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Week 1
Introduction to Arts Appreciation
Assumptions and Nature of Arts: Creativity, Imagination, and Expression

What is art? How do we

define art? What is the role of art
in our everyday life? Why study
art appreciation? These might be
the questions often asked by
most college students.
Art is defined as the
expression or application of
human creative skill and
imagination, typically in a visual
form such as painting or
sculpture, producing works to Planting Rice by Fernando Amorsolo
be appreciated primarily
for their beauty or emotional power. However, there is no single agreed upon definition of
art. It varies from cultures.

Activity 1. As a preliminary activity for the topic, kindly reflect on the following questions:

1. Do you think of yourself as a creative person? If you do, why? If you don’t, why
not?
2. Are you more creative and most productive when feeling happy? Do you suffer if
you are not?
3. How do you determine whether a particular art is an original work of an artist?
4. What talent/s would you like to improve as a person? Why?

Description of Art Appreciation

When we look around, we see a lot of things that relate to art. Art can come in the
form of many items such as posters, paintings, portraits, covers, and more. People look at
art in different ideas that they want to know more about or may be studying. Art can show
ideas about the past, what is currently happening and what may happen in the future. It
can also show meaning, love, boredom, and creativity (Ramos, 2012). Art can be meaningful
because of the colors, shapes, and depictions it can create.

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Art Appreciation is a way to motivate ideas and allows individuals to illustrate their
feelings when they viewed an artwork. It helps develops critical and innovative skills in
thinking and teaches essential qualities in listening, observing, and responding to multiple
viewpoints It also requires an ability to differentiate what is apparent and what is not
(Gargaro & Jilg, 2016 and Sanger, 2012).

Art Appreciation is the knowledge and understanding of the universal and timeless
qualities that identify all great art.

The Creation of Arts

In our life, we experience so much fragmentation of our thoughts and feelings. But, by
creating arts, it brings things back together. We merely make art because of so many
reasons, and we enjoy the process of it.

These are all processed in three significant phases namely: Creation of Forms; Creation
of Ideas; and Creation of the Materials (Sanchez, 2011).

a. The Creations of ideas. Artists are usually impressionable persons. They used their
experiences as their basis in the making of dance, picture, a poem, or a play or a song. For
example, a composer may write a song on the developing romance between a man and a
woman, or on the pains of a broken-hearted.
b. The Creations of the Materials. The artist uses different materials or mediums to
give form to an idea. For example, a painter uses pigments; a sculptor uses wood, metal or
stone; an author uses words; and a composer who uses musical sounds to determine the
notes.
c. The Creations of Forms. There are diverse forms used by the artists in expressing
their ideas. It is a medium of artistic expression recognized as fine art. This form is used to
explain the physical nature of the artwork like in metal sculpture, an oil painting, etc.

ART is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a
visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty
or emotional power.

The word “art” is from a Latin arti or ars, which means craftsmanship, inventiveness,
mastery of form, skill. It includes literature, music, paintings, photography, sculpture, etc. It
serves as an original record of human needs and achievements. It usually refers to the so-
called “fine arts” (e.g., graphics, plastic, and building) and to the so-called “minor arts”
(everyday, useful, applied, and decorative arts). It is the process of using our senses and

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emotions in making creative activities (Marcos, 2010). It is a human capability to make

things beautiful (e.g., buildings, illustration, designing, painting, sculpture, and Photography)
through the production of his/her imagination depending on the preparation, theme,
medium, and values used.

ASSUMPTIONS OF ART

Art is universal
Literature has provided key words of art. Among the most popular ones being taught
in school are the two Greek epics, the Iliad, and the Odyssey. The Sanskrit pieces
Mahabharata and Ramayana are also staples in this field. These works purportedly written
before the beginning of recorded history, are believed to be man’s attempt at recording
stories and tales that have been passed on, known, and sung throughout the years. Art has
always been timeless and universal, spanning generations and continents through and
through.
In every country and in every generation, there is always art. Oftentimes, people feel
that what is considered artistic are only those which have been made long time ago. This is
a misconception.
Age is not a factor in determining art. An “art is not good because it is old, but old
because it is good.” In the Philippines, the works of Jose Rizal and Francisco Balagtas are not
being read because they are old. Otherwise, works of other Filipinos who have longed died
would have been required in junior high school too. The pieces mentioned are read in school
and have remained to be with us because they are good. They are liked and adored because
they meet our needs and desires. Florante at Laura, never fails to teach high school students
the beauty of love, one that is universal and pure. Ibong Adarna, another Filipino
masterpiece, has always captured the imagination of the young with its timeless lessons

