Lesson 6: The Seven Arts

Lesson Objectives:
At the end of this discussion, the students are expected to:
• Differentiate the seven art forms,
• Identify the meaning and other details about each art forms, and;
• Enumerate example of Filipino arts in different art forms.

Discussion:
Throughout history, art has been intrinsically linked to human life, serving as a mean of
expression and as a universal language in which beauty and aesthetics prevail. It was in
Ancient Greece where the division emerged between the high arts, created to be
appreciated with the eyes and ears, and lesser forms of art which were more tactile.
The seven types of art forms are:
• Painting
• Architecture
• Sculpture
• Music
• Dance
• Theater
• Literature

Painting
Painting is the art of creating meaningful effects on a flat surface by the use of pigments.
Different mediums are used in painting. Each medium exerts a pronounced effect on the
finished product, is capable of varied treatment, and determines its own stroke.
The earliest known paintings were executed on the walls of caves and rock shelters some
30,000 years ago during Paleolithic period. Some may be seen in Western Europe, Southern
and Saharan Africa and Australia.

Architecture
Art is the pursuit and creation of beautiful things while architecture is the making of beautiful
buildings. If we look around us today, we would notice a wide variety of styles of
architecture. Such variety has always existed. The modern houses and buildings contrast with

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building and dwellings of only one generation ago. A building, whatever it may be, must be
measured by the standards of its own period rather than ours.

The Stonehenge. Stonehenge, a circular arrangement of large stones located near Salisbury,
England, was a ritual monument for prehistoric peoples. It was built between 3000 and 1000
BC. Little is known about Stonehenge’s function, but many scholars believe that its structure
allowed its builders to predict solstices, equinoxes, eclipses, and other events of the solar
calendar.

The Roman Colosseum. Colosseum, largest and most famous ancient Roman amphitheater.
The structure was originally called Flavian Amphitheater. Modifications and restorations
necessitated by fires and earthquakes were made to the Colosseum until the early 6th
century. In succeeding centuries the Colosseum suffered from neglect, earthquakes, and
damage done by builders. Still, slightly more than one-third of the outer arcades, comprising
a number of the arches on the north side, remain standing. The seating capacity of the
Colosseum is believed by modern scholars to have been about 50,000.

The Pyramids of Giza. The ancient Egyptians built more than 90 royal pyramids, from about
2630BC until about 1530 BC. During that time, the pyramid form evolved from a series of
stepped terraces that resembled the layers of a wedding cake to the better known, sloped
pyramidal shaped. The first pyramid, the Step Pyramid at Saqqarah, was constructed during
the reign of King Djoser (2630 BC-2611 BC). The largest pyramid is the one built for King Khufu,
at the site of modern Giza. Khufu’s pyramid, known as the Great Pyramid, is the only one of
the Seven Wonders of the World that still survives.
Egyptian pyramids served as tombs for king and queens, but they were also places of
ongoing religious activity. After a ruler died, his or her body was carefully treated and
wrapped to preserve it as a mummy. According to ancient Egyptian belief, the pyramid,
where the mummy was placed, provided a place for the monarch to pass into the afterlife.
Encarta

The Parthenon. Stands at the very heart of the Acropolis of Athens, Greece. It was built in
honor of the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena.

The Greek Architecture

The Doric order. The Doric order originated on the mainland and western Greece. It is the
simplest of the orders, characterized by short, faceted, heavy columns with plain, round
capitals (tops) and no base. With only four to eight diameters in height, the columns are the
most squat of all orders. The shaft of the Doric order is channeled with 20 flutes. The Ionic
order came from eastern Greece, where its origins are entwined with the similar but little

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known Aeolic order. It is distinguished by slender, fluted pillars with a large base and two
opposed volutes (also called scrolls) in the echinus of the capital. The echinus itself is
decorated with an egg-and-dart motif. The Ionic shaft comes with four more flutes than the
Doric counterpart (totaling 24). The Ionic base has two convex moldings called tori which
are separated by a scotia.

The Corinthian order. Is the most ornate of the Greek orders, characterized by a slender
fluted column having an ornate capital decorated with acanthus leaves. It is commonly
regarded as the most elegant of the five orders. The most distinct characteristics is the striking
capital. The capital of the Corinthian order is carved with two rows of leaves and four scrolls.

The Composite order. Is a mixed order, combining the volutes of the Ionic order with the
leaves of the Corinthian order.
The Architecture Design
Byzantine. The Golden Age of Byzantine Architecture was under the rule of Justian in It was
during the period that the most famous examples of all Byzantine Architecture was built, the
Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia was rebuilt from 532 to 537 after the previous church was
destroyed by riots. This church has some unique features which became the patterns for
Byzantine Architecture for years after.
The style of the Hagia Sophia or Church of Divine Wisdom was to have a large dome in the
middle of the structure. The dome has a unique form in that it rest on 4 massive pillars which
are arranged in a square. The dome remained the main focus of the Byzantine.

