Reading Visual Arts Module

Binalonan, Pangasinan
College of Midwifery
2nd Semester, A.Y. 2022 -2023
I. COURSE TITLE Reading Visual Arts

A. No. of Units: 3
B. Schedule: Tuesday/Wednesday, (2:30 - 4:00)
II. COURSE OVERVIEW
A. Course Description
Reading Visual Arts is a three-unit course that develops students’ ability to innovate, appreciate, critique, and analyze.
Through transdisciplinary and multimodal approaches, this course equips students with broad knowledge of the human
disciplines that characterized modernity, cultural studies that underpinned modern life. Knowledge on the tacit understandings
people have of the visual domain, cultivate their imagination, make sense of the importance of visuality, explore the effect the
idea of aesthetics has on reading of visual texts, analyze the economic effects of a globalized market, and illustrate
explanations and arguments with images and anecdotes that are highly eclectic. All these are grist to the mill when studying
visual culture, and in developing the sorts of literacies that allow us to read and analyze the visual material that makes up our
everyday world.
B. Course Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, the students should be able to:
KNOWLEDGE
1. Higher levels of textual and visual comprehension and understanding of visual problems;
2. Proficiency and effective communication on solutions related to concepts, contexts, issues, focuses and media.
VALUE
3. Understanding and respect for the contributions of visual artists and artisans, designers, crafts people and creative
industries, and current technologies to produce artworks.
4. Capacity to reflect critically on moral norms and diversity of forms of visual art in different cultures and context;
SKILLS
5. Create and communicate meanings through the use of visual language and expressions;
6. Select, explore, exploit materials, techniques, technologies, and art processes through application of knowledge in
researching, developing, resolving, and reflecting.
C. Module Topics
These are the topics to be covered for the whole course:
 Prelim Period
Module 1. Introduction and Definition of Art
Module 2. The Artistic Process
Module 3. Visual Elements of Art
Module 4. Principles of Composition | Artistic Principles
Module 5 Subject Matter and Visual Arts Form
 Midterm Period
Module 6 2-Dimensional Media
Module 7. 3-Dimensional Media: Sculpture
Module 8. 3-Dimensional Media: Architecture
Module 9. The Camera Arts
 Audio-Visual Arts and Literary Arts
Module 10 Art Form and Content Analysis
Module 11 Art Context Analysis
Module 12 Art Criticism
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III. STUDY GUIDE/LEARNING INSTRUCTIONS
 Welcome, and wish everyone is feeling good!
 You are reminded to prepare yourselves by observing the following:
 Manage your time well.
 Focus your attention.
 Give your best.
 Submit requirements on time.
 Be patient.
 Work independently and answer confidently.
 Motivate yourself.
 Contact me.
 Additional Instructions:
 Call or text: this number: 0910-579-3459
 Add or Message me through Facebook or Messenger: KAREN RALLUSTIAN LIBAG
 Send an e-mail: karen.libag@uepbinalonan.edu.ph
 All your activities and quizzes will be collected on time.
 Fill out the necessary personal information for communication purposes.
 Kindly detach the given activity/assessment in every module. The remaining pages of the module
will serve as your own copy for reviewing.
 Announcements of deadlines of activities, examination dates and other additional information about
school events will be posted in the Google Classroom and Group Chat.
 If you choose Category A, all of your activities will be done in a written form together with your
signature and date, you must take a picture of it and send it in our Google Class
 Wear proper attire during synchronous discussion and always be on time.
 If you choose Category B and C, make sure that you put a signature also and date in your activity
and take such documentation as assurance that you personally made it.
 Pass your module on the scheduled day assigned in your department.
 Good luck in this semester! Keep safe and healthy!
 Be oriented on your category for the mode of delivery. We have classified only three namely:
Category A – Online Distance Learning (for students with gadgets and with wifi connectivity)
Category C – Mobile Learning (for students with gadgets but with weak wifi connectivity)
Category B – Modular Remote Learning (for students with no smart phones and no wifi connectivity)
IV. REFERENCES
 Art Appreciation. Lumen Learning. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/masteryart1/

 Boundless Art History. Lumen Learning. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/
 Culajara, K. B. (2020). GE 20 – Reading Visual ARTS Module. University of Mindanao, Roxas Extension, Digos City.
https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/university-of-mindanao/management-accounting/ge-20-reading-visual-arts-
module/17207142
 Gale A. (2021). Student Art Guide: How to analyze an artwork: a step-by-step guide.
https://www.studentartguide.com/articles/how-to-analyze-an-artwork
 Gildow, Christopher. Art Appreciation [MOOC]. Canvas. https://learn.canvas.net/courses/24 .
 IB Art. Analyzing Artwork (Art Criticism). https://sites.google.com/a/hbuhsd.edu/ib-art/analyzing-artwork
 Menoy, J. Z. (2014). Introduction to the Humanities: A Holistic Approach. International Book Royale, Inc.
 Olivar, A. F. (2019). Syllabus Reading Visual Arts TUPT(OBE-Syllabus). Technological University of the Philippines,
Taguig City. https://www.scribd.com/document/507773618/Syllabus-Reading-Visual-Arts-TUPT
 Pine-Richland School District. Contextual Analysis. Retrieved from
https://www.Pinerichland.org/cms/libPA1001138/Centricity/Domain/94/
Contextual_Analysis_NewHampshireInstituteofArt.pdf
 Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority (2019). Visual Art v1.1 Supporting resource: Contexts
https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior-qce/arts/snr_vis_art_19_units1-4_sr_contexts.pdf
 Regadio, C. and Mendoza, J. M. P. (2013). Art Appreciation: Introductory Reading on Humanities Focus on
Philippine Art Scene. Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.
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INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITION OF ART
Course Title: Reading Visual Arts

Course Code: GE Elec 3
Name: ___________________________________
Course and Year: ________________________
Contact Number: ________________________
Date and Time Allotment: Tuesday Wednesday 2:30-4:00 (3 hrs.)
Introduction
This module deals with the definition, categories, and functions of art. These details about art will help the students to
understand and appreciate art.
I. Objectives
At the end of the end of this module, students should be able to:
1. Define ‘art’ within a cultural perspective.
2. Explain the difference between ‘objective’ and ‘subjective.’
3. Define the categories of arts.
4. Recognize, evaluate, and describe the functions of art.
5. Discuss the meaning of ‘aesthetics’ and its relationship to cultural conventions.
II. Lecture
ART came from the word “ars” which means skill; it is synonymous with skill, cunning, artifice and craft, which all mean the
faculty of what is devised.
How would you define ‘art’? For many people art is a specific thing; a painting, sculpture or photograph, a dance, a poem or a
play. It is all of these things, and more. They are mediums of artistic expression. Webster’s New Collegiate dictionary defines
art as “The conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects.” Yet art is much
more than a medium, or words on a page. It is the expression of our experience.
Art is uniquely human and tied directly to culture. It takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary. It asks questions about who
we are, what we value, the meaning of beauty and the human condition. As an expressive medium it allows us to experience
sublime joy, deep sorrow, confusion and clarity. It tests our strengths, vulnerabilities and resolve. It gives voice to ideas and
feelings, connects us to the past, reflects the present and anticipates the future. Along these lines, art history, combined with
anthropology and literature, are three main sources in observing, recording and interpreting our human past. Visual art is a
rich and complex subject whose definition is in flux as the culture around it changes. Because of this, how we define art is in
essence a question of agreement. In this respect, we can look again to the dictionary’s definition for an understanding of
exactly what to look for when we proclaim something as ‘art’.
Art is a highly diverse range of human activities engaged in creating visual, auditory, or performed artifacts— artworks—that
express the author’s imaginative or technical skill, and are intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power.
The oldest documented forms of art are visual arts, which include images or objects in fields like painting, sculpture,
printmaking, photography, and other visual media. Architecture is often included as one of the visual arts; however, like the
decorative arts, it involves the creation of objects where the practical considerations of use are essential, in a way that they
usually are not in another visual art, like a painting.
Art may be characterized in terms of mimesis (its representation of reality), expression, communication of emotion, or other
qualities. Though the definition of what constitutes art is disputed and has changed over time, general descriptions center on
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the idea of imaginative or technical skill stemming from human agency and creation. When it comes to visually identifying a
work of art, there is no single set of values or aesthetic traits. A Baroque painting will not necessarily share much with a
contemporary performance piece, but they are both considered art.
Art is often examined through the interaction of the principles and elements of art. The principles of art include movement,
unity, harmony, variety, balance, contrast, proportion and pattern. The elements include texture, form, space, shape, color,
value and line. The various interactions between the elements and principles of art help artists to organize sensorially
pleasing works of art while also giving viewers a framework within which to analyze and discuss aesthetic ideas.
The meaning of art is often culturally specific, shared among the members of a given society and dependent upon cultural
context. The purpose of works of art may be to communicate political, spiritual or philosophical ideas, to create a sense of
beauty (see aesthetics), to explore the nature of perception, for pleasure, or to generate strong emotions. Its purpose may
also be seemingly nonexistent.
The nature of art has been described by philosopher Richard Wollheim as “one of the most elusive of the traditional problems
of human culture.” It has been defined as a vehicle for the expression or communication of emotions and ideas, a means for
exploring and appreciating formal elements for their own sake, and as mimesis or representation. More recently, thinkers
influenced by Martin Heidegger have interpreted art as the means by which a community develops for itself a medium for self-
expression and interpretation.
AESTHETICS
Aesthetics is the philosophical argument about the nature of beauty. It’s an idea central to any exploration of art. Aesthetics
deals with notions of taste, cultural conventions – ideas of art being ‘good’ and ‘bad’ based on specific cultural information and
beliefs and the judgments we make based on our perceptions.
As deep as visual art is embedded in the fabric of our lives, it still is the source of controversy and irony. It thrives on common
experience yet contradicts ideas of ourselves. Art is part of the culture it’s created in, but can reflect many cultures at once.
From where you and I stand today art has become probably more complex than ever in its use of imagery, mediums and
meanings. We need a way to access the visual information of our society, of past cultures, and cultures not known to us to
have a way to understand what we are looking at.
SUBJECTIVE & OBJECTIVE PERSPECTIVES
The first level in approaching art is learning to LOOK at it. In future discussions we will spend more time in pure observation
than you probably have done before. Generally, we tend to look at art in terms of "liking" it FIRST, and "looking" at it later.
From this perspective, the subjective (knowledge residing in the emotions and thoughts of the viewer) almost completely
dominates our way of looking at art. In the arts, it’s especially important to begin to develop an informed or objective opinion
rather than just an instinctual reaction. An objective view is one that focuses on the object’s physical characteristics as the
main source of information. This does not mean that you will remove or invalidate your subjective feelings about a work, in fact
you will find that the more informed you become, the more artwork will affect you emotionally and intellectually. It does mean
that you will learn alternative ways to approach art, ways that allow you to find clues to meaning and to understand how art
reflects and affects our lives.
It’s complex, but the satisfaction of looking at art comes from exploring the work to find meaning, not shying away from it
simply because we may not understand it.
ARTISTIC CATEGORIES
Visual arts are generally divided into categories that make distinctions based on the context of the work. For example,
Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ would not fall into the same category as, say, a graphic poster for a rock concert. Some
artworks can be placed in more than one category. Here are the main categories:
Fine Art
This category includes drawings, paintings, sculptures, photographs and, in the last decade, new media that are in museum
collections and sold through commercial art galleries. Fine art has a distinction of being some of the finest examples of our
human artistic heritage. Here is where you will find Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (below), also ancient sculpture, such as
the Gandhara figure from India (also below), and stunning ceramics from different cultures and time periods.
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Popular Culture
This category contains the many products and images we are exposed to every day. In the industrialized world, this includes
posters, graffiti, advertising, popular music, television and digital imagery, magazines, books and movies (as distinguished
from film, which we’ll examine in a different context later in the course). Also included are cars, celebrity status and all the
ideas and attitudes that help define the contemporary period of a particular culture.
Handbills posted on telephone poles or the sides of buildings are graphic, colorful and informative, but they also provide a
street level texture to the urban environment most of us live in. Public murals serve this same function. They put an aesthetic
stamp on an otherwise bland and industrialized landscape.
Craft
Craft is a category of art that shows a high degree of skilled workmanship in its production. Craft works are normally
associated with utilitarian purposes, but can be aesthetic works in themselves, often highly decorated. The Mexican ceramic
vessel below is an example. Handmade furniture and glassware, fine metalworking and leather goods are other examples of
craft.
FUNCTIONS OF ART
1. Beauty
Why do you think some people hang artworks on their wall? What is the most common answer? The connotation of beauty is
a debatable topic, but let us talk about prettiness and the aesthetic value of art. One of the innate qualities that “pretty art" can
give is that it makes our dull, lifeless walls come to life. The contrast of having something “alive" and dynamic to look at on
something ordinary and common, let us say a pristine white wall, evokes in us an affinity towards its beauty. Though we have
different notions of beauty, still it is a common denominator when we are talking about appreciating forms of art. Beauty
makes sense to most of us.
2. Happiness and Hope

There is something about art that mirrors the soul of those willing to confront it. In a societal tone, artworks tend to echo the
hopes and anxieties of an age. There is a wide range of properties of art why it gives a sense of joy and hope to its audience.
These are examples:
a. when paintings are placed in a daunting environment such as hospitals;
b. the experience and process of creating art itself;
c. the bliss of looking at a piece of imagery evoking a happy memory: e.g., the painting of a do;
d. direct words from typography and graphic messages that are so relatable as if the author has read your mind and feelings;
and
e. identifying oneself with the properties of an artwork: a homage to something; works addressing diaspora, displacement, and
other social issues.
3. Identity and understanding the self

Today's generation, being the "me" generation, is also sometimes tagged as the "anxious generation". A lot of social issues
evidently reflect this struggle for identity: gender issues, disconnectedness brought on by social media, regionalism, and even
mental health issues. How do you think art can be a tool to address such challenges? Do you agree that we need something
outside of us and tangible enough to define what we are feeling and struggling against? Sometimes we see ourselves in an
artwork. Sometimes we see ourselves in the process. Art can serve as a powerful tool to help us communicate and relay our
confusion. Even psychological interventions use art as therapy to aid in processing some sensitive experiences.
4. Grief and healing
Many of the most poignant and humanistic products of art were made after the Word War II. Twentieth-century art mostly
expressed human suffering and darkness in its themes. Throughout the years, artists have interpreted these shared human
experiences in different ways, which also help us process our grief. Some may use art as a tool to express pain and process it
in therapy. Nonetheless, it plays an important role in making grieving somehow dignified.
5. Remembering and mark-making
How do you think has art helped us remember? How have artists shaped our landscape? The monument of Rizal in Luneta
Park is one example of a type of art that helps us remember. Without the tangible characteristic of art, we will not be able to
sustain our nationalistic values well enough. We have pictures, films, and paintings that depict heroism and nationalism.
6. Raising awareness
Have you seen large sculptural effigies (those papier-mache-made-to-be-burned protest art) during rallies in Manila? Some art
can be categorized as activist art. But not all are as loud and garish. Some are subtle paintings which might use satire. In the
Philippines, many socially-concerned artists have emerged in the age of modernism portraying politicians and the
governments system in their most hateful actions. A more subtle type of inducing awareness can be observed in architecture
such as the stained-glass windows of Gothic churches and even their illuminated manuscripts. Such is-also the case of our
local churches with large domes at the altar part and huge stained-glass windows.
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7. Culture and togetherness
Lastly, forms of art are often localized so that they bring identity also to certain regions. This is very evident here in the
Philippines, which is geographically separated by thousands of islands-we are very regionalized. In a way, there is a sense of
redemption for the past weakness of Philippines when the Spaniards strategized the divide and conquer method.
III. Activity/Application
Expose Yourself to Art!
1. Do you make art? If so, what kind? What is the medium you use? What is the function of your artwork? If you haven’t made
any art, have you ever wanted to? What kind, medium and function will you apply?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________
2. Do you agree with the definition for ‘art’ as it’s explained in module 1? Why or why not? Can you add to the definition? Is
your definition coming from a subjective or objective perspective?
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
IV. Assessment
Investigating Art
Using the internet, find a work of art to answer the following questions. The artwork can be from any culture or time period.
Provide the title, date and artist’s name. Make sure your source has all of this information. Then attach a photo of your chosen
artwork in the box below.
1. a. Title: ___________________________________
b. Date or Year: _____________________________
c. Artist: ________________________
d. Give a short description of the work:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What medium is used (painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, photograph or digital image, video, installation or
performance)?
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______________________________________________________________________________________________
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3. What does it depict? What colors are used?
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4. What category does it fall under?
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5. What artistic function does it present? Does it take on more than one function? Review the different roles discussed in
Module 1 to help you decide.
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
V. References:
 Menoy, Jesus Z. Introduction to the Humanities: A Holistic Approach. International Book Royale, Inc.2014
 Roldan, Albert Napoleon J., Deliosa, Chloe P. A Course Module for Art Appreciation. REX Bookstore, 2019
 Boundless Art History. Lumen Learning. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundl ess-arthistory/chapter/what-is-art/
 Gildow, C. (2013). CN-1329-ARTAPR Module 1: Introductions and Definitions. Available at
https://learn.canvas.net/courses/24/pages/m1-overview-and-objectives?module_item_id=44376 (Accessed 9 January
2021)
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THE ARTISTIC PROCESS

