Functions and

Philosophical
Perspectives in
Art
Prepared by: Beredo, Carlo
Maniquez, Juvylyn
Visayana, John Mark Andrei
What is Art?
• Art comes from a Latin word “ARS” which means SKILL or
CRAFT.
• it is an expression of one’s thought, emotion, intuitions, and desires
but it is even more personal than that (Collingwood, 1938)
• It is about sharing the way we experience the world, which for many
is an extension of personality.
• It is the communication of intimate concepts that cannot be
expressed by words alone.
What is Art?
• Art is the product of man’s inventiness and creativity. It is the result
of a conscious will or effort to create artworks or objectswith
function.
• He transforms and take aspirations from nature in creating
something funstional and valuable.
Functions of
Art
 Functions of Art
• It is about the use of the object whose function is in
question “what is it for”.
• The function of art is inquiry on what art id for
• Different art forms come with distinctive functions.
• The work of arts in paintings, architectures, sculptures
and other literacy forms has distinct functions or
purpose as to why the artists made it.
Functions of Art are classified
into three:

Personal Social Physical

Expression or Affect collective Utilitarian
Public Display behavior/celebration
Personal Function of
Art
• The personal function of art are varied
and are highly subjective, it only
depends on the person/artist who
created the art.
• An artist may create an art out of the
need for self-expression
• It can also be a mere entertainment for
his intended audience.
• An art may also be therapeutic.
Personal Function of
Art
• Fernando Amorsolo, painted
“Mango Pickers, 1936” to showcase
the life and real experience of
filipinos working in the field
(especially in bicol) and for more
audience to appreciate the beauty of
nature.
Economic
Function of Art
• As a social being, man associates with
those around him. Art is an avenue to
extend his sense of belongingness and
connection with people.
• Art gathers man as one family and
community, through celebration loke
festivities, choral singing or group dancing
in religious rituals.
• Architectural structure like houses are built
to unite families.
Political Function of
Art
• Using visual images that portrays political change was the
defining functions of art in the twentieth-century.
• Art movements flourish during the modern period because
they wanted to erase cultural differences in order to
produce new universal values with regards with art.
Political Function of
Art
• Political aspect of one
particular country play a very
distinctive role nowadays.
• Arts became the political
medium to promote their
political programs and
political status.
Historical Function
of Art
• Paintings, sculptures, architectural
works, and other art forms serve to
record in historical figures and
events.
• It commemorates great people in
history, almost all parks in the
country has the statue of Rizal and
murals painted in it.
Historical Function
of Art
• Other art forms like paintings,
architecture and sculpture are
avenue to go back to history and
learn from it.
• Monuments of heroes,
landmarks and cultural heritage
serve as records of our history.
 Cultural Function
of Art
• Tangible representations of one culture like
architectural structures like buildings, sculpture like
furniture and intangible representations like music,
dance, and language or literary piece form part of a
nation's culture.
• These cultural representations through art forms
serve as a channel to share and transmit from one
generation to another generation.
Religious
Function of
Art

