Arts and Humanities Reviewer

INTRODUCTION:
ART was derived from the Aryan root word "AR", which means to put together, while still another origin of the word art
came from the Latin "Ars", which means ability or skill.

VISION
For the arts to function as an instrument in developing the capabilities of the students to be dynamic and nurturing, as
well as, serve as a connection for each new generation in order to enrich human experience and the well-being of our
society.

A work of art is the product of the imagination of the artist dependent on the following factors like the material/
medium, subject, theme, values, influences, period, belief, inspiration, preparation, and others.

IMPORTANCE OF ARTS
 Provide knowledge and understanding
 build self-confidence and self-worth
 stimulate creativity and craftsmanship
 a source of joy and employment
 reflect culture and tradition

HUMANITIES
is the study of the different cultural aspects of man, his frailties in life, and how these can be improved. Humanities can
regulate the type of behavior that is considered appropriate to an individual thus the teaching of humanities is essential
in order for one to gain the knowledge to achieve the status of a cultured man. A cultured man is perceived as one who
is well versed in the arts, in philosophy, and the languages.

Humanities came from the Latin word "Humanus", it means "human, cultured and defined."

Humanities are used to designate the non-scientific scholarly disciplines such as the study of all languages and
literatures, the arts, including history and philosophy. Humanities also described as the study of how people process and
document the human experience.

WHY HUMANITIES. MATTER?

 It allows us to gain insights into everything
 It helps us to understand our world
 It brings clarity to the future

ASSUMPTIONS OF ARTS
 ART IS UNIVERSAL
Art has always been timeless and universal, spanning generations and continents through and through.
Age is not a factor in determining art.
 ART IS EVERYWHERE
Art exists in all forms of human society and in every generation because it serves some fundamental
human needs.
 ART IS NOT NATURE
Art is man's expression of his reception of nature. Art is man's way of interpreting nature. Art is made by
man, whereas nature is given around us.
 ART INVOLVES EXPERIENCE
Art depends on experience, and if one is to know art, he must know it not as fact or information but as
experience. It means the actual doing of something.

FUNCTIONS OF ARTS
 FUNCTIONAL
This is the classification of the art according to its usefulness.
 NON-FUNCTIONAL
This is the other classification of art which is “art of art” sake and the functions is to give pleasure and
further leads to contemplation where artwork comes before meaning and its usefulness.

“AESTHETIC"
An art functions aesthetically when it becomes an instrument for mankind to be cognizant of its beauty.
"UTILITARIAN"
Art serves this function when it is used to give comfort, convenience, and happiness to human beings.

"SOCIAL"
Art serves this function when it bridges connection among people.

“CULTURAL”
Art serves as an aperture towards skills, knowledge, attitudes, customs, and traditions of different people.

"PHYSICAL"
Arts provides us with tools which make life physically comfortable.

"POLITICAL"
Art reinforces and enhance a sense of identity and ideological connection to specific political views.

“EDUCATIONAL”
Art symbols and signs illustrate knowledge and attitudes that are not expressed in words.

"SPIRITUAL"
Art expresses spiritual beliefs.

THE METHODS OF PRESENTING THE ART SUBJECT

Realism – the presentation of subject as it is (“The Stone Breakers” by Gustave Courbet)

Abstraction – it means to move away or separate (“The Three Musicians” by Pablo Picasso)
Surrealism – it aims to bring the elements of subconscious to the surface (“Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dali”)
Fauvism – the themes are ethical, philosophical or psychological. The subjects express comfort, joy or happiness.

PRINCIPLES OF AESTHETIC FORM

ORGANIC UNITY AND UNITY IN VARIETY

This means that each element in a work of art is necessary to its value. It must be unified and must "hang together in
one entity. Each element of the art used is essential to the work.

"The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh

THEME AND THEMATIC VARIATION

There is a dominant theme or motif in the artwork which stands out and upon which the other portions are centered
though this theme is varied in different ways in other portions of the work.

Thematic Variation. The theme is still the same but the presentation is varied and different from the earlier format
through devices of repetition

"The Scream" by Edvard Munch

BALANCE
This is the quality of opposing or contrasting elements. The axis or the center point is established by an imaginary line to
find out the kind of balance used.

3 Types of Balance:
 Symmetrical
 Asymmetrical
 Radial

"The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci

EVOLUTION
This reflects the unity of a process that is when the earlier parts determine the latter, and all together, form a total
meaning. A painting consists of a foreground, a middle ground, and a background.

"Planting Rice" by Fernando Amorsolo

HIERARCHY
This is the principle of subordination where the artwork is grouped according to rank or size like from highest to lowest.
"One of the Beautiful Walls" of Nefertari's Tomb

BASIC ELEMENTS OF ARTS

 ELEMENTS OF THE FINE ARTS
Subject, medium, line, color, texture, volume, perspective, form, and style.