Name: __________________________________
Course and Year: ________________________
Contact Number: ________________________
Introduction
This module explores the artistic process and the art industry surrounding it: from individual artists turning ideas into
works of art to collaborative creative projects, public art and the viewer.
I. Objectives
1. Define what is an artist and the requirements to be an artist;
2. Describe the cultural ties to artistic process and training.
3. Appreciate the lives of artists and craftsmen: why they create art and for whom.
II. Lecture
THE ARTISTIC PROCESS
Unlike the common notions that artists are too spontaneous, laid back, and unsystematic, individual art practitioners do need
to have sets of procedures and disciplines. Even the most spontaneous one’s work with a process, however simple and
succinct. Artists are also thinkers and even great inventors and scientists. The creative process is also a problem-solving
approach involving a lot of systems of knowledge. Art can cover a lot of subject matters from science, philosophy, and even
practical living. It can also be applied to such areas of knowledge. As Einstein said, “After a certain high level of technical skill
is achieved science and art tend to coalesce in aesthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists are artists as well.”
This diagram does not necessarily precede artistic creation, but it comprises the elements that tie-up together in the
conception of a tangible art form:
How: the techniques

and materials
involved; the
process involved
What: the subject ART Why: the narrative

matter. The behind the subject
content of the matter; the concept
work and underlying
significance
How many times have you looked at a work of art and wondered “how did they do that”? Some think of the artist as a solitary
being, misunderstood by society, toiling away in the studio to create a masterpiece, and yes, there is something fantastic
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about a singular creative act becoming a work of art. The reality is that artists rely on a support network that includes family,
friends, peers, industries, business and, in essence, the whole society they live in. For example, an artist may need only a
piece of paper and pencil to create an extraordinary drawing, but depends on a supplier in order to acquire those two simple
tools. Whole industries surround art making, and artists rely on many different materials in order to realize their work, from the
pencil and paper mentioned above to the painter’s canvas, paints and brushes, the sculptor’s wood, stone and tools and the
photographer’s film, digital camera and software or chemicals used to manipulate an image
After the artwork is finished there are other support networks in place to help exhibit, market, move, store and comment on it.
Commercial art galleries are a relatively recent innovation, springing up in Europe and America during the Industrial
Revolution of the nineteenth century. As these societies concentrated their populations in cities and formed a middle class,
there was a need for businesses to provide works of art for sale to a population that began to have more spare time and some
discretionary income. As art became more affordable, the gallery became a place to focus solely on buying and selling, and, in
the process, making art a commodity.
Museums have a different role in the world of visual art. Their primary function is in the form of a cultural repository – a place
for viewing, researching and conserving the very best examples of artistic cultural heritage. Museums contain collections that
can reflect a particular culture or that of many, giving all of us the chance to see some of the great art humanity has to offer.
The role of the critic commenting on art is another function in the process. Critics offer insight into art’s meaning and make
judgments determining ‘good’ or ‘bad’ art based on the intellectual, aesthetic and cultural standards they reflect.
In this way, museums, galleries and critics have become gatekeepers in helping to determine what is considered art within a
culture like our own.
THE INDIVIDUAL ARTIST
In as much as we have seen art as a community or collaborative effort, many artists work alone in studios, dedicated to the
singular idea of creating art through their own expressive means and vision. In the creative process itself there are usually
many steps between an initial idea and the finished work of art.
Artists will use sketches and preliminary drawings to get a more accurate image of what they want the finished work to look
like. Even then they’ll create more complex trial pieces before they ultimately decide on how it will look. Artists many times will
make different versions of an artwork, each time giving it a slightly different look.
Some artists employ assistants or staff to run the everyday administration of the studio; maintaining supplies, helping with set
up and lighting, managing the calendar and all the things that can keep an artist away from the creative time they need in
order to work.
ARTISTIC TRAINING METHODS & CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS
For centuries craftsmen have formed associations that preserve and teach the ‘secrets’ of their trade to apprentices in order
to perpetuate the knowledge and skill of their craft. In general, the training of artists has historically meant working as an
apprentice with an established artist.
 The Middle Ages in Europe saw the formation of guilds that included goldsmiths, glassmakers, stonemasons,
medical practitioners and artists, and were generally supported by a king or the state, with local representatives
overseeing the quality of their production.
 In many traditional cultures, apprenticeship is still how the artist learns their craft, skills and expressions specific to
that culture. Some nations actually choose which artists have learned their skill to such a degree that they are
allowed and encouraged to teach others. An example would be artists considered National Treasures in Japan.
 Like most skilled professions and trades, artists spend many years learning and applying their knowledge, techniques
and creativity. Art schools are found in most colleges and universities, with degree programs at both the
undergraduate and graduate levels. There are independent art schools offering two- and four-year programs in
traditional studio arts, graphic arts and design. The degree earned by students usually ends with a culminating
exhibition and directs them towards becoming exhibiting artists, graphic designers or teachers. Such degrees also
consider the marketing and sales practices of art in contemporary culture.
What is required to become an artist?
 Skill is one of the hallmarks that we often value in a work of art. Becoming skilled means a continual repetition of a
craft or procedure until it becomes second nature.
 Talent is certainly another consideration, but talent alone does not necessarily produce good art. Like any endeavor,
becoming an artist takes determination, patience, skill, a strong mental attitude and years of practice.
 Creativity is another element necessary to become an artist. What exactly is creativity? It’s linked to imagination and
the ability to transcend traditional ways of thinking, with an exaggerated use of alternatives, ideas and techniques to
invent new forms and avenues of expression. Creativity is used in traditional art forms as well as more innovative
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ones. It’s what an artist uses to take something ordinary and make it extraordinary. Creativity can be a double-edged
sword in that it’s one thing that artists are most criticized for, especially in the arena of buying and selling art. In
general, the buying public tends to want things they recognize, rather than artwork that challenges or requires
thinking.
III. Activity/Practice
Answer the following questions.
1. Who makes art? Do you think artists have innate ability or acquired skill (or both)? Explain also your answer.
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2. What is the difference between a museum and gallery?
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IV. ASSESSMENT
Choose a local or foreign visual artist (painter, sculptor, architect, filmmaker, craftsman, photographer,
fashion/interior/costume designer, etc.) whom you know and inspire you with his work/s.
Fill in the needed information about him/her in the table below. Attach also his/her photo and one of his artworks.
PASTE HERE A PHOTO OF YOUR CHOSEN ARTIST PASTE HERE A PHOTO OF HIS/HER ARTWORK
Name of the artist

Place or Country of Origin
Type of Visual Art (sculpture,
painting, architecture,
photography, filmmaking, etc.)
Art Period (Classical Period,
Renaissance Period,
Contemporary, etc.)
Notable Artwork/s
Why did you choose this artist?
How did he inspire you?
Reference (link)
V. References:
Roldan, A. N. J. and Deliosa, C. P. (2019). A Course Module for Art Appreciation. REX Bookstore.
Gildow, C. (2013). CN-1329-ARTAPR Module 2: The Process of Art. Available at
https://learn.canvas.net/courses/24/pages/m2-the-artistic-process?module_item_id=44390 (Accessed 9 January 2021).
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VISUAL ELEMENTS OF ART

Name: __________________________________________________________
Course and Year: ________________________
Contact Number: ________________________
Introduction
In this module you will begin to learn the “language of art” through a structured approach to terms and examples used to
describe and analyze any work of art. The basis of this language is the artistic elements– the irreducible and abstract
ingredients that generate creative form
I. Objectives
1. Identify the elements of art in selected works;
2. Learn how art communicates colors, quality of shapes, line movements, and quality of perspective, and many
more elements; and
3. Analyze an artwork through its visual elements
II. Lecture
Elements of art are the formal or tangible aspects of art. These are termed as elements because they are the “medium of
language” of visual arts. The following are art elements:
a. Line- A line is defined as a mark that connects the space between two points, taking any form along the way. These lines
can be expressive and have a quality of its own like: scribbles, whimsical or naive lines, implied lines, blurred lines (lines that
are smudged, shaded. or erased), aggressive lines, and calligraphic lines.
Lines are used most often to define shape in two-dimensional works and could be called the most ancient, as well as the most
universal, forms of mark making. There are many different types of lines, all characterized by their lengths being greater than
their width, as well as by the paths that they take. Depending on how they are used, lines help to determine the motion,
direction, and energy of a work of art. The quality of a line refers to the character that is presented by a line in order to animate
a surface to varying degrees.
1. Actual lines are lines that are physically present, existing as solid connections between one or more points, while
implied lines refer to the path that the viewer’s eye takes as it follows shape, color, and form within an art work.
Implied lines give works of art a sense of motion and keep the viewer engaged in a composition.
2. Straight or classic lines add stability and structure to a composition and can be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal on the
surface of the work.
3. Expressive lines refer to curved marks that increase the sense of dynamism of a work of art. These types of lines
often follow an undetermined path of sinuous curves.
4. The outline or contour lines create a border or path around the edge of a shape, thereby outlining and defining it.
Cross contour lines delineate differences in the features of a surface and can give the illusion of three dimensions or
a sense of form or shading.
5. Hatch lines are a series of short lines repeated in intervals, typically in a single direction, and are used to add shading
and texture to surfaces.
6. Cross-hatch lines provide additional texture and tone to the image surface and can be oriented in any direction.
Layers of cross-hatching can add rich texture and volume to image surfaces.
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b. Shape and Volume
Shape refers to an area in a two-dimensional space that is defined by edges; volume is three-dimensional, exhibiting height,
width, and depth.
It refers to an area in two-dimensional space that is defined by edges. Shapes are, by definition, always flat in nature and can
be geometric (e.g., a circle, square, or pyramid) or organic (e.g., a leaf or a chair). Shapes can be created by placing two
different textures, or shape-groups, next to each other, thereby creating an enclosed area, such as a painting of an object
floating in water.
A “plane” refers to any surface area within space. In two-dimensional art, the picture plane” is the flat surface that the image is
created upon, such as paper, canvas, or wood. Three-dimensional figures may be depicted on the flat picture plane through
the use of the artistic elements to imply depth and volume,
While three-dimensional forms, such as sculpture, have volume inherently, volume can also be simulated, or implied, in a two-
dimensional work such as a painting. Shape, volume, and space—whether actual or implied—are the basis of the perception
of reality.
c. Form-Three-dimensional shape. It can refer to the quality or likeness of an entire mass, let us say, the form of a woman. It
employs several techniques like shading, perspective, and lighting. It is a concept that is related to shape. Combining two or
more shapes can create a three-dimensional shape. Form is always considered three-dimensional as it exhibits volume—or
height, width, and depth. Art makes use of both actual and implied volume.
d. Value-the lightness and darkness of a hue or a color. Often represented in a tonal value scale, it has two parts: the tints
(lighter tones) and the shades (darker tones). A tone is a general term for a certain value. In painting, which uses subtractive
color, value changes are achieved by adding black or white to a color. Artists may also employ shading, which refers to a
more subtle manipulation of value. The value scale is used to show the standard variations in tones. Values near the lighter
end of the spectrum are termed high-keyed, while those on the darker end are low-keyed.
High contrast refers to the placing of lighter areas directly against much darker ones, so their difference is showcased,
creating a dramatic effect. High contrast also refers to the presence of more blacks than white or grey. Low-contrast images
result from placing mid-range values together so there is not much visible difference between them, creating a more subtle
mood.
e. Color-also known as hue. Scientifically, it is the light that bounces off a surface. In art we use subtractive colors, i.e., colors
that are from pigments. Additive colors refer to a property of light. Color is the element of art that is produced when light,
striking an object, is reflected back to the eye.
Three properties to color:

1. Hue - the name we give to a color (red, yellow, blue, green, etc.).
2. Intensity - refers to the vividness of the color. A color's intensity is sometimes referred to as its “colorfulness,” its
“saturation,” its “purity,” or its “strength.”
3. Value - or how light or dark it is. The terms shade and tint refer to value changes in colors. In painting, shades are
created by adding black to a color while tints are created by adding white to a color.
Additive and Subtractive Color

Additive color is color created by mixing red, green, and blue lights. Television screens, for example, use additive color as they
are made up of the primary colors of red, blue and green (RGB). Subtractive color, or “process color,” works as the reverse of
additive color and the primary colors become cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK). Common applications of subtractive
color can be found in printing and photography.
Complementary Color
Complementary colors can be found directly opposite each other on the color wheel (purple and yellow, green and red, orange
and blue). When placed next to each other, these pairs create the strongest contrast for those particular two colors.
Warm and Cool Color

.
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Warm colors are the hues from red through yellow, browns and tans included. Cool colors, on the other hand, are the hues
from blue green through blue violet, with most grays included. Color theory has described perceptual and psychological effects
to this contrast. Warm colors are said to advance or appear more active in a painting, while cool colors tend to recede. Used in
interior design or fashion, warm colors are said to arouse or stimulate the viewer, while cool colors calm and relax.
f. Texture - can be used in paintings like impasto, stamping, and scratching in pottery, embossing when making prints, and
many others. Contemporary artists have also used the element of texture to convey a certain emotion.
Two types of texture:
1. Visual texture refers to an implied sense of texture that the artist creates through the use of various artistic elements such
as line, shading and color.
2. Actual texture refers to the physical rendering or the real surface qualities we can notice by touching an object, such as
paint application or three-dimensional art.
g. Light-Without light, all the previous elements will not be possible. Light creates the illusion that color, form, and texture exist.
Light can be implied, natural, or artificial (as with a digital rendition). The lighting of an artwork has a very strong effect on its
overall impact. An example of strong and theatrical lighting is called chiaroscuro.
h. Space-an area where the other elements can interact. Two types: positive and negative space. Double negative space
refers to a blank space used as negative space by, let us say, a field of color or pigment. Space includes the background,
foreground and middle ground, and refers to the distances or area(s) around, between, and within things.
Two kinds of space:

1. Negative space is the area in between, around, through, or within an object. It refers to the space that exists around and
between one or more shapes.
2. Positive space is the area occupied by an object and/or form. It refers to the space of the defined shape, or figure. Typically,
the positive space is the subject of an artwork. “
Create any design based using elements of art. You may create your design in a coupon bond. Take a photo of your design
and attach it in the box below. Write also the elements of art that you apply in your design.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
IV. Assessment
Objective Description & Subjective Analysis
Find any two works of art: the first one two-dimensional, the second three-dimensional. For each one, write sentences
describing the elements present in the work using the Formalist Method. This method describes what you see in a totally
objective way. Do not refer to any subject matter. Remember, be objective in your descriptions. An example might be; “The
work uses a majority of organic shapes”, or “It uses the complimentary colors yellow and violet for contrast”.
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Then, for each work, write sentences that describes your subjective reaction. An example might be “The artwork has a chaotic
feeling to it”, or “Looking at the work made me feel lonely”
PASTE HERE A PHOTO OF YOUR CHOSEN TWO -DIMENSIONAL ARTWORK

(painting, printing, drawing, sketching, commercial art, mechanical processes, computer graphics and photography)
OBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION
Write your objective description about the 2-dimensional artwork.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
Write your subjective analysis about the 2-dimensional artwork.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS
PASTE HERE A PHOTO OF YOUR CHOSEN THREE - DIMENSIONAL ARTWORK

