choices: Lawyer, Speaker/host, Author, Journalist, Curator

2. Visual-Spatial Intelligence (picture smart). The ability to think in pictures and

visualize a result.

Potential career choices: Pilot, Surgeon, Architect, Graphic Artist, Interior Decorator

3. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence (number/reasoning smart). The capacity to

analyze problems logically, carry out mathematical operations, and investigate issues
scientifically.

Potential career choices: Mathematician, Accountant, Statistician, Scientist, Computer

Analyst

4. Musical Intelligence (music smart). The ability to make or compose music or

understand and appreciate it.

Potential career choices: Singer, Composer, Disc Jockey, Musician

5. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (body smart). The ability to use your body skillfully
to solve problems, create and fashion products or present ideas and emotions.

Potential career choices: Dancer, Athlete, Surgeon, Mechanic, Carpenter, Physical

Therapist

6. Interpersonal Intelligence (people smart). The ability to understand the intentions,

motivations, and desires of other people and consequently to work effectively with
others.

Potential career choices: Teacher, Psychologist, Manager, Salespeople, Public

Relations

7. Intrapersonal Intelligence (self-smart). The ability for self-analysis and reflection.

This type of intelligence can help a person to understand which life goals are important
and how to achieve them.

Potential career choices: Therapist, Psychologist, Counselor, Entrepreneur, Clergy

8. Naturalist Intelligence (nature smart). The ability to appreciate the world and nature.

Potential career choices: Botanist, Biologist, Astronomer, Meteorologist, Geologist

Source:
Marenus, M. (2020, June 09). Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Simply Psychology.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/multiple-intelligences.html

What is Art and Why is it Important?

Art is a wide range of man's activity from expression down to creating things which are
tangible or intangible. Artwork that is visual in nature is one of the oldest, rich, complex and
popular forms of art that is highly rooted in one’s culture. Other forms like auditory and
performing arts are considered also as manifestations of man’s expression and imaginative
skills.
From your basic knowledge of art. How would you define art? Webster New Collegiate
Dictionary says that Art is a “human ingenuity” in adapting natural things for man’s use.
In art, an artist uses his genius in transforming God-made things into man-made things that
satisfy his needs.

Examples:
1. He converts wood into a religious image, into a house, into a piece of furniture.
2. He transforms plant into cloth or into paper.

VARIOUS DEFINITIONS OF ART

Definitions of art vary in many ways, sometimes it will depend on how you have experienced
and encountered art:

Art is the whole spirit of man.

John Ruskin (1819-1900)
English art critic

Art is the right reason of making things.

Aristotle (384-322 BCE)
Greek philosopher

Art is that which brings life in harmony with the beauty of the world.
Plato (428-348 BCE)
Greek philosopher

ETYMOLOGY OF ART

➢ Art is taken from the Italian word artis, which means craftsmanship, skill, mastery of
form, inventiveness.

➢ From the Greek words artizein which means “to prepare”, and arkiskein meaning “to
put together.”

➢ The Latin term ars, it means everything that is built and created by man. The product
of creative human activity in which materials are shaped or selected to convey an idea,
emotion, or visually interesting form.

VARIOUS ASSUMPTIONS IN ART

Art is Cultural

➢ The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

clearly defined Culture as “the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual, and
emotional features of a society or a social group that encompasses, in addition to the
arts, lifestyles, ways of living together; value systems, traditions, and beliefs.”

➢ Culture defines who we are and what we are as a nation. It nurtures, preserves,
shapes our nation’s traditions, our age-old values and beliefs. It is the heart of our
identity, the core that binds us as a nation.

➢ The richness of our arts and culture have given us a national identity and
distinctions that we can proudly claim to the world. Though culture is diverse, art
is an integral part of every culture for it gives meaning and imagery to people’s lives
and beliefs.
➢ The power of art is a creative expression and potent cultural manifestation.
Moreover, art in culture plays a vital role in citizen’s economic status. Tourists and
 guests from different walks of life gather to witness a society’s heritage, annual
spiritual rituals and historical sights. Through these artworks, certain culture is
promoted, preserved and sustained.

➢ The challenge today is how to educate the students better appreciate,

understand and regard arts and culture as vital to their lives. Together, they are
effective means in developing and promoting positive Filipino values such as being
“Makadiyos” (love for God), “Makatao” (love for humanity), “Makabayan (love for the
nation) and “Makakalikasan” (respect and care for environment).