Art is not nature

Paul Cezanne, a French painter, painted a scene from reality entitled “Well and
Grinding Wheel in the forest of the Chateau Noir.” The said scene is inspired by a real scene
in a forest around the Chateau Noir area near Aix in Cezanne’s native Provence. Comparing
the two, one can see that Cezanne’s landscape is quite different from the original scene.
Cezanne has changed some patterns and details from the way they were in the photograph.
What he did is not nature. It is art. One important characteristic of art is that it is not nature.
Art is man’s expression of his reception of nature. Art is man’s way of interpreting nature.
Art is not nature. Art is made by man, whereas nature is given around us. It is in this juncture
that they can be considered opposites. What we find in nature should not be expected to
be present in art too. Movies are not meant to be direct representation of reality. They may,
according to the moviemaker’s perception of reality, be a reinterpretation or even
distortion of nature.

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Art involves experience

Getting this far without a satisfactory definition of art can be quite weird for some. For
most people, art does not require a full definition. Art is just experienced. By experience,
we mean the “actual doing of something”. When one says that he has an experience of
something, he often means that he knows what that something is about.

When one claims that he has experienced falling in love, getting hurt, and bouncing
back, he in effect claim that he knows the endless cycle of loving. When one asserts having
experienced preparing a particular recipe, he in fact asserts knowing how the recipe is
made. Knowing a thing is different from hearing from others what the said thing is. A radio
DJ dispensing advice on love when he himself has not experienced it does not really know
what he is talking about. A choreographer who cannot execute a dance step himself is a
bogus. Art is always an experience. Unlike fields of knowledge that involve data, art is known
by experiencing. A painter cannot claim to know how to paint if he has not tried holding a
brush. A sculptor cannot produce a work of art if a chisel is foreign to him. Dudley et al.
(1960) affirmed that “all art depends on experience, and if one is to know art, he must know
it not as a fact or
information but as experience.

Five Common Misconceptions About Art

1. YOU MUST BE RICH TO COLLECT ART. ...

2. YOU NEED AN MA (HONS) IN ART HISTORY OR FINE ARTS. ...
3. THE HIGHER THE PRICE, THE BETTER THE ART. ...
4. WORK SOLD AT DEALER GALLERIES IS MORE EXPENSIVE. ...
5. THE ART WORLD IS SNOBBY AND INTIMIDATING.

Figure 2 Last Supper With The Street Children by Joey Velasco Figure 3L-R) Jayson Cortez's Home Under the Same
Sky; Elmer Borlongan's Hilot; Rodel Tapaya's Mr. Wolf

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ACTIVITY 2
Name: ___________________________________________Score:
Course/Year: ______________________________Date: ______

Essay: Answer the following questions below briefly but precisely.

1. If you were an artist, what kind of artist would you be?

_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Why art is not nature?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Why art is ageless?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Why art involves experience?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

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Week 2
Functions of Art and Philosophy
Subject and Content of Art

Functions of Art

Arts is a much-needed avenue for people to:

1. Express freely oneself.

2. Socially express his need for display, celebration and communication; and
3. Physically express the need for utility of functional objects.