(sculpture, architecture, landscape architecture, city planning, interior design, costume design, set design, theater design,
industrial design, crafts)
Write your objective description about the 3-dimensional artwork.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Write your subjective analysis about the 3-dimensional artwork.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
V. References:
Devilles, Gary C., Reagan R. Maiquez and Rolando B. Tolentino. Art Sense: Sensing the Arts in the Everyday. C & E
Publishing, Inc., 2018.
Boundless Art History. Lumen Learning. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/visual-elements/
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PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION

Name: __________________________________________________________
Course and Year: ________________________
Contact Number: ________________________
Introduction
This module explores the artistic principles -- the means by which the elements in a work of art are arranged and
orchestrated.
I. Objectives
1. Identify and distinguish how the principles of design are used to visually organize the elements of design;
2. Analyze the use of each principle of design in improving the quality of an artwork;
3. Compare and contrast artworks from disparate cultures using the language of art.
II. Lecture
Art As Visual Input

Visual art manifests itself through media, ideas, themes and sheer creative imagination. Yet all of these rely on basic structural
principles that, like the elements we’ve been studying, combine to give voice to artistic expression. Incorporating the principles
into your artistic vocabulary not only allows you to objectively describe artworks you may not understand, but contributes in the
search for their meaning.
The first way to think about a principle is that it is something that can be repeatedly and dependably done with elements to
produce some sort of visual effect in a composition.
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
It represents how the artist uses the elements of art to create an effect and to help convey the artist’s intent.
Principles of Design are long held composition techniques which have been proven and use by both fine and graphic artists to
communicate ideas and concepts effectively.
The principles are based on sensory responses to visual input: elements APPEAR to have visual weight, movement, etc. The
principles help govern what might occur when particular elements are arranged in a particular way.
The principles of design help you to carefully plan and organize the elements of art so that you will hold interest and command
attention. This is sometimes referred to as visual impact.
In any work of art there is a thought process for the arrangement and use of the elements of design. The artist who works with
the principles of good composition will create a more interesting piece; it will be arranged to show a pleasing rhythm and
movement. The center of interest will be strong and the viewer will not look away, instead, they will be drawn into the work.
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Here are the following principles of design:
Contrast Design principle which uses the element of value to create depth and dimension. Light also plays an
important role in creating good contrast. It is the difference between elements of art in a composition,
such that element is made stronger in relation to the other
Balance Aesthetic quality of a work marked by a sensible balance between two areas: right and left; top and
bottom. All works of art possess some form of visual balance – a sense of weighted clarity created in a
composition. The artist arranges balance to set the dynamics of a composition.
There are three basic forms of visual balance:
Symmetrical balance is the most visually stable, and characterized by an exact – or nearly exact - compositional design on
either (or both) sides of the horizontal or vertical axis of the picture plane. Symmetrical compositions are usually dominated by
a central anchoring element. There are many examples of symmetry in the natural world that reflect an aesthetic dimension
Asymmetrical balance is present when the left and the right sides of the thing, though not identical in appearance, still display
an even distribution of weight. It is also known as asymmetrical or occult balance.
Radial balance suggests movement from the center of a composition towards the outer edge - or vise versa. Many times radial
balance is another form of symmetry, offering stability and a point of focus at the center of the composition.
Rhythm Creating a sense of direction through repetition of element.
Repetition is the use of two or more like elements or forms within a composition. The systematic
arrangement of a repeated shapes or forms creates pattern.
Patterns create rhythm, the lyric or syncopated visual effect that helps carry the viewer, and the artist’s
idea, throughout the work.
Movement Movement directs the viewer’s eye toward something. It is the result of using the elements of art such
that they move the viewer’s eye around and within the image
A sense of movement can be created by diagonal or curvy lines, either real or implied, by edges, by the
illusion of space, by repetition, by energetic mark-making.
Unity and Variety Elements should be seen as a whole in unity; variety still gives a sense of wholeness but the elements
differ in some aspects and provide more interest to the work
Ultimately, a work of art is the strongest when it expresses an overall unity in composition and form, a
visual sense that all the parts fit together; that the whole is greater than its parts. This same sense of
unity is projected to encompass the idea and meaning of the work too. This visual and conceptual unity
is sublimated by the variety of elements and principles used to create it.
Emphasis An area or a specific subject is given focus; the area of primary visual importance—can be attained in a
number of ways. We’ve just seen how it can be a function of differences in scale.
Emphasis can also be obtained by isolating an area or specific subject matter through its location or
color, value and texture. Main emphasis in a composition is usually supported by areas of lesser
importance, a hierarchy within an artwork that’s activated and sustained at different levels.
Proportion and This can be either an appropriate use of scale and proportion or it can also be an effective way of
Scale changing the scale to achieve a certain visual goal. It also shows the relationship between the object
and the space.
These principles show the relative size of one form in relation to another. Scalar relationships are often
used to create illusions of depth on a two-dimensional surface, the larger form being in front of the
smaller one. The scale of an object can provide a focal point or emphasis in an image.
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III. Activity/Application
There are some artworks that effectively used some art principles. Describe each artwork and state why the use of a
specific principle became effective in increasing or improving the impact and quality of their works. See and write down if you
can also find more principles present in the work. Use the space beside each image to briefly state your answers.
1. Pieta, Micheangelo | 1498- 1499
2.Star ry Night,
Vincent van Gogh | June 1889
3. Lewis Hine’s famous image – Cotton Mill Girl | 1908
IV. Assessment
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
Choose two works of art from two different cultures. They can be two or three-dimensional, or one of each. Compare and
contrast the two works, using the artistic principles you’ve learned about in this module. Then, answer the following questions
below.
PASTE HERE A PHOTO OF YOUR CHOSEN TWO/THREE PASTE HERE A PHOTO OF YOUR CHOSEN TWO/THREE
-DIMENSIONAL ARTWORK -DIMENSIONAL ARTWORK
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1. How do the compositions compare to each other?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. How are they similar?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. How are they different?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What are the artistic principles being used in each (repetition, rhythm, scale, differences in visual balance, etc.)? You can
refer to the subject matter in each work, but focus on objective comparisons.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
V. References
Menoy, Jesus Z. Introduction to the Humanities: A Holistic Approach. International Book Royale, Inc.2014
Roldan, Albert Napoleon J., Deliosa, Chloe P. A Course Module for Art Appreciation. REX Bookstore, 2019 (pp. 14 -15)
Art Appreciation. Lumen Learning. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/masteryart1/chapter/principles-of-design/
Art Appreciation. Lumen Learning. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/masteryart1/chapter/oer-1-8/
Gildow, C (2013). CN-1329-ARTAPR Module 4: The Artistic Principles. Available at
https://learn.canvas.net/courses/24/pages/m4-art-as-visual-input?module_item_id=44415 (Accessed 9 January 2021)
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SUBJECT MATTER AND VISUAL ART FORMS

Name: __________________________________________________________
Course and Year: ________________________
Contact Number: ________________________
Date and Time Allotment: Tuesday/Wednesday, (2:30 - 4:00) (3 hrs.)
Introduction
This module entitled Subjects of Art is about the main idea or theme to be presented in an artwork. This subject of art
includes its two main divisions; representational and non-representational. Aside from its classification, this includes also the
methods used by such famous artists in presenting their subjects and these methods lead to the creation of different art
movements.
I. Objectives
1. Define subject and able to differentiate arts that have subjects and those that do not have subjects;
2. Analyze how artists present their subjects in relation to the real subject and in abstract form; and
3. Distinguish between representational (realistic), abstract, and nonrepresentational (or non-objective) imagery.
II. Lecture
SUBJECT MATTER OF VISUAL ARTS
Painting and sculpture can be divided into the categories of figurative (or representational) and abstract (which includes
nonrepresentational art). Figurative art describes artworks—particularly paintings and sculptures–that are clearly derived from
real object sources, and therefore are by definition representational. Since the arrival of abstract art in the early twentieth
century, the term figurative has been used to refer to any form of modern art that retains strong references to the real world.
This figurative or representational work from the seventeenth century depicts easily recognizable objects–ships, people, and
buildings. Artistic independence was advanced during the nineteenth century, resulting in the emergence of abstract art. Three
movements that contributed heavily to the development of these were Romanticism, Impressionism, and Expressionism.
Abstraction indicates a departure from reality in depiction of imagery in art. Abstraction exists along a continuum; abstract art
can formally refer to compositions that are derived (or abstracted) from a figurative or other natural source. It can also refer to
nonrepresentational art and non-objective art that has no derivation from figures or objects.
Nonrepresentational art refers to compositions which do not rely on representation or mimesis to any extent. Abstract art,
nonfigurative art, nonobjective art, and nonrepresentational art are related terms that indicate a departure from reality in the
depiction of imagery in art. Meaning in nonrepresentational art is highly subjective and can be difficult to define. We can focus
on the elements of the artwork (form, shape, line, color, space, and texture) in terms of the aesthetic value of the work, but the
meaning will always be personal to the viewer unless the artist has made a statement about his or her intentions.
Generally, we can look at nonrepresentational art as the personal expression of an artist’s subjective experience. Certain
movements have described their intentions as an aim to evoke moods or emotions in the viewer. A good example are the
expressionists of the early 20th century, who aimed to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it
radically for emotional effect.
Nonrepresentational art has often been explored by artists as a means to spiritual expression. Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian
painter, printmaker, and art theorist, is one of the most famous 20th century artists and is generally considered the first
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important painter of modern abstract art. As an early modernist in search of new modes of visual expression and spiritual
expression, he theorized (as did contemporary occultists and theosophists) that pure visual abstraction had corollary
vibrations with sound and music. He posited that pure abstraction could express pure spirituality.
VISUAL ART FORMS
Visual arts are forms of art that you can see, such as drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography and filmmaking.
Design and working with textiles are also often referred to as visual art. Visual arts have changed over the centuries. During
the Middle Ages artists created paintings, sculptures or prints and became famous. Today visual arts apply to many different
forms.
Drawing
Drawing is creating a picture with a variety of tools, in most cases pencils, crayons, pens or markers. Artists draw on different
types of surfaces, like paper or canvas. The first drawings were discovered in caves, that date back about 30,000 years.
Ancient Egyptians drew on papyrus, Greeks and Romans made drawings on other objects, like vases. In the Middle Ages
drawings were sketches that were made on parchment. When paper became common in the Renaissance, drawing became
an art perfected by Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci and others.
Painting
Painting is often called the most important form of visual art. It is about putting colors on a canvas or a wall. Painters express
their ideas through a mixture of colors and different brush strokes.
Painting is also one of the oldest forms of visual art. In old caves prehistoric people painted hunting scenes onto walls.
Paintings became important in ancient Egypt, where tombs of pharaohs were covered with scenes of everyday Egyptian life.
During the Renaissance, painting a became very important art. Italy became the center of Renaissance painting. The era
produced masters like Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian. Italian influence spread to the north of Europe, mostly to Belgium
and Holland. The most famous artists of the 17th century famous painters during the Dutch Golden Age were, Rembrandt and
Vermeer.
During the last 200 years painters discovered new styles. Impressionism began in France during the end of the 19th century;
Picasso created Cubism at the beginning of the 20th century.
Printmaking
Printmaking is art that is made by covering a plate with ink and pressing it on the surface of another object. Today prints are
mostly produced on paper today but originally, they were pressed onto cloth or other objects. Plates are often made out of
wood or metal.
The first prints were probably made in ancient Mesopotamia. Later on, they became popular in ancient Egypt and China.
Printmaking spread to Europe towards the end of the Middle Ages.
Photography
Photography is making pictures by letting light through the lenses of a camera onto a film. In analogue photography light was
recorded onto a film, which had to be chemically developed. Images could then be printed onto special paper.
Today most photography is digital. Cameras have no film; the images are recorded onto silicon chips.
Filmmaking
Filmmakers make moving images that they turn into films. It is a very expensive and complicated form of art, involving many
tasks, for example scriptwriting, casting, and editing film sequences before they can be shown to an audience. A full-length
feature film often takes many weeks or months to produce.
Computer art
Today, art is no longer limited to brushes, paint and pencils. In the last few decades artists have been working with computers
to capture images and change them. Computer art consists of a wide variety of different forms, from capturing and changing
sound to creating video games.
Sculpture
Sculptures are three-dimensional pieces of art that are created by shaping various kinds of material. Among the most popular
are stone, steel, plastic, ceramics and wood. Sculpture is often referred to as plastic arts.
Sculpture goes back to ancient Greece. It has been important in various religions of the world over many centuries. In the
Renaissance Michelangelo was one of the masters of the art. His most famous piece of work was David, a marble statue of a
naked man.
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Architecture
It is the art and science of buildings and structures. It is derived from the Greek word arkhitekton ( ἀρχιτέκτων) which means
“master builder, director of works,” which is also derived from the two Greek words arkhi (αρχι) which means “chief”, and
tekton (τεκτων), which means “builder, carpenter”.
Architecture is also the art and discipline of creating a complex object or system.
III. Application/Activity
Analyze the painting presented then answer the following questions below.
PASTE HERE A PHOTO OF YOUR CHOSEN ARTWORK
1. What is the subject of art being presented in this artwork? Is it representational or non-representational? Explain your
answer briefly.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is the message or meaning being presented in this artwork?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
IV. References
Boundless Art History. Lumen Learning. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/content/
Art Appreciation. Lumen Learning. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/masteryart1/chapter/oer-1-4/
https://www.english-online.at/art-architecture/visual-arts/visual-art-forms.html
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B
i
n
a
lonan, Pangasinan
TWO-DIMENSIONAL MEDIA