Art is Universal

➢ Universal may mean all-embracing. As such, Art is all-embracing for it showcases

human wisdom and human creativity. Throughout history, man was able to build great
and lasting things. These remarkable works have made significant roles in building a
nation’s history and identity.

➢ Nations from all over the globe have displayed their works and inspired fellow
nations in the world. Various artists in the world share one vision that is assuring a
brighter future for the next generations.

➢ Though we differ in race, color, culture, and beliefs, no one has the monopoly in Art.
Art is in us, and it’s all about US.

➢ This lesson hopes to broaden our understanding in one of the most basic and universal
of human activities - making art. We will journey and discover works created by great
civilizations and across other nations’ ingenuity.

Art is Not Nature

➢ Art is made by man using his skills, craftsmanship, creativity and imagination. It is far
different from nature. Man may consider nature as inspiration to create an
artwork.

➢ A very distinctive characteristic of man that differs from animals is that man has the
ability to create art. Man may incorporate his past experiences or influence from his
environment to create an artwork.

Art Involves Experience

➢ Every artist becomes creative when they witness various experiences.

Experiences such as failures, triumphs, hopes, social issues, tragedies, etc. all inspire
and move a certain person to analyze and judge these phenomena.

➢ Artists will think of every measure to respond to these experiences. His search
for an answer would lead him to do something beneficial, something extraordinary.
Artists can transform human experience into literature, a music, a theatre play, a film
or even a sculpture.

➢ As the Latin quotation says, experientia docet – experience is the best teacher – for
both artists and people in making a difference for the society.

Art is Expression

➢ An expression is a way of communicating something. Something done or given

as a means for communicating a feeling or emotion. Art is an expression of a man’s
emotions, spirit and aspirations.

➢ Man uses and lifts his heart, his hands, his feet and his voice to be heard and to
be understood. Art is his avenue and medium to express himself.

➢ Artists have unfolded the arts in three (3) interrelated ways: (1) Representation of
the world, (2) the power of imagination, and (3) the idea of beautiful.
 ✓ Representation of the world. Artists represent their world, they help us see the
whole world anew, and they affect and change the world to make it a better, more
beautiful place. The beauty of art – not its monetary worth, but its intrinsic value to
the individual and to society as a whole.

Still there is more to art than the material world. There is certainly something
greater. Let’s call it “imagination.”

✓ The power of imagination. Artists reflect and discern not only what is in the world
but tirelessly work to portray what is beyond – a glimpse of the divine and the
heavens. There are many imaginative spaces that art has traditionally attempted
to represent, from our religious or spiritual feelings to our innermost desires and
dreams.

Artists have moved to imagine the supernatural (God, mythology, angels, dreams,
evil, fairy tales) to give it material form. Artists imaginatively and subjectively
unleash what is hidden (through senses). These works of art will speak of mystery,
they speak of man created in the image and likeness of God, and in so many ways
will turn our gaze to what is eternal.

Artists in all cultures, in their capacity to imagine, have tried to depict their gods.
Artists live up with the principle of “Deo, optimo, maximo” (To God, the best and
the greatest) in their works as an expression of their faith and hopes in God. Signs
and symbols were rendered in paintings, sculptures and architectures to
characterize God as All-Powerful in His divine majesty, worthy to be praised and
adorned.

✓ The Idea of the beautiful and meaningful. The world needs beauty in order not
to sink into despair. As such, the world needs artists to inspire and uplift the human
spirit. One of the purposes of the arts is to make everyday day objects and events
more pleasurable and beautiful. Artists transform everyday life full of gaiety and
spirit, radiant and lively, and ordinary life into a good life, something beautiful.

For artists, discerning beauty is the key to savor life and dream of the future.
Artists may have differences – taste, style, paths – yet the beauty they pass on to
generation would stir wonder, where wonder becomes astonishment and
unspeakable joy. It is beauty which brings joy to the heart of man and which unites
generations and makes them share things in admiration.

Suggested Readings and Websites:

Online Reading/s:

1. Letter of His Holiness Pope John Paul II to Artists:

http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/1999/documents/hf_jp-
ii_let_23041999_artists.html

2. An Artistic Reflection on St. John Paul II's ‘Letter to Artists’

https://www.ncregister.com/blog/an-artistic-reflection-on-st-john-paul-iis-letter-to-
artists

Online Video/s:

1. What is Art? maARTe ako: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjuV7SA6fj4

2. On Art as Cultural
Preserving the Uniqueness of Philippine Culture YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1gfrrevD1A