The Forms of Art Differentiated

The matrix below shows the difference of the art forms as identified:

Functional art forms non- functional art forms

(the need for life to be better) ( the need to express aesthetics and
beauty)
Architecture, weaving, furniture- painting, sculpture, literature,
making
music, dance and theater

Functional Art Forms are those which may benefit the cause of man’s existence. They are art
forms which give people sustenance as to need for life to be better. This benefit is mostly financial in
nature. Functional art is generally applied art - art created for use, not necessarily everyday use, but
designed to serve a purpose and with an aesthetic in mind. It's art that serves a function but is designed
artistically for the purpose of beauty. They meet a need for use and are works of art as well.
(www.quora.com)
Non-functional art forms, on the other hand, Nonfunctional art is art that serves no utilitarian
purpose. It is in direct contrast with functional art, which has both an aesthetic value and a utilitarian
purpose. Nonfunctional art also encompasses paintings, sculptures and all manner of fine art. These
pieces usually seek to engage with the viewer on an intellectual, emotional or aesthetic level.

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ARTS AND PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy and Arts Related
Philosophy is a field of discipline which has attempted to explain almost all aspects of human
existence. Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental questions about existence, knowledge,
values, reason, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or
resolved. The term was probably coined by Pythagoras.
Philosophy of art is the study of the nature of art, including concepts such as interpretation,
representation and expression, and form. It is closely related to aesthetics, the philosophical study of
beauty and taste. In short, one cannot do away with philosophy when explaining an art work. Also, one
cannot produce an artwork without considering the importance of the philosophy behind its
production.
Below is an example of an art form entitled “ Art is a Friendly Deception” that combines both art and
philosophy.

The Artistic Philosophers

The following are just a few of the philosophers whose advocacies not only focused on the
philosophic ideas but also shared a few of their conceptions about the Arts.

1. Plato ( 428 – 347 BC) is a philosopher of Ancient Greece who is known for his Dialogues
together with Socrates. He loved and hated the arts at the same time which makes his
philosophical views on art unexplainably complicated. With the Republic being his work, Plato
was seen as a good literary stylist and great story teller and considered the arts as threatening.
He believed that “ though arts can be used to train citizens to have an ideal society, using arts
to accomplish this should be strictly controlled”. He also explained that the physical world is a
copy of a perfect, rational, eternal and changeless original which he called FORMS.

Plato’s Ideas of the Arts may be summed up by the truths according to him that:

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1. Art is imitation; 2. Art is dangerous.

2. Aristotle ( 384 – 322 BC) was a student of Plato who first distinguished between “what is
good and what is beautiful''. For him, the universal elements of beauty are manifested by order,
symmetry and definiteness. As exemplified in his Poetics, he stated that physical manifestation
of beauty is affected by SIZE. He considered art as imitation, or a representation of nature and
his emphasis of the art is on POETRY which for him is more philosophical than Philosophy itself.

Poets imitated the following according to Aristotle:

1. Things and events which have been or still are;

2. Things which are said to be seen and are probable and
3. Things which essentially are.

3. Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) was a German, Enlightenment philosopher who wrote a
treatise on Aesthetics: Observations on the Feelings of the Beautiful and the Sublime. His main
interest was not on art but on BEAUTY that it is a matter of TASTE. Kant explained that TASTE
can be both SUBJECTIVE and UNIVERSAL. For KANT, beauty is a question of form and color is
NOT IMPORTANT.

SUBJECT AND CONTENT

In the Philippines, which is a non-museum going public, looking at art has always been
a tricky business. One of the major hurdles that spoils individual’s engagement with an artwork
is the notion that in order to appreciate it, one must be able to extract a specific image, isolate
the artist or makers intention, and unearth a particular meaning. Failure to do so, automatically
implies a failure of comprehension and therefore, failure of the experience.
The primary stage of engaging with art is its perception. Looking at art is much like any
instance of taking in information or stimulus that originates from the world around us. For most
art forms, the beginning of engagement is through looking at the artwork. The eyes play a big
role in mechanically making a vision possible. However, like any tool, it is but one component.
Subjectivity is illustrated in the way that selective perception renders one or two details as
essential or as standouts.
The term subject in arts refers to the main idea that is represented in the artwork. The
subject in art is basically the essence of the piece. To determine subject matter in a particular
piece of art, one may be guided by the questions: What is depicted in this artwork?