Name: __________________________________
Course and Year: ________________________
Contact Number: ________________________
Date and Time Allotment: :Tuesday/Wednesday, (2:30 - 4:00) (3 hrs.)
Introduction
This module explores traditional and non-traditional mediums associated with two-dimensional artworks including:
drawing,
painting, and printmaking. Two-dimensional media are grouped into general categories. Let’s look at each group to
understand their particular qualities and how artists use them.
I. Objectives
1. Identify and describe specific characteristics of two-dimensional mediums artist use;
2. Explain the significant roles of two-dimensional media in the development of visual arts; and
3. Describe how cultural styles are influenced through the use of different artistic mediums.
II. Lecture
Drawing is the simplest and most efficient way to communicate visual ideas, and for centuries charcoal, chalk, graphite and
paper have been adequate enough tools to launch some of the most profound images in art. Leonardo da Vinci’s The Virgin
and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist wraps all four figures together in what is essentially an extended family
portrait. Da Vinci draws the figures in a spectacularly realistic style, one that emphasizes individual identities and surrounds
the figures in a grand, unfinished landscape. He animates the scene with the Christ child pulling himself forward, trying to
release himself from Mary’s grasp to get closer to a young John the Baptist on the right, who himself is turning toward the
Christ child with a look of curious interest in his younger cousin.
The traditional role of drawing was to make sketches for larger compositions to be manifest as paintings, sculpture or
even architecture Because of its relative immediacy, this function for drawing continues today.
Types of Drawing Media
Dry Media includes charcoal, graphite, chalks and pastels. Each of these mediums gives the artist a wide range of mark
making capabilities and effects, from thin lines to large areas of color and tone. The artist can manipulate a drawing to achieve
desired effects in many ways, including exerting different pressures on the medium against the drawing’s surface, or by
erasure, blotting or rubbing.
Graphite media includes pencils, powder or compressed sticks. Each one creates a range of values depending on the
hardness or softness inherent in the material. Hard graphite tones range from light to dark gray, while softer graphite allows a
range from light gray to nearly black.
Charcoal, perhaps the oldest form of drawing media, is made by simply charring wooden sticks or small branches,
called vine charcoal, but is also available in a mechanically compressed form. Vine charcoal comes in three densities: soft,
medium and hard, each one handling a little different than the other. Soft charcoals give a velvetier feel to a drawing. The
artist doesn’t have to apply as much pressure to the stick in order to get a solid mark. Hard vine charcoal offers more control
but generally doesn’t give the darkest tones. Compressed charcoals give deeper blacks than vine charcoal, but are more
23
difficult to manipulate once they are applied to paper. Charcoal drawings can range in value from light grays to rich, velvety
blacks.
Pastels are essentially colored chalks usually compressed into stick form for better handling. They are characterized by soft,
subtle changes in tone or color. Pastel pigments allow for a resonant quality that is more difficult to obtain with graphite or
charcoal.
Wet media
Ink: Wet drawing media traditionally refers to ink but really includes any substance that can be put into solution and applied to
a drawing’s surface. Because wet media is manipulated much like paint – through thinning and the use of a brush – it blurs the
line between drawing and painting. Ink can be applied with a stick for linear effects and by brush to cover large areas with
tone. It can also be diluted with water to create values of gray.
Felt tip pens are considered a form of wet media. The ink is saturated into felt strips inside the pen then released onto the
paper or other support through the tip. The ink quickly dries, leaving a permanent mark. The colored marker drawings
of Donnabelle Casis have a flowing, organic character to them. The abstract quality of the subject matter infers body parts and
viscera.
Traditional Chinese painting uses water-based inks and pigments. In fact, it is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in
the world. Painted on supports of paper or silk, the subject matter includes landscapes, animals, figures and calligraphy, an art
form that uses letters and script in fluid, lyrical gestures.
Drawing is a foundation for other two and three-dimensional works of art, even being incorporated with digital media that
expands the idea of its formal expression. The art of Matthew Ritchie starts with small abstract drawings. He digitally scans
and projects them to large scales, taking up entire walls. Ritchie also uses the scans to produce large, thin three-dimensional
templates to create sculptures out of the original drawings.
PAINTING
Painting is the application of pigments to a support surface that establishes an image, design or decoration. In art the term
‘painting’ describes both the act and the result. Most painting is created with pigment in liquid form and applied with a brush.
Exceptions to this are found in Navajo sand painting and Tibetan mandala painting, where powdered pigments are used.
Painting as a medium has survived for thousands of years and is, along with drawing and sculpture, one of the oldest creative
mediums. It’s used in some form by cultures around the world.
Three of the most recognizable images in Western art history are paintings: Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Edvard Munch’s
The Scream and Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night. These three artworks are examples of how painting can go beyond a
simple mimetic function, that is, to only imitate what is seen. The power in great painting is that it transcends perceptions to
reflect emotional, psychological, even spiritual levels of the human condition.
Painting mediums are extremely versatile because they can be applied to many different surfaces (called supports) including
paper, wood, canvas, plaster, clay, lacquer and concrete. Because paint is usually applied in a liquid or semi-liquid state it has
the ability to soak into porous support material, which can, over time, weaken and damage the it. To prevent this a support is
usually first covered with a ground, a mixture of binder and chalk that, when dry, creates a non-porous layer between the
support and the painted surface. A typical ground is gesso.
There are six major painting mediums, each with specific individual characteristics:
 Encaustic  Acrylic
 Tempera  Watercolor
 Fresco
 Oil
All of them use three basic ingredients:
 Pigment
 Binder
 Solvent
Pigments are granular solids incorporated into the paint to contribute color. The binder, commonly referred to as the vehicle, is
the actual film-forming component of paint. The binder holds the pigment in solution until it’s ready to be dispersed onto the
surface. The solvent controls the flow and application of the paint. It’s mixed into the paint, usually with a brush, to dilute it to
the proper viscosity, or thickness, before it’s applied to the surface. Once the solvent has evaporated from the surface the
remaining paint is fixed there. Solvents range from water to oil-based products like linseed oil and mineral spirits.
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Let’s look at each of the six main painting mediums:
1. Encaustic paint mixes dry pigment with a heated beeswax binder. The mixture is then brushed or spread across a support
surface. Reheating allows for longer manipulation of the paint. Encaustic dates back to the first century C.E. and was used
extensively in funerary mummy portraits from Fayum in Egypt. The characteristics of encaustic painting include strong,
resonant colors and extremely durable paintings. Because of the beeswax binder, when encaustic cools it forms a tough skin
on the surface of the painting.
2. Tempera paint combines pigment with an egg yolk binder, then thinned and released with water. Like encaustic, tempera
has been used for thousands of years. It dries quickly to a durable matte finish. Tempera paintings are traditionally applied in
successive thin layers, called glazes, painstakingly built-up using networks of cross hatched lines. Because of this technique
tempera paintings are known for their detail. In early Christianity, tempera was used extensively to paint images of religious
icons. The pre-Renaissance Italian artist Duccio (c. 1255 – 1318), one of the most influential artists of the time, used tempera
paint in the creation of The Crevole Madonna. Contemporary painters still use tempera as a medium. American painter
Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) used tempera to create masterpiece of detail, composition and mystery.
3. Fresco painting is used exclusively on plaster walls and ceilings. The medium of fresco has been used for thousands of
years, but is most associated with its use in Christian images during the Renaissance period in Europe.
There are two forms of fresco: Buon or “wet”, and secco, meaning “dry”.
Buon fresco technique consists of painting in pigment mixed with water on a thin layer of wet, fresh lime mortar or plaster. The
pigment is applied to and absorbed by the wet plaster; after a number of hours, the plaster dries and reacts with the air: it is
this chemical reaction that fixes the pigment particles in the plaster. Because of the chemical makeup of the plaster, a binder
is not required. Buon fresco is more stable because the pigment becomes part of the wall itself.
Secco fresco refers to painting an image on the surface of a dry plaster wall. This medium requires a binder since the pigment
is not mixed into the wet plaster. Egg tempera is the most common binder used for this purpose. It was common to use secco
fresco over buon fresco murals in order to repair damage or make changes to the original.
4. Oil paint is the most versatile of all the painting mediums. It uses pigment mixed with a binder of linseed oil. Linseed oil can
also be used as the vehicle, along with mineral spirits or turpentine. Oil painting was thought to have developed in Europe
during the 15th century, but recent research on murals found in Afghanistan caves show oil-based paints were used there as
early as the 7th century.
Some of the qualities of oil paint include a wide range of pigment choices, its ability to be thinned down and applied in almost
transparent glazes as well as used straight from the tube (without the use of a vehicle), built up in thick layers called impasto
(you can see this in many works by Vincent van Gogh). One drawback to the use of impasto is that over time the body of the
paint can split, leaving networks of cracks along the thickest parts of the painting. Because oil paint dries slower than other
mediums, it can be blended on the support surface with meticulous detail. This extended working time also allows for
adjustments and changes to be made without having to scrape off sections of dried paint.
5. Acrylic paint was developed in the 1950’s and became an alternative to oils. Pigment is suspended in an acrylic polymer
emulsion binder and uses water as the vehicle. The acrylic polymer has characteristics like rubber or plastic. Acrylic paints
offer the body, color resonance and durability of oils without the expense, mess and toxicity issues of using heavy solvents to
mix them. One major difference is the relatively fast drying time of acrylics. They are water soluble, but once dry become
impervious to water or other solvents. Moreover, acrylic paints adhere to many different surfaces and are extremely durable.
Acrylic impastos will not crack or yellow over time.
6. Watercolor is the most sensitive of the painting mediums. It reacts to the lightest touch of the artist and can become an over
worked mess in a moment. There are two kinds of watercolor media: transparent and opaque. Transparent watercolor
operates in a reverse relationship to the other painting mediums. It is traditionally applied to a paper support, and relies on the
whiteness of the paper to reflect light back through the applied color, whereas opaque paints (including opaque watercolors)
reflect light off the skin of the paint itself. Watercolor consists of pigment and a binder of gum arabic, a water-soluble
compound made from the sap of the acacia tree. It dissolves easily in water.
Watercolor paintings hold a sense of immediacy. The medium is extremely portable and excellent for small format paintings.
The paper used for watercolor is generally of two types: hot pressed, which gives a smoother texture, and cold pressed, which
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results in a rougher texture. Transparent watercolor techniques include the use of wash; an area of color applied with a brush
and diluted with water to let it flow across the paper. Wet-in-wet painting allows colors to flow and drift into each other, creating
soft transitions between them. Dry brush painting uses little water and lets the brush run across the top ridges of the paper,
resulting in a broken line of color and lots of visual texture.
Opaque watercolor, also called gouache, differs from transparent watercolor in that the particles are larger, the ratio of
pigment to water is much higher, and an additional, inert, white pigment such as chalk is also present. Because of this,
gouache paint gives stronger color than transparent watercolor, although it tends to dry to a slightly lighter tone than when it is
applied. Gouache paint doesn’t hold up well as impasto, tending to crack and fall away from the surface. It holds up well in
thinner applications and often is used to cover large areas with color. Like transparent watercolor, dried gouache paint will
become soluble again in water.
Other painting mediums used by artists include the following:
Enamel paints form hard skins typically with a high-gloss finish. They use heavy solvents and are extremely durable.
Powder coat paints differ from conventional paints in that they do not require a solvent to keep the pigment and binder parts in
suspension. They are applied to a surface as a powder then cured with heat to form a tough skin that is stronger than most
other paints. Powder coats are applied mostly to metal surfaces.
Epoxy paints are polymers created mixing pigment with two different chemicals: a resin and a hardener. The chemical reaction
between the two creates heat that bonds them together. Epoxy paints, like powder coats and enamel, are extremely durable in
both indoor and outdoor conditions.
These industrial grade paints are used in sign painting, marine environments and aircraft painting.
PRINTMAKING
Printmaking uses a transfer process to make multiples from an original image or template. The multiple images are printed in
an edition, with each print signed and numbered by the artist. All printmaking mediums result in images reversed from the
original. Print results depend on how the template (or matrix) is prepared.
There are three basic techniques of printmaking: Relief, Intaglio and Planar. You can get an idea of how they differ from the
cross-section images below, and view how each technique works from this site at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
A relief print, such as a woodcut or linoleum cut, is created when the areas of the matrix (plate or block) that are to show the
printed image are on the original surface; the parts of the matrix that are to be ink free having been cut away, or otherwise
removed. The printed surface is in relief from the cut away sections of the plate. Once the area around the image is cut away,
the surface of the plate is rolled up with ink. Paper is laid over the matrix, and both are run through a press, transferring the ink
from the surface of the matrix to the paper. The nature of the relief process doesn’t allow for lots of detail, but does result in
graphic images with strong contrasts. Carl Eugene Keel’s “Bar” shows the effects of a woodcut printed in black ink.
Block printing developed in China hundreds of years ago and was common throughout East Asia. The Japanese woodblock
print shows dynamic effects of implied motion and the contrasts created using only one color and black. Ukiyo-e or “floating
world” prints became popular in the 19th century, even influencing European artists during the Industrial Revolution.
Relief printmakers can use a separate block or matrix for each color printed or, in reduction prints a single block is used,
cutting away areas of color as the print develops. This method can result in a print with many colors.
Intaglio prints such as etchings, are made by incising channels into a copper or metal plate with a sharp instrument called a
burin to create the image, inking the entire plate, then wiping the ink from the surface of the plate, leaving ink only in the
incised channels below the surface. Paper is laid over the plate and put through a press under high pressure, forcing the ink to
be transferred to the paper.
Examples of the intaglio process include etching and dry point: In dry point, the artist creates an image by scratching the burin
directly into a metal plate (usually copper) before inking and printing. Today artists also use plexi-glass, a hard clear plastic, as
plates. Characteristically these prints have strong line quality and exhibit a slightly blurred edge to the line as the result of
burrs created in the process of incising the plate, similar to clumps of soil laid to the edge of a furrowed trench. A fine example
of dry point is seen in Rembrandt’s Clump of Trees with a Vista. The velvety darks are created by the effect of the burred-
edged lines.
Etching begins by first applying a protective wax-based coating to a thin metal plate. The artist then scratches an image with a
burin through the protective coating into the surface of the metal. The plate is then submersed in a strong acid bath, etching
the exposed lines. The plate is removed from the acid and the protective coating is removed from the plate. Now the bare
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plate is inked, wiped and printed. The image is created from the ink in the etched channels. The amount of time a plate is kept
in the acid bath determines the quality of tones in the resulting print: the longer it is etched the darker the tones will be.
‘Correccion’ by the Spanish master Francisco Goya shows the clear linear quality etching can produce. The acid bath
removes any burrs
created by the initial dry point work, leaving details and value contrasts consistent with the number of lines and the distance
between them.
There are many different techniques associated with intaglio, including aquatint scraping and burnishing.
Planar prints like monoprints are created on the surface of the matrix without any cutting or incising. In this technique the
surface of the matrix (usually a thin metal plate or Plexiglass) is completely covered with ink, then areas are partially removed
by wiping, scratching away or otherwise removed to form the image. Paper is laid over the matrix, then run through a press to
transfer the image to the paper. Monoprints (also monotypes) are the simplest and painterly of the printing mediums. By
definition monotypes and monoprints cannot be reproduced in editions. Kathryn Trigg’s monotypes show how close this print
medium is related to painting and drawing.
Lithography is another example of planar printmaking, developed in Germany in the late 18th century. “Litho” means “stone”
and “graph” means “to draw”. The traditional matrix for lithography is the smooth surface of a limestone block.
Serigraphy, also known as Screen-printing, is a third type of planar printing medium. Screen-printing is a printing technique
that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. The attached stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfer ink or
other printable materials that can be pressed through the mesh as a sharp-edged image onto a substrate such as paper or
fabric. A roller or squeegee is moved across the screen stencil, forcing or pumping ink past the threads of the woven mesh in
the open areas.
III. ACTIVITY:
TWO-DIMENSIONAL ARTWORKS (15 pts.)
Fill in the table with the needed information on each category of visual arts. You can search in the internet about the
information of your chosen artworks.
DRAWING
TITLE
ARTIST
YEAR/PERIOD CREATED
PASTE THE SAMPLE ARTWORK
HERE COUNTRY/PLACE OF
ORIGIN
MEDIA/MATERIAL USED
REFERENCE/S
PAINTING
TITLE
ARTIST
YEAR/PERIOD CREATED
ORIGIN
MEDIA/MATERIAL USED
REFERENCE/S
PRINTMAKING
TITLE
ARTIST
YEAR/PERIOD CREATED
ORIGIN
MEDIA/MATERIAL USED
REFERENCE/S
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IV. ASSESSMENT: ART ANALYSIS (15 pts)
Answer the following questions.
1. Explain this statement: “Artists use materials as a primary vehicle for expressing their artistic visions.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
2. Choose one category of 2-dimensional visual arts (painting, drawing, or printmaking) that you would like to do someday. In
your chosen 2-dimensional category, what particular medium will you use in creating this artwork? Why did you choose this
medium?
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
3. Refer to your chosen artworks in ACTIVITY #1 and answer the given question below:
What makes each medium unique? What are the qualities of each art medium?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
V. References:
Art Appreciation. Lumen Learning. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/masteryart1/part/fine-art-media-and-technique/
Gildow, C (2013). CN-1329-ARTAPR Module 5: 2- Dimensional Media. https://learn.canvas.net/courses/24/pages/m6-
drawing?module_item_id=44438 (Accessed 9 January 2021).
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THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEDIA: SCULPTURE

