MODULE 1 The Nature, Importance and Meaning of Art

Nature of Art

Art is very important in our lives. It plays a large part in making our lives infinitely rich. It constitutes one of the oldest and most
important means of expression developed by man. Since men have lived together, art sprung up. In fact, in nearly every country,
art shows itself in primitive societies. In every age or country, there is always art. Art has been created by all people at all times;
it has lived because it is liked and enjoyed. A true work of art is made by man himself not imitatively, but creatively. A true artist
does not imitate nature but rather interpret it in his own way by selecting the essential features of the subject and rejecting the
minor ones. Art, as a term is taken from the Italian word, “artis,” which means craftsmanship, skill, mastery of form, inventiveness
and the association that exist between form and ideas 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 is derived from the Latin word “ars”, meaning ability or skill. Art is taken from the Italian word “artis,” which means
craftsmanship, skill, mastery of form, inventiveness, and the associations that exist between form and ideas, between material
and technique.

Art has a particular importance in our lives. All the art that we see and hear have a purpose as well as expression; they occupy
some place in our judgment. We can communicate through paintings, songs, dances, and dramatic plays to highlight and
heighten the importance of certain events and to keep them memorable and pleasurable. We also build monuments to remind
us of the heroic deeds of great men.

Artworks are also valuable sources of inspiration, and aesthetic and delightful experience. We are delighted by the books
we read and we are moved by the music we hear. We also get deep satisfaction from them. We enjoy a masterpiece of painting,
sculpture, or a play because they capture our attention. We are inspired to plan and construct our houses beautifully when we
are stimulated by modern architectural designs. Through the artist’s work, we get a glimpse of the thoughts, feelings and beliefs
of the people in their time and the faces in their environment that influenced their artwork. We also value and appreciate
beautiful things as a consequence of our encounter with the arts. Out of the aesthetic experiences we derive from the arts, we
may be influenced to change our ways and behavior. They may transform us into highly-cultured, dignified, and respectable
human beings. The arts may beautify our humanity.

Humanities and Art

The word humanities come from the Latin humanus, which means human, cultured and refined. It is based on the
philosophical view of humanism which stresses the dictum of Protagoras, a Greek philosopher, that “man is the measure of all
things,” implying that the humanities emphasize the dignity and worthiness of man and recognizes creative expressions. (Estolas,
Josefina V. et. al. 2008).

To be human is to have or show qualities like rationality, kindness, and tenderness. It has different connotations in
different historical eras. When the first medieval universities were established in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the
professors, mostly churchmen, were interested in arguing about metaphysics and religion (Scholasticism). To them Humanities
meant primarily philosophy and theology.

The Humanists of the Renaissance asserted the intrinsic value of man’s life on earth, as opposed to the medieval interest in
eternity. Hence Humanities included disciplines which would make man’s life richer and more meaningful: the languages and
literature of Greece and Rome, fine arts, music, and philosophy in its more traditional divisions.

The nineteenth century witnessed a certain loss of prestige of the Humanities to the sciences and social sciences, because
many men believed that science could procure everything that man needed or wanted. Now, there has come the important
realization that science is not an unmixed blessing. The atomic bomb, insecticides, drugs, and other scientific inventions can
ultimately destroy man unless they are controlled by individuals of high ideals, morality, and good will.

Another troublesome development has been the tendency to explore a field of knowledge in depth rather than in breadth.
While this technique has produced amazing discoveries in all fields of learning, it has also produced the specialist “who knows
more and more about less and less. At long last, the emphasis has shifted to modern literature although masterpieces of
philosophy, history, theology, and science are often included. Included too are critical and historical studies of the fine arts and
music with the emphasis on serving man as an individual rather than as a social being. Ideas and experiences in the Humanities
have their full effect only when they are examined critically, evaluated, and appropriated by the student.
 This explains why the arts are called the humanities. They bring out the good and the noble in us. Through the arts, we
come to know the changing image of man as he journeys across time, searches for the reality, and strives to achieve the ideals
that create meaning for life. (Ariola, Mariano M. 2014)

Assumptions of Art

Assumptions on something means to put it to a test as to think whether it is true or not. Some experts enumerate three basic
assumptions of art as follows:

1. Art is universal. In every country and in every generation, there is always art. Often times, people feel that what is considered
artistic are only those which have been made long time ago. This is a misconception. Age is not a factor in determining art.
“An art is not good because it is old, but old because it is good.” (Dudley et al., 1960). In the Philippines, the works of Jose Rizal
and Francisco Balagtas are not being read because they are old. Florante at Laura never fails to teach high school students the
beauty of love, one that is universal and pure. Ibong Adarna, another Filipino masterpiece, has always captured the
imagination of the young with its timeless lessons. When we recite the Psalms, we feel in communion with King David as we
feel one with him in his conversation with God. When we listen to a Kundiman or perform folk dances, we still enjoy the way
our Filipino ancestors while away their time in the past.
2. Art is not nature. Art is made by man, whereas nature is given around us, God’s creation. Art therefore, is man’s way of
interpreting nature.
3. Art involves experience. By experience, we mean the “actual doing of something” (Dudley et. al. 1960) and it also affirmed
that art depends on experience, and if one is to know art, he must know it not as fact or information but as an experience. A
work of an art then cannot be abstracted from actual doing. In order to know what an artwork, we have to sense it, see and
hear it. An important aspect of experiencing art is its being highly personal, individual, and subjective. In philosophical terms,
perception of art is always a value judgment. It depends on who the perceiver is, his tastes, his biases, and what he has inside.

Understanding Art

In a more specialized sense, art applies to activities that express aesthetic ideas by the use of skill and imagination in the
creation of objects, environment and experiences which can be shared with others. According to Van de Bogart, a work of art is a
record of a particular artist’s view. It shows something that he has seen, felt and thought of and recorded it as an arrangement of
designs, colors, lines and tones or words which satisfy his aesthetic purpose. A work of art is the product of the artist’s unique
personality influenced consciously or unconsciously by factors such as: his environment, traditions, national traits, religious
beliefs, economic conditions, his ideals, or even the climate and geography. A work of art represents or reflects the individual, the
character of the period and the place where it was produced. In understanding arts, the following are enumerated:

1. Art as a skill or Mastery. The term art is used to simply refer to skill or mastery that is manifested in the outstanding product
of an endeavor.
2. Art as a process or a product of a creative skill. Art is a process because it involves arranging the aesthetic elements in an
artistically interesting and appealing manner. Art is a product because it includes human creations, different activities and
manners of expression.
3. Art as a universal language. The language of art is diverse. Each art form has its own artistic elements such as literature,
music and theatre. Art expresses feelings and ideas shared by all individuals regardless of culture.
4. Art as a representation of reality. Art is a reflection or a mirror of reality.
5. Art reflects the characteristics of a period. During medieval period, the dominance of the church initiated the expression of
spiritual truths. In the visual arts, figures were presented in idealized “flat” forms to signify a lack of focus on the material
world. In the Renaissance period, the value ascribed to the material world was shown in more defined and realistic rendition
of the human body in the visual arts. The focus on the material world is shown in the “three-dimensional” reality of
landscapes. The modern period characterizes the idealistic search for truth and the realization that it is not attainable; thus,
relativity is accepted as an unavoidable truth. This is manifested by the varied experimentation of expressions.
6. Art shows the manner of existence of the people of long ago. We gain awareness that the people during the Old Stone Age
lived in caves and that they manifested their artistry by drawings and sketching.

Classification of Art

The arts are usually considered as part of the humanities. These include visual art (painting, sculpture and architecture), auditory
arts (music and literature) and performing arts (drama and dance) (Gayeta, Macario, G. et. al. 2010)
 There are two general dimensions of arts, namely (1) fine arts or independent arts and (2) practical arts or utilitarian arts.
Fine arts are made primarily for aesthetic enjoyment through the senses, especially visual and auditory. Practical arts are
intended for practical use or utility. It is the development of raw materials for utilitarian purposes.

Fine arts or aesthetic arts are music, painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, dancing and drama. Practical arts or useful
arts are industrial art, applied or household art, civic art, commercial art, graphic art, agricultural art, business art, distributive art,
and fishery art

According to Custodia Sanchez, visual arts are those we perceive with our eyes. They may be classified into two groups,
namely: (1) graphic arts; and (2) plastic arts. Graphic arts include painting, drawing, photography, graphic process(printing),
commercial art (designing of books, advertisements, signs, posters and other displays), mechanical process, in which portrayals of
forms and symbols are recorded on a two-dimensional surface. Plastic arts include all fields of visual arts for which materials are
organized into three-dimensional forms such as structured architecture, landscape architecture, (gardens, parks, playgrounds,
golf course beautification), city physical planning and interior arranging (design of wallpaper, furniture), sculpture, crafts,
industrial design, dress and costume design, and theatre design.

