WRITTEN REPORT

CLASSIFICATION
AND SUBJECT OF
ART
REPORTED BY:

Quinones, Cassandra Nicole

Florano, Dhan Jade

Delgra, Joseph Matthew

Mateo, Ronald G.
FUNCTION OF ARTS

Art functions as:

 An agent of magic (to ensure a successful hunt, perpetuate the soul

after death, triumph over an enemy, cure diseases, etc.)
 An aid to meditation
 An agent to ritual
 A record of events, objects, situations
 A substitute for real thing, or a symbol
 A souvenir
 Propaganda to impress, persuade or change thinking or behavior
 Communication of stories, ideas, events
 An agent of social control
 Amusement or entertainment
 A mean of moral improvement
 education
 A means of self-expression
 Self-revelation
 Release of emotions
 Exploration of vision
 A reflection and interpretation of life
 An expression of beauty
 Decoration or embellishment
 Monetary investment
 A status symbol

The functions of arts are wide ranging. Art is as broad as human experience. All
of art comes out of life and is bound up with life. Art is meaningful, but
meaningful in ways that differ from society to society, from time to time, and
from person to person.

With the numerous listed functions of arts, they may normally fall into three
categories as mentioned by Esaak (2019). These are personal, social, and
physical functions.

1. Personal Function

There are many types of personal function, and they are subjective and will,
therefore, vary from person to person. An artist may create out of a need for
self-expression, or gratification. S/he might have wanted to communicate a
thought or point to the viewer. Perhaps the artist was trying to provide an
aesthetic experience, both for self and viewers. A piece might have been
meant to "merely" entertain others. Sometimes a piece isn't meant to have
any meaning at all. Further, art may serve the personal functions of control.
Art has been used to attempt to exert magical control over time, or the
seasons or even the acquisition of food. Art is used to bring order to a messy
and disorderly world. Conversely, art can be used to create chaos when an
artist feels life is too staid and ordinary. Art can also be therapeutic - for both
the artist and the viewer.

2. Social Function

According to Ortiz et al. (1976), art performs a social function when:

a. It seeks or tends to influence the collective behavior of a people.

b. It is created to be seen or used primarily in public situations.

c. It expresses or describes social or collective aspects of existence

as opposed to individual and personal kinds of experiences.

Influencing Social Behavior

• Pictorial form is very powerful means of putting across a message.

• Paintings, photographs, posters, cartoons have been used to express
humanitarian concern as well as ideological or political comment.
• Satire- which puts up people and institutions to ridicule so that they will
change- is effectively communicated in various cartoons and caricatures.
• Editorial cartoons convey the message more directly and clearly than the
printed word does. Cartoonists comment on the foibles(weaknesses) of
society and of its leaders, with the hope that something is done to correct
these faults and improve the human condition.
• Literature has served just as well for political and ideological expression.
It is a powerful tool in shaping society and its manners. Urbana at Felisa
by Modesto de Castro- an epistolary novel of the 19th century, became
the Filipino code of ethics of the time, guiding the youth on how to
conduct themselves in church, in social gatherings, in school, and at
home.
• Propaganda Literature has swayed people‟s minds and feelings
toward certain ends.
• Religion has especially capitalized on the arts to spread beliefs and
reinforce and sustain faith. It plays noble functions as enlightening us in
our spiritual beliefs and elevating our moral character.
• Advertising art aims to affect the buying behavior of people. These
include posters, billboards, magazine and newspapers adds, catalogs,
 handbills, package design, radio, television.

Display and Celebration

• Commemoration of important personages in society serves to record

important historical events, or reveals the ideals of heroism and
leadership that the community would want the young to emulate.
• Rituals have played an important role in people‟s lives and have
influenced the growth of certain arts as well.
• Public celebrations, such as festivals and other activities, unite
people in a shared experience, just as the celebration of important
phase of life do.

Social Description

• Art works are vital historical documents.

• Tools, weapons furniture, paintings, statues, stories and songs
and buildings reflect the feelings, struggles and achievements of
people. They reveal how people thought, felt, and lived in a
certain historical period.
• Temples, sculptures, epics, plays and even the pottery of ancient
Greece tell us so much about the age when man first regarded himself
as the measure of all things.
• Portraits are informative.

