Unit 2 Subject and Content

Lesson 1 - The Subject of An Artwork

The term subject in arts refers to the main idea that is represented in the artwork. The
subject in art is basically the essence of the piece. To determine subject matter in a particular
piece of art, one may be guided by the questions: What is actually depicted in this artwork? What
is the artist trying to express to the world... What is his or her message? And how are they
conveying that message?
In artwork, the subject matter would be what the artist has chosen to paint, draw or
sculpt. The subject matter or topic is entirely up to the artist. Art is really liberating in that sense.
It allows you to say whatever you want to say. Whether the message is understood by others is
another story, and whether the artist discloses the meaning of it or not is also a personal choice.
Some artists don't like to assign a strict explanation of their art so that they are not imposing on
the viewer‟s own narrative and concept of the work.
That allows it to be more reflective or interactive if you like. It is nice to contemplate
something without being told what it is. Of course there are some symbols that are archetypal
and commonly understood/interpreted by humanity in the same way. Therefore symbols can be
very powerful when trying to convey a specific idea. Other times one doesn't have a fixed idea
when creating. Sometimes if I don't have a particular subject I just start to paint with no plan. It
is a bit like meditation because through that process I am outside myself viewing the process
remotely...or that is how I can best describe the experience anyway. I just let my subconscious
work away starting with patterns and letting the colors and shapes suggest forms to me as I go
and then the panting reveals itself to me. It is fun because it is a surprise to me also.
Some artworks have subjects and some do not. The art pieces which use a specific subject
is called representational art or objective art; while those that have no subjects are called non-
representational or non-objective art.
Representational art refers to art which represents something, whether that be a tree in a
landscape, apple in a still life, or figure in a portrait. Or in other words, it is art which is clearly
identifiable as something which already exists in life. Representational art does not need to be a
completely realistic depiction of the subject; there will often be varying levels of abstraction.
(https://drawpaintacademy.com/)
 Representational Art is a term that generally refers to a painting or sculpture that is
clearly recognizable for what it claims to be. It references images such as a human form or a tree,
and although these images may not always be portrayed as true to life in color or position, they
are still recognizable to the viewer. Representational Art depicts any identifiable object or series
of objects and their physical appearance in reality. It is also referred to as Figurative Art, being
that it is derived from real object sources. Oftentimes, representational artists act as observers,
and interpret what they see in their own way through their work.
(https://www.debuckgallery.com/glossary/representationalart/)
 Non-representational or non-objective art, on the other hand, refers to compositions
which do not rely on representation or mimesis to any extent. Abstract art, non-figurative art,
non-objective art, and nonrepresentational art are related terms that indicate a departure from
reality in the depiction of imagery in art. Meaning in nonrepresentational art is highly subjective
and can be difficult to define. We can focus on the elements of the artwork (form, shape, line,
color, space, and texture) in terms of the aesthetic value of the work, but the meaning will always
be personal to the viewer unless the artist has made a statement about his or her intentions.
Generally, we can look at non-representational art as the personal expression of an artist's
subjective experience. Certain movements have described their intentions as an aim to evoke
moods or emotions in the viewer. (boundless.com) Below are a few examples of non-
representational art works:
 Lesson 2: The Sources of Subject
A learner, most of the time, may imagine as to where an artist gets his inspiration from
with regard to how he produces a certain masterpiece. It is noteworthy to remember that artists
are unique both in personal experiences and human attributes hence their differences in the
manner of creating art pieces or in producing art works. As art is a way of man in expressing
himself, an artist‟s choice of subject or the source of his inspiration only explains his inner world
and his personality in general. With thi, it is noteworthy to present the sources of artists‟
inspiration in doing their works.
1. Nature.
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical universe,
material world or material universe. “Nature” refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and
also to life in general.”(wikipedia.com) It is considered the most commonly used source of art.

