Alonte, Jervie T.

I1C Bs Psychology

Purpose of Arts

Creativity or imagination is the primary basis of art. Art is created when an artist produces a
stimulating experience that is considered by his audience to have artistic merit. The artwork is
the visual expression of an idea or experience of an artist, through the use of a medium (Frank,
2011). It allows expression of the individuality of the artist. Through artistic endeavors, we can
share what is important to us with others and can learn about the values of feelings of those
sharing art with us. Some purposes of art are the following (Marcos et al., 2011).

1. Create Beauty- Art is an expression of our thoughts, emotions, and intuitions. It is the
communication of concepts that cannot be faithfully portrayed by words alone. The Artist has
considered nature as the standard of beauty. The example of beauty can be in a snowy mountain
scene, and the art is the photograph of it shown to the family.

2. Provide Decoration- Artworks are used to create a pleasing environment. It is intended to

beautify things to please and amuse the viewers through its colors and patterns.

3. Reveal Truth- Artwork helped to pursue truth and attempted to reveal about how the world
works. It is a kind of language that allows artists to send a message to the souls of the recipients
that help change their attitudes, their sensibility, and their ethics.

4. Express Values- Arts can illuminate our inner lives and enrich our emotional world. Through
arts, the artist will be encouraged to develop their creativity, challenge, and communication
skills. It also promotes self- esteem and wellness.

5. Commemorate Experience- Art serves to convey the personal experiences of an artist and
record his impression in his work.

Nature of Art
Art
• Derived from the “Latin” - Ars
• Refers to any object, thing or procedure, which express feelings and sentiments, ideas,
imagination
• Anything which shows skills in using materials, techniques & procedures.
• Activities that express aesthetic ideas by use of skill and imagination in its creation Art is
everywhere;
  Art as expression;
 Art as Creation;
 Art and Experience;
 Art and Nature;
 Art and Beauty

The Importance of Art

• Art is the most important means of expression

• The study of art is the study of mankind

• Art is a potent cultural force

• Art cultivates self-expression, imagination, creativity and critical thinking

Basic elements of the fine arts

a. Subject e. Texture i. Style

b. Medium f. Volume

c. Line g. Perspective

d. Color h. Form

A.Subject
provides the answer to the questions – What is the painting or piece of sculpture about? Two
distinct, but interrelated, elements of a work of art are the crucial means of projecting its sense of
life: the subject and the style—what an artist chooses to present and how he presents it. The
subject of an art work expresses a view of man’s existence, while the style expresses a view of
man’s consciousness. The subject reveals an artist’s metaphysics, the style reveals his psycho-
epistemology. The choice of subject declares what aspects of existence the artist regards
asimportant—as worthy of being re-created and contemplated.

B. Medium – refers to the materials which an artist uses.

- Many mediums have been used by painters, but we shall consider only 4

a. Fresco – in which pigment is mixed with water and applied to wet plaster
It is the most noble and monumental, is adapted to large wall surfaces. It is the most exacting
because it must be done quickly while the plaster is wet, and once applied cannot be changed.
 b. Tempera – in which the pigment is mixed with egg and applied to very hard
smooth surface usually several layers of rubbed plaster (gesso)
Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of
colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium (usually a glutinous material such as
egg yolk or some other size). Tempera also refers to the paintings done in this medium. Tempera
paintings are very long lasting, and examples from the 1st centuries AD still exist. Egg tempera
was a primary method of painting until after 1500 when it was superseded by the invention of oil
painting. A paint consisting of pigment and glue size commonly used in the United States as
poster paint is also often referred to as "tempera paint," although the binders and sizes in this
paint are different from traditional tempera paint.

c. Oil – on canvas or prepared wood panel

Through the 18th century most painters used a series of transparent glazes which produced a
very smooth surface as you can see in any Van Dyck’s portraits. Later, the tendency has been to
apply pure color directly from the palette to the canvas, even allowing the paint to stand out in
great blobs or thick swirls. – This is called “impasto”
Water color, in which pigment mixed with water and applied to smooth or rough white paper
Medium, basically has certain advantages and limitations

Materials Used in Sculpture

The materials used in sculpture are stone, wood, metal and recently junk. Marble has been the
favourite material, especially in countries like Greece and Italy where there is a plentiful supply
near at hand In modern times, architects have generally used the materials which they found
readily. There is also in Italy an abundance of reddish clay called pazzuolia.

