Soulmaking,

Appropriation, and
Improvisation
1. SOULMAKING
How do we derive
meaning from art?
Soulmaking: Making and Deriving Meaning from Art

Language : words (semantics and

grammatical rules)
Verbal or written works : context and
symbolisms
Art : visual elements; principles of
design
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Soulmaking: Making and Deriving Meaning from Art

It is important to note that the audience of the artwork

must have a certain level of awareness to the style, form,
and content of the said work.
Soulmaking: Making and Deriving Meaning from Art

Style refers to the distinctive handling

of elements and media associated with
the work of an individual artist, a
school, a movement, or a specific
culture or time period (Fichner-Rathus,
2013).
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Soulmaking: Making and Deriving Meaning from Art

Form is what the audience sees – a

finished product put harmoniously (or
not) according to the different
principles of design.

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Soulmaking: Making and Deriving Meaning from Art

Form is the totality of the artwork

which includes textures, colors, and
shapes utilized by the artist.

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Soulmaking: Making and Deriving Meaning from Art

Content includes not only its form but

also its subject matter and underlying
meanings or themes (Fichner-Rathus,
2013).

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Soulmaking: Making and Deriving Meaning from Art

You must take into consideration:

the totality of the elements;
underlying themes and motifs; and
composition.

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2. IMPROVISATION
- can be defined as doing
something without prior
preparation. There is a
decision to act upon
something that may not
2. IMPROVISATION
- Within the present context, it
has become an integral part of
the arts.
2. IMPROVISATION
- Some would say that it is a
reaction against the stiffness in
the arts during the twentieth
century. There is a call for
liberation from monotony that
aims to rekindle the creative
 Improvisation
- Infusing spontaneity and
improvisation adds up to the
totality of the work of art.

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 Improvisation
unexpected changes

distinctive quality

individuality and identity

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 Improvisation
For example, artist would want to capture the
gloom brought about by an approaching storm
or the beauty of a meteor shower at night.
Since they do not necessarily have absolute
control over natural phenomena, their reliance
on chances may not produce their expected
outcome. Artists allowing their subjects do
improvisation may have totally different result
as well. 16
 Improvisation
During 1960’s, art improvisation has taken
form in the galleries around New York City.
Performance arts, dance, and visual arts were
combined to create new forms of artworks
using a new medium. These performances
were known as the “Happenings” which later
on paved the way for modern body art and
performance art.
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 Improvisation
Georges Mathieu was one of the central
figures in the improvisation movement. He
started the “action painting” wherein the
process is seen real-time. In this scenario, the
process is more important than the finished
product.

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Figure 1. Marta Minujin Performance Art

Figure 1 shows
how
improvisation
allows for a
certain extent of
freedom for the
artist to improvise
and allow the
subject to perform
and embody the
artwork itself.
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Figure 1. Marta Minujin Performance Art

To a certain
extent, it allows
the artist to
explore and think
about how the
audience can
actually be a part
of the work in
itself.

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Figure 1. Marta Minujin Performance Art

Improvisation
may have been a
revolutionary
concept when it
comes to art
because it blurs
the line of reality
and that of
imagination.

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3. APPROPRIATION
Appropriation of art has been
a common practice throughout
history.
 Appropriation
to hone an apprentice’s skills in
his craft;
to explore his personal application
of techniques to something he is
more familiar with;

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 Appropriation
However, there are some people
who go to the extreme by
believing that copying the exact
artwork of an artist and
attributing it to his own.

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 Appropriation
This could pose a problem
especially with authorship.
The problem arises when the
appropriation artist would get
bits and pieces from other works
and incorporate these elements
into his work
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 Appropriation
When appropriation artists eschew
the responsibility for putting up the
details of other works and integrating
them into their own, their voices and
perspectives of the other artists get
lost with that of the appropriation
artist.

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 Appropriation
There seems to be a very thin
demarcation line between
appropriation art and forgery.

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 Appropriation
Forgery can be classified into two
forms: outright copies of existing
works and pastiches, which are works
that bring together elements from a
work and infusing them to a new
work.

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 Appropriation
But in contemporary times, forgery
can be in the form of creating an
approximate of what an artist would
do by prediction. This can be done by
observing the techniques and style the
artist employed and even the focal
points highlighted in his previous and
existing works.
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 Appropriation
The intentions of the appropriation artists
are often questioned since issues of
plagiarism or forgery sometimes arise.

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 Appropriation
There is a hope on the part of the artist for
the viewers to see the original work in a new
perspective. That appropriation would bring
about a new context to the original work.