3. Physical Function

The physical functions of art are often the easiest to understand. Works of
art that are created to perform some service have physical functions. Tools
and containers are objects which function to make our lives physically
comfortable. Functional works of art may be classified as either tools or
containers.

Take a look at the given terms below. Reflect why these are categorized
this way.

1. A spoon- tool

2. A car- tool

3. A building- container
 4. A Community- container

5. A ceramic vase- container

6. A chair-container

Note that architecture, any of the crafts, and industrial design are all types of
art that have physical functions.

An example of the physical function of art Art that has a physical function
usually relates to items that can be used for a practical purpose because of
their physical structure, despite their artistic appeal. Examples include
architecture, which can be breathtaking, but still primarily serves a physical
function. This chair is a good example of physical art. Its design means that it
is immediately aesthetically interesting to the eye, but its main function is to
be a comfortable chair to sit on.

CLASSIFICATION OF ARTS

From the activity given, you have heard various art works. Art is classified in
different ways. Writers and philosophers have their own classification of art. To
clearly comprehend the relationship of these arts, let‟s us study the
categorization made by the different experts

According to Webster (1987), the major arts involve man‟s skills to create
works of art that are in form, content, and execution, aesthetically pleasing
and meaning as in music, painting, architecture, and sculpture. They are called
major arts because they appeal to the senses of sight, hearing, and feeling.
They aremore notable and conspicuous in effect.

On the other hand, the aesthetic factor in the minor arts lies in the “styling”. They
are addressed primarily to the sense of sight and their usefulness. The minor arts
are inferior in degree, especially in the extent of aesthetic quality.

According to Manaois, there are two (2) general dimensions of arts, namely, (1)
fine arts or independent arts made principally for aesthetic enjoyment through
the senses, especially visual and auditory such as painting, sculpture,
architecture, literature, theater, performing arts, and (2) practical arts or
utilitarian arts intended for practical use or the development of raw materials for
functional purposes such as industrial art, civic art, commercial art, graphic art,
agricultural and fishery art.

Estolas (1995) also grouped arts into:

1. Visual Arts. These artworks are perceived by our eyes which may be classified
into graphic arts and plastic arts. Graphic arts have flat two- dimensional
surface such as painting industry. It covers the commercial arts like the design
of books, advertisements, signs, posters and other displays for advertisements.
Plastic arts are visual arts which have three- dimensional forms. Under this
grouping are: architectural designs and construction of buildings and other
structures; landscape of gardens, parks, playgrounds, and golf courses with
plants ,trees, vines and ground cover;

2. Performing Arts. These include the theater, play, dance, and music.
They involve movement, speaking and gestures.

3. Literary Arts. These include the short stories, novels, poetry and dramas.

4. Popular Arts. These include the film, newspaper, magazine, radio and
television. This group is characterized as gay and lively. It all albout
entertainment and happiness

5. Gustatory Art of the Cuisine. This involves skills in food preparation.

6. Decorative Arts. They are visual objects produced for beautifying houses,
offices, cars and other structures. They are also called applied arts. Applying
design or decoration to practical arts to make them aesthetically pleasing to
the eye

Barrios (2012) classified arts into two: according to purpose and according to
media and forms.

1. According to Purpose

A. Practical or useful arts are those human activities directed to produce

artifacts, tools and utensils used in doing households and everyday chores.
Examples: basket weaving agriculture, etc.

B. Liberal Arts involve the development of man‟ intellectual reasoning. Examples:

Mathematics, Astronomy, Grammar
C. Fine Arts are the products of the human creative activity as they express
beauty in different ways and media for the satisfaction and relaxation of man‟s
mind and spirit. Examples: painting, sculpture, architecture

D. Major Arts are characterized by their actual and potential expressiveness and
by a purely disinterested purpose. Examples: music, poetry, sculpture . no
purpose just to express your creativeness

E. Minor Arts are works connected with practical uses and purposes.
Examples: interior decoration, porcelain

2. According to Media and Forms

A. Plastic Arts are developed through space and perceived by the sense of
sight.

Examples: painting, sculpture, architecture

B. Phonetic Arts are based on sounds and words as media of expression.

Examples: music, drama, literature

C. Kinetic Arts make use of the rhythmic movement as the elements of

expression.

