MODULE: HUM001 – ART APPRECIATION

CHAPTER 2 – FUNCTIONS OF ART AND PHILOSOPHY

A. Explain the basic philosophical foundations of art.

B. Apply theories and concepts on beauty and aesthetics in real life scenario
C. Differentiate representational art and non-representational art;
D. Discuss the difference between an artwork’s subject and its content.

Within art, there exist purposes referred to as functions for which a piece of art may be
designed, but no art can be "assigned" a function either in scholarly studies or casual
conversation outside of the proper context. Art forms exist within very specific contexts that
must be considered when classifying them. Whether a particular piece of art has existed for
centuries or has yet to be created, it is functional in some way all art exists for a reason and
these reasons make up the functions of art.

PHYSICAL
The physical functions of art are often the easiest to
understand. Works of art that are created to perform some service
have physical functions. If you see a Fijian war club, you may
assume that, however wonderful the craftsmanship may be, it
was created to perform the physical function of smashing skulls.
A Japanese raku bowl is a piece of art that performs a
physical function in a tea ceremony.
Conversely, a fur-covered teacup from the Dada
movement has no physical function. Architecture, crafts such as welding and woodworking,
interior design, and industrial design are all types of art that serve physical functions.

SOCIAL
Art has a social function when it
addresses aspects of (collective) life as opposed
to one person's point of view or experience.
Viewers can often relate in some way to social art
and are sometimes even influenced by it.
Art that depicts social conditions performs
social functions and often this art comes in the
form of photography. The Realists figured this out
early in the 19th century.

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PERSONAL
The personal functions of art are often the most difficult to explain. There
are many types of personal functions and these are highly subjective. Personal
functions of art are not likely to be the same from person to person.
An artist may create a piece out of a need for self- expression or gratification.
They might also or instead want to communicate a thought or point to the viewer.
Sometimes an artist is only trying to provide an aesthetic experience, both for self
and viewers. A piece might be meant to entertain, provoke thought, or even have
no particular effect at all.

PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE ON ART

Aristotle claimed that every particular substance in the world has an end, or telos in Greek, which
translates into “purpose.” Every substance, defined as formed matter, moves according to a fixed path
towards its aim.

ART IS AN IMITATION
• In Plato’s The Republic, paints a
picture of artists as imitators and art
as mere imitation.
• In his description of the ideal republic,
Plato advises against the inclusion of
art as a subject in the curriculum and
the banning of artists in the Republic.
• Plato was convinced that artists
merely reinforce the belief in copies
and discourage men to reach for the
real entities in the World of Forms.
• Plato was deeply suspicious of arts
and artists for two reasons:
1. They appeal to the emotion rather to the rational faculty of men
2. They imitate rather than lead one to reality
• Poetry rouses emotions and feelings and thus, clouds rationality of people.
• Art is just an imitation of imitation. A painting is just an imitation of nature, which is also just
an imitation of reality in the World of Forms.
• Art then is to be banished, alongside the practitioners, so that the attitudes and actions of the
members of the Republic will not be corrupted by the influence of the arts.
• For Plato, art is dangerous because it provides a petty replacement for the real entities than
can only be attained through reason.

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ART AS A REPRESENTATION
• Aristotle agreed with Plato that art is a form
of imitation.
• However, Aristotle considered art as an aid
to philosophy in revealing the truth.
• The kind of imitation that art does is not
antithetical to the reaching of fundamental
truths in the world.
• Unlike Plato who thought that art is an
imitation of another imitation, Aristotle
conceived of art as representing possible
versions of reality.
• For Aristotle, all kinds of art do not aim to represent reality as it is, it endeavors to provide a
version of what might be or the myriad possibilities of reality.
• In Aristotelian worldview, art serves two particular purposes:
1. Art allows for the experience of pleasure (horrible experience can be made
an object of humor)
2. Art also has an ability to be instructive and teach its audience things about
life (cognitive)

ART AS A DISINTERESTED JUDGMENT

• Immanuel Kant, in his Critique of Judgment, considered
the judgment of beauty, the cornerstone of art, as something
that can be universal despite its subjectivity.
• Kant recognized that judgment of beauty is subjective.
• However, even subjective judgments are based on some
universal criterion for the said judgment.
• 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.

ART AS A COMMUNICATION 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 emotion.
• As a purveyor of man’s innermost feelings and thoughts, art is
given a unique opportunity to serve as a mechanism for social
unity.
• Art is central to man’s existence because it makes accessible
feelings and emotions of people from the past and present.

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SUBJECT and CONTENT of ART

Two types of subject:

1. REPRESENTATIONAL ART
• These types of art have subjects that refer to objects or events occurring in the
real world. It is also known as “figurative art”.
• A painting or sculpture that is clearly recognizable for what it claims to be.

a. Mona Lisa (1503) by Leonardo da Vinci

b. Boy Leading a Horse (1905) by Pablo Picasso
c. Palay Maiden (1920) by Fernando Amorsolo

a. b. c.

2. NON-REPRESENTATIONAL ART
• Art forms that do not make reference to the real world, whether it is a person, place,
thing, or even a particular event.
• It is stripped down only to visual elements to translate a particular emotion and
concept.
• Best example of a non-representational art is an abstract art.

Note: Abstract art can be a representational art since even with the abstraction of an
artwork, it can still form a real image through visual elements.

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SUBJECT OF ART
• The visual focus or the image that may be extracted from examining the artwork; the “what”

Six (6) main kinds of subject:

Still Life – a collection of inanimate objects

arranged together in a specific way.

Landscape – natural scenery such as

mountains, cliffs, rivers, etc.

Nature – a focused view or interpretation of

specific natural elements.

Portraiture – an image of a particular person

or animal, or group thereof.

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Abstract – a non-representational work of

art.

Day of the Dead – a Mexican holiday with a

vibrant artistic tradition.

CONTENT OF ART
The meaning that is expressed and communicated by the artist or the artwork; the “why”.

Three (3) various levels of meaning:

1 . Factual meaning – Is the most rudimentary level of meaning. Extracted from the identifiable
or recognizable forms in the artwork.
2. Conventional meaning – Pertains to the acknowledged interpretation of the artwork using
motifs, signs, and symbols. Established through time, strengthened by recurrent use and
wide acceptance by its audience who study them.
3. Subjective meaning – A particular work of art that is consulted and read. Meanings that
came from the viewers or audience’s circumstances and experiences. Meanings may not
be singular, rather, there are multiple and varied.

o https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/what-is-art/
o https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-the-functions-of-art-182414
o https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/what-is-visual-art/
o https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-sac-artappreciation/chapter/oer-1-9/