Ronor Angela L. Albeto Ms.

Angelie Naquila
BSED – Mathematics 1

Art Appreciation
Lesson 5

Summary Report “Artist and Artisans”

The art is one of the most significant ways in which we try to grapple with how
the present unfolds.
In Robert Henri’s The Art Spirit (1923), he stated that “Art when really understood
is the province of every human being. It is simply a question of doing things,
anything, well.
In Peter Drucker’s seminal book Post-Capitalist Society (1993), he stated that
“the real controlling resource and the absolutely decisive factor of production is
neither capital not land nor labor. It is knowledge. Instead of capitalists and
proletarians, the classes of the post capitalist society are the knowledge workers
and the service workers.”
Artists have treaded a long history. Their roots can likewise be traced in one of
the major milestones in human civilization.
In the first episode of the video series “New Ways of Seeing”, a project by The
New York Times’ T Brand Studio and jewelry giant Tiffany & Co., art critic Jerry
Saltz (2016) underscored the significance of not only the discovery of the cave
paintings, but also the paintings themselves.
Jerry Saltz asserted that “these first artists invented a way to get the three-
dimensional world into two dimensions and attach value to their own ideas. And
all of the history of art flows forth from this invention.”
The impulse to create is at the core of human civilization, much like the impulse
to communicate through language.

The Artisan and the Guilds

Museums are packed with numerous artifacts and interesting objects from all
over the world that have survived centuries for us all to see. Magnificent
structures that are often appreciated not only for their historical significance but
more so for their aesthetic characteristics that render them unique, become
tourist destinations for those who wish to explore and see the remarkable facade,
interior, and even the minutest of details up close.
Another contributory factor is the emergence of technology and knowledge in
managing and conserving all of these objects and structures, enabling the
retention of the integrity of the artwork and the intention of the artist in terms of
the design and overall aesthetic.
There are many great museums in the world like the Gothic cathedrals and other
megastructures that were built all over Europe during the Middle Ages.
The Cologne Cathedral is one of the Gothic architecture in Germany.
The account was that master mason Gerard Ryle started the project in 1248 but
was only completed roughly 600 years later, claiming the record as one of the
longest construction projects to date.
 A master artisan or craftsman would then be open to hiring apprentices who
would be under his tutelage and instruction. In this guild, artistry and technology
flourished under one roof.
In the visual arts, an example of an artist strongly influenced by this was Albrecht
Durer. Born in 1471, his father was a goldsmith; that is why he also apprenticed
as such.
Although the timeline is a bit skewed, the culture of artisans became prevalent in
the Philippines as well, particularly during the Spanish colonial period.
Project Kisame is a collective endeavour amongst enthusiasts and advocates
who aimed to promote this art form through documentation, engagement, and
appreciation of surviving ceiling paintings in more than 60 churches in the
Philippines.
One example of the Spanish architecture that had been documented is the
Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Loay, Bohol. Built in 1822, the ceiling paintings
were rendered trompe l’oeil style depicting biblical scenes.
Two other important genres for painting at that time were the tipos del pais and
letras y figuras. The former was watercolor paintings that showcased the different
local inhabitants of the country in different garbs, and clues to their occupation
and status; while the latter combined the principle of tipos del pais and
incorporated it as a means to illustrate the letters on one’s name or surname.
One key example that illustrated the systematization of an art instruction---a
combination of sorts of the guild and the art school--- was the establishment
Damian Domingo of the Academia de Dibujo. Known as the best tipos del pais
painter, this school specialized in teaching the miniaturismo style of painting
along with the tenets of classical European painting.

The Artist and His Studio

Artists claiming authorship for their works by affixing their mark onto the surfaces
of their paintings were a big milestone in the history of the artist.
There were those whose work stations were segmented into two, the studiolo
and the bottega; the latter is where the work usually happened.
In France, academies and art salons became popular as they did not only
support the production of art but also the discourse around them.
The beginnings of Industrial Revolution had an interesting ramification for artists.
A compendium of events released the artists from the limitations that affected the
way in which they produced their works.