The Romanesque. Romanesque Art and Architecture, arts and architecture of western
Europe from about AD 1000 to the rise of the Gothic style, in most regions by the latter half of
the 12th century, in certain regions somewhat later.

Gothic. Gothic Architecture is a style of architecture, particularly associated with cathedrals

and other churches, which flourished in Europe during the high and late medieval period.
Beginning in twelfth century France, it was known as “ the French Style” (Opus Francigenum)
during the period, with the term Gothic first appearing in the Reformation era as a stylistic
insult.
The Gothic style emphasizes verticality and features almost skeletal stone structures with
great expanses of glass, ribbed vaults, clustered columns, sharply pointed spires, flying
buttresses. In Gothic Architecture the pointed arch is utilized in every location where a
vaulted shape is called for, both structural and decorative. Gothic openings such as
doorways, windows, arcades and galleries have pointed arches.

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Another distinctive feature of Gothic Architecture especially in churches and cathedrals is

the Rose Window (Notre dame). The North Rose Window of the Notre Dame Cathedral in
Paris ( ) was built by Jean de Chelles. It is designed in the Rayonnant style, named for the
radiating spokes in this type of window. The center circle depicts the Virgin and Child,
surrounded by the figures of prophets. The second circle shows 32 Old Testament kings, and
the outer circle depicts 32 high priests and patriarchs.

Baroque. Baroque churches were larger in scale that their predecessors and their interiors
more richly decorated with sculpture and paintings.
Long narrow naves are replaced by broader, occasionally circular forms. Dramatic use of
light, either strong light-and-shade contrasts, chiaroscuro effects or uniform lighting by means
of several windows.
Opulent use of ornaments (puttos made of wood (often glided), plaster or stucco, marble of
faux finishing).
Large-scale ceiling frescoes the interior is often no more than a shell for painting and
sculpture (especially in the late baroque).

Rococo Style. Rococo Style, style of 18th-century painting and decoration characterized by
lightness, delicacy, and elaborate ornamentation.
The word “rococo” is derived from “rocaille”, meaning “rock work” or “shell work,” a favorite
motif of the time. It stresses purely ornamental, light, casual, irregular design.
The Rococo style is characterized by pastel colors, gracefully delicate curving forms, fanciful
figures, and a lighthearted mood (visually and physically). The essence of Rococo art is light.
Extreme highlights are placed on the subject matter and the overall work is light in color,
effect, and emotion. Artists paid special attention to fine detail. Form is characterized by
delicacy of color, dynamic compositions, and atmospheric effects.

Sculpture
Sculpture is a three-dimensional artwork, an art of producing objects in relief or in the round
out of hard materials by means of chisel, carved work, art of molding in clay or other paste
materials, figures or objects to be later cast in bronze or other metals or plaster of Paris.
Sculpture (Latin sculpere, “to curve”), three-dimensional art concerned with the organization
of masses and volumes. The art or practice of shaping figures or designs in the round or relief.
Materials used in Sculpture (see Module 01 pp. 31-32)
- Stone - Glass
- Ivory - Wood
- Metal - Terracotta
- Plaster
- Clay

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Kinds of Sculpture
• Relief – these are the sculptures which are identifies as embossed sculptures in which
images are set against a flat background.
• Alto relievo (Italian for “high relief”) the figures are sculptured partly or wholly in the
round, that is, they project entirely, or almost entirely, from the surfacr of the block in
which they are cut.
• Basso-relievo(Italian for low-relief; French, bas-relief) is a form of surface-ornamentation
in which the projection is very slight.
• Free-Standing – this is the kind of sculpture in the round such as statues and
monuments which are either scaled or done in life size.
• Kinetic or Mobile Sculptures – these are identified as moving sculptures which in some
cases are suspended in air to move.

Techniques used in Sculpture (see Module 01 p.32)

• Carving
• Modeling
• Casting
• Assembling / Fabrication

Brief Historical Background of Sculpture

Pre-Historic Sculpture. the primitive people produced the so called fertility statues. It has
been described as giving emphasis on the female sexual attributes. It emphasizes the
women’s wide hips and opulent breasts. Primitive men made this for fear of extinction and it
will remind them to go on and on to produce more offspring.

Egyptian Sculpture. the sphinx is the most popular piece in Egypt. It is a huge sculpture which
is described as the human head with a body of a croaching lion. The head of the Sphinx is
symbolic of the pharaoh, the mighty reler of Egypt, and the body of the croaching lion is
symbolic of the mighty country Egypt. Therefore it symbolizes the mighty strengths and
protective power of Egypt.

Greek Sculpture. the Golden Age of Athens was the complete fulfillment of the term classic
for it was the culmination of the ideals of the time and of the ancient world as well. It falls into
four classes:
Sculptures created without regard to their ultimate location or method of display. Free
standing.
Statues identified as kore otherwise known as female standing sculpture.
Statues identified as kouros otherwise known a male standing sculpture.
Sculptures designed as ornaments for specific positions.