Josefina and Estolas grouped arts into major and minor arts. Major arts include painting, architecture, sculpture, literature,
music and dance. Minor arts include the decorative arts, popular arts, graphic arts, plastic arts, and industrial arts. Popular arts
include film, newspaper, magazine, radio, and television. Decorative arts or applied arts refers to beautify houses, offices, cars
and other structure. (Ariola, Mariano M. 2014)

The Functions of Art

Every art form has definite functions since it satisfies particular needs. To the layman, art may have little function. To find
meaning in art, it must have or serve a utilitarian purpose and be capable of serving the purpose for which it was designed. Art
has a great number of different functions throughout its history, making its purpose difficult to abstract or quantify to a single
concept. The different purposes of art may be grouped according to those that are non-motivated and those that are motivated.

A. 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. Basic human instinct for harmony, balance, rhythm. Art at this level is not an action or an object, but an internal
appreciation of balance and harmony and therefore an aspect of being human beyond utility.

2. Experience the mysterious. Art provides a way to experience one’s self in relation to the universe. This experience may
often come unmotivated as one appreciates art, music and poetry.

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.”- Albert Einstein

3. Expression of the imagination. Art provides a means to express the imagination in nongrammatic ways that are not tied
to the formality of spoken or written language. Unlike words, which come in sequences and each of which have a definite
meaning, art provides a range of forms, symbols and ideas in with meanings that are malleable.

“Jupiter’s eagle, as an example of art, is not, like logical attributes to an object, the concept of the sublime and majestic
creation, but rather something else- something that gives the imagination an incentive to spread its flight over a whole host of
kindred representations that provoke more thought than admits of expression in a concept determined by words. They furnish
an artistic idea, which serves the above rational idea as a substitute for logical presentation, but with the proper function,
however, of animating the mind by opening out for it a prospect into a field of kindred representations stretching beyond ken. -
Immanuel Kant

4. Ritualistic and symbolic functions. In many cultures, art us used in rituals, performances and dances as a decoration or
symbol. While these often have no specific utilitarian purpose, anthropologist know that they often serve a purpose at the level
of meaning within a particular culture. This meaning is not furnished by any individual but is often the result of many generations
of change, and of cosmological relationship within the culture.
 “Most scholars who deal with rock paintings or objects recovered from prehistoric contexts that cannot be explained in
utilitarian terms and are thus categorized as decorative, ritual or symbolic, are aware of the trap posed by the term “art”- Silva
Tomaskova

B. Motivated Functions of Art

Motivated purposes of art refer to intentional, conscious actions on the part of the artists or creator. These may be to
bring about political change, to comment on an aspect of society, to convey a specific emotion or mood, to address personal
psychology, to illustrate another discipline, to sell a product, or simply as a form of communication.

1. Communication. Art, at its simplest, is a form of communication. As most forms of communication have an intent or goal
directed toward another individual, this is a motivated purpose. Illustrative arts, such as scientific illustration, are a form of art as
communication. Maps are another example. However, the content need not be scientific. Emotions, moods and feeling are also
communicated through art.

2. Art as entertainment. Art may seek to bring about a particular emotion or mood, for the purpose of relaxing or
entertaining the viewer. This is often the function of art industries of Motion Pictures and Video Games.

3. The Avant-Garde. Art for political change. One of the defining functions of early twentieth-century art has been to use
visual images to bring about political change. Art movements that had this goal- Dadaism, Surrealism, Constructivism, Abstract
Expressionism, and among others are collectively referred to as the avant-garde arts.

“By contrast, the realistic attitude, inspired by positivism, from Saint Thomas Aquinas to Anatole France, clearly seems to me
to be hostile to any intellectual or moral advancement. I loathe it, for it is made up of mediocrity, hate, and dull conceit. It is this
attitude which today gives birth to this ridiculous books, these insulting plays. It constantly feeds on and derives strength from
the newspapers and stultifies both science and art by assiduously flattering the lowest of tastes; clarity bordering on stupidity, a
dog’s life.”- Andre Breton (Surrealist)

4. Art as a “free zone” removed from action of the social censure. Unlike the avant-garde movements, which wanted to
erase cultural differences in order to produce new universal values, contemporary art has enhanced its tolerance towards cultural
differences as well as its critical and liberating functions (social inquiry, activism, subversion, deconstruction etc.) becoming a
more open place for research and experimentation.

5. Art for social inquiry, subversion, and/or anarchy. While similar to art for political change, subversive or
deconstructivist 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. Graffiti art and other types of street art are graphics and images that are spray-
painted or stenciled on public viewable walls, buildings, buses, trains, and bridges usually without permission. Certain art forms,
such as graffiti, may also be illegal when they break laws.

5. Art for social causes. Art can be used to raise awareness for a large variety of causes. A number of art activities were
aimed at raising awareness of autism, cancer human trafficking, and a variety of other topics such as ocean conservation, women
empowerment, raise awareness about pollution, etc.

6. Art for psychological and healing purposes. Art is also used by art therapists, psychotherapists, and clinical
psychologists as art therapy. The Diagnostic Drawing Series, for example, is used to determine the personality and emotional
functioning of a patient. The end product is not the principal goal in this case, but rather a process of healing, through creative
acts, is sought. The resultant piece of artwork may also offer insight into the troubles experienced by the subject and may
suggest suitable approaches to be used in more conventional forms of psychiatric therapy.

7. Art for propaganda or commercialism. Art is often utilized as a form of propaganda, and thus can be used to subtly
influence popular conceptions or mood. In a similar way, art that tries to sell a product also influences mood and emotion. In
both cases, the purpose of art here is to subtly manipulate the viewer into a particular emotional or psychological response
toward a particular idea or object.

8. Art as a fitness indicator. It has been argued that the ability of the human brain by far exceeds what was needed for
survival in the ancestral environment. One evolutionary psychology explanation for this is that the human brain and associated
traits are the equivalent of the peacock’s tail. The purpose of the male peacock’s extravagant tail has been argued to be to
attract females. According to this theory superior execution of art was evolutionary important because it attracted mates.
 The functions of art described above are not mutually exclusive, as many of them may overlap. For example, art for the
purpose of entertainment may also seek to sell a product (i.e. a movie or a video game).

MODULE 2 Subject and Content of Art

The subject of art refers to any person, object, scene, or event described or represented in a work of art. It is the literal, visible
image in a work

Types of Subject

Some arts have subject, others do not have. There are two types of subject in arts:

1. Representational or objective art. These are the arts that have subject. Painting, sculpture, the graphic arts, literature, and
other theatre arts are generally classified as representational

2. Non-representational or non-objective arts are the arts that do not have subject. The non-objective arts do not present
descriptions, stories, or references to identifiable objects or symbols. Rather they appeal directly to the senses primarily because
of the satisfying organization of their sensuous and expressive elements. Most musical pieces are not imitations of natural
sounds, but we enjoy listening to them because the sounds have been pleasingly arranged and because they evoke certain
emotional responses in us. Music, architecture, and many of the functional arts are non- representational. Some musical
compositions have subject. They are generally referred to as program music.

Whatever subject an artist chooses, his choice involves some personal statement; it shows what he considers significant or
aesthetically satisfying. The value of a work of art does not depend on the artist’s choice of subject. It does not necessarily follow
that the more profound the subject, the greater the work of art. Rather, the worth of any representational work of art depends
upon the way the subject has been presented. (Caslib Jr., Garing, D. & Casual, J. A. 2018.)

The Content of Art

The content of art includes the connotative, symbolic, and suggestive aspects of the image. Content is the communication of
ideas, feelings and reactions connected to the subject. When we look at a painting its content is what is sensed rather that can be
analysed. 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 which is called “emotional content” While subject refers to the objects depicted by the artist, content refers to what
the artist expresses or communicates on the whole in his work. Sometimes it is spoken as the “meaning” of the work. Subject
matter may acquire different levels of meaning which are the following: (1) factual meaning, (2) conventional meaning, and (3)
subjective meaning

The 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.

The conventional meaning refers to the special meaning that a certain object or color has for a particular culture or group of
people (i.e. The flag is the agreed-upon symbol for a nation.)