TYPES OF SUBJECTS

One of the most iconic and recognizable painting all over the world

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is the “Mona Lisa” done by Leonardo da Vinci. Some questions are

often raised regarding this artwork, like who is Mona Lisa? Why was
Leonardo da Vinci compelled to paint her? But as scholars attempt to
solve the true identity of the sitter, it is relevant to note that there is
consensus that the Mona Lisa - whoever she is - based on a real person.

Figure 25. Leonardo da Vinci, “Mona Lisa”

Representational art
Portraits such as “Mona Lisa” are good examples of what is called representational art. This
type of art has subject that refer to objects or events occurring in the real world. Often it is also
termed figurative art, because as the name suggests, the figures depicted are easy to make out and
decipher. Despite not knowing who Mona Lisa is, it is clear that the painting is of a woman that is
realistically proportioned; only the upper torso is shown; a beguiling and mysterious smile is flashed;
and the background is a landscape- probably a view from a window. Pushing it even further, one can
even imagine a scene in which Leonardo da Vinci alternates between applying dabs of paint on the
canvas and looking at the sitter to capture her features for the portrait.
Non-representational art
On the other hand, seeing a painting that has nothing in it but continuous drips of paint or
splotches of colors either confounds the viewer or is readily trivialized as something that anyone with
access to materials can easily make. The works of Jackson Pollock, who is known for his “action
paintings,” are often subjected to this remark. Assisting it with movement, he used other implements
such as hardened brushes, knives, sticks and trowels to add detail, texture and dimension to his
paintings.

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ACTIVITY 3
Name: ___________________________________________Score:
Course/Year: ______________________________Date: ______

Essay: Answer the following questions below briefly but precisely.

1. Why is it necessary for one to have a philosophical perspective on arts?

_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Identify other philosophers who advocated the arts and compare their ideas with those of the
three notable ones as discussed in this module.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Whose perspective of the arts do you adhere to? Why?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Say something about the artwork “Art is a Friendly Deception”. Expound your idea by means of
giving relevant examples.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY 4
Name: ___________________________________________Score:
Course/Year: ______________________________Date: ______

Directions: Identify whether the following is Representational or Non-representational Art.

1. ____________________________
Explanation:
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

3. ____________________________
Explanation:
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

4. ____________________________
Explanation:
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

4. ____________________________
Explanation:
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

5. ____________________________
Explanation:
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

6. ____________________________
Explanation:
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
7. ____________________________

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Explanation:
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

8. ____________________________
Explanation:
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

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Week 3
Characteristics of the Sources and Kinds of Art

A good starting point is, of course nature. Artist through history have explored
diverse ways of representing nature from plants to animals, the qualities of bodies of
water and the terrain of landmasses. And even the perceivable cycle of and changing of
seasons. Other artist with a considerable number of landscapes and seascapes as
sources.
Other sources of arts are, technology, history, fantasy, mythology and animals
that truly affects the work of an artist.

Content in Art
To take on the challenge of understanding the content of art, it must be
reiterated that there are various levels of meaning. Perhaps the most common is what
we call factual meaning. This pertains to the most rudimentary level of meaning for it
may be extracted from the identifiable or recognizable forms in artwork and
understanding how these elements relate to one another. Conventional meaning, on
the other hand, pertains to the acknowledged interpretation of the artwork using
motifs, signs, symbols as basis of its meaning.

Ways of Presenting the Subject

After the artist has decided on the source of the subject of his artwork, he is now
ready to identify the method of how he wants his art work to be presented to his
viewers. Their choice of a method may depend upon his expertise, exposure to certain
art pieces or simply of his personal preferences. The following are some of the methods
or ways on how an artist presents his subject to his audience.