Example: dance

D. Pure Arts utilize only one medium of expression.

Examples: sound in music, color in painting

E. Mixed Arts use two or more media.

Example: The opera(which is a combination of music, poetry, and drama)

SUBJECT OF ARTS
Subject in art refers to any person, object, scene, or event described or
represented in a work of art. In the case of a story, poem or music, subject is the
main idea, character or theme of a composition. There are two types of art -
representational art and non-representational art. Each of them has thoroughly
different styles of artwork and can be easily distinguished.
A. Representational or objective arts are works of art that have visible
subject. Painting, sculpture, the graphics arts, literature, and the theater arts are
considered representational arts. Representational art or figurative art
represents objects or events in the real world, usually looking easily
recognizable. For example, a painting of a cat looks very much like a cat – it's
quite obvious what the artist is depicting. The term "representational art" usually
refers to images that are clearly recognizable for what they purport to be, such
as a human figure, a banana, a tree, and so on. Such images need not be true to
life. So a tree does not have to be green, or even upright, but it must clearly
represent or be recognizable as a tree. Briefly, it depicts something easily
recognized by most people. For example, the painting below is called Thunder
Magic by Marcia Baldwin. People can generally recognize it as a horse without
doubt. Although the using of colour may not be realistic, it represents an actual
subject from reality

B. Non-representational or non-objective arts are those that do not have

visible subject. Music, architecture, and many of the functional arts are non-
representational. They appeal directly to the senses primarily because of the
satisfying organization of their sensuous and expressive elements. Non-
representational or abstract art consists of images that have no clear identity,
and must be interpreted by the viewer. Nonrepresentational art may simply
depict shapes, colors, lines, etc., but may also express things that are not visible
– emotions or feelings for example. Picasso is a well-known artist who used
abstraction in many of his paintings and sculptures: figures are often simplified,
distorted, exaggerated, or geometric. Pablo Picasso, Girl Before a Mirror, 1932,
MOMA For example, the painting below is The Persistence Of Memory by a
famous artist, Salvador Dali. The most eye-catching things in the painting are
the three soft melting pocket watches. According to some studies, the soft
watches may be a visual depiction of the idea behind the Einstein's theory of
relativity. The figure in the middle of the picture has one closed eye with several
eyelashes, it is possibly suggesting the irrelevance of time during sleep.
However, the perception of this picture may have somewhat difference
between people.

Is subject synonymous to content?

Undeniably, the terms subject and content are too confusing. Sometimes if not
most of the time, they were interchangeably used. Subject matter is the literal,
visible image in a work while content includes the connotative, symbolic, and
suggestive aspects of the image. The subject matter is the subject of the
artwork, e.g., still life, portrait, landscape etc. Further, content refers to what the
artist expresses or communicates on the whole in his work. Sometimes it is spoken
of as the meaning of the work. In literature it is called the “theme”. It reveals the
attitude toward his subject.

Gerald Brommer in Emotional content: How to create paintings that

communicate notes that "Content is the reason for making a painting.

" He further elaborates: "Content is not subject or things in the painting.

Content is the communication of ideas, feelings and reactions connected with
the subject When we look at a painting its content is what is sensed rather than
what can be analyzed. It is the ultimate reason for creating art." Something in
the painting must appeal or speak to the heart, spirit and soul of the viewer. He
specifically calls this "emotional content".

Subject matter may acquire different levels of meaning:

1. Factual meaning is the literal statement or the narrative content in the work
which can be directly apprehended because the objects presented are easily
recognized.

2. Conventional meaning refers to the special meaning that a certain object or

color has for a particular culture or group of people. Examples: Flag is the
agreed-upon symbol for a nation. Cross is a Christian symbol of faith Wheel is
the Buddhist symbol for the teachings of Gautama Buddha

3. Subjective meaning is any personal meaning consciously or unconsciously

conveyed by the artist using a private symbolism which stems from his own
association of certain objects, actions, or colors with past experiences. This can
be fully understood only when the artist himself explains what he really means.
Take a look at the example below applying the three levels of giving meaning
to an artwork.