C. Lines
Horizontal are restful, the vertical is more forceful and dynamic. Diagonal lines are lines of
action. In the former, the lines are predominantly horizontal, giving a peaceful effect; in fact
were it not for the vertical tree on the left, we might fall asleep.

D. Color
Color is the decorative element in painting. When the value and intensity are low and all the
colors tend towards gray or brown, and we say the painting is monochromatic. When the value
and intensity are high and all colors are strongly opposed we say the painting is polychromatic.

E. Texture
It is an element of two-dimensional and three-dimensional designs and is distinguished by its
perceived visual and physical properties. Use of texture, along with other elements of design, can
convey a variety of messages and emotions. In painting, texture is an illusion. He must make an
object look real.
F. Volume
refers to solidity or thickness.The architect’s primary concern because a building encloses space.
His problems are too technical for our concern here, but suffice it to say that the building must
look shipshape from whatever angle the lights fall on it or from whatever vantage point we look
at it, inside or out. The sculptor is concerned with the volume because his figures actually occupy
space and are observed from any direction depending on where the beholder stands.

G. Perspective
Perspective (from Latin: perspicere to see through) in the graphic arts is an approximate
representation, on a flat surface (such as paper), of an image as it is seen by the eye. The two
most characteristic features of perspective are that objects are smaller as their distance from the
observer increases; and that they are foreshortened, meaning that an object's dimensions along
the line of sight are shorter than its dimensions across the line of sight.

H. Form
Form is one of the seven elements of art. At its most basic, a form is a three dimensional
geometrical figure (i.e.: sphere, cube, cylinder, cone, etc.), as opposed to a shape, which is two-
dimensional, or flat.

I. Style
Every artist has a personal style which is the result of his temperament, outlook on life, and
training. This refers to the ways a writer presents his or her thoughts. Elements like word choice,
descriptions, and creative devices are the accessories writers use to make their work pop.

Functions of Arts From the very beginning, arts have been part of human history. It described,
defined, and deepened the human experience. In the Prehistoric period for example, peoples
performed songs and dances to gratify their ancestors. Likewise, hunters brushed different
figures on the walls of caves to depict their day to day experiences. Arts also serve several
functions which are item outcome to its purpose (Menoy, 2009), namely:
1. Individual Function- The artists perform arts because of the passion of their respective art
forms. A singer presents a concert for free because of his advocacy and the love of singing. For
example, Regine Velaquez (Asia’s Songbird) is well-known for possessing extensive vocal
range.
2. Social Function- Man associates with others through his art performance that arouses social
consciousness. Examples of this association are the choral singing, group dancing, public art
exhibits and other practices.
3. Economic Functions- Arts are emerging as a potent force in the economic life of people
assumes an essential role as a direct and indirect contributor to state economies. Example of this
is by generating economic vitality in under-performing regions through crafts, tourism, and
cultural attractions.
4. Political Functions- Art provides a forum for ideas that will lead to employment, prestige,
status, and power. During election period, for example, the candidates created their artworks
(poster) which expresses their propaganda, agendas and political views about making a stable
society
5. Historical Functions- Art is an essential technique for information to be recorded and
preserved. It serves to document or reconstruct historical figure and events. Most arts that are in
Museums, for example, are filled with amazing stories about the world most excellent and most
creative people who brought us the treasures. By looking at a work of art’s colors, materials, and
symbolism, we can learn about the story and culture that produced it in the past.
6. Cultural Functions- Art is an articulation and transmission of new information and values.
Example, when you think of Manila, you probably think of Fort Santiago, Luneta Park, and its
world-renowned churches, or the famous Intramuros.
7. Physical Functions- Buildings are artistically designed and constructed to protect their
occupants and make their life inside more meaningful. Architects, Industrial and Graphic
Designers, and Interior Decorators share responsibility in building environment that balance
forms and functions.
8. Aesthetic Functions- Any artwork means beauty. It is visual spice for gracefully adorned
interiors and can bring out the most elegant features of different décor elements. It reasonably
reproduced visual images which communicate through fantastic persuasions and meaningful
words.