MODULE I

INTRODUCTION TO ARTS APPRECIATION

 INTRODUCTION

In this module, you will acquire important knowledge of the basic concepts and
rudiments of art and art appreciation from definition, assumptions, philosophical views
about art and the functions it does in our daily lives. Moreover, you will learn to analyze
the subject and content of artworks. Through these, you will develop an eye for visual
arts particularly. Thus, you will become individuals with deeper understanding and
appreciation to different artworks.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the course, the students should be able to:

1. define art from their own concept;

2. appraise the level of creativity;
3. analyze the assumptions of art based fro their own observation and
concept;
4. create a photo essay reflecting the content of their artwork;
5. discuss the philosophical views of art;
6. explain the impact of a chosen artwork in their everyday lives;
7. determine the function of different artworks;
8. analyze and discuss the subject and the meaning of selected artwork;
9. analyze the content of a chosen Filipino artwork;
Lesson 1


INTRODUCTION TO ART APPRECIATION:
Definition and Assumption of Arts

ETYMOLOGY OF ART
The word “art” is rooted in the 13th century French word art, which means skill
as a result of learning or practice, and the Latin word ars, meaning ability or practical
skills; “Artis”, an Italian word which means craftsmanship, skill,mastery of form,
inventiveness and the association tha exist between form and ides and between
material and techniques; from the Aryan root “ar” which means to join or put together;
from the Greek words “artizein” which means to prepare, and “arkiskein”, meaning
to put together. Art covers many meanings including ability, process, and product. As
ability, art is the human capacity to make things of beauty and things that stir us; it is
creativity.
Art is uniquely human and tied directly to culture. It takes the ordinary and
makes it extraordinary. It asks questions about who we are, what we value, the meaning
of beauty and the human condition. Art is studied because “it is among the highest
expressions of culture, embodying its ideals and aspirations, challenging its assumptions
and beliefs, and creating new visions and possibilities for it to pursue” (Sayre, XVI).

FOUR COMMON ESSENTIALS OF ART:

1. Art has to be man-made.
2. Art must be creative.
3. Art must benefit and satisfy man.
4. Art is expressed through certain medium or material by which the artist
communicates himself to his audience.

ART APPRECIATION
The term art appreciation is referred to the knowledge of the general and
everlasting qualities that classify all great art. It is seen used to refer to the exploration
of visual art forms or the introduction of basic principles of visual literacy. It refers to
analyzing the form of an artwork to general audiences to enhance their enjoyment of
such works of art. It may be analyzed without reference to subject matter, symbolism
or historical context.
Art appreciation can be subjective depending on personal preference to
aesthetics and form, or it can be based on several elements and principle of design and
also depends on social and cultural acceptance. Most of the modern art critics and art
historians draw back from this term, underrating art appreciation as demanding too
little serious thought.
Art appreciation in the humanities is being able to look at a work of art and form a wise
opinion of the work. Art appreciation therefore, deals with the learning or
understanding and creating works and enjoying them.
It takes an artist to make art. One may perceive beauty on a daily basis.
However, not every beautiful thing that can be seen or experienced may truly be called
a work of art.

Art Appreciation as a way of life

“The role of art as a creative work is to depict the world in a completely
different light and perspective” – Jean-Paul Sartre
Each artwork beholds beauty in its own kind, the kind that the artist sees and wants
the viewers to perceive.

The Role of Creativity in Art Making

Creativity requires thinking outside the box. In art, creativity is what sets apart
one artwork from another.
When can we say that something is creative? When we have not seen anything like it…
When it is out of the ordinary… When it is not just a copy or imitation of someone’s
work …THERE IS ORIGINALITY!

When can we say a person is creative?

Robert Weisberg says that creative refers to novel products of value as in “The airplane
was a creative invention”. “Creative” also refers to the person who produces the work
as in “Picasso was creative”. “Creativity then refers to both to the capacity to produce
such works. Nowadays, being creative can be quite challenging.

 ACTIVITY 1

Art has been defined in various ways given by different authors,

philosophers, and educators. Think as many words as possible that can be related
to art, from those words organize them to come up with the idea of your own
definition of arts.

ASSUMPTIONS OF ART
These are ways principles and bases of appreciating a work of art since it is in
art that man can communicate one’s individuality and way of life.
1. Art is Universal and Timeless. Art is everywhere, wherever men have lived
together, art has sprung up among them as a language charged with feelings
and significance. Art has no limits and it rises above cultures, races, and
civilization.
2. Art is Not Nature. Art is man-made, it is a creation of man utilizing his
thoughtful skill and artistry, which undergoes process and planning. Art that
 is created by God is divine, and art that is created by man is superficial or
temporary. Art is made by man, whereas nature is a given around us.