Other Players in the World of Art

In Howard S. Becker’s Art Worlds (1982), he asserted that “all artistic work, like
all human activity, involves the joint activity of a number, often a large number, to
people. Through their cooperation, the artwork we eventually see or hear comes
to be and continues to be. The work always shows signs of that cooperation. The
forms of cooperation maybe ephemeral, but often become more or less routine;
producing patterns of collective activity we can call an art world. The existence of
art world, as well as the way their existence affects both the production and
consumption of artworks, suggests a sociological approach to the arts. It is not
an approach that produces aesthetic judgements; although that is a task many
sociologist of art have set for themselves.”
 An example of a multi-level platform, where different players in what we call an
art world can engage, interact, and flex their art muscles, is the international art
fair like the Art Basel in Hong Kong.
For independent artists, those outside the wing of a gallery as a “stable artist”,
sometimes require the assistance of an artist manager in order to manage their
career and sometimes to help them in promoting themselves to the art world as
well.
A curator is one of the most elusive of roles to pin down. Institutional curators are
typically affiliated with museums and galleries, while independent or freelance
curators have the leeway to move around various project platforms, and art
spaces in a multiplicity of terms.
A collector who has established himself as someone who not only appreciate arts
but knows art, understands its behavior and patterns, becoming a key player in
making or breaking an artist’s career or shaping the course of a museum’s
collection (through pledges of support and donation).
Art dealers are those whose direct hand is in the distribution and circulation of
the artworks through a variety of means, such as direct sales, through galleries,
and the more recent player in the Philippines, auction houses.

Production Process
One of the things that one must accept is the fact that the arts have an anarchic
dimension to it, allowing it to fully harness its creative potential.
The process is essentially tripartite: (1) preproduction, (2) production, and (3)
postproduction.
Preproduction stage is where the artist always begins with an idea that he wants
to express or communicate with his audience.
Production is where some artists, however, birth their ideas when material
manipulation is already underway. This is when preproduction sometimes seep
into the production stage.
The last stage is the most drawn-out, the postproduction. Once an artwork is
finished, it will then be decided on how it will be circulated not only in the art
world, but the many publics.

Medium and Technique

Medium is one of the aspects of art that directly correlates with its composition
and presumed finality of the artwork. Medium is the mode of expression in which
the concept, idea, or message is conveyed.
The technique of the artwork shows the level of familiarity with the medium being
manipulated.

Engagement with Art

In Anna Cline’s The Evolving Role of the Exhibition and Its Impact on Art and
Culture (2012), she wrote that “exhibitions act as the catalyst of art and ideas to
the public they represent a way of displaying and contextualizing art that makes it
relevant and accessible to contemporary audiences. The art exhibition, by its
nature, holds a mirror up to society, reflecting its interests and concerns while at
the same time challenging its ideologies and preconceptions. Keeping art
relevant to society and to a diverse audience at any given point in history is one
 of the main goals of the art exhibition and one of the reasons it is so important to
the history of art.
In Paula Marincola’s What Makes a Great Exhibition? (2006), it reads that
“exhibitions are strategically located at the nexus where artists, their work, the
arts institution, and many different public intersect.”
One of the most common platforms to engage with the art is through exhibitions
either museums or galleries.
Exhibitions may be long-term or permanent hangs, or it may be temporary or
periodically changing.

Awards and Citations

In history, support for the arts and culture is not limited to the allocation of funds
or patronship. One of the most common measures in which artists and other
creative producers are given incentives and honor for their work is through state-
initiated are given awards and citations.
The very first recipient of the “National Artist” award was painter Fernando
Amorsolo, who was touted as the “Grand Old Man of the Philippine Art”. He was
the said awardee in the year 1972, a Natinal Artist for Visual Arts.
At present, there are 66 awardees of this prestigious honor across different art
forms.