The 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. To fully grasp the content of works of art, one must learn
as much as he can about the culture of the people that produced them and maintain an open mind.

Sources and Kinds of Subject

Artists can source their subjects from nature, history, Greek and Roman mythology, Judeo-Christian tradition, sacred
oriental texts, religious connections and other works of art.

The subjects depicted in works of art, particularly, the visual arts, can be classified into:

1. Landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes. Artists have always been fascinated with their physical environment. Since
ancient times, landscapes and seascapes have been the favorite subjects of Chinese and Japanese painters who would observe
nature, meditate lengthily on its eternal qualities, and paint it in its varying moods. Filipino painters too have captured on canvas
the Philippine countryside. Fernando Amoroso romanticized Philippine landscapes, turning the rural areas into idyllic places
where agrarian problems are virtually unknown.
 In Europe, the painting of pure landscapes without human figures was almost unheard of until Renaissance, when artists
began to rediscover their natural environment. But for a time, though, landscapes served only as backgrounds for figures, as in
Mona Lisa; or as settings for some religious scenes.

Modern painters seem to be more attracted to scenes in cities. Vicente Manansala, Arturo Luz, and Mauro Malang Santos
are among the Filipino painters who have done interesting cityscapes.

2. Still lifes. Some artists love to paint inanimate objects arranged in an indoor setting, flower and fruit arrangements,
dishes of food pats and pans, musical instruments and music sheets. The arrangement shows particularly human interest and
activities. The still lifes of Chinese and Japanese painters usually show flowers, fruits and leaves in their natural setting,
unplucked from the branches. Today the focus is on the exciting arrangement and combinations of the object’s shapes and
colors.

3. Animals. They have been represented by artists from almost every age and place. In fact, the earliest known paintings
are representation of animals on the walls of waves. The carabao has been a favorite subject of Filipino artists. The Maranaws
have an animal form of sarimanok as their proudest prestige symbol. Animals have been used as symbols in conventional
religious art.

4. Portraits. People have always been intrigued by the human face as an index of the owner’s character. As an instrument
of expression, it is capable of showing a variety of moods and feelings. It is a realistic likeness of a person in sculpture, painting,
drawing or print but it needs to be a photogenic likeness. A great portrait is a product of a selective process, the artist
highlighting certain features and de-emphasizing others. It does not have to be beautiful but it has to be truthful.

Besides the face, other things are worth noticing in portraits are the subject’s hands, which can be very expressive, his
attire and accessories for it reveals much about the subject’s time. Statues and busts of leaders and heroes were quite common
among the Romans but it was not until the Renaissance that portrait painting became popular in Europe. Many artists did self-
portraits. Their own faces provided them unlimited opportunities for character study.

5. Figures. The sculptor’s chief subject has traditionally been the human body, nude or clothed. The body’s form, structure
and flexibility offer the artist a big challenge to depict it in a variety of ways, ranging from the idealistic as in the classical Greek
sculptures to the most abstract. 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 perfection; thus they portrayed their gods and
goddesses as possessing perfect human shapes. Renaissance artists reawakened an interest in the nude human figure. A favorite
subject among painters is the female figure in the nude.

6. Everyday Life. Artists have always shown a deep concern about life around them. Many of them have recorded in
paintings their observation of people going about their usual ways and performing their usual tasks. Genre paintings include
representations of rice threshers, cock fighters, candle vendors, street musicians and children at play.

7. History and Legend. History consists of verifiable facts, legends of unverifiable ones, although many of them are often
accepted as true because tradition has held them so far. Insofar as ancient past is concerned, it is difficult to tell how much of
what we know now is history and how much is legend. History and Legend are popular subjects of art. While many works may
not be consciously done historical records, certain information about history can be pieced from them-the costumes and
accessories, the status symbols, the kinds of dwellings or the means of transportation. 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 Mythology. Art has always been a handmaiden of religion. Most of the world’s religions have used the arts
to aid in worship, to instruct, to inspire feelings of devotion and to impress and convert non-believers. Pictures of god, human
beings, or animals are forbidden in Judaism and Islam because people might worship the images themselves. Other religions
have taught that god may sometimes assume human or other visible forms. The ancient Egyptians portrayed their gods as part
human and part animal. The ancient African tribes distorted their god’s features. Among the Hindus, Shiva is shown as a four-
armed god. Buddha is symbolized by his footprints or a wheel.

9. Dreams and Fantasies. Dreams are usually vague and illogical. Artists especially the surrealists have tried to depict
dreams as well as the grotesque terrors and apprehensions that lurk in the depths of the subconscious. A dream may be lifelike
situation. Therefore, we would not know if an artwork is based on a dream unless the artist explicitly mentions it. But if the
picture suggests the strange, the irrational and the absurd, we can classify it right away as a fantasy or dream although the artist
may not have gotten from the idea of a dream at all but the workings of his imagination. No limits can be imposed on an artist’s
imagination. (Ortiz, Ma. Aurora R. et. Al.1976).

Reading Article:

Art and the Perception of the World

There is of course more wisdom concerning life that one gets out of The Little Prince by Antoine Saint-Exupery than an insight
into the theory of art; nevertheless, it is an insight, and deserves recognition. We are told in this novel that the pilot, as a little
boy, used to show his drawing to the adults, and asked them what it is. “It’s a hat,” they replied. But for the boy, it was a boa
constrictor having swallowed an elephant!

There are many ways of looking at this. These are just five of them: (1) a square suspended in a frame, (2) a lampshade seen from
above, (3) a lampshade seen from below, (4) a tunnel, and (5) an aerial view of a truncated pyramid. What accounts for the
changing visual “aspects”? For psychologists, it is a revelation of personality, like in inkblot experiments. But for the philosophers
of art, it is what constitutes the aesthetic perception!

Most of us see a painting as what it is about- the subject. We see, in Sandro Boticelli’s The Birth of Venus, a beautiful golden-
haired woman coming out of a shell. We observed bloody, dead gladiators being dragged out of the stadium into the dungeon,
amidst the curious glances of Roman spectators, in the Spolarium by Juan Luna. Even in the fragmented, geometrical shapes of
Picasso’s Three Musicians, we notice a man with a flute and another one with an accordion or guitar. And when looking at
Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat, we ask: “Who is that?” as if being confronted with a real person.

The fact of our experience is that we often fail to see a painting as a design shapes and lines of different colors and values
stumped upon a canvass. And we tend to categorize it to the level of things far removed from what it actually is made of. Yet,
the design and the medium visually constitute a painting. If there is more to painting than being visual, it is because we are
talking of a different kind of “seeing, “that is “seeing through.” We see through the design, so to speak, in the same way as the
boy in The Little Prince saw a huge snake, and as we see a lampshade or a tunnel in the design above. This is our unique
experience of art. But should we necessarily “see through” the design in order to ascend to the subject level of a painting in our
aesthetic experience of it?

A woman looking at a painting by Henry Matisse was noted to have commented: T have never seen a woman like that!” The
painter, who happened to hear the woman, sarcastically responded, “Madame, that is not a woman, that’s a painting!” In the
standard of Matisse then, if one sees the painting as its subject, one commits some kind of mistake. But seeing a painting not as
representation is a very difficult thing to do. “Man is possessed by an urge to objectivate,” says Herchell Chip, “ he wants to see
something in the work of art, and he is sure this represents something.” Some students who for the first time saw van Gogh’s
Landscape with Cypresses, protested that nature never looked like that. It took them some times to realize that it was all but a
painting, and they exclaimed: “ Ah, van Gogh’s Landscape with Cypresses.”

Of course, there is a great deal of difference, like anything else, between a woman and a painting of a woman in the ontological
level, but in the level of sight, these differences disappear. Painting reaching trompe l oeil have so defied vision. An anecdote
about Zeuxis and Apollodorus would bring this point to the fore:

As the most famous artists of their time, the rivals held a competition. Zeuxis was said to have painted such a life-like bunch of
grapes that the birds came to peck at them. His skill was such that even birds were deceived. Parrhasius, in turn, invited Zeuxis to
unveil his painting as was the custom. But as Zeuxis moved to draw the veil, he suddenly realized to his chagrin that the veil itself
was the painting. Thus Parrhasius won the competition because his painting, in its versimilitude, fooled not only the birds but a
human being.

The true-to-nature approach to painting may be observed in the miniaturismo of the Filipino portrait painters of the 19th century,
and in the style called magic realism which might have been influenced by pictures derived from photography. Given that
painting is representational, it may be asked: “ What of the world does a painting represent?” By way of answering this question,
we shall consider the style of rendering the human form in the Renaissance and cubist paintings.