Name: __________________________________________________________
Course and Year: ________________________
Contact Number: ________________________
Introduction
Three-dimensional media occupies space defined through the dimensions of height, width and depth. It includes
sculpture, installation and performance art, craft and product design. Two processes are responsible for all three-
dimensional art: additive, in which material is built up to create form, or subtractive, where material is removed from
an existing mass, such as a chunk of stone, wood or clay. The different categories we’ll examine in this module are
not necessarily exclusive from each other, and we will look at some examples of three-dimensional art that arguably
cross over between categories.
I. Objectives
1. Identify and describe specific characteristics of three-dimensional mediums artist use
2. Demonstrate how the advance of technology is reflected in three-dimensional media throughout the art historical
record
3. Compare and contrast three-dimensional artworks from different cultures
II. Lecture
TYPES OF SCULPTURE & OTHER THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEDIA
Sculpture is any artwork made by the manipulation of materials resulting in a three-dimensional object. Sculpture can be
freestanding, or self-supported, where the viewer can walk completely around the work to see it from all sides, or created in
relief, where the primary form’s surface is raised above the surrounding material, such as the image on a coin.
Bas-relief refers to a shallow extension of the image from its surroundings, high relief is where the most prominent elements
of the composition are undercut and rendered at more than half in the round against the background.
METHODS
1. Carving uses the subtractive process to cut away areas from a larger mass, and is the oldest method used for three-
dimensional work. Traditionally stone and wood were the most common materials because they were readily available and
extremely durable. Contemporary materials include foam, plastics and glass. Using chisels and other sharp tools, artists carve
away material until the ultimate form of the work is achieved.
Wood sculptures by contemporary artist Ursula von Rydingsvard are carved, glued and even burned. Many are massive,
rough vessel forms that carry the visual evidence of their creation.
Michelangelo’s masterpiece Statue of David from 1501 is carved and sanded to an idealized form that the artist releases from
the massive block, a testament to human aesthetic brilliance.
2. Casting: The additive method of casting has been in use for over five thousand years. It’s a manufacturing process by which
a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to
solidify. One traditional method of bronze casting frequently used today is the lost wax process. Casting materials are usually
metals but can be various cold setting materials that cure after mixing two or more components together; examples
are epoxy, concrete, plaster and clay. Casting is most often used for making complex shapes that would be otherwise difficult
or uneconomical to make by other methods. It’s a labor-intensive process that allows for the creation of multiples from an
29
original object (similar to the medium of printmaking), each of which is extremely durable and exactly like its predecessor. A
mold is usually destroyed after the desired number of castings has been made. Traditionally, bronze statues were placed atop
pedestals to signify the importance of the figure depicted.
3. Modeling is a method that can be both additive and subtractive. The artist uses modeling to build up form with clay, plaster
or other soft material that can be pushed, pulled, pinched or poured into place. The material then hardens into the finished
work. Larger sculptures created with this method make use of an armature, an underlying structure of wire that sets the
physical shape of the work. Although modeling is primarily an additive process, artists do remove material in the process.
Modeling a form is often a preliminary step in the casting method.
4. Construction, or Assemblage, uses found manufactured or altered objects to build form. Artists weld, glue, bolt and wire
individual pieces together. Sculptor Debra Butterfield transforms throw away objects into abstract sculptures of horses. with
scrap metal, wood and other found objects. She often casts these constructions in bronze.
Louise Nevelson used cut and shaped pieces of wood, gluing and nailing them together to form fantastic, complex
compositions. Painted a single tone, (usually black or white), her sculptures are graphic, textural facades of shapes, patterns
and shadow.
Some modern and contemporary sculptures incorporate movement, light and sound. Kinetic sculptures use ambient air
currents or motors allowing them to move, changing in form as the viewer stands in place. The artist Alexander Calder is
famous for his mobiles, whimsical, abstract works that are intricately balanced to move at the slightest wisp of air, while the
sculptures of Jean Tinguely are contraption-like and, similar to Nevelson’s and Butterfield’s works, constructed of scraps often
found in garbage dumps.
.
MODERN VARIATIONS OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEDIA
Dan Flavin is one of the first artists to explore the possibilities of light as a sculptural medium. Since the 1960’s his work has
incorporated fluorescent bulbs of different colors and in various arrangements. Moreover, he takes advantage of the wall
space the light is projected onto, literally blurring the line between traditional sculpture and the more complex medium of
installation.
Installation art utilizes multiple objects, often from various mediums, and takes up entire spaces. It can be generic or site
specific. Because of their relative complexity, installations can address aesthetic and narrative ideas on a larger scale than
traditional sculpture. With installation art the viewer is surrounded by and can become part of the work itself.
Performance art goes a step further, involving the artist as part of the work itself. Some performance artworks are interactive,
involving the viewer too. The nature of the medium is in its ability to use live performance in the same context as static works
of art: to enhance our understanding of artistic experience. Similar to installation works, performance art had its first
manifestations during the Dada art movement, when live performances included poetry, visual art and music, often going on at
the same time. Performance art, like installation, challenges the viewer to re-examine the artistic experience from a new level.
Today we see a new form of performance art happen unexpectedly around us in the form of Flash Mobs: groups of people
who gather in public spaces to collaborate in short, seemingly spontaneous events that entertain and surprise passers-by.
Many flash mobs are arranged in advance through the use of social media.
Craft requires the specific skilled use of tools in creating works of art. These tools can take many forms: words, construction
tools, a camera, a paintbrush or even a voice. Traditional studio crafts include ceramics, metal and woodworking, weaving
(Links to an external site.) and the glass arts. Crafts are distinguished by a high degree of workmanship and finish. Traditional
crafts have their roots in utilitarian purposes: furniture, utensils and other everyday accoutrements that are designed for
specific uses, and reflect the adage that “form follows function”. But human creativity goes beyond simple function to include
the aesthetic realm, entered through the doors of embellishment, decoration and an intuitive sense of design.
Product Design: The dictum “form follows function” represents an organic approach to three-dimensional design. The products
and devices we use every day continue to serve the same functions but change in styles. This constant realignment in basic
form reflects modern aesthetic considerations and, on a larger scale, become artifacts of the popular culture of a given time
period.
Three-dimensional media includes many forms including sculpture, craft and product design. They are the oldest and most
durable of all the creative arts. You can see how the different creative processes and methods generate a diverse range of
visual forms and characteristics. Craft in particular has its origins in utility but is no longer exclusive to this realm, and
innovations about the nature of three-dimensional media have led to the contemporary forms of installation and performance
art, with the inclusion at times of both the artist and the viewer into the work itself.
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III. ACTIVITY: APPRECIATION OF A SCULPTURAL WORK (20 pts)
1. Go around your house and look for a sculptural work displayed inside or outside your house (figurines, statues, pots,
vases, trophies, medals, pendants, jewelries, etc.).
2. Take at least two pictures of it (main picture of the sculptural work and your selfie with it).
3. Fill in the needed information of the sculptural work.
SCULPTURE
PASTE THE PHOTO OF THE SAMPLE SCULPTURAL PASTE YOUR PHOTO WITH THE SAMPLE SCULPTURAL
WORK WORK
TYPE OF SCULPTURE (Relief or Free-Standing)

MATERIAL OR MEDIUM/S USED (wood, bronze,
stone, clay, etc.)
METHOD OF SCULPTURE (carving, modeling,
casting, assemblage or construction)
FUNCTIONS/USAGE

Study the following sculptures in the table and answer the given question below.
The Pietà by Michelangelo Bonifacio Monument, Guillermo Pablo Picasso. Woman in the
Buonarroti, 1498-1499 Tolentino, 1933 Garden. 1929–1930
Based on the given examples of sculpture, compare and contrast them in terms of the medium used, function, method, origin
and other details you may add.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
V. References:
Gildow, C (2013). CN-1329-ARTAPR Module 8: 3- Dimensional Media https://learn.canvas.net/courses/24/pages/m8-types-
of-sculpture-and-other-three-dimensional-media?module_item_id=444648 (Accessed 9 January 2021).
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THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEDIA: ARCHITECTURE

Date and Time Allotment: Tuesday/Wednesday, (2:30 - 4:00) (3 hrs..)
Introduction
Architecture adheres to the dictum that “form follows function”. Architecture’s function reflects different human needs.
For example, warehouses take the shape of large squares or rectangles because they need only to enclose a space
that protects and stores products and materials in the most efficient manner. A home is designed with other functions
in mind, including cooking, resting, cleaning and entertaining. This module explores the history of architecture and its
relation to visual art.
I. Objectives
1. Discuss architecture’s significance to shelter and habitat
2. Describe the traditional and modern styles of architecture
3. Explain architectural materials and structural systems
4. Describe architecture as a reflection of culture
II. Lecture
TRADITIONAL METHODS & MATERIALS
The basic methods in building design and construction have been used for
thousands of years. Stacking stones, laying brick or lashing wood together in one
form or another are still used today in all parts of the world. But over the centuries,
innovations in methods and materials have given new expression to architecture
and the human footprint on the landscape.
POST AND LINTEL SYSTEM

A significant advance came with the development of the post and lintel system. With
this, a system of posts –either stone or wood – are placed at intervals and spanned
by beams at the tops. The load is distributed down the posts to allow for areas of Stonehenge, Wiltshire County, England.
open space between them. Its earliest use is seen at Stonehenge, a prehistoric
monument in southern England dating to about 3000 BCE.
COLONNADE
A colonnade continues the post and lintel method as a series of columns and beams enveloping larger areas of space.
Colonnades can be free standing or part of a larger structure. Common in Egyptian, Greek and Roman architectural design,
their use creates visual rhythm and implies a sense of grandeur. Over time columns became categorized by the capital style at
their tops. The smooth and unadorned Tuscan and fluted Doric columns give way to more elaborate styles: the scrolled Ionian
and the high relief Corinthian.
The Parthenon, a Greek temple to the mythic goddess Athena, was built in the 5th
century BCE in Athens and is part of a larger community of structures in the Acropolis.
All are considered pinnacles of classic Greek architecture. Ionic colonnades march
across all sides of the Parthenon, the outer boundary of a very ordered interior floor
plan.
The colonnade is part of our contemporary surroundings too. Parks and other public
spaces use them
The Parthenon, toGreece.
Athens, the same effect: providing visual and material stability in spanning
447 BCE
BCE
areas of open space.
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ARCH
The development of the arch gave architecture new alternatives to post and
lintel construction. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in
Mesopotamian brick architecture. They supply strength and stability to walls
without massive posts and beams because their construction minimizes the
shear load imposed on them. This meant walls could go higher without
compromising their stability and at the same time create larger areas of open
space between arches. In addition, the arch gave buildings a more organic,
expressive visual element. The Colosseum in Rome built in the first century CE,
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. 1st Century CE.
uses repeated arches to define an imposing but decidedly airy structure. The
fact that it’s still standing today is testament to the inherent strength of the arch.
Roman aqueducts are another example of how effectively the arch was used. Tall and
graceful, the arches support themselves in a colonnade and were used to transport a
network of water channels throughout ancient Rome.
VAULT
From the arch came two more important developments: extending an arch in a linear
direction formed a vault, encapsulating tall, narrow spaces with inverted “U” shaped
ceilings. The compressive force of the vault required thick walls on each side to keep it
from collapsing. Because of this many vaults were situated underground – essentially
tunnels – connecting areas of a larger building or providing covered transport of people, Church of St. Denis, France. 7th -
goods and materials throughout the city. 12th centuries CE
DOME
An arch rotated on its vertical axis creates a dome, with its curving organic
scoop of space reserved for the tops of the most important buildings. The
Pantheon in Rome sports a dome with an oculus – a round or elliptical opening
at the top, that is the massive building’s only light source.
ARCHITECTURE INDome
CHINA
of the&Pantheon
THE FAR EASTRome. 126 CE.
with oculus,
Chinese architecture refers to a style of architecture that has taken shape in East Asia over many centuries. The structural
principles of traditional Chinese architecture have remained largely unchanged. Chinese architectural (and aesthetic) design is
based on symmetry, a general emphasis on the horizontal and site layouts that reflect a hierarchy of importance. These
considerations result in formal and stylistic differences in comparison to the West, and display alternatives in design.
The Chinese have used stone, brick and wood for centuries. The Great Wall,
begun in the 5th century BCE, was intended to keep nomadic invaders out of
Northern China. The stone wall covers 5500 miles in its entirety. The rigid
material takes on a more flexible appearance as it conforms to the contours
of the landscape surrounding it.
Though Chinese stonemason work is celebrated for its preciseness and

ingenuity, the use of wood as a primary construction material is the hallmark
The Great Wall, China. Begun 5th century BCE. Stone.
of traditional Chinese architecture. Wooden timber, usually large trimmed
logs, are used as load-bearing columns and lateral beams for framing
buildings and supporting the roofs. These structural timbers are prominently displayed in finished structures. It’s not known
how the ancient builders raised the huge wooden columns into position. Columns and roof sections were joined together in
mortise and tenon joints without the use of glue or nails.
One innovation developed in Chinese architecture is the cantilever – an extension or overhang without exterior bracing. This
was made possible by using corbel brackets or dougong – triangular braces that help support heavy loads at the corners. The
Chinese engineered the cantilever and bracket system to provide buildings with sweeping roof overhangs that commonly turn
upwards at the corners. Cantilevered roofs appear to float above the main structure and reinforce the focus on a horizontal
symmetry. The Hall of Divine Might, located in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China exemplifies this design characteristic.
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Chinese architecture influenced all of East Asian design over hundreds of years. The same elements and characteristics can
be seen in traditional architecture from Japan, the Koreas and Vietnam. Decoration is implicit in Chinese architecture. Bright
colors and intricate designs dominate many traditional buildings and enhance the look of exposed timbers. The Sagami
Temple in Japan uses elaborate decoration to intensify the visual effect of a complex corner structure of brackets and
overhangs.
CROSS-CULTURAL INFLUENCES
As overland and marine trade routes expanded between Eastern and Western
civilizations so did the influence of cultural styles in architecture, religion and
commerce. The most important of these passages was the Silk Road, a system
of routes that developed over hundreds of years across the European and Asian
continents. Along this route are buildings that show cross-cultural influences in
their design. One in particular is the Hazrat Mian Mir Tomb in Lahore, Pakistan.
Completed around 1635 CE, the structure shows characteristics of Chinese
design in the cantilevered roof, terraced dome and sectioned facades. Islamic
Silk Road Map
features include tripartite arches and geometric decorative tiles.
The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem offers different cultural influences

manifest in one building: a classic Greek colonnade at the main entrance,
the gold dome and central turret supporting it, western style arches and
colorful Islamic surface embellishment.
Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, Jerusalem.

5th century CE
The Louvre Palace in Paris, once the official royal residence and now one of the
world’s biggest museums, had its beginnings in the 12th century but didn’t
achieve its present form until recently. The building’s style is French
Renaissance – marked by a formal symmetry, horizontal stability and restrained
ornamentation. The Louvre executive board chose architect I. M. Pei’s glass
pyramid design as the defining element for the new main entry in 1989. The
choice was a great success: the pyramid further defines the public space above
ground and gives natural light and a sense of openness to the underground
M. Pei, The Louvre Pyramid, 1989.
lobby beneath it.
ARCHITECTURE & THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Beginning in the 18th century the Industrial Revolution made fundamental
changes in agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and housing. Architecture
changed in response to the new industrial landscape. Prior to the late 19th
century, the weight of a multistory building had to be supported principally by the
strength of its walls. The taller the building, the more strain this placed on the
lower sections. Since there were clear engineering limits to the weight such load-
bearing walls could sustain, large designs meant massively thick walls on the
ground floors, and definite limits on the building's height.
In America, the development of cheap, versatile steel in the second half of the
19th century helped change the urban landscape. The country was in the midst of
rapid social and economic growth that made for great opportunities in architectural
design. A much more urbanized society was forming and the society called out for
new, larger buildings. By the middle of the 19th century downtown areas in big
cities began to transform themselves with new roads and buildings to
accommodate the growth. The mass production of steel was the main driving
force behind the ability to build skyscrapers during the mid-1880s.
Louis Sullivan, The Prudential Building
Steel framing was set into foundations of reinforced concrete, concrete poured (Also known as the Guaranty Building),
around a grid of steel rods (re-bar) or other matrices to increase tensile 1894, Buffalo, NY.
strength in foundations, columns and vertical slabs.
34
Because steel framing had no precedent, its use would rewrite the rules of design and engineering of large buildings and
along with them a new formal aesthetic. Architect Louis Sullivan’s twelve-story Prudential Building in Buffalo New York is an
early example of column framing. Built in 1894, its tall, sleek brick veneer walls, large windows and gently curved top pediment
ushers in a new century with the modern style of the skyscraper. For all of its new technology and design innovations, The
Prudential Building still holds some forms from the past. A large arch hover over the main entrance and the brick façade has
extensive ornamentation.
MODERN ARCHITECTURE: A NEW LANGUAGE
The move to modernism was introduced with the opening of the Bauhaus school
in Weimar Germany. Founded in 1919 by the German architect Walter Gropius,
Bauhaus (literal translation “house of construction”) was a teaching and learning
center for modern industrial and architectural design. Though not a movement or
style in itself, Bauhaus instructors and staff reflected different artistic perspectives,
all of them born from the modern aesthetic. It was partly the product of a post-
World War I search for new artistic definitions in Europe and Gropius’s
commitment to the principle of bringing all the arts together with a focus on
practical, utilitarian applications. This view rejected the notion of “art for art’s
sake”, putting a premium on the knowledge of materials and their effective
Walter Gropius, Bauhaus, 1924, Dessau, Germany.
design. This idea shows the influence of Constructivism, a similar philosophy
developed concurrently in Russia that used the arts for social purposes. Bauhaus
existed for fourteen years, relocating three times, and influencing a whole
generation of architects, artists, graphic and industrial designers and typographers.
In 1924 Gropius designed the Bauhaus main building in Dessau. Its modern form includes bold lines, an asymmetric balance
and curtain walls of glass. It’s painted in neutral tones of white and gray accented by strong primary colors on selected doors.
A comparative building is Dutch architect Garret Rietveld’s Schroder House, also

from 1924. The design is based on the reductive abstract style called de Stijl or “the
Style”, an early modern movement that focused on balanced compositions of planar
elements plus the primary colors plus black and white. The movement was made
popular by the painter Piet Mondrian. As much as the focus was on materials and
“New Objectivity”, the Bauhaus and the Schroder house help solidify the modern
aesthetic first expressed by Louis Sullivan in America thirty years earlier.
Gerrit Rietveld, Schroder House, 1924. Utrecht, The

