Chapter 3

SUBJECT OF ART AND METHODS OF PRESENTING SUBJECT

SUBJECT OF ART
Subject of art is usually anything that is represented in the artwork. It may be a person,
object, scene or event. Not all arts have subjects. Those arts without subject are called “non-
objective” they do not represent anything.
1. Representational or Objective Arts – Artworks that depict something that can easily be
recognized which is real and part of this world. This simply means that representational artwork
aims to represent or show actual objects or subjects from reality. Hence, artworks under this
classification are also called objective arts.
a) Portraiture – (pictures of men and women) It became popular before the invention of the
camera; was enjoyed only by elite: kings and noblemen; nowadays, charcoal is one of the
mediums used in doing portraits.

- Carlos Duarte -Bread and Shutter

b) Animals and Plants – It represents animals and plants. It became the trend due to man’s
first encounters with plants and animals for survival; even now, painters prefer animals
and plants, specifically flowering plants as subjects for their paintings.

- Patricia White - Michelle Mara

c) Still Life – representing inanimate objects or non-living things placed on a table or another
setting to become a subject in a certain artwork. It is always available and capable to be
 organized. E.g. a basket of fruits, a bag of groceries, a pack of cigarettes, a bunch of
flowers, and a bucket of chicken.

-Sejal Raval -Clara Peeeters

d) Country Life – copying scenes happening in the community. E.g. a barrio fiesta, a fluvial
parade, a bountiful rice harvest, a big catch of fishes, and a natural calamity.

-Robert Duncan - Fernando Amorsolo

e) Landscape – It depicts pictures of land forms. E.g. the volcano, the mountain, the hill, the
valley, the plain, the cliff and the like.

-Faim Faim -Anne Marie Bone

f) Seascape – pictures of any of the water forms e.g. the ocean, the sea, the river, the lake,
the brook, the pond, the falls, and the like.

-June Nelson -Anton Gorlin

g) Cityscape – pictures of an aerial view of a city or a portion of it.

h) Religious Items – The Holy Family, Madonna and the Child, Jesus Christ, angels, saints
and other religious objects.

-Rosaries - Shalin Indian Brass

 i) Mythological, fictional, and cartoon characters – supernatural beings and fantasies,
technological items, and objects.

Zeus Poseidon Hercules and Cerebrus

2. Non-Representational or Non-Objective Arts – Artworks that have no resemblance to any
real subject or objects or anything from nature. It does not represent anything. This may take the
form of emphasizing lines, shapes or colors that transform the subject.
 Abstract – Abstraction indicates a departure from reality in depiction or imagery in art.
This departure from accurate representation can be slight, partial, or complete.

Energized by Tom Fedro

Chicago artist Tom Fedro creates art with zing and

boundless humor. Bright colors, big features and bold lines
that seem to be electrically charged represent an existing
way of seeing and experiencing the world through his eyes.

Tom Fedro is a self-representing Chicago artist. He is

best known for his large-size original abstract nudes, faces,
animals, wine and contemporary modern paintings, but likes
to experiment with other styles as well.
What is the difference between subject and content in Art?
Subject is the literal, visible image in a work while content includes the connotative,
symbolic, and suggestive aspects of the image. The subject matter is the subject of the artwork,
e.g., still life, portrait, landscape etc.
Content is not subject or things in the painting. Content is the communication of ideas,
feelings and reactions connected with the subject.

METHODS OF PRESENTING SUBJECTS

Every artist has his own individual and unique style of doing his artworks. This style is
almost always governed by his choice of the methods of presenting his subject.
1. REALISM – It is also known as naturalism. This is an
attempt to represent things as it is with accuracy and
precision. It is executed in a photographic precision.
We can say that an art is realistic when the
representation and organization of details in the work
seem so natural. Like-wise it mirrors reality.

The Desperate Man by Gustave Courbet, 1844-1845, Oil

painting

2. SURREALISM – is an invented word meaning

“super naturalism” or beyond realism. Surrealists
attempt to represent subjects which were the
result of dreams and fantasies.