Portraits were representational and highly realistic during the Renaissance period. The human figure is in the position of rest,
either standing or sitting. The face is always in frontal view; it is highly emphasized because the direction of the light and
arrangement of objects around are made to focus towards it. The background suggests an illusion of depth which brings the
figure affront the eye of the viewer. Leonardo da Vinci’s The Mona Lisa is such a case. If many figures are shown, like in the Last
Supper again by da Vinci, they are arranged in a perfectly symmetrical balance achieved by their relative positions in the picture-
plane, as determined by the application of linear perspective with its single vanishing point at the center and in the eye level of
the observer.

The faithful treatment of figures was abandoned by the cubists during the second decade of 20th century. They brutally distorted
it. In Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’ Avignon, is composed of various facet of five female bodies sen from different angles.
The facial features of the two women are radically simplified by combining the front and side views. The figures are almost
entirely flattened, producing an effect which makes them look immersed on the surface level together with the objects around
them. An analytic cubism of the human image is still distinguisable as it is formed by various fragmented, monochromatic,
geometrical shapes, like in the Daniel-Henry Kahweiler again by Picasso.

Close consideration of the nature of Renaissance art and cubism as two different styles of figuration indicates that these had
developed out of the artists different ways of looking at the world. J. W. Sanders observed:

About 1500, the artists of the Renaissance invented the perspective we are still accustomed to: the artists sat down on his chair,
looked at the scene from one definite angle, and tried to fix on his panel accordingly. Now, after four hundred years, the painter
rises from his chair. Starts moving around his object, and tries to render the totality. He changes his point of view.

The world the Renaissance saw was static; their paintings captured reality for just one moment, in one view. The cubist turned
and wiggle their sight to see many movements, many appearances which resulted in a multi-view, multi-perspective, assorted
rendering of thing in artistic forms. This sense of dynamism is one of the most penetrating aspects in the theory of artistic forms.
This sense of dynamism is one of the most penetrating aspects in the theory of modern art.

The nature, evolution and appreciation of representational art can therefore be understood in the contexts of the artists’ vision of
the world. The relation between art and the world is not that art mirrors nature, as the ancient cliché claimed, but the world as
seen by the artists determines the way art becomes. This view, in the final analysis, is the idealist philosophy applied to the
theory of art- that we never have a direct contact with the world; we only have an experience of our own, subjective impulses.

MODULE 3 Theories of Art and Beauty

Theories of art and art itself exist within a context—philosophical, cultural, class and gender specific—from which it emerges and
without which it does not exist. Philosophers and art theorists cannot escape the influence of past philosophers and theorists any
more than they can remain untouched by current trends in film, technology, and architecture. Art and culture and theories of art
and culture are inseparably and organically linked together. Furthermore, this is not a static or eternal pattern but one that is
dynamic, fluid, constantly changing historically over time.

Principal changes in philosophy (generally) are likely to become more influential in the philosophy of art. There is a profound
convergence between general philosophy and philosophy of art. There are three general trends that are important to keep in
mind in pre-aesthetic, aesthetic, and postmodern theories over the duration of this course. As Sartwell points out, (p8)Europe
only developed the concept of the aesthetic in the 18th century.

Here are the three broad movements in philosophy that are important to remember when we reflect upon questions concerning
art:

1. Deep suspicion that we cannot hope to fix any single ontology, any universally adequate unchanging account of human
cognition or human interests or human concerns.

2. We must reflect upon the contingent and tacit practices of human life. These are central to philosophical reflection

3. There cannot be any canon or principles or conceptual priorities in accord with which philosophical theories may be shown to
be approaching systematic closure on any questions.

Aesthetics (as the study of art and beauty), aesthetic experience (the proper way of approach and experience art and beauty),
and modern art (art for art’s sake) all arose together at approx. The same time as expressions of modernist culture (somewhere
between the Renaissance and the middle of the 20th century). Aesthetics is the name of the philosophical study of art and natural
beauty. It is a relatively new branch of philosophy that arose in the early 18th century (early 1700’s )in England and Germany,
over 2000 years after the beginnings of other branches of Western philosophy (which began in Greece around 600 B.C.E.)

Aesthetics is closely related to the concept of aesthetic experience. Baumgarten who coined the term aesthetics, claimed that
humans experience the world in two fundamentally ways—logically and aesthetically.Logically—that is a thorn, it will hurt if it
pricks me. Aesthetically—enjoying a sunset, looking at seashells, enjoying a work of art. These things are beautiful because you
are looking at them aesthetically.

What we call art, or more properly fine art, is therefore, according to the 18th +19th century tradition of the aesthetic, those
objects made by humans to be enjoyed aesthetically. So, Paleolithic European cave paintings, Native American wood carvings are
not really art according to some because they were made by people before the emergence of aesthetic experience.

So, art created as art, aesthetic experience. And aesthetics are notions that all arose together. These human ways of interpreting
the world have not always existed since the dawn of human society and not even since the beginning of Western civilization.
Philosophy is often thought of as a kind of systematic reflection of our ordinary commonsense intuitions and deeply rooted
beliefs and assumptions. This would mean that aesthetics is a reflection on ideas we already have about art, artists. If aesthetics is
a branch of philosophy and philosophy is a reflection of our ordinary commonsense intuition, then, in a sense, we already know
what art, aesthetics, and artists are.

But these commonsense intuitions may be so deeply ingrained and internalized that we may take them for granted. Perhaps we
can more fully experience artworks if we enlarge our perspective. How do we do this? Our way of viewing art from an aesthetic
point of view is only one way of looking at things. It appears at a certain point in the history of certain cultures and may just was
easily disappear and be replaced by another way of viewing things.

The ideas of aesthetic enjoyment and fine art and artist arose in what we call the modern period (end of 17th century to middle
of 20th). Main points of modernist aesthetics

1. Aesthetic experience is non-utilitarian

2. AE is detached from ordinary self-interested pursuits (is disinterested)

3. Works of art are made to be viewed aesthetically—and so just to be enjoyed (For no other purpose)

4. Everyone can appreciate art just by adopting the aesthetic point of view

5. Artists see things in a unique way and creatively find innovative ways of communicating that vision to us

6. Artists show us how to look at the world, how to understand ourselves, who we are

7. Works of art express these unusual ideas of artists

8. Great works of art must be innovative and creative, expressing new ideas in new ways

9. The history of art is the history of these great innovations by these great artists

10. Art is not hard to understand—it just requires that we adopt the aesthetic point of view

Historical Introduction to Aesthetics

The story of aesthetics begins with Hobbe’s claim that all human perception is self interested. Many people disagreed with
Hobbes and though that some human actions were disinterested, that is, done for their own sake, enjoyed and appreciated for
their own sake. And one large subset of such disinterested actions were those associated with art and natural beauty.

The reaction began in Britain with the Earl of Shaftesbury (1671-1713) who said we can love things for themselves (good wine, a
beautiful sunset, a painting). Deciding what we should love and appreciate in this way is a matter of taste, a kind of inner
sensation, or feeling. It is not something you can learn from a book.

In the 1750’s Alexander Baumgarten pursued this idea by dividing all human thought into two broad categories—logic and
aesthetics. After Baumgarten, the British worked on the idea of good taste as kind of refined sensibility available to anyone who
would adopt the detached, disinterested aesthetic point of view. And still later, at the very end of the 18th century, the German
philosopher, Immanuel Kant synthesized the work of the British taste theorists and the German attempts to define the aesthetic
as differentiated from the logical, and Kant’s efforts pretty well defined and stabilized the tradition of the aesthetic attitude for
the next 150 years.

Plato
A good example of Plato’s understanding of beauty can be found in the Symposium. This dialogue devoted to praising and
exploring love, ultimately gives us a definition of beauty as understood by Plato. He explains that it is the Form of Beauty that is
the object of love. Diotima’s teachings describe a ladder of love that moves from the appreciation of singular beautiful bodies on
up to the ultimate and higher contemplation of the Form of Beauty that makes it possible for us to discern individual cases of
beauty at all. Those who have ascended the ladder of love learn that the beauty of the soul is superior beauty of the bodies.

