This document discusses the topic of understanding arts. It begins by outlining three learning outcomes: 1) evaluate perspectives on the meaning of art, 2) demonstrate understanding of basic art concepts and assumptions, and 3) identify works of art from the past that are still admired today. It then examines various definitions and assumptions about art, including views from writers, philosophers, and experts. Key points are that art is a means of human expression, communication, and experience, and while sometimes aimed at creating beauty, it can also evoke other human emotions and thoughts. Enduring works of art from the past are discussed as examples.
This document discusses the topic of understanding arts. It begins by outlining three learning outcomes: 1) evaluate perspectives on the meaning of art, 2) demonstrate understanding of basic art concepts and assumptions, and 3) identify works of art from the past that are still admired today. It then examines various definitions and assumptions about art, including views from writers, philosophers, and experts. Key points are that art is a means of human expression, communication, and experience, and while sometimes aimed at creating beauty, it can also evoke other human emotions and thoughts. Enduring works of art from the past are discussed as examples.
This document discusses the topic of understanding arts. It begins by outlining three learning outcomes: 1) evaluate perspectives on the meaning of art, 2) demonstrate understanding of basic art concepts and assumptions, and 3) identify works of art from the past that are still admired today. It then examines various definitions and assumptions about art, including views from writers, philosophers, and experts. Key points are that art is a means of human expression, communication, and experience, and while sometimes aimed at creating beauty, it can also evoke other human emotions and thoughts. Enduring works of art from the past are discussed as examples.
This document discusses the topic of understanding arts. It begins by outlining three learning outcomes: 1) evaluate perspectives on the meaning of art, 2) demonstrate understanding of basic art concepts and assumptions, and 3) identify works of art from the past that are still admired today. It then examines various definitions and assumptions about art, including views from writers, philosophers, and experts. Key points are that art is a means of human expression, communication, and experience, and while sometimes aimed at creating beauty, it can also evoke other human emotions and thoughts. Enduring works of art from the past are discussed as examples.
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Topic 2: Understanding the Arts
Learning Outcomes At the end of the session, you will be able to: a. Evaluate the perspectives behind the meaning of art; b. Demonstrate understanding on the basic concepts and assumptions about art; and c. Point out works of art in the past that are still very much admired and treasured today.
Presentation of Content
What is art? We can say that art is the lifeblood of humanities because it conveys one’s feelings and expressions. Art is the essential factor which motivates an individual to create and appreciate “a thing of beauty.” But before we formally discuss art, let’s look at the etymological meaning as well as the different meanings of art given by the experts. Etymologically, art is derived from the Latin word “ars”, meaning ability or skill. Art is from an Italian “artis” defined as a human or skill. Further, Webster’s New Collegiate dictionary defines art as “The conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetics objects.”
Writers and philosophers defined arts in different ways:
“Art is not, as the metaphysicians say, the manifestation of some
mysterious idea of beauty of God: it is not, as the aesthetical physiologists say, a game in which man lets off his excess of stored- up energy; it is not the expression of man’s emotions by external signs; it is not the production of pleasing objects, above all, it is not pleasure; but it is a means of unions among men, joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the life and progress toward well-being of individuals and humanity.” Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy
“Art teaches nothing, except the significance of life.” American
writer Henry Miller
“Art is higher type of knowledge than experience.” Greek
philosopher Aristotle
“The object of art is to give life a shape.” French dramatist Jean Anouilh
“Art is science in the flesh.” French poet and playwright Jean Couteau
“All art is social,” because it is the result of a relationship between
an artist and his time.” Historian James Adams
“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.” Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde “Art is a discovery and development of elementary principles of nature into beautiful forms suitable for human use.” American architect, interior designer, writer, and educator Frank Lloyd Wright Assumptions about Art
1. Art is everywhere. "Your surroundings, home, personal care, pets, clothing and body are all reflections of how you see and express yourself." - Dr. Christiane Northrup The Invention of Clothing
2. Art is not nature.
Art is not nature because art is man-made. It is the creature of man that may reflect a profound skillfulness and craftsmanship. Art can never be natural because nature is evanescent, in constant transformation of change, and yet art is permanent.
3. Art is imitating and creating.
Creation in art is the act of combining or re-ordering already existing materials so that new objects will be formed. An artist only copies the things in nature he believes would express his thought and feelings. Art is a process of imitating involving 1Cassily Lake in Tuao, Cagayan personal assimilation through mind, feeling and style (Barrios, 2012).
4. Art perfects nature.
Artists only enhance things they like and eliminate the undesirable elements in nature to convey their message of beauty and love. 5. Art is universal. It transcends cultures, races, and civilization. As long as human beings exist, art is feasible, alive, and dynamic.
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
6. Art is timeless Art is timeless because it goes beyond the time of our existence. It is present in every corner of the world to serve basic needs of mankind, from ancient time to modern world. Further, art is timeless because it continually evolves. Aside from artists birthing new artworks, they also never stop innovating, recreating, reinventing, and reviving works of art. Art defines time. In watching film, for example, even when you do not have the idea when it was created, the style of directing and filming, the clothing and bearing of the characters, musical scoring and the setting and the plot of the story would make the viewer’s guess the period when it was produces. While art defines time, time also defines art. It identifies the artwork that would “click” in a particular time for the particular audience.
Aside from the assumptions about arts discussed, other universally accepted ideas about arts are the following: Art as Expression and Communication Art has grown out of man’s need to express himself. Expression is limited to the revelation of emotions alone. The personal and social values of the artist and his penetrating psychological insight into human reality are also conveyed through arts. The artist uses symbols which he organizes into some comprehensible equivalent of the experience that he is trying to convey. If the symbols are understood by his audience, then communication has been established.
Art and Experience
Three major kinds of experience are involved in the artistic activity. (1) It starts as an experience which the artist wants to communicate. (2) The act of expressing this experience –that of creating that art object or form. (3) When the work is done, there is the artist’s gratifying experience of having accomplished something significant. On the part of the onlooker or listener, he may kindle an experience which is similar or related to that which the artist tried to express. These include sensory, emotional, and intellectual responses.
Art and Beauty
A thing of beauty is one which gives us pleasure when we perceive it. The delight that we experience is called aesthetic pleasure. Beauty in terms of art refers to an interaction between line, color, texture, sound, shape, motion, and size that is pleasing to the senses. Sometimes beauty is not the artist’s ultimate goal. Art is often intended to appeal to and connect with human emotion. Artists may express something so their audience is stimulated in some way-creating feelings, religious faith, curiosity, interest, identification with a group, thoughts, or creativity. For example, performance art often does not aim to please the audience but instead evokes feelings, reactions, conversations, or questions for the viewer. In these cases, aesthetics may be an irrelevant measure of “beautiful” art (https://courses.lumenting.com/boundeless-arthistory/chapter/what-is-art/