 ELEMENTS OF MUSIC
Rhythm melody, dynamics, harmony, texture, form, color, and style.

 ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE
See this in relation to genre: as to poetry, as to novel, as to short story, as to essay.

ASSESSING A WORK OF ART

"What makes any work of art great?"

This question involves the whole science of aesthetics, a discipline which has engaged great minds through the years.
The answer is simple, and it is by identifying an artwork that has stood the test of time yet still remains meaningful.
There are certain criteria that can be applied. These are SINCERITY, UNIVERSALITY, MAGNITUDE, AND CRAFTSMANSHIP.

ASSESSING A WORK OF ART

SINCERITY
satisfies the question on whether the artist's intention is perfectly honest or if he/she is striving for effect either by
sentimentality or sensation. Subjects of art work like in the case of "Spoliarium" are fraught with frustration and
sentimentality.

UNIVERSALITY
is the quality of an artwork that should answer the elements of truth in the artwork which is something permanent and
not just in the momentary value. Like in the case of the sculpture of "Our Lady of Peace" of EDSA. It speaks of man's
universal belief in the power of prayer in fighting for a cause.

MAGNITUDE
is a criteria that tells about the scope and significance of a work of art. A very good example is the work of Micheangelo,
which is the "Sistine Chapel" and Juan Luna's "Spoliarium". These pieces can be seen several times and yet one cannot
exhaust the depth and extent of its meaning.

CRAFTSMANSHIP is perceived from the point of view of a master or a group of artists who represents a style that
reflects period and form of elements and technical skills.

ELEMENTS OF PAINTING

LINE
The length without width or an extension of a point. There are two kinds of lines:
The first is static line and the other is the dynamic line.
 Static because it suggests stillness.
 Dynamic suggests force in motion

SIZE
The magnitude of bulk of an object.

SHAPE
The physical form or figure, which could imply weight or volume.

TEXTURE
The coarseness or the smoothness of a material.

COLOR
The appearance or hue of an object with regard to the wavelength of the light reflected by it
- The primary colors are red, blue and yellow
- The secondary color are formed by combining two primary colors. These are green, orange and violet.
- The tertiary colors are formed by combining both the primary and secondary colors. They are blue green, blue
violet, red orange, red violet, yellow orange and yellow green.
- The monochromatic colors is the results of using degree of lightness and brightness of the only one collors.
COLOR CONNOTATIONS
 White means pure, innocence, emptiness, calm, indifference.
 Red means radical emotions, anger, aggressive, excitement, welcoming.
 Orange means unpredictable, warm, deteriorating, changing.
 Green means raw, promising. Immature, fresh, soothing, pleasant.
 Yellow means cowardly, informal, sun.
 Blue means clarity, severe, formal, low-spirited, reliable, sincere.
 Purple means imperial, regal, articulate, showy.

VALUE
The intensity of lightness and darkness viewed from the source of illumination. It could also be expressed as the tonal
graduation of a color. Examples are pale pink, light red, blood red, and maroon.

FOUR PROPERTIES OF VALUE

 Intensity of light in relation to shadow,
 Relationship of value to all adjacent tones.
 Identification of the nature and quality of light.
 Integration of the influence of reflected light.

SUBJECT
Tells us who or what is the artwork about, through the finished work is the interpretation of the artist according to how
he/she interprets it.

MEDIUM
The material used by the artist in creating his work, for example, in painting where the artist should use oil water color.

MEDIUM OF ARTS
Oil
PAINTING Oil Pastel
Tempera
Watercolor
Fresco

SCULPTURE
Wood
Marble
Precious Stone
Stone
Terracotta
Clay
Gold, Silver, Bronze

ARCHITECTURE
Cement
Stone
Steel
Wood
Coco Lumber

LITERATURE
Paper/Pen
Computer
Language/ Dialect

MUSIC
Melody and Lyrics
Musical Instruments
Human Voice

DANCE
Song
Sound
Body Language
THEATER
Script, Stage, Performers
Property of the Set
Music scoring, Lights

CINEMA
Celluloid /Film
Other Equipment

DIGITAL ARTS
Computer and Software

PAINTING

EGGYPTIAN PAINTING
Egyptian society was based on the concept of harmony known as ma'at which had come into being at the dawn of
creation and sustained the universe. All Egyptian art is based on perfect balance because it reflects the ideal world of the
gods.

THREE STAGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF EGYPTIAN PAINTINGS:

OLD KINGDOM
GREAT PYRAMID of Giza and SPHINX

MIDDLE KINGDOM
PECTORAL of Senusret II, HEAD of Senusret III

NEW KINGDOM QUEEN

Nefertiti

The Egyptians made the most elaborate and beautiful tombs for their pharaohs. In fact, ancient Egypt boasted the most
remarkable memorial tombs of all, most of which still survive today: the pyramids.