Common Subjects Depicted in Art

1. Landscape, seascape, and cityscape

Artists have always been fascinated with their physical environment. Filipino
painters have captures on canvas the Philippine countryside, as well as the sea
bathed in pale moonlight or catching the reflection of the setting sun. Fernando
Amorsolo romanticized Philippine landscapes, turning the rural areas into idyllic
places where agrarian problems are virtually unknown. Modern painters seem to
more attracted to scenes in cities. Traffic jams, high-rises, and skylines marked by
uneven rooftops and television antennae have caught their fancy.

2. Still life
Groups of inanimate objects arranged in an indoors setting such as flower and
fruit arrangements, musical instruments, dishes of food on dining tables. The still
lifes in Chinese and Japanese painters usually show flowers, fruits, and leaves still
in their natural setting, unplucked from the branches.

3. Animals
The earliest known paintings are representations of animals on the walls of
caves. In fact, the carabao has been a favorite subject of Filipino artists.
Romeo Tabuena‟s stylized carabaos have graced Philippine Christmas cards.
Napoleon Abuena‟s bronze and marble sculptures have captured the strength
and beauty of the animal. William Blake wrote about the symmetry and power
of the tiger and the meekness of the lamb. D.H. Lawrence celebrated the
regal
bearing of golden snake in his poem, “Snake.” In conventional religious art, the
dove stands for the Holy Spirit in representations of the Holy Trinity. The fish and
lamb are symbols of Christ; the phoenix, of the Resurrection, and the peacock,
of immortality.

4. Portraits
A portrait is a realistic likeness of a person in a sculpture, painting, drawing, or
print. Besides the face, other things worth noticing in portraits are the subject‟s
hand, which can be very expressive, and his particular attire and accessories.
They reveal so much of the person and his time. Portraits are also used to mark
milestones in people‟s lives. Baptisms, graduations, and weddings are often
occasions for people to pose for their portraits. In literature, Chaucer‟s
Prologue to Canterbury Tales is an interesting portrait gallery of a cross-section
of English society during the 14th century. There are the unforgettable Knight
and his son, the Squire, the demure Prioress, the worldly Monk, and the
inimitable Wife of Bath, to name a few.

5. Human Figures
The sculpture‟s chief subject has traditionally been the human body, nude or
clothed. The grace and ideal proportions of the human form were captured in
religious sculpture by the ancient Greeks. To them physical beauty was the
symbol of moral and spiritual perfections; thus, theyportrayed their gods and
goddesses as possessing human shapes. Early Christian and medieval artists
seldom represented the nude figure. The figures they used to decorate the
entrances and walls of their churches were distorted so as not to call undue
attention to the sensuous physical shape and distract the mind from spiritual
thoughts. However, Renaissance artists reawakened an interest in the nude
human figure. Michaelangelo‟s David shows a closer tie with the Greek
sculptures than with the Romanesque ones.

6. Everyday life
Artists have always shown deep concern about life around them. Rice threshers,
cockfighters, candle vendors, street musicians, children at play etc.

7. History and legend

History consists of verifiable facts, legends of unverifiable ones. Juan Luna‟s
Blood Compact, not at Malacanang, commemorates the agreement between
Sikatuna and Legaspi which they supposedly sealed by drinking wine in which
drops of each other‟s blood had been mixed. Luna‟s prize-winning Spoliarium
depicts a scene during the days of the early Roman Empire when gladiatorial
fights were a popular form of entertainment for the upper class. At Ford
Santiago are paintings showing incidents in the life of Jose Rizal. Malakas and
Maganda and Mariang Makiling are among the legendary subjects which have
been rendered in painting and sculpture by not a few Filipino artists.

8. Religion and myth

Most of the world‟s religions have used arts to aid worship, to instruct, to inspire
feelings of devotion, and to impress and covert non- believers. Some Filipino
artists attempted to render in art not only traditional religious themes but folk
beliefs in creatures of lower mythology as well. Solomon Saprid has done statues
of the tikbalang. He is a sculptor best known for his bronze “Tikbalang” series
which he began in 1971. He created them welding scraps of metal, producing a
characteristic jagged effect. “Taking of the Tikbalang” was one of his major
works at the Makati commercial center. He represented Phillippines in 1971
Indian Triennale, and the 1973 Australian Biennial.