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Roman Sculpture. Given the Etruscan descendant of naturalism, Roman portraiture set an
early standard of excellence that became the model for the whole Western tradition. It falls
into two classes: portraits and historical relief. Both reflect the highly developed Roman taste
of realism.

Baroque Sculpture. A restless, dynamic style with its diagonals and floating curved lines, its
striking chiaroscuro, and it’s sensuous textural effects. Gian Lorenzo Bernini was the Baroque
artist par excellence. His known sculpture is the “Ecstasy of St. Therese.”

Byzantine Sculpture. Sculptured relief during the Byzantine was used to adorn magnificent
palaces and churches. It is the richest expression of Christian dogma.

Renaissance Sculpture. It showed some traces of classical influence in the pulpits of the
Cathedrals of Pisa and Sienna. The great master of this period is Michaelangelo. His
masterpiece was the “Pieta” today a treasure of St. Peter’s in Rome.

Music
Music an art of arranging sounds in rhythmic succession generally in combination. Melody
results in this sequence and harmony from the combinations. It is a creative and performing
art.
Groups
• Vocal Music – composed primarily to be sung.
• Instrumental Music – is written for instruments of four general types:
o Keyboard (piano, keyboard, and organ)
o Stringed (violin, cello, guitar, ukulele, banjo)
o Woodwind (flute, clarinet, oboe, piccolo, English horn, bassoon)
o Brass winds (saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone)

Music combined with other arts

• Opera - drama set to music. It is mostly or entirely sung with an orchestral
accompaniment.
• Operetta and Musical Comedy – a drama set to music but is light popular romantic
often humorous or comic. It uses spoken dialogues.
• Oratorio and Cantata – sacred musical drama in concert form based from biblical
accounts and made of recited parts with orchestral accompaniment.

Dance
Dance involves the movement of the body and the feet in rhythm.

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Types of Dances
• Ethnologic – include folk dancing associated with national and cultural groups.
• Social or Ballroom Dances – popular type of dancing generally performed by pairs.
• Ballet – a formalized type of dance which originated in the royal courts of the middle
Ages. They may be either solo or concerted dances and generally built around a
theme or story.
• Modern – are sometimes called contemporary interpretative dances and represents
rebellion against the classical formalism of ballet. It is a personal communication of
moods and themes.
• Musical dances – dances performed by soloists, groups, choruses in theatres,
nightclubs, motion pictures, and television. It combines various forms of ballet, modern,
tap, and acrobatics.

Theatre and Drama

A drama or play is a story re-created by actors on a stage in front of an audience.

Types of Drama
• Tragedy – serious in nature in which the central character comes to some sad and
disastrous ending and also portray.
• Melodrama – the emphasis is on the action rather on the character. Action is a happy
ending.
o Types of Melodrama
▪ Romantic Comedy – light amusing tales of lovers in some dilemma which
is finally solved happily.
▪ Farce – light humorous play whose emphasis is on the jokes, humorous
physical actions, ludicrous situations and impossible characters.
▪ Comedy of Manners – “drawing room comedy” is sophisticated and
sometimes satirical. It uses witty dialogues and characters are usually high
society types and situations are unreal.

Literature
Literature is the art of combining spoken or written words and their meanings into forms
which have artistic and emotional appeal.
• Drama - a story re-created by actors on stage in front of an audience.
• Prose Fiction – includes narratives created by an author as distinguished from true
accounts.
• Essay – a non-fiction expository writing ranging from informal, personal topics to closely
critical treatments of important subjects.

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• Poetry – highly expressive nature using special forms and

choice of words and emotional images. Narratives includes
epics, romance and ballads and lyric formsincludes the
sonnets, ode, elegy and song.
• Miscellaneous – are history, biography, letters, journals, diaries,
and other works notformally classed as literature.

Summary of the Lesson:

There are seven art forms: painting, architecture, sculpture, music,
dance, theater, and literature. Painting is the art of creating meaningful
effects on a flat surface by the use of pigments. Different mediums are
used in painting. Architecture is the first of the fine arts, dueto the
ingenuity and great use of aesthetics required to create buildings which
are harmonicwith space and which endure in time. Sculpture is a three-
dimensional artwork, an art of producing objects in relief or in the round
out of hard materials by means of chisel, carved work, art of molding in
clay or other paste materials, figures or objects to be later cast in bronze
or other metals or plaster of Paris. Music an art of arranging sounds in
rhythmic succession generally in combination. Melody results in this
sequence and harmony from the combinations. It is a creative and
performing art. Dance involves the movement of the bodyand the feet in
rhythm. A drama or play is a story re-created by actors on a stage in front
of an audience. Literature is the art of combining spoken or written words
and their meanings into forms which have artistic and emotional appeal.

References/Attributions:
Wilson, S. HUMANITIES ART DESCRIPTION and APPRECIATION Retrieved from
https://slideplayer.com/slide/6036216/
Sanchez, C. et.al. Introduction to Humanities (Revised Edition 2002)