GREEK PAINTING
The heart of Greek culture (including painting) was Athens; this was true even in the Greek Dark Age, during which
Athens (like all other Greek settlements) had yet to grow into a city.

THE ARCHAIC PERIOD ENCOMPASSED THREE PHASES OF GREEK JAR PAINTING:

GEOMETRIC, ORIENTALIZING, BLACK-FIGURE

The Archaic age also witnessed the rise of Greek wall painting, which (during the Archaic period) featured a flat, sharply
outlined style. The foremost collection is found at the VERGINA TOMBS, a royal Macedonian burial complex. The walls of
these tombs were decorated by Greek artists; for Macedonia, like Rome, admired and commissioned much Greek art.
The finest painting of the Vergina Tombs may be ABDUCTION OF PERSEPHONE.

ROMAN PAINTING
The history of Roman painting is essentially a history of wall paintings on plaster. Although ancient literary references
inform us of Roman paintings on wood, ivory, and other materials, works that have survived are in the durable medium
of fresco that was used to adorn the interiors of private homes in Roman cities and in the countryside.

ART HISTORIANS AND ARCHAEOLOGISTS DESCRIBE THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROMAN PAINTING IN FOUR STYLES:
FIRST STYLE or INCRUSTATION

SECOND STYLE or ARCHITECTURAL

THIRD STYLE or ORNATE STYLE

FOURTH STYLE or INTRICATE

WALL PAINTING FROM ROOM H OF THE VILLA OF P. FANNIUS SYNISTOR AT BOSCOREALE

EARLY CHRISTIAN PAINTING

Christianity, in its infancy, was a religion followed by the lower classes of society. As such, its art was not prolific as it was
likely unfunded, the number of Christians was small, and there may have been an adherence to the strict Old Testament
forbiddance of graven images.
NOAH PRAYING IN THE ARK

BYZANTINE PAINTING
Byzantine art is almost entirely concerned with religious expression and, more specifically, with the impersonal
translation of carefully controlled church theology into artistic terms.
The earliest Byzantine architecture, though determined by the longitudinal basilica church plan developed in Italy,
favoured the extensive use of large domes and vaults.

CHRIST PANTOCRATOR, TREE OF JESSE, SAINTS BORIS AND GLEB

ROMANESQUE PAINTING
Romanesque art reflected the rise in political and economic stability across Europe. With stability came higher tax and
tithe revenues for the Church, which therefore had more money to spend on new churches

GOTHIC PAINTING
Gothic art started in France around 1144, when Abbot Suger completed the first Gothic Church at the Abbey of St Denis.
It then spread across Europe over the next century,
Nowhere is the flexibility of the term 'Gothic' clearer than in Italy. Italy was one of the last places to get on the Gothic
bandwagon, and one of the first to jump off into its own unique Renaissance

MADONNA ENTHRONED by GIOTTO, 1310 FLORENCE THE BIRTH OF THE VIRGIN by PIETRO LORENZETI LAMENTATION
by GIOTTO DI BODINI

RENAISSANCE PAINTING
The founder of Renaissance painting was MASACCIO. The intellectuality of his conceptions, the monumentality of his
compositions, and the high degree of naturalism in his works mark Masaccio as a pivotal figure in Renaissance painting.
The SUCCEEDING GENERATION OF ARTISTS—PIERO DELLA FRANCESCA, POLLAIUOLO, and ANDREA DEL VERROCCHIO—
pressed forward with researches into linear and aerial perspective and anatomy, developing a style of scientific
naturalism

THE BATTLE OF SAN ROMANO by PAOLO UCCELLO

MONA LISA by LEONARDO DA VINCI

MANNERISM PAINTING
The Mannerist style originated in Florence and Rome and spread to northern Italy and, ultimately, to much of central
and northern Europe.
The term mannerism describes the style of the paintings and bronze sculpture on this tour. Derived from the Italian
maniera, meaning simply “style,” mannerism is sometimes defined as the “stylish style” for its emphasis on self-
conscious artifice over realistic depiction.
MADONNA with the LONG NECK by PARMIGIANINO

BAROQUE PAINTING
In general, "Baroque painting" was a reflection of the profound political and cultural changes then emerging across
Europe. Baroque painting coincided, broadly speaking with the 17th century, although in some areas - notably Germany
- some of its achievements did not occur until the 18th century. Although the term embraced a bewildering variety of
styles, it was typically characterized by two things: a sense of grandeur (or sensuous richness), plus an overt emotional
content.

