SUBJECT OF ART

THE SUBJECT OF ART

EVERY WORK OF ART HAS A SUBJECT…

- A song may contain lyrics of devotion directed to a certain

person. A novel may talk about the results of war. A painting may
show a scene in nature. Every work of art regardless of the period
in which it belongs has a subject, the one of it’s conception.
 SUBJECT OR TOPIC

- Is any person, animal, thing, or, issue that is described or

represented in a work.
SUBJECT IS DIFFERENT FROM THEME OR
CONTENT.

- Theme is recuring idea or element in a work of art. It refers to

the ideas, thoughts, and feelings of the artist.
 EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN IS
CONSIDERED A SUBJECT IN THE ARTS.

- From the simplest idea ( e.g., happiness) or an object (e.g., wine

bottle) to the most complicated ones, like philosophical thoughts
or dreamscapes.
 IN VISUAL DESIGN…

- Artworks with subjects that are recognizable are called realistic,

representational or non-objective art.
DIFFERENT WAYS OR STYLES DEPICTING
( TO SHOW OR DESCRIBE) A SUBJECT.
 REALISM

- In which the subject is done the way it actually looks.

 DISTORTION

- The artist uses his or her imagination and alters the subject
according to his or her desire. A stylized work is a form of
distortion like Norman Belleza’s painting.
 ABSTRACTION

- The artist breaks apart a subject and rearranges it in a different

manner. In science, it is the process of analysis and synthesis.
Pablo Picasso innovated this style in the early 1900s. The
painting of the National Artist Vicente Manansala belongs to this
category.
 NON-OBJECTIVISM

- There is no subject at all just an interplay of pure elements like

line, shape, or color, and so on.
 PREVALENT THEMES IN THE
CONTEMPORARY ART SCENE IN THE
REGIONS ARE RESPONSES TO:
Social
Economic
Political issues
Ethnic and indigenous concerns
Current events
 OTHER SUBJECT MATTERS ALSO
CONSIDERED ARE:
Philippine folklore
Mythology
Philosophical thoughts
SOME SUBJECTS IN THE VISUAL ARTS THAT
CONTINUE TO BE FAVORED ARE STILL:

Life
Landscape
Genre scenes
Portraits
Philippine fiestas and landmarks.
 ADDITIONAL SUBJECTS:

 superstitious and supernatural beliefs

- All these are the subjects that have helped developed the
Filipinos sense of national identity.