ASIAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION COLLEGE

LIBERAL ARTS DEPARTMENT

ART APPRECIATION:

CREATIVITY, IMAGINATION, and EXPRESSION

Compiled by:
Lyneth P. Cobacha
Instructor
Art Appreciation: Creativity, Imagination, and Expression

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. Differentiate art from nature
 It takes an artist to make art. One may perceive beauty on a daily basis. However, not every
beautiful thing that can be seen or experienced may truly be called a work of art. Art is a product of
man’s creativity, imagination, and expression. No matter how perfectly blended the colors of a
sunset are and no matter how extraordinarily formed mountains are, nature is not considered art
simply because it is not made by man. Not even photographs or sketches of nature, though captured
or drawn by man, are works of art, but mere recordings of the beauty in nature (Collins & Riley,
1931). An artwork may be inspired by nature or other works of art, but an artist invents his own
forms and patterns due to what he perceives as beautiful and incorporates them in creating his
masterpiece.
Perhaps not everyone can be considered an artist, but surely, all are spectators of art. In
deciding what pair of shoes to buy, we carefully examine all possible choices within our budget
and purchase the one that satisfies our beauty and practical standards. We are able to distinguish
what is fine and beautiful from what is not and what is good quality from poor. This gives us a role
in the field of art appreciation

Let's Get Started

In one of your encounters with art through museum visits, musicals, and plays, among others,
have you ever felt disconnected from an artwork? Was there a point in time when you did not
understand what message the art was trying to convey? If yes, write the name of the artwork in the
box and attach an image of the artwork, if possible. Explain why you think you did or did not
understand the art using the space provided on the next page.

Let ‘s Get Down to Business

Art Appreciation as a Way of Life
 Jean-Paul Sartre, a famous French philosopher of the twentieth century, described the role of
art as a creative work that depicts the world in a completely different light and perspective, and the
source is due to human freedom (Greene, 1995). Each - artwork beholds beauty of its own kind, the
kind that the artist sees and wants the viewers to perceive. More often than not, people are blind to
this beauty and only those who have developed a fine sense of appreciation can experience and see
the art the same way the artist did. Because of this, numerous artworks go unnoticed, artists are not
given enough credit, and they miss opportunities. It sometimes takes a lifetime before their
contribution to the development of art is recognized. Hence, refining one’s ability to appreciate art
allows him to deeply understand the purpose of an artwork and recognize the beauty it possesses
(Collins & Riley, 1931).
In cultivating an appreciation of art, one should also exercise and develop his taste for things
that are fine and beautiful. This allows individuals to make intelligent choices and decisions in
acquiring necessities and luxuries, knowing what gives better value for time or money while taking
into consideration the aesthetic and practical value (Collins & Riley, 1931). This continuous
demand for aesthetically valuable things influences the development and evolution of art and its
forms.
Frequenting museums, art galleries, performing arts theaters, concert halls, or even malls that
display art exhibitions that are free in admission during leisure time will not only develop an
understanding of the art, but will also serve as a rewarding experience. Learning to appreciate art,
no matter what vocation or profession you have, will lead to a fuller and more meaningful life
(Collins & Riley, 1931).

The Role of Creativity in Art Making

Creativity requires thinking outside the box. It is often used to solve problems that have never
occurred before, conflate function and style, and simply make life a more unique and enjoyable
experience. In art, creativity is what sets apart one artwork from another. We say something is done
creatively when we have not yet seen anything like it or when it is out of the ordinary. A creative
artist does not simply copy or imitate another artist's work. He does not imitate the lines, flaws,
colors, and patterns in recreating nature. He embraces originality, puts his own flavor into his work,
and calls it his own creative piece.
Yet being creative today is quite challenging. What you thought was your own unique and
creative idea may not what it seems to be
after extensive research and that someone
else has coincidentally devised before the
idea in another part of the world. For
instance, the campaign ad “It’s More Fun in
the Philippines” used by the Department of
Tourism (DOT) boomed popularity in 2011,
but later on it was found out that it was
allegedly plagiarized from Switzerland's
tourism slogan “It’s More Fun 9in
Switzerland,” back in 1951. In DOT's
defense, former DOT Secretary Ramon
Jimenez Jr. claimed that it was “purely
coincidental.” Thus, creativity should be
backed with careful research on related art
to avoid such conflicts. https://www.google.com/search?q=its+more+fun+in+the+philippines

Art as a Product of Imagination, Imagination as a Product of Art!