Netherlands.
Gropius, Rietveld and the German born architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe were most
responsible for creating a new design language for the modern age. Van der Rohe later
moved to the United States and was a force in creating sleek steel framed skyscrapers with
metal and glass “skins”.
Frank Lloyd Wright is considered one of the 20th century’s greatest architects. He was a
protégé to Sullivan and extended these new design ideas to architectural forms all his own.
Wright designed buildings, churches, homes and schools, but is best known for his design of
Falling Water, a home in the Pennsylvania countryside for Chicago department store owner
Edgar Kaufman. His design innovations include unified open floor plans, a balance of
traditional and modern materials and the use of cantilevered forms that extends horizontal
balance.
The Guggenheim Museum New York City is an Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, IBM
example of Wright’s concern with organic forms Plaza, 1971, Chicago, Illinois.
and utilization of space. The main element in the
design is a spiral form rising from the middle of the cantilevered main structure.
Paintings are exhibited on its curved walls. Visitors take the elevator to the top floor
and view the works as they travel down the gently sloped hallway. This spiral
surround a large atrium in the middle of the building and a domed skylight at the
top.
Falling Water, Bear Run, Pennsylvania. 1937.
35
The American architect Philip Johnson took the modern aesthetic to an extreme
with his Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. Completed in 1949, its severe
design sits comfortably in the rural landscape surrounding it. Steel vertical
supports echo nearby tree trunks and large glass panels act as both walls and
windows. Like Meis van der Rohe, Johnson was a leader in developing and
refining an architecture characterized by rectilinear forms, little or no surface
decoration and plenty of glass. By the mid-20th century most major cities in the
world were building skyscrapers designed in this International Style.
Guggenheim Museum, New York City, Interior.
Not all architects shared this enthusiasm for the modern style. Antoni Gaudi
realized his own vision in design that gave organic shapes to his structures.
The exterior of Casa Batllo in
Barcelona shows a strong
influence from the decorative
Art Nouveau (style with its
undulating forms and strong
ornamentation.
Gaudi’s greatest architectural

effort is La Sagrada Familia
basilica in Barcelona. Started in
1884 and unfinished to this day,
its massive and complex
facades, extensive stained
glass and multiple towers are
bridges across three centuries
of architectural design.
Antoni Gaudi, La Sagrada Familia, started in Antoni Gaudi, Casa Batllo, 1905,
1884. Barcelona, Spain.
III. ACTIVITY: APPRECIATION OF AN ARCHITECTURAL WORK (15 pts)

Instructions:
1. Go around your place, then look for an architectural structure (house, halls, market, school, etc.)
2. Take at least two pictures of it (main picture of the structure and your selfie with it).
3. Kindly fill in the needed information of the structure.
ARCHITECTURE
PASTE THE PHOTO OF THE SAMPLE STRUCTURE PASTE YOUR PHOTO WITH THE SAMPLE STRUCTURE
TYPE OF STRUCTURE (school, center, house, hall,

gymnasium, etc.)
MATERIAL OR MEDIUM/S USED (concrete, steel,
wood, etc.)
FUNCTIONS/USAGE
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1. Based on the given examples of houses in the Philippines, compare and contrast them in terms of the materials used,
function, method, origin, structural systems and other details you may add.
PHILIPPINE HOUSES
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is the most significant contribution of architecture in our society and culture?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What are the basic functions of architecture?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
V. REFERENCES
Gildow, C (2013). CN-1329-ARTAPR Module 9: 3- Dimensional Media.https://learn.canvas.net/courses/24/pages/m9-
traditional-methods-and-materials?module_item_id=44474. Accessed 9 January 2021).
37
THE CAMERA ARTS

Date and Time Allotment: Tuesday/Wednesday, (2:30 - 4:00)(3 hrs.) (3 hrs.)
Introduction
This module provides an overview of the camera arts and how they’re used. The invention of the camera and its
ability to capture an image with light became the first “high tech” artistic medium of the Industrial Age. Developed during the
middle of the nineteenth century, the photographic process changed forever our physical perception of the world and created
an uneasy but important relationship between the photograph and other more traditional artistic media.
I. Objectives
1. Explain the effect photography has on traditional artistic media
2. Compare and contrast different photographic processes
3. Create a photo collection as guided by the three elements of photojournalism
4. Describe the effects photojournalism has on the news media
II. Lecture
The first attempts to capture an image were made from a camera obscura used since the 16th century. Light from
an external scene passes through the hole and strikes the opposite surface inside where it is reproduced upside-down, but
with color and perspective preserved. The image is usually projected onto paper adhered to the opposite wall, and can then
be traced to produce a highly accurate representation. Experiments in capturing images on film had been conducted in Europe
since the late 18th century.
Using the camera obscura as a guide, early photographers found ways to

chemically fix the projected images onto plates coated with light sensitive
materials. Moreover, they installed glass lenses in their early cameras and
experimented with different exposure times for their images. View from the
Window at Le Gras is one of the oldest existing photographs, taken in 1826 by
French inventor Joseph Niepce using a process he called heliograpy (“helio”
meaning sun and “graph” meaning write). The exposure for the image took eight
hours, resulting in the sun casting its light on both sides of the houses in the
picture. Further developments resulted in apertures -- thin circular devices that
are calibrated to allow a certain amountWindow
of lightat onto the Joseph
Le Gras, exposed film. A wide
Nicéphore
aperture is used for low light conditions, while
Niépce a smaller aperture is best for
bright conditions. Apertures allowed photographers better control over their exposure times.
During the 1830’s Louis Daguerre, having worked with Niepce earlier, developed a more reliable process to capture images
on film by using a polished copper plate treated with silver. He termed the images made by this process “ Daguerreotypes”.
They were sharper in focus and the exposure times were shorter.
IMPACT ON OTHER MEDIA
The advent of photography caused a realignment in the use of other two-dimensional media. The photograph was now in
direct competition with drawing, painting and printmaking. The camera turns its gaze on the human narrative that stands
before it. The photograph gave (for the most part), a realistic and unedited view of our world. It offered a “truer” image of
nature because it’s manifest in light, not by the subjective hand and mind of the artist in their studio, which, depending on the
style used, is open to manipulation. Its use as a tool for documentation was immediate, which gave the photo a scientific role
to play.
38
Painters worried that this new medium would spell the end to theirs. In reality, early photographers were influenced by popular
styles of painting in creating their own compositions. It didn’t take long for photographers to see the aesthetic value in the new
medium.
Early photographs were made from single plates of metal, glass or paper, each one painstakingly prepared, exposed and
developed. In 1884, George Eastman invented transparent roll film; strips of celluloid coated with a light-sensitive emulsion.
Four years later he developed the first hand held camera loaded with roll film. The combination brought access to photography
within the reach of almost anyone. Additional advances were made in lens optics and shutter mechanics. By the turn of the
nineteenth century the photograph represented not only a new artistic medium but also a record -- and a symbol -- of the
Industrial age itself.
FORM & CONTENT
The darkroom became the studio of the photographer. It was there where visual ideas translated into images: an opportunity
to manipulate the film negative, to explore techniques and discover the potential the photograph had in interpreting objects
and ideas.
Alfred Stieglitz understood this potential, and as a photographer, editor and gallery owner, was a major force in promoting
photography as an art form. He led in forming the Photo Secession in 1902, a group of photographers who were interested in
defining the photograph as an art form in itself, not just by the subject matter in front of the lens. Subject matter became a
vehicle for an emphasis on composition, lighting and textural effects. His own photographs reflect a range of themes.
Darkroom Processes: The camera’s ability to capture a moment in time is not without difficulties. On one hand, photographs
taken in the studio are controlled productions, with the photographer working to find balances with lighting and composition.
On the other hand, straight outdoor photography is unpredictable. Lighting and weather conditions change quickly, and so do
the locations where the photographer will find that “ one great shot”. To compensate for these variables, photographers
typically take hundreds of pictures, bracketing shutter speeds and aperture settings as they go, then carefully editing each
negative and print until they find the handful, or perhaps only the one, that will be the best image of them all.
The darkroom is where the exposed film is developed. It must be dark to eliminate any
chance of outside light ruining the exposed film. In black and white film developing, a low-
intensity red or amber colored lamp called a safe light is used so the photographer can see
their way around during developing. The light emitted from the lamp is of a wavelength that
does not affect exposure results.
Other tools used in a darkroom are typically an enlarger, an instrument with a lens and
aperture in it that projects the image from a negative onto a base. Photographic paper is
then placed under the projected image and exposed to light. The paper is put into a series
of solutions that progressively start and stop the development of the positive photographic
image. The development process gives the photographer another opportunity to
manipulate the original image. Specific areas on the print can be exposed to more light
(“burning” or darkening areas) or less light (“dodging” or lightening areas) in order to
Safelight
bring up details or create more dramatic visual effects. The image usedcan
in the darkroom.
also be cropped
from its original size depending on how the photographer wants to present the final
image.
Light meters are used to calibrate the amount of light available for a certain exposure. The photographer adjusts the aperture
of the camera to allow for more or less light to fall on the film during the initial exposure. But light meters alone don’t guarantee
the perfect photograph because they indicate the total amount of light, without respect to specific areas of light or dark within
the format of the picture.
COLOR IMAGES
The wider use of color film after 1935 added another dimension to photography. Color can give a stronger sense of reality: the
photo looks much like the way we actually see the scene with our eyes. Moreover, the use of color affects the viewer’s
perception, triggering memory and reinforcing visual details. Photographers can manipulate color and its effects either before
or after the picture is taken.
PHOTOJOURNALISM
The news industry was fundamentally changed with the invention of the photograph. Although pictures were taken of
newsworthy stories as early as the 1850’s, the photograph needed to be translated into an engraving before being printed in a
newspaper. It wasn’t until the turn of the nineteenth century that newspaper presses could copy original photographs. Photos
from around the world showed up on front pages of newspapers defining and illustrating stories, and the world became
smaller as this early mass medium gave people access to up-to-date information with pictures.
39
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story and is defined by these
three elements:
 Timeliness — the images have meaning in the context of a recently published record of events.
 Objectivity — the situation implied by the images is a fair and accurate representation of the events they depict
in both content and tone.
 Narrative — the images combine with other news elements to make facts relatable to the viewer or reader on a
cultural level.
As visual information, news images help in shaping our perception of reality and
the context surrounding them. Photojournalism’s “Golden Age” took place
between 1930 and 1950, coinciding with advances in the mediums of radio and
television.
Margaret Bourke-White’s photographs helped define the standards of
photojournalism. Her work with Life magazine and as the first female war
correspondent in Europe produced indelible images of the rise of industry, the
effects of the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression and World War Two. Ammonia
Storage Tanks (1930) shows masterful composition as she gets four of the
massive tanks into the picture. The shadows, industrial grids of metalwork and
the inclusion of figures at the top for an indication of scale make a powerful
visual statement about the modern industrial landscape.
MODERN DEVELOPMENTS Ammonia Storage Tanks, M.B. White, 1930
Edwin Land invented the instant camera, capable of taking and developing a
photograph, in 1947, followed by the popular SX-70 instant camera in 1972. The SX-70
produced a 3” square-format positive image that developed in front of your eyes. The
beauty of instant development for the artist was that during the two or three minutes it took
for the image to appear, the film emulsion stayed malleable and able to manipulate. The
artist Lucas Samaras used this technique of manipulation to produce some of the most
imaginative and visually perplexing images in a series he termed photo-transformations.
Using himself as subject, Samaras explores ideas of self-identity, emotional states and the
altered reality he creates on film.
Digital cameras appeared on the market in the mid 1980’s. They allow the capture and
storage of images through electronic means the charge-coupled device instead of
photographic film. This new medium created big advantages over the film camera: the
digital camera produces an image instantly, stores many images on a memory card in the Polaroid SX-70 Instant Camera
camera, and the images can be downloaded to a computer, where they can be further
manipulated by editing software and sent anywhere through cyberspace. This eliminated
the time and cost involved in film development and created another revolution in the way we access visual information. Digital
images start to replace those made with film while still adhering to traditional ideas of design and composition.
In addition, digital cameras and editing software let artists explore the notion of staged reality: not just recording what they see
but creating a new visual reality for the viewer. Sandy Skogland creates and photographs elaborate tableaus inhabited by
animals and humans, many times in cornered, theatrical spaces.
TIME BASED MEDIA: FILM, VIDEO, DIGITAL

With traditional film, what we see as a continuous moving image is actually a linear
progression of still photos on a single reel that pass through a lens at a certain rate of
speed and are projected onto a screen.
The first motion picture cameras were invented in Europe during the late nineteenth
century. These early “movies” lacked a soundtrack and were normally shown along with
a live pianist, organ player or orchestra in the theatre to provide the musical
accompaniment. In the United States, film went from being a novelty to an art form with
D. W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation in 1915. Griffith presents a narrative of the Civil War
and its aftermath but with a decidedly racist view of American blacks and the Ku Klux
Klan.
Film scholars agree, however, that it is the single most important and key film of all time
in American movie history - it contains many new cinematic innovations and
refinements, technical effects and artistic advancements, including a color sequence
at the end. It had a formative influence on future films and has had a recognized Eadweard Muybridge, Sequence of a Horse
Jumping, 1904.
40
impact on film history and the development of film as art. In addition, at almost three hours in length, it was the longest film to
date. Unique to the moving image is its ability to unfold an idea or narrative over time, using the same elements and principles
inherent in any artistic medium. Film stills show how dramatic use of lighting, staging and set compositions are embedded
throughout an entire film.
Video art, first appearing in the 1960’s and 70’s, uses magnetic tape to record image and sound together. The advantage of
video over film is its instant playback and editing capability. One of the pioneers in using video as an art form was Doris
Chase. She began by integrating her sculptures with interactive dancers, using special effects to create dreamlike work, and
spoke of her ideas in terms of painting with light. Unlike filmmakers, video artists frequently combine their medium
with installation, an art form that uses entire rooms or other specific spaces, to achieve effects beyond mere projection.
Computers and digital technology have, like the camera did over one hundred and fifty years ago, revolutionized the visual art
landscape. Some artists now use digital technology to extend the reach of creative possibilities. Sophisticated software allows
any computer user the opportunity to create and manipulate images and information. From still images and animation to
streaming digital content and digital installations, computers have become high tech creative tools.
Digital technology is a big part of the video and motion picture industries with the capability for high-definition images, better
editing resources and more areas for exploration to the artist.
The camera arts are relatively new mediums to the world of art but their contributions are perhaps the most significant of all.
They are certainly the most complex. Like traditional mediums of drawing, painting and sculpture they allow creative
exploration of ideas and the making of objects and images. The difference is in their avenue of expression: by recording
images and experiences through light and electronics they, on the one hand, narrow the gap between the worlds of the ‘real’
and the ‘imagined’ and on the other offers us an art form that can invent its own reality with the inclusion of the dimension of
time. We watch as a narrative unfolds in front of our eyes. Digital technology has created a whole new kind of spatial
dimension: cyberspace.
III. ASSESSMENT
CLICK AND TELL
Photojournalism is a branch of photography that uses photos or images to tell a story.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Capture at least three photos that tell stories. (If you have some saved images in your gallery, you may use them.)
2. You may choose any subject (persons, scenes, events, objects, etc.).
3. You may edit your photos through some applications or software.
4. Add titles and captions to each picture. The caption may be a sentence and can be in the Filipino or English
language.
5. Take some documentation (at least 1 - 2 pictures) while doing this given activity as proof that you made it. Or if you
forgot to take some pictures, take a screenshot of the details about your photos.
6. Refer to the example. (See the attached file.) It will serve as your guide.
7. The deadline will be after the midterm examination (April 11, 2022).
8. If you have questions regarding this activity, you may send me a personal message in Messenger.
TITLE
PASTE YOUR PICTURE HERE.
CAPTION
41
TITLE
CAPTION
TITLE
CAPTION
DOCUMENTATION
PASTE YOUR PICTURES OR SCREENSHOTS HERE.
IV. REFERENCE
Gildow, C (2013). CN-1329-ARTAPR Module 7: The Camera Arts. https://learn.canvas.net/courses/24/pages/m7-early-
development?module_item_id=44449. Accessed 9 January 2021).
42
ART FORM AND CONTENT ANALYSIS