2. People. They are considered the most interesting subject of an artwork which may be
real or imagined. An artist‟s thoughts, moods and even the genre of a certain art work may be
depicted by people by means of clues as takeaways. People as subjects may be presented as
individuals or groups and may perform tasks as how they do in their everyday life. Below are a
few examples.
 6. Mythology. These are sources of subjects that come from the stories of gods and
goddesses of Ancient Greece, Rome, Norse and Egyptians. These so called deities of the
mythological world depict present humanlike behaviours.
 8. Technology. The modernity of the present is also an inspiration being used by artists as
a source of subject. The wondrous use of machines, the towering skyscrapers, state of the art
robotics technology, top of the line transportation machineries as cars, ships and motorcycles to
name a few are sources of subjects of interest under technology.

Sources of Subject Powerpoint Presentation Source: http://www.slideshare.net

https://www.slideshare.net/janril/subject-and-content-
ofarts?fbclid=IwAR2HdEozAu6QcplgnzpLZLW8W8F7ZQFAkLUIALtODApQQL6MicO
wzsGcon0
 Lesson 3: Ways of Presenting the Subject
After the artist has decided on the source of the subject of his artwork, he is now ready to
identify the method of how he wants his art work to be presented to his viewers. Their choice of
a method may depend upon his expertise, exposure to certain art pieces or simply of his personal
preferences. The following are some of the methods or ways on how an artist presents his subject
to his audience.
1.Naturalism. Naturalism in art refers to the depiction of realistic objects in a natural
setting. The Realist movement of the 19th century advocated naturalism in reaction to the
stylized and idealized depictions of subjects in Romanticism, but many painters have used a
similar approach over the centuries. Naturalism began in the early Renaissance, and developed
itself further throughout the Renaissance, such as with the Florentine School. Naturalism is a
type of art that pays attention to very accurate and precise details, and portrays things as they are.
(source: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturalism) Artworks in naturalism always depict
pieces showing the idealized human form. One would immediately recognize that these images
were imitated from the human form. Similar to the superheroes of today‟s comic books and
films, these figures were made almost perfect to imbue them with a greater degree of stature and
significance worthy of superbeings. In this way, the imagery did not focus on the specific
attributes of an individual but on the more universal characteristics of the human form as is
accepted by the culture of the day. (Kissick, 1996)
 2.Realism. Realism in the arts is generally the attempt to represent subject matter
truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding speculative fiction and supernatural elements.
Realism has been prevalent in the arts at many periods, and can be in large part a matter of
technique and training, and the avoidance of stylization. In the visual arts, illusionistic realism is
the accurate depiction of life forms, perspective, and the details of light and colour. But realist or
naturalist works of art may, as well or instead of illusionist realism, be "realist" in their subject
matter, and emphasize the mundane, ugly or sordid. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/) Realism is the
most popular way of presenting art subjects.

3.Abstraction. Abstraction finds its roots in „intuition‟ (of the artist) and „freedom‟ (for
the artist as well as for the viewer). It is the capability of the artist to use their imagination to
look beyond what we can physically see and translate intangible emotions onto the canvas. It is
also the ability of the audience to then try to connect to the artist‟s intention and free their own
mind of visual restrictions. Historically, the abstract art movement emerged in the nineteenth
century as a reaction to academic painting or realism. In fact, a very simple way to understand
the essence of abstract art is to think of it as a visual opposite of realistic art. While realism pays
attention to every tiny fold or wrinkle, abstraction gives the artist the freedom to trust their
intuition to create art that is equally worthy of an audience. (https://www.art-mine.com/) This is
a method of presenting the subject where the artist moves away from reality. The artist usually
alters the shapes and colors in rendering a particular art piece. Abstraction may be in these
forms:
 A. Distortion. Distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of
something. In the art world, a distortion is any change made by an artist to the size, shape or
visual character of a form to express an idea, convey a feeling or enhance visual impact.
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Please watch the following videos related to Unit 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90wdA6pxL2Y&list=PLTfIDOC9OwRif7u8KBYINrwkX
MftC3o6&index=2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oSndGmQynA&list=PLTfIDOC9OwRif7u8KBYINrwkX
MftC3o6&index=4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAmilz1Hdgk&list=PLTfIDOC9OwRif7u8KBYINrwkXM
ftC3o6&index=23