 Where do you think famous writers, painters, and musicians get their ideas? Where do ideas
in making creative solutions begin? It all starts in the human mind. It all begins with imagination.
German physicist Albert Einstein who had made
significant and major contributions in science and humanity
demonstrated that knowledge is actually derived from
imagination. He emphasized this idea through his words:
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For
knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand,
while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever
will be to know and understand.”
Imagination is not constrained by the walls of the norm,
but goes beyond that. That is why people rely on curiosity and
imagination for advancement. Through imagination, one is able
to craft something bold, something new, and something better in the hopes of creating something
that will stimulate change. Imagination allows endless possibilities. Photo:https://www.google.com/search?
q=albert+einstein+imagination+is+better+than+knowledge

In an artist’s mind sits a vast gallery of artworks. An artwork does not need to be a real thing,
but can be something that is imaginary (Collingwood, 1938). Take for example a musician who
thinks of a tune in his head. The making of this tune in his head makes it an imaginary tune, an
imaginative creation, an imaginary art (Collingwood, 1938). It remains imaginary until he hums,
sings, or writes down the - notes of the tune on paper. However, something imaginary does not
necessarily mean it cannot be called art. Artists use their imagination that gives birth to reality
through creation.
In the same way that imagination
produces art, art also inspires imagination.
imagine being in an empty room surrounded by
blank, white walls, and floor. Would you be
inspired to work in such a place? Often, you
will find coffee shops, restaurants, and libraries
with paintings hung or sculptures and other
pieces of art placed around the room to add
beauty to the surroundings. This craving and
desire to be surrounded by beautiful things
dates back to our early ancestors (Collins &
Riley, 1931). Cave walls are surrounded by
drawings and paintings of animals they hunted:
wild boars, reindeers, and bison. Clays were
molded and stones were carved into forms that
resemble men and women; burial jars were
created with intricate designs on them. These
creative pieces were made not only because
they were functional to men, but also because beauty gave them joy (Collins & Riley, 1931).
https://www.google.com/search?q=thomas+quine+cave+painting

Art as Expression
There may have been times when you felt something is going on within you, you try to explain it
but you do not know how. You may only be conscious about feeling this sort of excitement, fear, or
agitation, but you know that just one word is not enough to describe the nature of what you truly
feel. Finally, you try to release yourself from this tormenting and disabling state by doing
something, which is called expressing oneself (Collingwood, 1938). Suppose this feeling is
excitement. It is frustrating to contain such feeling, so you relieve it by expressing through shouting
or leaping in excitement. An emotion will remain unknown to a man until he expresses it.
Robin George Collingwood, an English philosopher who is best known for his work in aesthetics,
explicated in his publication The Principles of Art (1938) that what an artist does to an emotion is
not to induce it, but express it. Through expression, he is able to explore his own emotions and at
the same time, create something beautiful out of them. Collingwood further illustrated that
expressing emotions is something different from describing emotions. In his example, explicitly
saying “I am angry” is not an expression of an emotion, but a mere description. There is no need in
relating or referring to a specific emotion, such as anger, in expressing one’s emotion. Description
actually destroys the idea of expression, as it classifies the emotion, making it ordinary and
predictable. Expression, on the other hand, individualizes. An artist has the freedom to express
himself the way he wants to. Hence, there is no specific technique in expression. This makes
people’s art not a reflection of what is outside or external to them, but a reflection of their inner
selves.
There are countless ways of expressing oneself through art. The following list includes, but is not
limited to, popular art expressions.

Visual Art
Creation that falls under this category are those
that appeal to the sense of sight and are mainly
visual nature. Artists produce visual arts driven by
their desire to reproduce things that they have
seen in the way that they perceived them (Collins
& Riley, 1931). We will not be too strict on the
definition since there are other artistic disciplines
that also involve a visual aspect, such as
performance arts, theater, and applied arts, that
will be discussed in detail later on. Visual art is
the kind of art form that the population is most
likely more exposed to, but its variations are so
diverse—they range from sculptures
that you see in art galleries to the last movie you
Saw.
Some mediums of visual arts include paintings, drawings, letterings, printing, sculptures, digital
imaging, and more. https://www.google.com/search?q=visual+arts