Introduction
In this module we will see how formal properties, subject matter, context and iconography team up to help interpret
meaning in art. Let’s approach these four terms as different levels of meaning we can examine to get a more complete
understanding of what we are seeing.
I. Objectives
1. Discuss the meaning of form and content
2. Undertake comparative descriptions of form and content
3. State the three levels of meaning in world art
4. Analyze the form and content of an artwork
II. Lecture
“There is only one thing in a work of art that is important: it’s that thing you can’t explain”.
-Georges Braque
Even though Braque’s enigmatic quote cloaks works of art in mystery, art,
by its nature, asks questions and holds meaning. It explains ideas, uncovers truths,
manifests what is beautiful and tells stories. It is at once a form of visual expression
and non-verbal communication. Many times, an artwork’s meaning, or content, is
easy to see. Two examples are the freshness of an Impressionist landscape
painting or the identity inherent in a portrait photograph. But sometimes the meaning
in a work of art is hidden, deciphered from signposts and clues imbedded in the
work by the artist.
Monet, Lavacourt-Sunshine-and-Snow, 1881
HOW WE SEE: OBJECTIVE & SUBJECTIVE MEANS
Up until now we’ve been looking at artworks through the most immediate of visual
effects: what we see in front of our eyes. Now we can begin to break down some barriers to
find specific meaning in art, including those of different styles and cultures. To help in this
journey we need to learn the difference between looking and seeing.
To look is to get an objective overview of our field of vision. Seeing speaks more to
understanding. When we use the term “I see” we communicate that we understand what
something means. There are some areas of learning, particularly psychology and biology,
that help form the basis of understanding how we see. For example, the fact that humans
perceive flat images as having a "reality" to them is very particular. In contrast, if you show a
dog an image of another dog, they neither growl nor wag their tail, because they are unable to
perceive flat images as containing any meaning. So, you and I have actually developed
Nadar
the ability to "see" images. Self-Portrait, c. 1855
In essence, there is more to seeing than meets the eye. We need to take into account a
cultural component in how we perceive images and that we do so in subjective ways. Seeing is partly a result of cultural
biases. For example, when many of us from industrialized cultures see a parking lot, we can pick out each car immediately,
while others from remote tribal cultures (who are not familiar with parking lots) cannot.
43
Gestalt is the term we use to explain how the brain forms a whole image from many component parts. For instance,
the understanding of gestalt is, in part, a way to explain how we have learned to recognize outlines as contours of a solid
shape. In art for example, this concept allows us to draw "space" using only lines.
THE FIRST LEVEL OF MEANING: FORMAL
So, after we see an object, we can understand its form: the physical attributes of size, shape and mass. With art, this
may at first appear to be simple: we can separate out each artistic element and discover how it is used in the work. You had
practice doing this in the last two modules. The importance of a formal level of meaning is it allows us to look at any work of
art from an objective view.
THE SECOND LEVEL OF MEANING: SUBJECT
There are specific categories of ideas that have been represented in art over time. Many of them are present in some
cultures, but never present in others. This disparity gives us another place to look for meaning when we approach differences
in representation. But generally, these categories of ideas (sometimes called subjects) can also be called a genre of art; that
is, a fairly loose category of images that share the same content. Here is a brief list of the type of genre that you may see in a
work:
 Landscape
 still life
 portrait
 self-portrait
 allegory: representing a mythological scene or story
 historical: actual representation of a historic event
 religious: two forms: religious representation or religious action
 daily life: sometimes also called genre painting
 nude: male nude and female nude are separate categories
 political: two forms: propaganda and criticism
 social: work created to support a specific social cause
 power: work created to connect to specific spiritual strength
 fantasy: work created to invent new visual worlds
 decoration: work created to embellish surroundings
 abstraction: work whose elements and principles are manipulated to alter
the subject in some way. Dorthea Lange, Migrant
Mother, 1936. Photograph.
Farm Security Administration
What you will discover when you think about some of these subjects
collection,is that
U.S. youof may
Library
already Congress.
have a vision of how this subject should appear. For example: visualize a portrait or
self-portrait. You can see the head, probably from the shoulders up, with little background,
painted fairly accurately. Artists often reinvent how a subject is portrayed Some works of art can
be part of a certain genre by using metaphor: one image that stands for another.
Contemporary artists sometimes reinterpret artworks from the past. This can change
the context of the work (the historical or cultural background in which the original work was
created), but the content remains the same. Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother, Nipomo Valley
from 1936 (below) uses the subject matter of a mother and her children to symbolize the
hardships faced during the Great Depression. The woman’s face speaks of worry and
desperation about how to provide for her children and herself. Comparatively, San Francisco
photographer Jim Thirtyacre’s image Working Mother from 2009 reflects this same sentiment but
through the context of the first major economic crisis of the twenty first century. Jim Thirtyacre, Working Mother,
2009. Color digital image.
THE THIRD LEVEL OF MEANING: CONTEXT

The craft arts have meaning too, primarily in the functionality of the art works themselves, but also in the style and
decorations afforded them. A goblet from the 16th century has an aesthetic meaning in its organic form, in its function as a
means to hold and dispense liquid, and a particular historical meaning in the way it is embellished with diamond point
engravings that depict the flow of the river Rhine
The goblet’s detailed map of the Rhine gives it specific context: the historical, religious or social
issues surrounding a work of art. These issues not only influence the way the viewer finds
meaning in particular
44
THE FOURTH LEVEL OF MEANING: ICONOGRAPHY
At the simplest of levels, iconography is the containment of deeper meanings in simple representations. It makes use of
symbolism to generate narrative, which in turn develops a work’s meaning.
Each of the objects in this painting has a specific meaning beyond their imagery here. In fact, Goblet (Roemer)
this painting is actually a painted marriage contract designed to solidify the agreement early 17th century
Dutch, probably Amsterdam
between these two families. It is especially important to remember that this is not a painting of
an actual scene, but a constructed image to say specific things.
1. You notice that the bride is pregnant. She wasn't at the time of the painting but this is a symbolic act to represent
that she will become fruitful.
2. The little dog at her feet is a symbol of fidelity, and is often seen with portraits of women paid for by their
husbands.
3. The discarded shoes are often a symbol of the sanctity of marriage.
4. The single candle lit in the daylight (look at the chandelier) is a symbol of the bridal candle, a devotional candle
that was to burn all night the first night of the marriage.
5. The chair back has a carving of St. Margaret, the patron saint of childbirth.
6. The orange on the windowsill and the rich clothing are symbols of future material wealth (in 1434 oranges were
hand carried from India and very expensive).
7. The circular mirror at the back reflects both the artist and another man, and the artist's signature says "Jan van
Eyck was present", both examples of witnesses for the betrothal pictured. (We don't think of this much anymore,
but a promise to marry was a legal contract). The circular forms around the mirror are tiny paintings of the
Stations of the Cross.
You can see how densely populated iconography in imagery can convey specific
hidden meanings. The problem here is to know what all of this means if we want to
understand the work. Understanding the context of the work will help. Another more
contemporary painting with icons imbedded in it is Grant Wood’s American Gothic from the
1930’s. The dower expressions on the figures’ faces signify the toughness of a Midwestern
American farm couple. Indeed, one critic complained that the woman in the painting had a
“face that could sour milk”. Notice how the trees and bushes in the painting’s background
and the small cameo the woman wears mirror the soft roundness of her face: these
traditional symbols of femininity carry throughout the work. In contrast, the man’s straight-
backed stance is reflected in the pitchfork he holds, and again in the window frames on the
house behind him. Even the stitching on his overalls mimics the form of the pitchfork. The
arched window frame at the top center of the painting in particular is a symbol of the gothic
architecture style (Links to an external site.) from 12th century Europe.
American Gothic
We can use iconography to find meaning in artworks from The popular culture
Art Institute too. The
of Chicago
“Golden Arches” mean fast food, the silhouette of an apple (with a biteAmerican
Grant Wood, out of(1891-1942)
it) means a
brand of computer, a single, sequined glove stands for Michael Jackson, 1930the ‘king of pop’
and the artist Andy Warhol’s soup can image forever links Campbell’s soup with Pop Art.
III. Assessment: ART ANALYSIS

Instruction:
Choose one artwork and paste its picture in the table below. Analyze its content and form as guided by the four levels
of meaning: FORM, SUBJECT, CONTEXT, and ICONOGRAPHY.
Fill in the needed information about the artwork. You may search in the internet and include the link for the
reference. Be guided with the attached sample and the information to be input in the table below.
TITLE
ARTIST
COUNTRY/ PLACE OF
ORIGIN
PASTE YOUR CHOSEN ARTWORK HERE
45
FORM (Objective
Perspective: elements and
principles of art used)
SUBJECT (Refer to the list
of subjects/genres in
Module 10)
CONTEXT (historical,
religious, geographical,
social, psychological
influences, issues or
aspects)
ICONOGRAPHY (symbols,
and representations of
some elements or objects
together with their meaning)
CONTENT:
For you, what is the
message presented in your
chosen artwork?
Reference/s
IV. Reference
Gildow, C (2013). CN-1329-ARTAPR Module 5: Finding Meaning. https://learn.canvas.net/courses/24/pages/m5-how-we-see-
objective-and-subjective-means?module_item_id=44428. (Accessed 9 January 2021).
46
ART CONTEXT ANALYSIS

Date and Time Allotment:Tuesday Wednesday (5 hrs.)
Introduction
This module focuses on contexts as a way of making and responding to artworks. Contexts are frames of reference
that inform the concepts and focuses, allowing visual communication and meaning to evolve. The contexts are contemporary,
personal, cultural and formal. As students engage in art-making and responding, they employ different contexts to understand
and appreciate how artists incorporate a range of influences and layers of meaning.
I. Objectives
1. Recognize different types of contexts and how contextual information can broaden our understanding of art.
2. Define the term "context" and explain its role in finding meaning in art
3. Identify, research, integrate and explain visual information concerning artworks and specific meaning
4. Create an analysis of an artwork based on its context
II. Lecture
CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS
To write about a work of art, begin with an observation of its key formal elements and analyze its visual
characteristics (formal analysis). However, in contextual analysis, the primary exercise of looking must then extend into the
realm of research. Sound research allows us to connect the artwork’s formal achievements to historical and cultural purposes
and meanings.
A successful contextual analysis will include formal analysis, a discussion of who made it, when and where it was
made, its patronage and/or social purpose, and its cultural meaning and significance.
Start researching your artwork with the following questions as a guide. Also bear in mind your conclusions from your
formal analysis, as you will need to refer to the work’s visual characteristics to back up your thesis. When researching, be sure
to search for both specific Information on the work of art and its artist, as well as for more general information about the work’s
culture, era, and style or artistic movement.
Maker
 Who made it? A known individual, an anonymous one, or a group of people?
 What was the social status of the artist/craftsperson in its culture?
 If the artist is known, is there information about his or her life, other artworks, or ideas
 that you can apply to understand the work of art you are analyzing?
History and Culture

 Is the exact date known, or debated?
 In what cultural tradition or era was it made?
 How does the style of this artwork vary from the style of similar works of its era, and
 what does that tell us?
 How does its style compare with similar art that came before and after it?
 What has happened to the work in terms of its physical condition or status over time?
Patronage or Purpose
 Was the artwork commissioned, or made for sale?
 Why was the work of art made?
 Who paid for it, and what does that tell us? (Art historians call this patronage.)
 Who would have seen this artwork, and where?
 Is there cultural and religious symbolism (iconography) in the work?
WIDER CONTEXTS
All art is in part about the world in which it emerged. – Terry Barrett, Criticizing Art: Understanding the Contemporary
 Supported by research, can you identify when, where and why the work was created and its original
intention or purpose (i.e., private sale; commissioned for a specific owner; commemorative; educational;
47
promotional; illustrative; decorative; confrontational; useful or practical utility; communication; created in
response to a design brief; private viewing; public viewing)? In what way has this background influenced the
outcome (i.e. availability of tools, materials or time; expectations of the patron / audience)?
 Where is the place of construction or design site and how does this influence the artwork (i.e., reflects local
traditions, craftsmanship, or customs; complements surrounding designs; designed to accommodate
weather conditions / climate; built on historic site)? Was the artwork originally located somewhere different?
 Which events and surrounding environments have influenced this work (i.e., natural events; social
movements such as feminism; political events, economic situations, historic events, religious settings,
cultural events)? What effect did these have?
 Is the work characteristic of an artistic style, movement or time period? Has it been influenced by trends,
fashions or ideologies? How can you tell?
 Can you make any relevant connections or comparisons with other artworks? Have other artists explored a
similar subject in a similar way? Did this occur before or after this artwork was created?
 Can you make any relevant connections to other fields of study or expression (i.e., geography, mathematics,
literature, film, music, history or science)?
 Which key biographical details about the artist are relevant in understanding this artwork (upbringing and
personal situation; family and relationships; psychological state; health and fitness; socioeconomic status;
employment; ethnicity; culture; gender; education, religion; interests, attitudes, values and beliefs)?
 Is this artwork part of a larger body of work? Is this typical of the work the artist is known for?
 How might your own upbringing, beliefs and biases distort your interpretation of the artwork? Does your own
response differ from the public response, that of the original audience and/or interpretation by critics?
 How do these wider contexts compare to the contexts surrounding your own work?
Analysis and interpretation through different contexts

Contexts are used as a method or approach to view and decode visual language in artworks and art practice. Artworks can be
investigated through different contexts to understand multiple meanings. Students use contexts to understand the work of
artists and in developing, researching and reflecting on their own work. Each context uses a series of questions to guide
analysis and interpretation. Viewing and creating work through different contexts draws on characteristics typical of that
context.
1. Contemporary context
The contemporary context informs the analysis and interpretation of past and present artwork through a lens of 21st century
art ideas and issues, and how this challenge engagement, communication and meaning. Through:
 art-making, students can test boundaries of traditional art practices. They reconceptualize, modify and appropriate
artworks and images, and investigate the impact and place of new technologies on art practices and experiences
 responding, students examine new or different meanings and significance that may be assigned to artworks of the
past. They question and re-evaluate traditionally held values and assumptions of art and representation.
Contemporary context guiding questions:

 How is meaning and significance of past artworks challenged when viewed through a lens of 21st century ideas and
issues?
 How do contemporary art approaches, technologies or environments impact the viewer experience and interpretation
of artworks?
 How are artistic or social traditions challenged and expanded by contemporary art forms, subject matter and display?
 How do artists communicate or provoke ideas about current issues and concerns and challenge established
philosophies?
Artworks viewed and created through the contemporary context typically:
 challenge mainstream ideas about the boundaries of art
 manipulate and change the familiar
 question established conventions
48
 use non-traditional materials and new technologies
 exploit digital technology and multi-sensory experiences, such as sound and movement
 work against traditional practices
 may be exhibited in public spaces rather than traditional gallery environments
 reference images from both real life and fiction
 borrow imagery through appropriation of recognizable sources and popular culture
 use parody and irony to present current concerns
 use satire and humor to exaggerate ideas for impact.
2. Personal context
The personal context informs the analysis and interpretation of emotions, sensory experiences, personal philosophy, beliefs
and ideas that are reflected in artworks, and how these contribute to engagement, communication and meaning. Through:
 art-making, students investigate their responses to the world around them, their personal interests, experiences and
philosophies, and the impact these have on symbolism and practices
 responding, students examine how artists and the choices they make are influenced by life and experiences, and
consider how their own feelings and background influence their physical and emotional reactions as audience.