9. Dreams and fantasies

Dreams are usually vague and illogical. Artist, especially the surrealist, have tried
to depict dreams, as well as the grotesque terrors and apprehensions that lurk in
the depths of the subconscious. The Great Masturbator is one of the earliest
Salvador Dalí„s surrealist works from the period he was fascinated by Freud‟s
psychoanalytic theory and obsessed by analyzing unconscious aspects of self as
well as sexual repressed mechanism and ego structure. Therefore, painting The
Great Masturbator is kind of a self-portrait, view on a artist‟s overgrown ego and
its transformations, posed in dreamlike surreal landscape along with various
objects of desire – beloved Gala or desert oasis but also accompanied by
paranoid fears of unknown faceless figures and insects.

METHODS OF PRESENTING THE ART SUBJECT

What are the methods in presenting art subject?

The following are the commonly used methods in presenting the art subject:

1. Realism
Realism, in the arts, is the accurate, detailed, unembellished depiction of
nature or of contemporary life. Realism rejects imaginative idealization in
favour of a close observation of outward appearances

2. Abstraction
Abstract art is an art that does not attempt to represent an accurate
depiction of a visual reality but instead use shapes, colors, forms and gestural
marks to achieve its effect. Abstraction indicates a departure from reality in
depiction of imagery in art. Abstraction exists along a continuum; abstract
art can formally refer to compositions that are derived (or abstracted) from
a figurative or other natural source. Picasso is a well-known artist who used
abstraction in many of his paintings and sculptures: figures are often
simplified, distorted, exaggerated, or geometric

Abstraction has been presented in different manners such as:

A. Distortion
A distortion is a change, twist, or exaggeration that makes something appear
different from the way it really is. You can distort an image, a thought, or even
an idea Distortion is the alteration of the original shape of something, be it a
person or an object. While this is normally not the desired outcome in most
instances, it is exactly what artists who use the technique want

B. Elongation
"Elongation art" refersto paintingsthat feature figuresthat are painted with
their forms elongated much more than they are in reality. Elongation is a form
of abstract art that often depicts the stretched forms of people or objects in
nature. Among the artists who created elongation art was early 20th-century
 artist Amedeo Modigliani, who is renowned for his use of elongation in portraits
as well as more abstract paintings. Some other artists known for using
elongation in their paintings are modern African-American painter Ernie Barnes
and Italian Renaissance artist Parmigianino, who is noted for the painting
"Madonna of the Long Neck

C. Mangling
This may not be a commonly used way of presenting an abstract subject,
but there are few artists who show subject or objects which are cut,
lacerated, mutilated, torn, hacked or disfigured.

D. Cubism
One of the most influential art movements of the early twentieth century and one
that remains a major source of inspiration for many artists today is Cubism. Cubism
marked a major turning point in the whole evolution of modernist art. In the field
of literature, its influence was most notably in the writings of Gertrude Stein,
James Joyce and William Faulkner, who applied the principles of abstract language,
repetition and use of multiple narrators. And, in music, the composer Igor
Stravinsky credited Cubism for having an impact on his work

Types of Cubism

a. Analytical Cubism This form of Cubism analyzed the use of rudimentary shapes
and overlapping planes to depict the separate forms of the subjects in a
painting. It refers to real objects in terms of identifiable details that become
—through repetitive use—signs or clues that indicate the idea of the object.
It is considered to be a more structured and monochromatic approach than
that of Synthetic Cubism.
b. Synthetic Cubism It became a popular style of artwork that includes
characteristics like simple shapes, bright colors, and little to no depth. It
was also the birth of collage art in which real objects were incorporated into
the paintings.