Film
Film refers to the art of putting together successions of still images in order to create an illusion
of movement. Filmmaking focuses on its aesthetic, cultural, and social value and is considered as
both an art and an industry. Films can be created by using one or a combination of some or all of
these techniques: motion-picture cameré (also known as movie camera), animation techniques,
Computer-Generated Image (CGI), and more. Filmmaking simulates experiences or creates one that
is beyond the scope of our imagination as it aims to deliver ideas, feelings, or beauty to its viewers.
The art of filmmaking is so complex it has to take into account many important elements such
as lighting, musical score, visual effects, direction, and more. That is why in famous film festivals
and awards such as the Metro Manila Film Festival and Oscars, a long list of categories is
considered to recognize excellence in the art of filmmaking.
Performance Art
Performance art is a live art and the artist's
medium is mainly the human body which he or she uses
to perform, but also employs other kind of art such as
visual art, props, or sound. It usually consists of four
important elements: time, where the performance took
place, the performer’s body, and a relationship between
the audience and the performer(s) (Moma Learning,
n.d.). The fact that performance art is live makes it
intangible, which means it cannot be bought or traded as
a commodity, unlike the previously discussed
artexpressions.

https://www.google.com/search?q=performance+art+examples

Poetry Performance
Poetry is an art form where the artist expresses his emotions not by using paint, charcoal, or camera,
but expresses them through words. These words are carefully
selected to exhibit clarity and beauty and to stimulate strong
emotions of joy, anger, love, sorrow, and the list goes on. It
uses a word’s emotional, musical, and spatial values that go
beyond its literal meaning to narrate, emphasize, argue, or
convince. These words, combined with movements, tone,
volume, and intensity of the delivery, add to the artistic
value of the poem. Some poets even make poems out of their
emotions picked up from other works of art, which in turn
produce another work of art through poetry.
https://www.google.com/search?q=poetry+performance+juan+miguel

Architecture
As discussed, art is the pursuit and creation of
beautiful things while architecture is the making of
beautiful buildings. However, not all buildings are
beautiful. Some buildings only embody the
functionality they need, but the structure, lines,
forms, and colors are not beautifully expressed. Thus,
not all buildings can be considered architecture.
Take, for example, the Grand Théatre de Bordeaux
(Figure 11) where the functionality of the theater
remains, but the striking balance of the lines, colors,
and shapes completes the masterpiece. Buildings
should embody these three important elements—
plan, construction, and design—if they wish to
merit the title architecture (Collins & Riley, 1931).
Dance

Dance is a series of movements that follows the rhythm of the

music accompaniment. It has been an age-old debate whether
dance can really be considered an art form, but here we primarily
describe dance as a form of expression. Dancing is a creative form
that allows people to freely express themselves. It has no rules.
You may say that choreography does not allow this, but in art
expression, dancers are not confined to set steps and rules but are
free to create and invent their own movements as long as they
deem them graceful and beautiful. https://www.google.com/search?q=dance

Literary Art
Artists who practice literary arts use words—not paint,
musical instruments, or chisels—to express themselves and
communicate emotions to the readers. However, simply
becoming a writer does not make one a literary artist. Simply
constructing a succession of sentences in a meaningful
manner is not literary art. Literary art goes beyond the usual
professional, academic, journalistic, and other technical forms
of writing. It focuses on writing using a unique style, not
following a specific format or norm. It may include both
fiction and non-fiction such as novels, biographies, and
poems. Examples of famous literary artists and their works
include The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
https://www.google.com/search?q=romeo+and+juliet

Theater
Theater uses live performers to present accounts or
imaginary events before a live audience. Theater art
performances usually follow a_ script, though they should
not be confused with literary arts. Much like in filmmaking,
theater also considers several elements such as acting,
gesture, lighting, sound effects, musical score, scenery, and
props. The combination of these elements is what gives the
strongest impression on the audience and the script thus
becomes a minor element. Similar to performance art, since
theater is also a live performance, the participation of the
viewer is an important element in theater arts. Some genres
of theater include drama, musical, tragedy, comedy, and
improvisation. https://www.google.com/search?q=theater+in+art
Applied Arts

Is incorporating elements of style and design to everyday items

with the aim of increasing their aesthetical value. Artist in this field
bring beauty, charm, and comfort in to many things that are useful in
daily life (Collins and Riley, 1931). Industrial design, interior design,
fashion design, and graphic design are considered applied arts.
Let’s See What You Have Learned
Activity 1: Wisdom Battleship
Direction: answer the following questions as precisely yet as thoroughly as possible.
1. What is the possible field will you explore? Why?
2. How can you utilize the art to express yourself, your community, and your relation to
others?

Activity 2: Wisdom Battleship

Type of Expression Example How does this How does this
Express unmask the artist’s
creativity
Example: Ballroom dance Through bodily By using mixed music
Performance Art movements, facial and using a unique
expression, music, dance choreography
and props/costumes

Visual Art

Film

Poetry Performance

Architecture

Literary Art

Theater