Lesson 1

What is ART: Introduction and

Assumptions

PROFESSOR: ERWIN S. CAMPUSO, LPT, MAEd-ELT

Note: However, regardless of categorization, all definitions of
art are mediated through culture, history and language. To
understand these differing concepts of art, we need to look at
their social and cultural origin.’

 Some definitions of art according to philosophers:

•Art is that which brings life in harmony with the beauty
of the world.-Plato
•Art is the whole spirit of man.-Ruskin
•Art is the medium by which the artist communicates
himself to his fellows.-Charleton Noyes
•Art is anything made or done by man that affects or
moves us so that we see or feel beauty in it.-Collins and
Riley
 One important characteristic of art is that it is not nature.
Art is man’s expression of his perception of nature. Art is
man’s way of interpreting nature. Art is not nature. It is in
this juncture that they can be considered opposites. What we
find in nature should not be expected to be present in art
too. Art is based on the individual’s subjective experience of
nature. Artists are not expected to duplicate the nature just
as even scientists with their elaborate laboratories cannot
make nature.

The distinction assumes that all of us see nature, perceive its

elements in myriad, different, yet ultimately valid ways.

Art, not directed by representation of reality, is a

perception of reality.
3. Art involves experience. Art is the “actual doing of
something.” Examples are Radio DJ, Choreographer, Painter,
and Sculptor.
 
“All art depends on experience, and if one is to know art,
he must know it not as fact or information but as
experience.”
Purposes of Art
 Arthas had a great number of different
functions throughout its history, making its
purpose difficult to quantify to any single
concept. This does not imply that the purpose
of art is “vague” but that it has had many
unique, different reasons for being created. 
 Expression of the imagination. Art provides a
means to express the imagination (things, places,
ideas that are unreal or unknowable) in non
grammatical ways. Unlike words, which come in
sequences, each of which has a definite meaning,
art provides a range of forms, symbols and ideas
with meanings that can be determined by the
artist. An artist can create visual imagery of
mythical animals, religious concepts such as
heaven or hell, fictional places, or other things
from their creative mind.
 Ritualistic and symbolic functions. In many
cultures, art is used in religion, spiritual or
magical rituals, performances and dances as a
decoration or symbol of a god or other divine
quality. While these often have no specific
utilitarian  purpose, anthropologists know that
they often serve a purpose at the level of
meaning within a particular culture. This meaning
is not furnished by any one individual, but is often
the result of many generations of change and
understanding, and of a cosmological relationship
within the culture.
 Communication. Art, at its simplest, is a form of
communication. Most forms of communication
have an intent or goal directed toward other
people. Illustrative arts, such as scientific
illustration, are a form of art as communication.
Maps are another example. However, the content
need not be scientific. Stories, emotions, and
feelings are also communicated through art.
 Entertainment. Art may seek to bring about a
particular emotion or mood, for the purpose of
relaxing or entertaining the viewer. This is often
the function of the art industries such as Motion
Pictures and Video Games. And of course, more
traditional art, such as some paintings and
sculptures are simply meant to be enjoyable.
 Political change. One of the defining functions of
early twentieth-century art has been to use visual
images to bring about political change. Art
movements that had this goal—Dadaism,
Surrealism, and Futurism, among others—are
collectively referred to as the avant-garde arts.
This purpose of art continues today in many
objects aimed at exposing corruption of the ruling
class, including government, the wealthy, and
corporations.
 Social causes. Art can be used to raise awareness
for a large variety of causes. A number of art
activities are aimed at raising awareness of AIDS,
autism, cancer, human trafficking, and a variety
of other topics, such as ocean
conservation, human rights in Darfur, murdered
and missing Aboriginal women, elder abuse,
marriage equality, and pollution. Trashion, using
trash to make fashion, is one example of using art
to raise awareness about pollution.
 Psychological and healing purposes. Art is also used by
art therapists, psychotherapists and clinical psychologists
as art therapy. The Diagnostic Drawing Series, for
example, is used to determine the personality and
emotional functioning of a patient. The end product (the
art object) is not the principal goal in this case, but rather
a process of healing, through creative acts, is sought. The
resultant piece of artwork may also offer insight into the
troubles experienced by the subject and may suggest
suitable approaches to be used in more conventional
forms of psychiatric therapy.
 Propaganda or commercialism. Art is often
utilized as a form of propaganda, and thus can be
used to subtly influence popular conceptions or
mood (especially regarding political issues). In a
similar way, art that tries to sell a product also
influences mood and emotion. In both cases, the
purpose of art here is to subtly manipulate the
viewer into a particular emotional or
psychological response toward a particular idea or
object
 Getting this far without a satisfactory definition of art
can be quite weird for some. For most people, art does
not require full definition. Art is just experience. By
experience, we mean the “actual doing of something”
Dudley et al. ( 1960). When one says that he has an
experience of something, he often means that he knows
what that something is about.
 A work of art then cannot be abstracted from actual
doing. In order to know what an artwork is, we have to
sense it, see or hear it, and see AND hear it. To fully
appreciate our national hero’s monument, one must go to
Rizal Park and see the actual sculpture.