3. Art Involves Experience. Art is a depiction of our experiences. It demands

taking part. It does not require full detail, just an experience - “Actual doing
of something.” All art works depends on experience, and if one is to know
art, he must know it not as fact or information but as an experience.” We
can only appreciate art if we spend time to look at it, touch it, and feel its
presence.
4. Art is a product of imagination; imagination is a product of art.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to
all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire
world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” – Albert Einstein

5. Art as expression. “What an artist does to an emotion is not to induce it, but
to express it. Through expression, he can explore his own emotions and at
the same time, create something beautiful out of them.” – Robin George
Collingwood
Expressing emotions is different from describing emotions. This makes
people’s art not a reflection of what is outside or external to them, but a
reflection of their inner selves.

 ACTIVITY 2

Take a picture of any random objects that you see in your surroundings
using digital camera or mobile phone. Take into consideration the subject’s
general aesthetic appeal. Write a short explanation on why you chose it and
how it affects your creativity and imagination.
Lesson 2

 FUNCTIONS OF ARTS AND

PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWS OF ARTS

FUNCTIONS OF ARTS
Art is a way of expressing one’s self, a way of joy, and a way of making people
understand things which can’t be done verbally. According to Lévi-Strauss the different
purposes of art may be grouped according to those that are motivated and those that
are non- motivated.

A. Motivated Functions of Art

Motivated purposes of art refer to intentional, conscious actions on the part
of the artists or creator.

1. Social Function - Art is considered to have a social function if and when it

addresses a particular collective interest as opposed to a personal interest.

a. For Communication- Art, at its simplest, is a form of communication.

b. For Entertainment- Art may seek to bring about a particular emotion or
mood, for the purpose of relaxing or entertaining the viewer.
c. For social inquiry, subversion, and/or anarchy- While similar to art for
political change, subversive o art may seek to question aspects of society
without any specific political goal. In this case, the function of art may be
simply to criticize some aspect of society.

2. Cultural Function- Art helps preserve, share, and transmit culture of

people from one generation to another. Art is also used to reinforce the
religious or spiritual support of a culture. Ritualistic and symbolic functions.
In many cultures, art is used in rituals, performances and dances as a
decoration or symbol.

3. Psychological and healing purposes. Art is also used by art therapists,

psychotherapists and clinical psychologists as art therapy.

B. Non-motivated Functions of Art

The non-motivated purposes of art are those that are integral to being
human, transcend the individual, or do not fulfill a specific external purpose. In
 this sense, art, as creativity, is something humans must do by their very nature
(i.e., no other species creates art), and is therefore beyond utility.
1. Personal Function. It is used to provide comfort, happiness and
convenience to human beings. An artist may create an art out of self-
expression, entertainment, or therapeutic purpose.

2. Aesthetic Function. Art becomes influential for man to be aware of the

beauty of nature. When there is real feeling of appreciation to nature’s
beauty and manifested through appreciation and enjoyment when in
contact with the artwork, then we can consider it as aesthetic function.

REFLECTION
In understanding which function an art operates; you can depend on the
context of the art. Question like what the artist was thinking; what piece of art
means to you; and how the art fits in the general timeline are considered when
looking at the context of art.

 ACTIVITY 1
List down 15 things that you consider art and beside it, identify their
function/s. Write it in a tabular format.

PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWS OF ARTS

1. Art is mimesis (Plato) According to him, art is an imitation of the real that was
imitation of the ideal.

2. Art as representation (Aristotle). Aristotle agreed with Plato that art is a form
of imitation. However, Aristotle considered art as an aid to philosophy in
revealing the truth and that the aim of art is not to represent the outward
appearance of things but their inward significance.

3. Art for art’s sake (Immanuel Kant). Art has its own reason for being. Kant’s
critique of judgment considered the judgment of beauty, the cornerstone of art,
as something that can be universal despite its subjectivity.

Considering that art is a disinterested judgement, how and in what sense can a
judgement of beauty, which ordinarily is a subjective feeling be considered
objective or universal?
 How are these two statements different?

a) “I like this painting.”

b) “This painting is beautiful.”

The first is clearly a judgment of taste (subjective), while the second is an

aesthetic judgment (objective). Making an aesthetic judgment requires us to be
disinterested. In other words, we should try to go beyond our individual tastes and
preferences so that we can appreciate art from a universal standpoint.

4. Art as an expression of emotion. According to Leo Tolstoy, art plays a huge

role in communication to its audience’s emotions that the artist previously
experienced. In the same that language communicates information to other
people, art communicates emotions.

5. Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. Thomas
Merton, a spiritual writer believed that through engaging ourselves in art, we
can know more about the real “us” and if we put ourselves in that chosen art
and work passionately in it - thus we lose ourselves and tend to lose our
inhibitions and therefore can fully express ourselves. It has been said that the
art we choose to hang on our walls is a visual representation of who we are and
what we believe in. The resonance of art is deeply personal and what works for
one person might do the opposite for another.

 THINK!

Different people have different views and perspective on how they judge or
assess art. Each have different taste and interest that serves as a basis in
appreciating art on different level.