IN ADDITION TO THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF BAROQUE PAINTING:

(1) GRANDEUR OR SENSUALITY
(2) STRONG EMOTIONAL

THE HOLY TRINITY, SUPPER AT EMMAUS

The term Baroque probably ultimately derived from the Italian word barocco, which philosophers used during the
Middle Ages to describe an obstacle in schematic logic. Subsequently the word came to denote any contorted idea or
involuted process of thought. Another possible source is the Portuguese word barroco (Spanish barrueco), used to
describe an irregular or imperfectly shaped pearl, and this usage still survives in the jeweler’s term baroque pearl.

ROCOCO PAINTING
Rococo, style in interior design, the decorative arts, painting, architecture, and sculpture that originated in Paris in the
early 18th century but was soon adopted throughout France and later in other countries, principally Germany and
Austria.
The word Rococo is derived from the French word rocaille, which denoted the shell-covered rock work that was used to
decorate artificial grottoes
PLAZZA SAN MARCO by CANALETTO

NEO-CLASSISM PAINTING
Artists sought to once again explore the concepts that had been popular in the Classical time period. This new focus on
Classical themes involved artists creating works that featured historically accurate depictions of various scenes from
history.
DEATH OF GENERAL WOLFE by BENJAMIN WEST
Neoclassical art, also called Neoclassicism and Classicism
Neoclassicism in the arts is an aesthetic attitude based on the art of Greece and Rome in antiquity, which invokes
harmony, clarity, restraint, universality, and idealism.
OATH OF THE HORATII by JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID

ROMANTICISM PAINTING
Romanticism, attitude or intellectual orientation that characterized many works of literature, painting, music,
architecture, criticism, and historiography in Western civilization over a period from the late 18th to the mid-19th
century.
THE NIGHTMARE by HENRY FUSELI
Romanticism embraced individuality and subjectivity to counteract the excessive insistence on logical thought.

NATURALISM PAINTING
"Naturalism" is a term with a vexed and complex history in art criticism. It has been used since the 17th century to refer
to any artwork which attempts to render the reality of its subject-matter without concern for the constraints of
convention, or for notions of the 'beautiful'. Naturalism was one of the first movements in modern art to give expression
to nationalist and regionalist sentiments.
SUNRISE IN THE CATSKILLS by THOMAS COLE

IMPRESSIONISM PAINTING
The term “Impressionism” was not chosen by the artists – rather, it was born from a satirical review written by French
art critic Louis Leroy (1812 – 1885) in an article on the inaugural exhibition of the Société Anonyme Coopérative des
Artistes Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs (‘Cooperative and Anonymous Association of Painters, Sculptors and Engravers').
MEULES by CLAUDE MONET
THE DANCE CLASS by EDGAR DEGAS

REALISM PAINTING
Realism is recognized as the first modern movement in art, which rejected traditional forms of art, literature, and social
organization as outmoded in the wake of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution.
STONE BREAKERS by GUSTAV COURBET

MODERN PAINTING
The modern period of art history witnessed the demolition of traditional restrictions, in terms of both form (the
appearance of art) and content (the subject matter). This occurred in all branches of art, with painting leading the way;
indeed, painters had led aesthetic innovation in Europe since the end of antiquity. The most prominent innovation in
form was the rise of increasingly distorted painting styles, culminating in the birth of abstract art. In terms of content,
painting of the modern period tends to feature ordinary, everyday scenes, as opposed to the traditional "lofty" subjects
(biblical, mythological, historical)

STARRY NIGHT by VINCENT VAN GOGH

THREE TYPES OF MODERN PAINTING:

(1) SYMBOLISM/CARTOONISMC
. Unlike most "ism" labels, this term does not describe the form (appearance) of a painting, but rather the content
(subject matter). Symbolist painters attempted to convey meaning in a completely indirect manner, through a wide
range of visual symbols; these symbols might be taken from existing sources (e.g. religion, mythology) or devised by the
artist. The juxtaposition of symbols often gave rise to paintings with a fantastic, dreamlike quality
(2) ICONOGRAPHY AND ICONOLOGY
ICONOGRAPHY portrays the concept, the symbol, or an object via a graphical image. Whereas, ICONOLOGY goes beyond
the face value and deals with researching around even the artist’s background. ICONOGRAPHY AND ICONOLOGY both
have their roots originating from art. Panofsky defined ‘iconography’ as the study of subject matter in the visual arts and
‘iconology’ as an attempt to analyze the significance of that subject matter within the culture that produced it.
Iconography has become more famous due to the acknowledged meaning and significance of various symbols and
images.
 (3) FAUVISM
Fauvism, style of painting that flourished in France around the turn of the 20th century. Fauve artists used pure, brilliant
colour aggressively applied straight from the paint tubes to create a sense of an explosion on the canvas.