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 Appropriation
Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans”
(1962) – one of the famous works of
appropriation .
Warhol copied the original labels of the
soup can but deliberately filled up the entire
picture plane.

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ART in ASIA
 Art in Asia
 Chinese Art
 Japanese Art
 Philippine Art
 Chinese Art
 China is at the forefront of
economic development.
 Booming economy has led
to its modernization.
 Chinese Art
 China has been at the
leading edge of
development especially in
terms of cultural
development.
 Chinese Art
 Inhabitants of China in the past
were able to produce primitive
artisan works.
 (e.g.) bronze vessels with intricate
designs dating from the second
millennium BCE.
 Chinese Art
 The Chinese during the Zhou
dynasty was under a feudal kind of
social system – parallel with that
of Greece’s Golden Age: a period
when culture, particularly art, has
flourished tremendously.
 Chinese Art
 Metal works befitting the royal
family were produced in
abundance;
 Jade was also a popular choice of
material for artworks.
 Chinese Art
 Confucianism was the dominant
way of life subscribed to by the
general public.
 Chinese Art
 Chinese also had interactions with
Western missionaries who came
from India.
 Indian models inspired a lot of
Chinese artists for a few centuries;
 Chinese Art
 6th century – Chinese artists started
making art that highlighted their
very own culture;
 Paintings – depicted magical
places and realms; define their
culture;
 Chinese Art
 Paintings – done in monumental
styles wherein rocks and
mountains served as a barrier that
made the viewer distracted
initially from the background into
the foreground.
 Chinese Art
 Artists used sharp brushstrokes to
provide detail in their works;
 Western landscapes usually had a single
vanishing point while Chinese paintings
had the opposite since most paintings
aimed to give the audience multiple
perspectives on the subject.
Chinese Art
Porcelain is one
of the commonly
used items to
make decorative
ornaments such
as vases and jars;
 Japanese Art
 Art in Japan has undergone a series of
transitions and periodization. From
being isolated nation to that of
embracing Western influences and
modernization;, Japan has transitioned
into a modern cultural mixing pot;
 Japanese Art
 Japanese were able to infuse local and
indigenous materials with modern
Western subjects and focal points.
 Japanese Art
 Based on artifacts such as ceramic
figures and ornaments, it is important to
take note that there are Korean and
Chinese influences evident in Japanese
artworks.
 Japanese Art
 One of the ceramic products created by
the Japanese Haniwa (ceramic figures
that are made up of clay; placed beside
burial spots for reasons that are
unknown).
 Japanese Art
 Shintoism – native religion of Japan.
- Beliefs such as being one with nature and
embracing the notion of the existence of
many gods; did not use art to communicate
its beliefs;
 Japanese Art
 Buddhism – became an integral part of
Japanese culture; artworks such as
images and sculptures of Buddha were
produced.
 Japanese Art
 Japan and China had a long-standing
relationship.
 China also influenced Japan in terms of
paintings.
 14th century – Japan isolated itself from
the rest of the world
 Japanese Art
 Abstract and naturalistic handling;
 Ukiyo-e – a painting developed by the
Japanese ;
 E.g., woodcuts of Hiroshige and
Shahraku who had a lasting impact on
western artists like Vincent van Gogh
and Edouard Manet;
 Philippine Art
 precolonial to contemporary – different
art forms have emerged in the
Philippine art scene;
 Pottery, weaving, carving, and the use
of metalwork and jewelry
 Philippine Art
 precolonial to contemporary – different
art forms have emerged in the
Philippine art scene;
 Pottery, weaving, carving, and the use
of metalwork and jewelry
 Philippine Art
 Pottery is said to be one of the earliest
art forms used by the early Filipinos.
 E.g., Manunggal Jar found in Palawan.
 Representation of the early Filipinos’
religious beliefs and practices; a burial
jar; depicts two men rowing a boat;
afterlife;
 Philippine Art
 Weaving for Cordilleras; colorful woven
cloth; have religious and practical value;
 T’boli from Mindanao – known for their
woven abaca cloth called t’nalak; for
ornament; represent beliefs through symbols;
 E.g., image of the frog – representation for
fertility;
 Philippine Art
 Woodcarvings from Palawan – depict
animals lie birds; representations of
their religious beliefs;
 Tausug and Maranao – known for their
okir (designs applies to their
woodcarvings)
 Sarimanok, naga, pako rabong
 Philippine Art
 Sarimanok – a mythical bird
 Naga – S-shape; mythical dragon
or serpent
 Pako rabong – growing fern with a
broad base
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