1. Naturalism. Naturalism in art refers to the depiction of realistic objects in a natural

setting. The Realist movement of the 19th century advocated naturalism in reaction to
the stylized and idealized depictions of subjects in Romanticism, but many painters have
used a similar approach over the centuries. Naturalism began in the early Renaissance,
and developed itself further throughout the Renaissance, such as with the Florentine
School. Naturalism is a type of art that pays attention to very accurate and precise
details, and portrays things as they are. (source:
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturalism)

2. Realism. Realism in the arts is generally the attempt to represent subject matter

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truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding speculative

fiction and supernatural elements. Realism has been prevalent in the arts at many
periods, and can be in large part a matter of technique and training, and the avoidance
of stylization. In the visual arts, illusionistic realism is the accurate depiction of lifeforms,
perspective, and the details of light and colour. But realist or naturalist works of art may,
as well or instead of illusionist realism, be "realist" in their subject matter, and
emphasize the mundane, ugly or sordid. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/)

3. Abstraction. Abstraction finds its roots in ‘intuition’ (of the artist) and ‘freedom’ (for
the artist as well as for the viewer). It is the capability of the artist to use their
imagination to look beyond what we can physically see and translate intangible
emotions onto the canvas. It is also the ability of the audience to then try to connect to
the artist’s intention and free their own mind of visual restrictions. Historically, the
abstract art movement emerged in the nineteenth century as a reaction to academic
painting or realism. In fact, a very simple way to understand the essence of abstract art
is to think of it as a visual opposite of realistic art. While realism pays attention to every
tiny fold or wrinkle, abstraction gives the artist the freedom to trust their intuition to
create art that is equally worthy of an audience. (https://www.art-mine.com/)

4. Futurism. This was developed in Italy about the same time as cubism appeared in
France. Futurist painters wanted their works to capture the mechanical energy of
modern life.

5.Dadaism. Dadaism is a protest movement in the art that is playful and experimental.
“Dada” means a “hobby horse”. Dadaism is most often nonsensical. Marcel Duchamp is
the famous painter using this method. It is considered a revolt against tradition because
it does not follow the principles in art and shows the wickedness of society in its
presentation. The aim of this method is to shock and provoke its viewers.

6. Expressionism. This features art works describing pathos, morbidity, chaos or even
defeat and was introduced in Germany from 1900 – 1910. Expressionists believe that
man needs spiritual rebirth for him to correct defects that ruin the society.

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ACTIVITY 5
Name: ___________________________________________Score: ________
Course/Year: ______________________________Date: ______________

Directions: Collect three (2) images each for the different sources of subject to be compiled as an
output in your Art Portfolio folder. Submit it in printed.

1. Nature
2. History
3. Fantasy and dreams
4. Mythology
5. Animals

Example: Nature (Artwork 1) Example: Nature (Artwork 2)

Title of Artwork: _____________________ Title of Artwork: _____________________
Subject: ____________________________ Subject: ____________________________
Artist: ______________________________ Artist: ______________________________

ACTIVITY 6
Name: ___________________________________________Score: ________
Course/Year: ______________________________Date: ______________

Essay. Directions: Answer sensibly the following items. Write your answer on the spaces provided for.
The following shall be used as the basis in grading your answer:

1. Compare and contrast Representational from Non-representational Art.

2. Why do you think is it important for one to have a background of the

different ways in which art subjects are presented?

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Week 4
Aesthetics: Study of Art and Beauty
Theories and Concepts on the Beauty and Aesthetics in the Real-life
Situations

“Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of
the pattern.” - Alfred North Whitehead

“Aesthetics” is usually associated with beauty. It refers to principles and techniques to

make something beautiful, and to our experiences of that beauty. It comes from the ancient
Greek aisthetikos, which meant “esthetic, sensitive, sentient, pertaining to sense perception”;
that word was derived from aisthanesthai, meaning “I perceive, feel, sense. It is closely related
to the concept of aesthetic experience.
Aesthetics experience is the proper way of looking and experiencing art and beauty; and
modern art or art for art’s sake describe art as something innovative and creative, expressing
new ideas in new ways.
Plato theorized that art and poetry are just imitation of imitation, and imitation has
some bad effects because it leads us to believe on something that may not be true after all just
like images and pictures.
Aesthetics or the philosophy of art is a study of beauty and taste it is about interpreting
works of art and art movements or theories. The term aesthetic is also used to designate a style
for example, the chess aesthetics or the Japanese aesthetic. As well as being applied to art
aesthetics can also be applied to cultural objects.
Aesthetic design principles include ornamentation, edge delineation texture flow,
solemnity symmetry color granularity, the interaction of sunlight and shadows transcendence
and harmony. The word aesthetic is also an adjective and adverb relating to cosmetology and
medicine as an aesthetic medicine also spelled aesthetics. The word is derived from the ancient
Greek asceticos-- meaning aesthetic sensitive sentient pertaining to sense perception which in
turn was derived from a sign Imai meaning like receive feel sense.