The Platonic philosophy of beauty does not have much interest in the world of sense and considers it from a philosophical point
of view to be a kind of illusion and a potential source of error. According to Plato, beauty transcends the world of sense
experience, which means that the experience of beauty is different from what would be described as aesthetic experience today.
His theory dismisses sights and sounds as illusory. Plato does however take an interest in the beautiful things of the world of
sense. He does try to figure out what all beautiful things share in common. But for Plato, beauty is a simple, unanalyzable
property and is logically similar to a primitive term such as red (cannot be defined—can only be understood by direct sense
experience).

If we look at Plato’s theory of art, we see that he held an imitation theory of art that focuses attention on the objective properties
of the work of art. The theory of art in Plato is object centered. This leads to Plato’s negative estimation of art as twice removed
from reality and a poor source of knowledge. Art is doubly unreal and is an inferior product and poor model for moral conduct.
Plato’s characterization of paintings as untrue appearances may be understood as the origin of the view that art is illusion, a view
held by a number of present day theorists.

Plotinus

Plotinus, like Plato, thought that the experience of beauty itself is not a sensous experience but an intellectual one. One of the
most important results of both of these theories of beauty was the establishment of contemplation as a central idea in the theory
of beauty and consequently in the theory of aesthetic experience. Almost all aesthetic theories have maintained that the
experience of beauty or more generally aesthetic experience involves contemplation. When Plato and Plotinus thought of
contemplation, they meant that a person had an awareness of a non-sensuous object.

St. Thomas Aquinas (354-430 AD)

Aquinas’ understanding of beauty is not an unworldly one; he defines beauty as that which pleases when seen. Objects please
when they have the conditions of beauty which are perfection, proportion and brightness or clarity. Importantly, his theory has
both objective and subjective aspects. The idea of pleasing brings in the notion of the subject who is pleased. Being pleased is a
property of a subject. This is significant step away from from the objective platonic conception of beauty toward a subjective
account. This subjective concept of beauty will reach its high point in the theories of 18th century philosophers. As we progress
towards the Renaissance, we find a great interest in more concrete and specific topics such as the theory of painting and the
theory of architecture. There is also a resurgence of Neoplatonism at this time.

The 18th Century: Taste and the Decline of Beauty

The 18th century brings us into a critical and important time in the history of aesthetics. It is during this time that philosophers
provided the basis for aesthetics in its modern form. During the middle of the century, the German philosopher, Alexander
Baumgarten coined the term aesthetics. It is at this time that the philosophical tradition tried to explain behavior and mental
phenomena by attributing each kind of phenomenon to a distinct faculty of the mind. For example, the vegetative faculty
explains nutrition and procreation, the locomotive faculty explains movement, the rational faculty explains mental behavior, the
sensory faculties explain perception, imagination, etc.

Prior to the 18th century, it was generally assumed that beauty named an objective property of things. But in the 18th century,
there was a shift to taking about taste and thus a shify onto the subjective faculties of the perceiver. In the hands of these
philosophers, philosophy, philosophy of art became subjectivized. What this means is that philosophers turned their attention
towards the subject and analyzed the states of the subject’s mind and his mental faculties. For example, British philosophers
thought that they had discovered a new internal sense( in the subject)_ the sense of beauty. The establishment of aesthetic
theory as the theory that unifies the problems of the theory of beauty and the philosophy of taste was not completed in the 18th
century. However, Kant’s views near the end of the 18th century incorporated the insights of the British of the British
aestheticians and came close to being a unified aesthetic theory. By aesthetic theory I mean a theory that makes the concept of
the aesthetic basic and defines other concepts of the theory in terms of the aesthetic.
In Hume’s Standard of Taste he makes it clear that his investigation into the nature of taste is an empirical investigation of certain
aspects of human nature. Hume denies that rationality intuit beauty or the rules that govern it. For him, the foundation of our
understanding of taste is to be found in experience. His claim then is that the normative question of what is correct to call
beautiful can be solved by a comprehensive empirical survey of the taste of men. This is the feature of Hume’s view that most
vividly contrasts with Kant.

Hume concludes that beauty is not in objects but is a feeling. These feelings are linked by the nature of our human constitution
to certain qualities in objects- faculty of taste is more refined and developed in some people. He also claims that standards of
taste vary according to age and temperament. So it is possible to have objective judgments about beauty in the sense that there
might be universal agreement among normal subjects ( Hume experiential account of beauty and taste. Hume’s ideas about
aesthetics and the theory are spread throughout his works, but are particularly connected with his ethical writings, and also the
essays “Of the Standard of Taste” and “Of Tragedy”(1757). His views are rooted in the work of Joseph Madison and Francis
Hutcheson. In the treatise (1740), he touches on the connection between beauty and deformity and vice & virtue. His later
writings on the subject continue to draw parallels of beauty and deformity in art with conduct and character.

In “Standard of Taste”, Hume argues that no rules can be drawn up about what is a tasteful object. However, a reliable critic of
taste can be recognized as being objective, sensible and unprejudiced, and having extensive experience. “Of Tragedy” addresses
the question of why humans enjoy tragic drama. Hume was concerned with the way spectators find pleasure in the sorrow and
anxiety depicted in a tragedy. He argued that this was because the spectator is aware that he is witnessing a dramatic
performance. There is pleasure in realizing that the terrible events that are being shown are actually fiction. Furthermore, Hume
laid down rules for educating people in taste and correct conduct, and his writings in this area have been very influential on
English and Anglo-Saxon aesthetics. Watch this video Beauty and Hume.

Baumgarten

While the meanings of words often change as a result of cultural developments, Baumgarten’s reappraisal of aesthetics is often
seen as a key moment in the development of aesthetic philosophy. Previously the word aesthetics had merely meant “sensibility”
or “responsiveness to stimulation of the senses” in its use by ancient writers. With the development of art as a commercial
enterprise linked to the rise of a nouveau class across Europe, the purchasing of art inevitably led to the question, “what is good
art?” Baumgarten developed aesthetics to mean the study of good and bad “taste”, thus good and bad art, linking good taste
with beauty. By trying to develop an idea of good and bad taste, he also in turn generated philosophical debate around this new
meaning of aesthetics. Without it, there would be no basis for aesthetic debate as there would be no objective criterion, basis for
comparison, or reason from which one could develop an objective argument.

Views on Aesthetics

Baumgarten appropriated the word aesthetics which had always meant “sensation”, to mean taste or “sense” of beauty. In so
doing, he gave the word a different significance, thereby inventing its modern usage. The word had been used differently since
the time of the ancient Greeks to mean the ability to receive stimulation from one or more of the five bodily senses. In his
Metaphysics, Baumgarten defined taste, in its wider meaning, as the ability to judge according to the senses, instead of according
to the intellect. Such a judgment of taste he saw as based on feelings of pleasure or displeasure. A science of aesthetics would
be, for Baumgarten, a deduction of the rules or principles of artistic or natural beauty from individual “taste”. Baumgarten may
have been motivated to respond to Pierre Bonhours’ opinion, published in a pamphlet in the late 17th century, that Germans
were incapable of appreciating art and beauty.

Kant

Kant tried to show how it is possible for us to have some knowledge which is certain unlike Hume who thought that since
knowledge derives from experience we cannot be certain of anything. The differences between Hume and Kant show up in their
different philosophies of taste. The empiricists (Hume) understood the philosophy of taste as an empirical inquiry into the object
which can lead to a psychological generalization about human nature. Kant conceives of the philosophy of taste as an inquiry into
the priori foundations of knowledge which will show why judgments of beauty are universal and necessary.

For Kant, all aesthetic judgments focus on pleasure, which is a property of the experiencing rather than of the objective world.
But even if judgments about beauty are subjective, Kant does also thing that they are stable and universal in a way that other
pleasures are not (pleasure felt with beauty is different than with other pleasures of taste like our pleasure of taste involved in
consuming chocolate for example).
Kant’s theory of beauty can be summarized in a sentence: A judgment of beauty is a disinterested, universal, and necessary
judgment concerning the pleasure which everyone ought to derive from the experience of form. Disinterestedness-perceivers are
indifferent to the real existence of the object. The judgment of beauty is independent of the interest in real existence. Interest in
the object is a secondary and different kind of judgment.

All of these qualities are primarily involved with the experiencing subject. Kant asserts that it is the recognition of the form of
purpose which evokes the beauty experience. Only form is beautiful ( the design of a painting or the compositional structure of a
music piece- these are the result of purposive activity of a human agent) The form of a work of art is the result of purposive
activity of a human agent. Kant’s views can be understood as a link between 18th century theories of taste and 19th century
aesthetic theories. These 19th century aesthetic theories were totally subjectivized. An object is beautiful because it is an object
of our aesthetic contemplation. Watch this video Beauty and Kant.