The Persistence of Memory, oil on canvas by Salvador

Dalí, 1931

Features of Surrealistic Art

Dream-like scenes and symbolic images
Games and techniques to create random effects
Visual puns
Distorted figures and biomorphic shapes
Primitive or child-like designs

“Glass Tears” by Man Ray, 20th Century Photography

 3. SYMBOLISM - A symbol is a visible sign of
something invisible such as an idea or
quality. Symbolism systematically uses
symbols to concentrate or intensify meaning,
making the work of art more subjective
(rather than objective) and conventional.

The Poor Fisherman, Oil on canvas by Pierre Puvis

de Chavannes, 1881

For example, a flag is a symbol of a country

and it depicts the value of nationalism; a lion to
represent courage and a lamb to represent meekness.
The logos and emblems of business firms and the coat
of arms of bishops are also examples of symbolism.

“The Making of the Philippine Flag”

Painted by Fernando Amorsolo

4. FAUVISM - It is derived from the French

“les fauves,” which means “the wild
beasts.” It is the first movement in the
modern period in which color ruled supreme
and emphasizes the use of extremely bright
colors.

André Derain, “The Turning Road” 1906

To a fauvist, for example, a tree trunk need

not be brown. It could be bright red, purple or any
other color.

- Andre Derain “The dance” 1906 - Oil on canvas

As Henri Matisse, the most famous fauve artist put it:

“When I put down a green, it does not mean grass; and when I put down a blue, it does not mean
the sky''. Color, in short, was completely set free.

5. DADAISM - The term “dada” is a French word, which means a “hobby-horse.” A hobby-
horse is a child’s toy consisting of a wooden horse mounted on a stick. With this etymology,
we could say that Dadaism is system of art which is “nonsensical” or making no sense.
Some would say it is not an art because it strives to have no meaning at all.

6. FUTURISM – is an art movement that originated in

Italy in the early 20th century. Machine and motions are
the main subject of this technique which try to show
movement and speed. Thus, futurism can be considered
as realism in the future.

“New City” by Antonio Sant'Elia

1914

7. IMPRESSIONISM – It is also sometimes referred to

as optical realism due to its interest in the actual viewing
experience, including such things as the effect of color,
light and movement on the appearance of the objects
depicted in the artworks.
 Impressionism focused on directly describing
the visual sensations derived from nature. Devotees
of Impressionism were not concerned with the actual
depiction of the objects they painted. Instead they
were concerned with the visual impressions aroused
by those objects.

8. ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM – Abstract means

“drawing away from reality” or “to move away”. The
principle of departure from the real life or reality
makes abstraction stands out and different among
other methods.

A realist artist represents subject as is in his

artworks but an abstractionist ignores the exact form
of a real-life object. Abstract arts challenge the
minds of the viewer to look deeper.

Abstract Expressionism was influenced by

the Existentialist philosophy, which emphasized the
importance of the act of creating, not of the finished
object. What matters for the artist are the qualities
of the paint and the act of painting itself.

ARTIST AND ARTISAN

 Artists are the creator of tangible or
intangible products (works of art) as an
expression of creativity and imagination for
purely aesthetic reasons.
 Artist can be considered as any person involved
in creating and designing objects related to any
of the fine arts like painting, sculpture, mu sic,
dance and literature.
 Artists express themselves to any form of arts
using mediums or materials for the artworks to
have its artistic integrity.

 Artisan is a skilled craft worker or craftsman

who makes things using his hands. It is
derived from the French word “artisan”
meaning, skilled workers who create things
by hand which can be functional or
decorative.

Decorative arts include the following:

furniture, pottery, textile, jewelry, food items,
household items and tools or any applied arts.

 Artisans are the makers of products or crafts,

not only for aesthetic value for decorative
purposes but for practical value, such as for
business purposes.
 Artisan skills are developed through the
influence of their family or of their community as well.
 Artisans consider themselves as business people because their products are
involved in the business market or from the very start, in the entrepreneurship
world.