Personal context guiding questions:
 How does an artist’s practice reflect the influences of their life and experiences?
 How do the experiences and expectations of the viewer influence the reading of the artwork and the construction of
personal meaning?
 How do artists communicate their personal stories, thoughts, feelings, philosophies and ideas?
Artworks viewed and created through the personal context typically:

 generate immediate emotional responses through visual imagery
 stimulate reactions through sensory experiences
 communicate through material and imagery that is sometimes visually shocking or confronting
 appeal to viewers through prior experiences and knowledge
 employ recognizable qualities that express the artist’s beliefs and values
 explore the artist’s personal journey or memories
 express the artist’s passion or inspiration
 develop through the artist’s imagination, fantasy and dreams
 use distortion and manipulation of visual imagery to change appearance
 share human and psychological experiences and emotions.
3. Cultural context
The cultural context informs the analysis and interpretation of the social influences and representations of time, place, politics,
purpose, ethnicity, gender and spiritual and secular beliefs on artwork, and how these contribute to engagement,
communication and meaning. Through:
 art-making, students explore cultural values, historical or current events, social pressures, and attitudes that impact
on them and others, and determine the origins of social meaning communicated in artwork
 responding, students consider indigenous perspectives; regional, national, international, social and cultural identity of
artists and audiences; and how artists use their work as a vehicle to invite change and provoke conversation.
Cultural context guiding questions:

 How does the artwork communicate about the influences of society and the time when it was created?
 How do the values of past artists compare to the values of today?
 How do the cultural values and background of the viewer influence the interpretation of meaning?
 How have historical or contemporary events contributed to the meaning of the artwork?
Artworks viewed and created through the cultural context typically:
 identify cultural influences on the artist, such as history, religion, politics, ethnicity, gender, social class, age
 reflect community interests through social commentary
 explore Australian culture through narrative depictions
 question cultural and social roles
 explore spiritual or religious traditions
 explore cultural themes, such as notions of beauty, coming of age
 depict traditional imagery and communicate through familiar symbols and metaphors
 demonstrate influences of art movements, styles and origins of time and place
49
 can be identified through specific iconographic elements that link the work to a style or movement exist in a historical
framework.
4. Formal context
The formal context informs the analysis and interpretation of formal visual art elements and principles, the application of
materials and techniques, the stylistic qualities relative to historical periods or iconology seen in artworks, and how these
contribute to engagement, communication and meaning. Through:
 art-making, students focus on the formal organization and placement of visual components, experimenting with
codes, symbols, and art conventions, and the communicative value of art materials, techniques and processes
 responding, students decode artworks by reading the relationships between specific visual language, signs, symbols,
codes, and conventions that are used to transmit information and ideas in artworks.
Formal context guiding questions:

 How do formal art elements and principles contribute to the meanings and messages in the artwork?
 How do stylistic characteristics shared with other art forms communicate meaning, intention, time and place?
 How do materials, techniques, application, skills or display influence the impact and interpretation of artworks?
Artworks viewed and created through the formal context typically:

 emphasize process, elements, principles, materials and media
 employ imagery as a visualization of ideas and representation
 rely on aesthetic knowledge and experience
 can be described by identifying tangible qualities and characteristics
 employ imagery to signify a time, place or events
 communicate meaning by decipherable visual elements
 represent ideas as a system of symbolic objects, motifs or signs which are decoded as evidence of the artist’s
intention
Answer the following questions below:
1. What is context in art? Explain its role in finding meaning in an artwork.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. How contextual information can broaden our understanding of art?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
IV. Assessment
INSTRUCTIONS:
 Study and analyze an artwork based on its contextual information.
 Choose an artwork and paste its photo in the table.
 Choose at least two types of contexts and make an art analysis about your chosen artwork. Be guided with the
questions cited on each type of context in art (refer to Module 12).
 Fill in the needed information about the artwork and write your analysis on its contextual information in the table
below.
TITLE
ARTIST
50
PASTE THE PHOTO OF YOUR CHOSEN ARTWORK
CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION OF THE ARTWORK

Type of context in art Write your contextual information analysis about your chosen artwork.
Type of context in art Write your contextual information analysis about your chosen artwork.
V. References:
Gale A. (2021). Student Art Guide: How to analyze an artwork: a step-by-step guide.
https://www.studentartguide.com/articles/how-to-analyze-an-artwork
Pine-Richland School District. Contextual Analysis. Retrieved from

https://www.Pinerichland.org/cms/libPA1001138/Centricity/Domain/94/Contextual_Analysis_NewHampshireInstituteofArt.pdf
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority (2019). Visual Art v1.1 Supporting resource: Contexts. Retrieved from
https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior-qce/arts/snr_vis_art_19_units1-4_sr_contexts.pdf
51
ART CRITICISM

Introduction
Artworks are didactic in nature; therefore, they demand a response. However, often times, being confronted by
artworks is quite perplexing. Meaning is sometimes inaccessible to the commonplace person. In this module, we will learn
about seven approaches in reading art and be guided with some steps in arriving a good judgement to an artwork.
I. Objectives
1. Learn the different approaches and steps of analyzing and reading art
2. Construct proper art criticism by asking appropriate and relevant questions;
3. Evaluate and analyze an artwork based on a set of criteria
II. Lecture
ART CRITICISM
Art Criticism as mentioned by James Elkins in the essay, What Happened to Art Criticism, is a discipline of the arts that
seems to be both healthy and dying. If you live in a city where there are art galleries and museums, you will notice that these
institutions produce exhibit notes and pamphlets that give a little bit of informative and elaborative writing about the artworks
on display. However, this is not widely practiced in the academe, especially in terms of General Education. Do you think this
is an important skill to learn? Why or why not?
Methods in Reading Art
What is a method?
Think of methods as filters that help you appreciate aspects of art in different lenses. There are some "filters" that are more
effective than others, especially when we talk about context and content.
Have you encountered philosophy as a required subject to study? Philosophy has been man's attempt to make sense of why
we do what we do. If we want to become more diverse in our approach to learning, art methodologies is one of the means and
these are mainly hinged on long-held philosophies. Depending on what the art is talking about and where it is from, we can
read it in a non-biased way through these approaches:
1. Formalism and Style-basically gives importance to the formal qualities (art elements, materials, and design principles) as
basis for the meaning of art. Roger Fry is a major purveyor of this thinking. The form is the content per se and does not take
history and context into account.
2. Iconography-Focuses on the subject matter primarily over form. When using this method, you will answer questions like:
who is this person the artist painted and what does it represent? Why did the artist choose this image and what for?
3. Contextual Approaches-From the term itself, context becomes an important factor in criticizing artworks here. We can take
many approaches to contexts like Marxism, Orientalism, Colonialism, Racial Iconography, Feminism, and Gender. As you can
observe, these are mainly schools of thought and philosophical movements which place an artwork within a certain parameter.
For example, Marxism is about art in relation to economics. On the other hand, Feminism is bent toward the societal context of
art wherein gender becomes a strong factor in the forces behind an artistic creation.
4. Biography and Autobiography -Considers the life and context of the artist. This approach is based on the assumption that
the artist's life, beliefs, choices, and personality are directly connected to the works that he or she creates.
5. Semiotics-From the Greek word “sema,” which means sign. Hence, an artwork or art form is assumed to be composed of a
set of signs that may have significant cultural and contextual meanings beyond itself.
6. Psychoanalysis-Freud is probably a familiar name in the field of psychology and he is one of the bases of this theory. In
psychoanalysis, one is concerned about the unconscious mind in relation to the artist, the viewer, and the cultural context it is
involved in.
7. Aesthetics and Psychoanalysis -Individual notion of what is considered acceptable, beautiful, or attractive in works of art are
in part influenced by psychological factors. This approach then connects psychology to one's constructed philosophy of art.
52
Analyzing Artwork (Art Criticism)
A Step-by-Step Guide
1: Description (It answers the question, "What do you see?")

Pure description of the object without value judgments (Elements of Art)
List what you can see in this artwork.
 Objects, figures, colors, shapes, objects, background, etc.
 Imagine you are describing it to a blind person. Do this in as much detail as possible and use art terms.
2: Analyze (It answers the question, "How did the artist do it?")
Determining what the features suggest and deciding why the artist used such features to convey specific ideas.
Composition (organization of shapes)
 What types of shapes are used in this artwork (i.e., rounded, curved, straight-edged or geometric shapes)?
 Is there a mixture of different types of shapes or are all the shapes similar?
 Are some parts of the composition full of shapes and some parts empty, or are the shapes spread evenly across the
artwork?
 Are some shapes repeated or echoed in other parts of the artwork?
 Does the whole composition look full of energy and movement, or does it look still and peaceful? How did the artist
create this movement/stillness?
 What is the center of interest in the composition?
 How does the artist draw your attention to it?
Use the elements/principles to reflect upon the art form

 Determination of subject matter through naming iconographic elements, e.g., historical event, allegory, mythology,
etc.
 Selection of most distinctive features or characteristics whether line, shape, color, texture, etc.
 Analysis of the principles of design or composition, e.g., stable,
 repetitious, rhythmic, unified, symmetrical, harmonious, geometric, varied, chaotic, horizontal or vertically oriented,
etc.
 Discussion of how elements or structural system contribute to appearance of image or function
 Analysis of use of light and role of color, e.g., contrasty, shadowy, illogical, warm, cool, symbolic, etc.
 Treatment of space and landscape, both real and illusionary (including use of perspective), e.g., compact, deep,
shallow, naturalistic, random
 Portrayal of movement and how it is achieved
 Effect of particular medium(s) used
 Your perceptions of balance, proportion and scale (relationships of each part of the composition to the whole and to
each other part) and your emotional
 Reaction to object or monument
3: Interpretation (It answers the question, "What is the artist trying to say? What is going on in the picture")
 What do you think the artist is trying to say in this artwork? What does it mean?
 What is the main theme or idea behind this piece?
 If you were inside this artwork, what would you be feeling/ thinking?
 Does the artwork have a narrative (tell a story)? Is it a religious artwork?
 Is it abstract? Is it realistic? Why?
 How would you explain this artwork to someone else?
 Evidence: What evidence inside or outside the artwork supports your interpretation?
4: Evaluation (What do I think about this artwork? How do I feel about whether the artist was successful in conveying an
idea?)
 Based upon what you have observed already, give your opinion of the artwork. You MUST give reason.
 Use aesthetic theories to help evaluate
 Is it a good artwork?
 Criteria: What criteria do I think are most appropriate for judging the artwork?
 Evidence: What evidence inside or outside the artwork relates to each criterion?
 Judgment: Based on the criteria and evidence, what is my judgment about the quality of the artwork?
53
 “Franz Marc has created an effective expressive painting, because the hot colors and lively brush marks he has used
add to the overall feeling of energy and excitement his is trying to create.”
 “The overall mood of this drawing would be improved if Kathe Kollowitz had used strong, dramatic shadows, instead
of pale tones. Dark tones would develop the feeling of fear and loneliness in this image.”
EXAMPLE:
This artwork contains a sad little girl that is bleeding from the nose and holding a teddy bear, all while she is standing in a
landscape of rubble. There are five people in the background that are looking directly at the little girl; two men are
photographing her, a woman with a clip board and headphones has her arm extended that prevents two men wearing red
crosses from interfering with the sad event that is occurring.
The artist used jagged lines to create the disorder and destruction surrounding the little girl. The little girl is placed slightly
off-center in the foreground for the viewer in order to place greater emphasis on her, while placing the observers in the
background. The most noticeable use of the elements of art is the use of only one color, red. The artist used an intense red
to draw the viewer’s attention to the blood on the girl’s face and on the Red Cross men that want to help the child. The
placement of the people in the artwork and the use of red place great emphasis on the child being depicted because it
makes the viewer’s eyes refer back to the little girl.
The destruction surrounding the child, blood on her face, and her facial expression tells us that it is a sad and
uncomfortable environment. The scene is also disturbing because the adults are not helping the innocent and crying child.
Instead, they are taking advantage of her situation and documenting it for their own benefit. The artist utilizes this scene to
make his audience aware of the great lengths that the news media is willing to go to in order to obtain a “touching” story.
This artwork is very powerful and thought provoking because the artist provides a different perspective for his audience
about the news media. He confronts the viewer with a dramatic scene of helplessness in order to get his social message
across. Therefore, this artwork successfully achieves and meets the criteria for the aesthetic theory of instrumentalism.
Answer the following questions:
1. If you are a work of art, how would you like to be criticized?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
54
2. Do you want to be judged or dismissed right away? Or would you rather be examined carefully first before arriving at a
conclusion?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
IV. Assessment
Choose an artwork and paste its photo in the box below. Now, critique the work based on the following questions. Write your
answers on the spaces provided.
1. Formal qualities: simply enumerate the elements that you see: the quality of lines, shapes, etc.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Subject matter: What Is the artist tackling about? Can you see any representational forms? If none, what do you think Is the
main subject matter?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Composition: Consider the arrangement of objects, people, or elements. What is most prominent? Who or what is on the
foreground, middle ground, and background?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Technique: Looking at the technique and manner of painting and composition, how is it related to the artist's objective?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Content: What do you think the artwork is all about after carefully examining its parts? What story, what message, and what
argument is the artist trying to tell?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Analysis: Further dig into the artist's intention in terms of the relationship of each part to the whole. Keep asking why, and
try to answer them based on visual clues. Research further if needed, especially if there is historical connection.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
55
PASTE THE PHOTO OF YOUR CHOSEN ARTWORK HERE.
Your own criticism about the work: provide a coherent and convincing judgment about the work.
V. References:
IB Art. Analyzing Artwork (Art Criticism). https://sites.google.com/a/hbuhsd.edu/ib-art/analyzing-artwork
Prepared by:
ZORAYDA L. GILLE, Ed.D

Instructor, College of Midwifery
Noted and Recommended by:
DR. GLENDA B. GANZON

Dean, College of Midwifery
Approved by:
GLORIA C. NEMEDEZ, PhD

AVP for Academic Affairs
56

Reading Visual Arts Module

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I. COURSE TITLE Reading Visual Arts

II. COURSE OVERVIEW

B. Course Learning Outcomes

 Art Appreciation. Lumen Learning. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/masteryart1/

INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITION OF ART

Course Title: Reading Visual Arts

SUBJECTIVE & OBJECTIVE PERSPECTIVES

2. Happiness and Hope

3. Identity and understanding the self

THE ARTISTIC PROCESS

Course Title: Reading Visual Arts

How: the techniques

What: the subject ART Why: the narrative

2. What is the difference between a museum and gallery?

Name of the artist

VISUAL ELEMENTS OF ART

Course Title: Reading Visual Arts

Three properties to color:

Additive and Subtractive Color

Warm and Cool Color

Two kinds of space:

PASTE HERE A PHOTO OF YOUR CHOSEN TWO -DIMENSIONAL ARTWORK

Write your objective description about the 2-dimensional artwork.

PASTE HERE A PHOTO OF YOUR CHOSEN THREE - DIMENSIONAL ARTWORK

Write your objective description about the 3-dimensional artwork.

Course Title: Reading Visual Arts

Art As Visual Input

There are three basic forms of visual balance:

Rhythm Creating a sense of direction through repetition of element.

1. Pieta, Micheangelo | 1498- 1499

3. Lewis Hine’s famous image – Cotton Mill Girl | 1908

3. How are they different?

SUBJECT MATTER AND VISUAL ART FORMS

Course Title: Reading Visual Arts

VISUAL ART FORMS

PASTE HERE A PHOTO OF YOUR CHOSEN ARTWORK

2. What is the message or meaning being presented in this artwork?

Course Title: Reading Visual Arts

Other painting mediums used by artists include the following:

THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEDIA: SCULPTURE

Course Title: Reading Visual Arts

TYPES OF SCULPTURE & OTHER THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEDIA

TYPE OF SCULPTURE (Relief or Free-Standing)

IV. ASSESSMENT: ART ANALYSIS (10 pts)

THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEDIA: ARCHITECTURE

Course Title: Reading Visual Arts

POST AND LINTEL SYSTEM

Though Chinese stonemason work is celebrated for its preciseness and

The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem offers different cultural influences

Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, Jerusalem.

ARCHITECTURE & THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

MODERN ARCHITECTURE: A NEW LANGUAGE

A comparative building is Dutch architect Garret Rietveld’s Schroder House, also

Gerrit Rietveld, Schroder House, 1924. Utrecht, The

Gaudi’s greatest architectural

III. ACTIVITY: APPRECIATION OF AN ARCHITECTURAL WORK (15 pts)

TYPE OF STRUCTURE (school, center, house, hall,

3. What are the basic functions of architecture?

THE CAMERA ARTS

Course Title: Reading Visual Arts

Using the camera obscura as a guide, early photographers found ways to

TIME BASED MEDIA: FILM, VIDEO, DIGITAL