The significance of the 18th century for aesthetics can be summarized in the following way: Before the 18th century, beauty was
a central concept; during the century it was replaced by the concept of taste and finally by the end of the century we open onto a
concept of the aesthetics.

Other strain in the history of aesthetics—the philosophy of art

It was not until shortly before the start of the 19th century, that the imitation theory of art found in Plato and Aristotle was called
into question. During the 19th century, the theory that art is the expression of the emotion of the artist came to be the dominant
view. The doctrines of the expression theory of art has its roots in Kant’s theory of knowledge. This viewpoint was a reaction
against empiricist philosophy and an attempt to reach behind the sensuous screen of ordinary knowledge to something thought
to be vital and important. This generated a new role for the artists a new interest in artistic creation.This new role of the artist is
pointed up by the following passage from Nietzsche’s will to power: Our aesthetics have hitherto been women’s aesthetics,
inasmuch as they have only formulated the experiences of what is beautiful, from the point of view of the receivers in art. In the
whole of philosophy hitherto the artist has been lacking.

The expression theory of art explains that art is the expression of the emotion of its creator. This theory tries to show that art can
also do something important for people. It attempts to related art to the lives of people. And finally it attempts to account for the
emotional qualities of art and the way in which art moves people.

Theories of Beauty and Art

Aesthetics concerns the nature or essence of beauty. To understand this, first of all you need to distinguish the two ways
of considering beauty: absolute and relative. To say that beauty is absolute means that something is beautiful by virtue of itself; a
thing has its own way of being beautiful regardless of the judgment of people. On the other hand, the view that beauty is relative
means that something is beautiful due to the perception and conception of people; so it is said that “beauty is in the eye of the
beholder.”

Aesthetic Idealism. I’m sure you already encountered Plato in your other subjects. His contribution to learning is vast, however,
he is primarily a philosopher. If you understand him, it is said that you would understand the whole of Western civilization. Plato
formulated an aesthetic theory along with his theories of knowledge and existence. For him, beauty is truth and reality. But
reality does not exist in this world where we live, because things here are changing and temporal. The reality are the
transcendental forms or universal ideas existing in the metaphysical world of being. What we perceive in our physical world of
becoming are appearances, shadows, images or reflections of reality. The real beauty, then, is not a physical thing, but the idea of
beauty. To experience the reality of beauty is for the philosophers to know its idea in their minds, and not simply to perceive its
reflection in this world.

Based on his worldview, Plato theorized about the essence of art. As this world is an appearance of reality, art is an
imitation of this world. There are three kinds of chair: (1) the idea of chair in the world of being which makes up its reality known
by a philosopher, (2) the physical chair in this world constructed by a carpenter, and (3) the painting of a chair produced by a
painter in the world of art. As another example, we again turn to the Titanic. You saw in this movie the character Rose who is the
artistic, beautiful woman. But Rose is an imitation of Kate Winslet who is the physical, beautiful woman. And Winslet in turn is an
image of the idea and reality of beauty. For Plato, art is dangerous because it makes us ignorant by leading our minds two times
farther away from the truth.

Plato’s notion of beauty applies to art. Called “Imitationism,” his theory defines art as the “imitation of the appearance of reality.”
It is interpreted as Representationalism in which art becomes a copy of nature, like your ID picture that is a visual copy of your
face. For Aristotle, art is also an imitation of things, but unlike Plato, Aristotle believed that reality is inherent in this world.
Following this insight, Leonardo noted that “art is a window to nature,” and Shakespeare wrote that “art is putting mirror up to
nature.”

Aesthetic Functionalism. This theory may be traced back from Socrates. Are you familiar with his quotation: “Knowledge is
virtue”? Here, the philosopher implied that people are defined by their actions based on the dictate of the mind. Our rational
operation constitutes our human nature. So what you do makes up who you are. If you know that a student is meant for studying,
then you must study your lessons so that you may realize you true nature as a student. Interpreting this view in aesthetics, the
essence of beauty is what things are supposed to do, that is, their function, use or utility. An object is ugly if it is defective and
useless for its purpose. In this sense, you become a beautiful student because you study well and you learn, not because of the
whiteness of your skin or the designer jeans you wear.

Functionalism is much applied in architecture. There is a fundamental principle that “form follows function.” This means that the
shape, size, space and other formal properties of a building is determined by its use. Consider your house. You know that each
part of it has a function: the kitchen for cooking or the bedroom for sleeping. The more efficient the use of a house is, Frank
Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier planned and built their works in the art of architecture.

In the other arts, some compositions in painting, sculpture and music are beautiful because they achieve a particular
purpose, such as for the ideological aim of changing the society as in Marxist theory of art, for didactic purpose in morality, for
therapeutic value in medicine, even for commercial worth in selling artworks for great price. Also in functionalism, art is a talent
and skill for doing things according to Lucretius. We talk about virtuosity of the artists in fine arts. There are liberal arts which
include efficient use of language in grammar and rhetoric. While in practical arts, there is craftsmanship in embroidery, ceramics,
masonry, carpentry, sartorial and culinary arts. There is martial arts too. For Rousseau, agriculture and metallurgy were the arts
that propelled the development of human civilization.

Aesthetic Hedonism. You may find hedonism to be very inviting theory. As an ethical view about human life, it was
formulated by Aristipus and Epicurus. They believed that whatever is good is what brings pleasurable experience to the individual
person. Food, money and sex are good because they give self-interested pleasure. Relating this insight to aesthetics, “pleasure
and pain, therefore,” in the words of David Hume, “are not only necessary attendants of beauty and deformity, but constitute
their very essence.”

There is some truth in aesthetic hedonism considering our common experience of nature and art. We find the rainbow beautiful
because of the pleasure it presents in our eyes, while the sight of a shit is ugly because of its terrible appearance and bad odor.
Sometimes when we listen to music we feel relax, or when we watch a movie we enjoy it. Art is beautiful because of the
sensuous delight it affords us. But if the music is irritating to our ears, or the film is boring, they bring us pain, and thus ugly. In
culinary art, we appreciate the food not only because it is nutritious, but more because it is delicious. Have you experienced this
that when you were eating lechon, you simply enjoyed the taste, and never minded its cholesterol that might bring you high
blood and heart attack?

Plato and Aristotle did not altogether reject hedonism as an art theory. They claimed that imitation may also bring pleasure, and
for Plato art is a kind of play for the artist. According to Immanuel Kant too, art is more of play and fun than of work, however,
the person must be disinterested to the pleasure which art and things provide. And for Albert Faurot, painting, sculpture and
music are meant only “for giving pleasure and life enhancement.”

Aesthetic Conventionalism. Do you know “ethnocentrism?” I’ts an anthropological term which means that when you
were born and now living within a society, you have embodied its ways from which you judge the people outside your own
community. This basic notion of Conventionalism may be interpreted based on the ethical theory by Thomas Hobbes. He
claimed that the moral values of good and bad depend on social agreement. Morality is a construct made by human consensus
through the civil law imposed by the sovereign in a political state. Along this line of thinking, Aesthetic conventionalism contends
that the concepts and facts of beauty are inventions of people. As members of society, we collectively create standards and rules
for how the artistic values of things are measured based on our shared tradition and culture.

There is no universal norm of beauty. Each society creates its standard. For the Padaung people in Myanmar, women are
considered beautiful if they have long necks full of spiral rings. In the Suri and Mursi community in Africa, the beauty of women
are determined by their wide lower lip with a big hole at the center. And in China before 1917, women had the tradition of foot
binding and made their feet small, only four inches long looking like the bud of a lotus flower. For us, present Filipinos, these
cultural practices might look weird, but only because we apply our own cultural rule to them. We too have our peculiarities
which in turn may not be acceptable to others, such as the practice of tattooing by the Pintados, or the blackening of teeth by the
Aetas during the pre-colonial period. What we all need to do is to have a mutual respect for other’s standards. The theory of
conventionalism may also be applied in understanding the evolution of fashion, trend and fad, as well as the meaning of baduy,
bakya, jologs, conyo. These are popular terms which denote different aesthetic norms prevailing within some times and places,
for some groups of people in our society.

As a theory of Art, Conventionalism is related to Institutional Theory according to postmodern thinking. For Arthur Danto and
George Dickie, what makes something an art is due to the “artworld,” an institution composed of groups of powerful people.
These people are the professionals and experts who justify anything to be art by virtue of their influential status. Art has no fixed
essence. It is defined by the artworld through its own established rules which are changing and depend on relations of power.
Could you consider a toilet urinal an art? Yes! In fact, one urinal became art, because it has been integrated within the artworld.
It has been made art by the renowned artist Marcel Duchamp.