E. Abstract Expressionism
Leo Tolstoy could be called a father of abstract expressionism and the
expressionist movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. His “Expression
 Theory” centered on the idea that art elicits and provokes emotion in the
viewer. Tolstoy believed that the role of the artist was to provide the viewer
with something that would bring out these effects. Abstract Expressionism
achieves this by letting the medium and composition communicate for itself.
Artists like Pollock believed that it was the viewer (and not the artist) who
defines and interpret the meaning of the abstract expressionist artwork thus,
there is no relevance on what artist thinks or conveys while producing the work.
Abstract Expressionism is an artistic movement of the mid-20th century
comprising diverse styles and techniques and emphasizing especially an artist‟s
liberty to convey attitudes and emotions through nontraditional and usually
nonrepresentational means

3. Symbolism
Symbolism is really an intellectual form of expression. Not content using color and
shape to communicate their feelings, symbolist artists inject their compositions
with messages and esoteric references. It is this narrative content which turns a
work of art into a symbolist work of art. Symbolist painters and sculptors were
inspired by literature and poetry of the day, as well as the history, legends, myths,
Biblical stories and fables of the past. In expressing themselves, symbolist artists
endowed their subjects (eg. women, heroic males, flowers, landscapes, animals),
with mythological or other esoteric meanings. Many artists turned to stimulants
like alcohol and drugs to fuel their imagination. Favourite symbolist subjects
included: sensual issues, religious feelings, occultism, love, death, disease and sin,
while decadence was a common feature

4. Fauvism
Fauvism was a style of painting developed in France at the beginning of the 20th
century by Henri Matisse and André Derain. The artists who painted in this style
were known as 'Les Fauves'. The title 'Les Fauves' (the wild beasts) came from a
sarcastic remark by the art critic Louis Vauxcelles. Les Fauves believed that color
should be used to express the artist's feelings about a subject, rather than simply
to describe what it looks like.
5. Expressionism
Expressionism is art that is more associated with emotion or feeling than with
literal interpretation of a subject. Expressionistic art uses vivid colors, distortion,
two-dimensional subjects that lack perspective. It's created to express the
emotions of the artists as well as produce an emotional response of the viewer.
One of the most famous expressionists is the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh
(1853-1890). His paintings seem to vibrate with emotion

6. Dadaism
Dadaism or Dada was a form of artistic anarchy born out of disgust for the social,
political and cultural values of the time. It embraced elements of art, music,
poetry, theatre, dance and politics. Dada was not so much a style of art like
Cubism or Fauvism; it was more a protest movement with an anti-establishment
manifesto. Dada was an art movement formed during the First World War in
Zurich in negative reaction to the horrors and folly of the war. The art, poetry
and performance produced by dada artists is often satirical and nonsensical in
nature

7. Surrealism
The term surrealism indicates a specific thought and movement in literature, the
arts, and theatre, which tries to integrate the confused realms of imagination and
reality. The proponents of surrealism endeavor to mix up the differences of
conscious and unconscious thought through writing and painting by using irrational
juxtaposition of images. Initiated by André Breton (1896-1966), surrealism is a
kind of artistic movement started in the French capital, Paris, during the 1920s.
This movement lasted until the 1940s. Breton, a famous writer as well as a
philosopher, boosted this movement further by publishing his manifesto, “The
Manifesto of Surrealism.” Although it gave new dimensions to art, it was not a
political manifesto. The manifesto states that, horrified by the destruction caused
by the world wars and subsequent confusion, art and literature faced numerous
political challenges in resolving those confusions, the reaction of which emerged in
the shape of surrealism. This movement rather aimed at preventing bloody
revolutions by breaking the limitations placed on arts and literature by the politics
of that time
8. Futurism
Futurism was an Italian art movement of the early twentieth century that aimed
to capture in art the dynamism and energy of the modern world. This was launched
by the Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in 1909. Among modernist
movements futurism was exceptionally vehement in its denunciation of the past.
This was because in Italy the weight of past culture was felt as particularly
oppressive. In the Manifesto, Marinetti asserted that „we will free Italy from her
innumerable museums which cover her like countless cemeteries‟. What the
futurists proposed instead was an art that celebrated the modern world of
industry and technology:

9. Impressionism
Impressionism was an art movement in France at the end of the 19th century. The
Impressionists were a group of artists renowned for their innovative painting
techniques and approach to using color in art. Impressionist art is a style of
painting that emerged in the mid-to-late 1800s and emphasizes an artist's
immediate impression of a moment or scene, usually communicated through the use
of light and itsreflection,short brushstrokes, and separation of colors.
Impressionist painters, such as Claude Monet in his "Impression: Sunrise" and
Edgar Degas in "Ballet Class," often used modern life as their subject matter and
painted quickly and freely, capturing light and movement in a way that had not
been tried before