Appreciating the Arts

The previous pages of this module have given you a rundown of the basics of art
appreciation and the key points as to how one will be keen in understanding a certain artwork
or other forms of artistic presentation. The aim of making the students learn to appreciate the
arts is primarily to get the learner an engaging relationship with a particular art work and for
one to understand the meaning behind an artistic creation, the messages that it would want to
convey to its viewers and to appreciate one’s product of art should one will be compelled to
produce or make one. In so doing, here are a few pointers as to how art appreciation may be

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applied by a learner of the course as takeaways from learn.saylor.org/course:

1. Give a good physical description of the artwork based on their knowledge of art elements
and materials;
2. Analyze the artwork in terms of what the artist wants his work to represent and the learner’s
subjective reaction to the works which includes their thoughts and feelings;
3. Perceive the art work in the context of its history. This would enlighten the learners of the
artist’s intention in doing the work and add to the understanding of the meaning the work is
supposed to convey;
4. Give meaning to the artwork based on its description, analysis and context; and
5. Judge the artwork as to whether it is good or bad based on the learner’s perception of it and
its aesthetic and cultural value.

Art is not meant to be looked at only for what it is. It is meant to stimulate thought
because it allows viewers to draw their own emotions and pull from their personal experiences
when viewed. It is very powerful in this way and it naturally develops critical and innovative
thinking skills. Art also teaches many important qualities such as listening, observing and
responding to multiple perspectives. Having an appreciation for art also helps us to develop an
appreciation for each other and how we are all unique in our own way.

For many people, art is meant to express something that we ourselves feel unable to
express or convey. Through its visual medium it evokes feelings of joy, sadness, anger and pain.
That is why art appreciation is so important in bringing that one final element to complete the
work, and that is our interpretation. Our perspective brings the artwork to life as it changes for
every person around it. It is important to foster art appreciation and analysis, as it helps us value
the art in how it appeals to us and what it means to each person.

NGEC 6 - Art Appreciation – By S.E.P.M

 Southwestern College of Maritime, Business and Technology, Inc.
Quezon Drive, Calero, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro
www.scmbt.edu.ph / slmifnav.official@gmail.com / slmifnav@yahoo.com.ph

ACTIVITY 7
Name: ___________________________________________Score: ________
Course/Year: ______________________________Date: ______________

Directions: Look intently and examine with appreciation and curiosity the artwork of Ang
Kiukok’s Pieta. Answer sensibly the questions below.

1. What do you think is the meaning behind the art piece Pieta by Ang Kiukok?
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2. Why do you think the artist made such artwork?
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3. Were you affected by this artwork? In what ways?
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NGEC 6 - Art Appreciation – By S.E.P.M

 Southwestern College of Maritime, Business and Technology, Inc.
Quezon Drive, Calero, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro
www.scmbt.edu.ph / slmifnav.official@gmail.com / slmifnav@yahoo.com.ph

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY 8
Name: ___________________________________________Score: ________
Course/Year: ______________________________Date: ______________

The use of this body part is telling in that it seems

to be challenging the viewer to question whether what
they are seeing corresponds with what they think they
know. Magritte surprises us immediately by removing the
eyes’ pupil from its usual location and positioning it in the
center of the sky. It is surrounded by what appears to be
a normal optic opening, although not necessarily of
human flesh. The painting is for the most part
symmetrical in both its vertical and horizontal lines. There
is also symmetry of color with the black pupil drawing
your attention.

Reference: http://totallyhistory.com/the-false-mirror/

1. What do you think is the message of Rene Magritte communicated through his painting entitled
The False Mirror (Figure 1)?

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***End of Preliminary Period***

NGEC 6 - Art Appreciation – By S.E.P.M