It has been exhibited by the art curators in museums and galleries, and it has been affirmed by the art critics, historians and
teachers who talk about it in their respective fields.

Aesthetic Psychoanalytic Theory. Probably you have taken up in Psychology the theory by Sigmund Freud. As you
remember, he advanced the theory of the unconscious or subconscious mind. The unconscious defines the conditions of our
human personality. For Carl Jung, within the unconscious lurks collective standards which we share as members of the human
species, and which serve as archetypes or models of how we perceive things to be beautiful or ugly. The perception of ugliness
may be due to childhood trauma which lies dormant within our subconscious, but when triggered by a certain stimulus revives
our conscious memory of an ugly object or experience.

As a theory of art, psychoanalysis is employed to uncover the artist’s desires, urges inhibitions, depressions or wishes which lie
hidden in the artwork. All of us dream where we see fantastic images. Images in the arts are like those of our dreams. They
contain symbolic meanings; they are expressions of the unconscious content of the mind which may be interpreted to reveal
artist’s personality. Freud analyzed the psychological makeup of Leonardo based on the painter’s dream about a bird flapping its
tail inside his mouth, and on his paintings whose subjects were mostly women such as The Monalisa and Leda the Swan and from
which Freud concluded that Leonardo was a homosexual. In Reuben’s painting entitled Samson and Delilah, and in Van Gogh’s
Bedroom at Arles, are found a red blanket which is an archetypal symbol for sexual desire and sin of the flesh. A lot of weird,
dreamlike images may be seen in the surrealist paintings by Salvador Dali, Mark Chagall and Rene Magrite.

The basis of expressionist theory of art is the view that art is a revelation of the artist’s internal impulses. In his lesson on poetry,
Aristotle proposed the term catharsis; it refers to a person’s overflowing emotion which may be diverted into artistic production
and creativity. According to Susanne Langer: “ Art is the creation of symbolic forms expressive of human feelings.” For Tolstoy,
art is the “objectification of emotions.” And for Benedetto Croce, art is not the physical substance but the ideas in the mind of
the artist which may be expressed like words in a language. The best lesson that you learn from this theory is that beauty and art
are not only perceived by your senses, but are also felt by your heart and conceived by your mind.

Aesthetic Formalism. In the tradition of Aristotelian-Thomistic philosophy, in its theory of hylomorphism, the word ”form”
denotes the essence of a thing. The form of a beautiful thing makes up the essence of its beauty. Anything ugly is “deformed”.
Fundamentally, there are two formal principles of beauty: order and structure. The two specific principles are proportionality and
integrity. Simplicity is the principle of individuation of beauty. The coordination of all these principles determine the beauty or
ugliness of a thing.

According to aesthetic formalism, “beauty is the harmony of proper proportion.” This means that the parts of a thing must be
properly coordinated in shapes, sizes, colors and other elements, so that it may look beautiful. Have you seen a woman with a
vital statistics of 36-24-36? This horizontal measure should correspond to an appropriate height, say five feet six inches tall, so
that you may see the woman beautiful; but you would see her fat if she stands four feet tall, and thin if if seven feet. The drawing
by Leonardo, The Virtuvian Man, is the best illustration of the formalist theory of beauty and art. Taken from the canons by the
ancient Roman architect Vtruvias, Leonardo depicted the perfect measure of the human body based on the mathematical
proportion of its parts with one another. This proportion is also said to be the harmony which underlies nature and the universe,
thus attesting that, indeed “man is the measure of all things” as proposed by Protagoras. Another mathematical form of beauty
is the Golden Measure that is found in nature like in a nautilus shell and was used by the ancient Greece architects in designing
temples and buildings.

Aesthetic formalism asserts that an artwork is to be perceived as a whole made up of its corresponding parts. The relation
of elements with one another composing the whole is the artistic form. Painting is the combination of points, lines, shapes and
colors; musical composition is formed by the coordination of rhythm, pitch, tempo and dynamics; and a short story by characters,
setting and plot. This means that, when you look at the Mona Lisa, you don’t see a woman but a form, not a nose but a triangle,
not a smile but a curve line. Art then is to be regarded within itself, independent of its connections to anything outside. It is “art
for art’s sake,” in the famous statement by Oscar Wilde. This is the same with Clive Bell who said that art is concerned only with
the “significant form,” and has nothing to do with life.

MODULE 4 Elements and Principles of Art

Whenever we see an art object, we cannot fail to notice several things: shape or form, texture, space, and lines which the artist
used in expressing his ideas. These are called the elements of the visual arts. Like medium, elements are present in every art
form. All have certain elements of their own.

ELEMENTS OF ARTS

The Elements of Art are the key components of a work of art. It is the artist’s decision in how they want to put them to useThe
elements of art composed of: line, shape, form, space, value, texture and color which are considered to be the “grammar” of art.

1. Line is a continuous mark made on a surface by a moving point, it may be flat or three-dimensional. Line may be explicit, a
line painted along the edge of the road or implied by the edge of a shape or form. Lines are used to outline, create shading
and show form, decorate and express emotion, and direct the viewer’s eye.
2. Color is the visible spectrum of radiation reflected from an object.
3.Texture denotes the tactile sensation or feel of a surface or how something appears to feel.

4. Perspective

5. Space is the distance or area around or between elements of an artwork. This refers to the illusion of depth created on a flat
surface through the use of perspective, overlapping elements, size level of detail, color and value.
6. Form is a three-dimensional object, a defined volume of space. Shapes are two-dimensional (flat: circle, square, triangle etc).
In everyday usage, the word ”shape” is also used to talk about three-dimensional form.

7. Volume
 PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

Design. Design is the overall visual structure of a work of art. It is a means by which the artists makes comprehensible the ideas
wishes to express and communicate.

1. Harmony. Harmonious elements have a logical relationship or progression, in some way they work together and complement
each other. When a jarring element is added, something that goes against the whole, it is said to be dissonant, just like an off-
note in a musical performance.

2. Balance is the distribution of interest or visual weight in a work. If all the visually interesting elements of a work are centered
in one spot, the work is off balance-balance and the viewer’s gaze will be stuck in one place, ignoring the rest of the piece. A
balance piece of work will have art elements arranged such that different areas draw the viewer’s eye around or through the
whole piece.
3. Proportion is the relationship of sizes between different parts of a work. For example, how wide it is compared to how tall it is.
Some proportions, such as the golden ratio and the rule of thirds, are thought to be more naturally pleasing. Scale is the size of
something compared compared to the world in general- an artwork might be termed miniature, small scale, full scale or life-size,
large scale or larger than life, or monumental.

4. Rhythm. Repeating art elements in regular or cyclical fashion to create interest, movement, and/or harmony and unity.
Rhythms can be random, regular, alternating, flowing, and progressive. Classes of pattern include mosaics, lattices, spirals,
meanders, waves, symmetry and fractals, among others.

5. Emphasis is created by visually reinforcing something we want the viewer to pay attention to. Focal points are areas of interest
the viewer’s eyes skip to. The strongest focal point with the greatest visual weight is the dominant element of the work.

The employment of elements and principles of organization cause dramatic changes creating any form of art expression in a more
fluid, dynamic and artistic approaches to contemporary arts

1. Art Fusion. Art fusion occurs when an artist from any art field like music, literature, architecture, fine art, design, graffiti
collaborates with any brand (of any kind- product, service, fashion, charity) to create a product, concept or “piece” for the benefit
of both parties and society as a whole. The artist provides the vision, the creativity, the heart and meaning, while the brand
provides the production, infrastructure, scale and marketing channels.

Now, watch and learn from these videos. These videos will give you more understanding about art fusion. The first video shows
how the Surrealist painter, Salvador Dali inspired the fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. The second video tells about some of the
Nike products which are named after the Black American singer Scott Travis (performing artist). This explains how does art fusion
occur in relation to the artist and the creation of an artwork. Thus, what is the purpose of the art fusion? How does art benefit
the artists? The society?

A. The surreal fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli

B. Stadium Picks: Travis Scott's Best Sneaker Collabs

History. Art fusion has proliferated over the past decade but examples of collaborations date back as far as the 1930’s. Fine
artists and fashion designers were the first to engage in this new breed of partnership.- the first high profile union being Salvatore
Dali and and Elsa Schiaparelli in 1933. Andy Warhol and Yves Saint Laurent collaborated in the 1960’s and recently, the idea has
gained the momentum of a movement with many different types of artists collaborating with many different types of brands.