• Artforms like architecture, music, dance and sculpture play an important role in
one cultural spirituality. People from the past worshiped their gods through
sculptures with music and dance.
• Nowadays, people are gathered in an architectural structure like churches,
arenas and other venues to worship and they incorporate music and dance.
Physical Function of
Art
• Health is our priority, architectural structures like hospitals, physical therapy
centers, and laboratories are there to assist us in health care. Music and dance
perform an important role when our bodies need to rejuvenate and revitalize,
one example is Zumba dance and reflective music for yoga. Painting therapy
was proven as therapeutic by some cancer patients. Art can function
therapeutically, Art therapy is generally understood as a form of therapy that
uses art media as its primary mode of communication. It is a relatively young
discipline, first introduced around the mid-20th century.
Physical Function of Art
Aesthetic Function of Art
• Beautification adds appeal and excitement
like displays of paintings in an empty area on
a wall. Interior design in the newly renovated
National Museum is a breathtaking
experience of beauty. Fashion always aims
for beauty that is appealing to the eye. Film
industries, Opera and Theater provide
extravagant and beautiful props and costumes
for its realistic impact and appeal.
Other Functions of Art:
Sculpture
• Are also another functional art form that
has long existed for various purposes.
• It is also made in order to commemorate
important figures in history like Jose
Rizal’s Monument and Andres Bonifacio’s
Monument.
• In catholic world, sculptures are made by
humans particularly for religious purposes
that have remained relevant, vital and
symbolic.
Other Functions of Art:
Music
• From the early days of humanity, music
was used for religion and dance.,
• Ancient world saw music only as an
instrument to invoke their gods and
goddesses and facilitate worship.
• It was used for dance and religion where
assures synchronicity among dancers.
Other Functions of Art:
Architecture
• Architecture might be the most
prominent functional art form.
• Buildings are huge, expensive, and are
not easily constructed and replaced.
Unlike other forms of art like pots,
furniture, poetry, or even paintings,
buildings take so much time to erect and
also to destroy.
 Philosophical
Perspectives in
Art
Some of the Basic
Theories of Art by
different Philosophers
are as follows:
Plato
Plato can be considered as a great critic of
literature, philosopher, thinker, educationalist
and moralist. Plato's view of reality explains
that ideal is only true and arts are just imitation
or copy of the truth, therefore for him literature
and poetry are not true, they are imitations of
the ideal. In his metaphysics, all things that
exist in this world are copies of the original and
true entities in the World of Forms.
• According to his masterpiece, "the
Republic" 'ideas are the ultimate reality',
artists are imitators and arts are pure
imitation. A thing, before it takes into
practical shape comes first from ideas
therefore the idea is original and the thing is
a copy of that idea. Art was problematic for
Plato because for him all art forms are
imitative and replica of ideas. He considered
art as a dangerous means that will cause total
confusion and conflict to the society. It
provides insignificant replacement for the
real entities that can only be attained through
reason.
 Plato's idea of a chair explains his reasoning about art as an imitation of an
imitation. For him, arts deal with pure illusion or an imitation of an imitation.
The idea of a chair clearly explains his argument that arts can be twice removed
from reality. The idea of a 'chair' was conceived in the mind of a carpenter
therefore the carpenter's chair is the result of the idea of chair in his mind. To
give physical shape to the idea in his mind, he used objects like wood and other
objects in creating a chair. The painter then came into the scenario and imitates
the chair of the carpenter in his picture of the chair. Plato's reasoning about art as
imitation of an imitation or twice removed from reality was clearly explained in
the idea of a chair. For him, arts and artists (including poets) should banish to
prevent people, especially youth from corruption of minds and eventually leads
them away from the cultivation of the intellect.
Aristotle's Theory about Art
as Representation

As a dedicated disciple and student of

Plato in Philosophy, Aristotle does
not agree with his teacher regarding
his theory about arts and artists in that
particular period.
 Aristotle believes imitation is an in-born instinct in men and there is a
natural pleasure in such imitation. It is this pleasure in imitation that
enables the child to learn his earliest lessons in speech and conduct from
those around him, because there is a pleasure in doing so. Aristotle
disagreed about his teachers' concept that art is an imitation of an
imitation or art is twice removed from reality and hence unreal/illusion of
truth. For him poetry and literature are philosophical in nature. We don't
intentionally cry when watching drama or reading a tragic literary work,
there's a sudden switch of emotions that strike our innermost feelings. This
release of emotion results in a pleasurable emotion called aesthetic
emotion. We enjoy the representation of tragic events because it offers an
"artistic taming of the horrible”
Catharsis
• Aristotle disapproves the idea of Plato that poetry destroys
the minds of the youth and that it leads to a weaker state of
people or destroying the emotional state of a person. For
him, catharsis is the result from the encounter with literature
or poetry and other art forms. These art forms can arouse a
certain emotion like fear, pain or pity and brings about
healthy and pleasurable experienced called catharsis.
Art for Art Sake or L'art Pour
L'art by Immanuel Kant

Being the most influential philosopher in the history of western

philosophy, Immanuel Kant developed the theory Art for Art
Sake. According to Kant there is an autonomous aesthetic
standard in art. In his "Critique of Judgement". its Kant
recognized that the judgement of beauty can be universal despite
subjectivity.
• Art should be separated from other considerations like morality,
function, and pleasure. The argument raised in the theory "art for art
sake" is that any judgement in any art form should not focus on the
external purposes that satisfies man, like moral aspect or political
commentary. Instead, value is intrinsically defined by the aesthetic
impression. Aesthetic philosophers from the nineteenth century said
that the role of art could be nothing less than to create beauty or to
expose beauty. Art should stand independently and should be free
from all scrutiny of other advantages, rather art stands for beauty
alone.
“Art wasn’t supposed to
look nice; it was
supposed to make you
feel something”

Rainbow Rowell
Thank you!