2. Overlapping is a way artists create the illusion of depth. When one object covers part of another object, the object in front
looks closer to the viewer. Pattern is created through any repeated element of art. Perspective is a technique used by artists to
create the appearance of depth on a flat surface.

3. Transcreation is much more than translation. It takes the original message and conveys it in another language, making sure
that the text in the target language keeps the original style, vocal tone, intent, and emotional salience. It is a combination of
discipline and art, translation and interpretation. It is the process that re-evaluates the marketing material produced for a local
market and re-configures it in order to appeal to an audience with a very different culture.

The process of transcreation involves understanding the target market and carefully tailoring the message using suitable
language, style imagery and tone for optimal appeal and effective messaging. This is the main reason why the process requires
not only a good translator with linguistic skills but a translator with expertise in marketing and a firm grasp of the target
audience’s culture.

When you invest large sums of money in hiring professionals to do your copywriting, you not only pay for texts that will inform
the readers; you pay for the ability these professionals have to relate to the target audience and motivate them to action.
Unfortunately, these two qualities are lost in translation when trying to get the brand’s message across by only translating “word
for word”. Thus, transcreation is paramount for a global marketing campaign, because it minimizes the risk of brand erosion or
miscommunication and preserves investment.

MODULE 5 Artists and Artisans

The Artists in the World of Art

An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. An artist on
the hand is dedicated only to the creative side, making visually pleasing work only for the enjoyment and appreciation of the
viewer, but with no functional value. An artist is a person who exhibits exceptional skills in design, drawing, painting, and the like
who works in one of the performing arts, like an actor or musician. Unlike other people, he is more sensitive and more creative.
He possesses, to an unusual degree, the knack for interpreting ideas into artistic form through the use of words, pigments, stone,
notes, or any of the other materials used by artists. When he sees or learns something that impresses him, he expresses himself
in one medium or another so that others may understand it too. He, thus, learns to project his creative impulse through the
symbols of his art- a picture, a poem, or a piece of music according to his present inspiration and his training. His process of
creation, however, differs from that of an amateur or beginner only in degree. (Sanchez, C.; Abad, P., Jao, L. 2011).

The word” artist” is generally defined as an art practitioner, such as a painter, sculptor, choreographer, dancer, writer poet,
musicians, and the like who produces or creates indirectly functional arts with aesthetic value using imagination. Artists are
creative individuals who use their imagination and skills to communicate in an art form. Artists look to many sources for
inspiration. Some look forward to their natural and cultural environment for ideas: others look within themselves for creative
motivation. Artists exhibit the courage to take risk. They are willing to work intensely for long period of time to achieve their
goals. Some artists are self-taught (folk-artist) because they are not educated in traditional artistic methods. Just like the artists,
the artisan learns skills and techniques from some other artists but eventually, both artists and artisans develop their own unique
styles.

The artist’s credo “art for art’s sake” implies that beauty is the reason for the artwork. Thus, the artist must concern is the minds
of the viewers or readers. The artists communicate his thoughts, fantasies, observations, and self-revelation through his art. He
seeks to open our eyes and ears that we may see the world more clearly and find the meaning of the arts in our lives. Thus, our
role is to sense what the artist is trying to tell us through his artwork. Artists are called by many varied names. There are artists in
the visual arts, literature, music and dance.

Key Components of the Art Market

1. Curator. Curation is a field of endeavor involved with assembling, managing and presenting some type of collection. Curators
of art galleries and museums, for example, research, select and acquire pieces for their institutions’ collections and oversee
interpretation, displays and exhibits. A curator who is a manager or overseer and usually a curator or keeper of a cultural
heritage institution (gallery, museum, library or archive) is a content specialist charged with an institution’s collections, selecting
art to be displayed in museum, organizing art exhibitions in galleries or public places, researching artist and writing catalogs and
involved with the interpretation of heritage.

2. Art Buyer. An art buyer is a professional who is knowledgeable in art who may scout talents for an advertising agency seeking
to employ an art director, or who may look for an art for collector or company.

3. Art Dealer. An art dealer is a person or a company that buys and sells works of art. Art dealers often study the history of art
before starting their careers. They keep up the trends in the market and are knowledgeable about the style of art that people
want to buy. They figure out how much they should pay for a piece and then estimate the resale price. To determine the
artwork’s value, dealer inspect the objects or paintings closely and compare the fine details with similar places.

4. Private Collection. This is personal owned collection of works, usually collection of art in museum or art-gallery environment,
the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by the institution, but is on loan from an individual or organization, either for
temporary exhibition or for the long term. The source is usually from an art collector, although it could be from a school, church
organization, from bank or from other private company or any institution.

Three Stages in Art

Art making can be associated with art exploration, concept development, and art production. In the creative process, the artist
undergoes three stages of experience, which are popularly known as preproduction, production, and postproduction

1. Pre-Production or Subject Development. This ends when the planning ends. and the content starts being produced.

2. Production or Medium Manipulation. This is a method of joining diverse material inputs and unimportant inputs. The
production process is concerned with transforming a range of inputs into those outputs that are required by the market. This
involves two main sets of resources, and the transformed resources.

Any production process involves a series of links in a production chain. At each stage value is added in the course of production.
Adding value involves making a product more desirable to a consumer so that they will pay more for it. Adding value, therefore,
is not just about manufacturing, but includes advertising promotion and distribution that make the final product more desirable.

3. Post Production. This refers to completion or exhibition. Once an artwork is finished, it will be displayed.

The Medium and Technique

Medium comes from the Latin word medium, denotes the means by which the artist communicates his idea. Medium refers to
the materials that are used by an artist to create a work for art. Without the medium, an idea remains a concept, or it would just
dwell in the walls of the artist’s imagination. It is challenging to manipulate medium and transform it from its raw state. The
plural of medium is media. Some of the most common media are oil paints (paints that use oil to hold pigments together)
tempera (pigments held together with egg yolk) marble (soft, white stone), and bronze (a metal used to cast sculptures).

Pigment: natural or synthetic colored materials finely ground into power clay, gemstones, minerals, plants and insects.

Binder: Holds The Pigment Together And Adheres The Paint To A Surface, Egg Yolks, Oil And Wax.

Solvent: can be added to thin or thicken paint, slow or speed up its drying time with oil or water.

Technique refers to the artist’s ability and knowledge or technical know-how in manipulating the medium. It is the manner by
which the artist controls the medium to achieve the desired effect; thus, it is in the technique that artists differ from one another.
It also refers to the manner and ability with which an artist, writer, dancer athlete, or the like employs the technical skills of a
particular art or field of endeavor.
Two classifications of Medium

1. Visual Art. The medium can be seen and which occupy space.

2. Auditory and Time. The medium used can be heard and which are expressed in time

The Artisan

An artisan (from French artisan Italian artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates things by hand that may be
functional or strictly decorative for example furniture, decorative arts sculptures, clothing jewelry, food items, household items
and tools or even mechanisms such as the handmade clockwork movement of a watchmaker. The artisan is a craftsman, such as
carpenter, carver, plumber, blacksmith, weaver, embroiderer, and the like who produces directly functional and or decorative
arts. Artisan help us in meeting our basic needs, such as food, clothing, dwelling, furniture, and kitchen utensils: they craft
everything that makes our life easy. The artisan’s works are useful, relevant, and essential in our daily life.

The artisan is basically a physical worker who makes objects with his or her hands, and through skill, experience, and ability
can produce things of great beauty, as well as usefulness. Artisans are devoted only to the creative part, making visually pleasant
work only for the gratification and appreciation of the viewer. An artisan process is one that relies on the skills of workers over
strong processes. In the past, artisans were held in extremely high regard. This was primary due, though, to the lack of a
reasonable alternative to obtain high quality goods.

Recognitions for the Artists and Artisans

A. National Artists of the Philippines

1. Who is a national artist?

A National Artists is a Filipino citizen who has been given the rank and title of National Artist in recognition of his or her significant
contributions to the development of Philippine Arts and Letters. The rank and Title of National Artist is conferred by means of a
Presidential Proclamation. It recognizes excellence in the fields of Music, Dance, Theater, Visual Arts, Literature, Film and
Broadcast Arts and Architecture or Allied Arts. (https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/the-order-of- national-artists/). Fernando
Amorsolo, the painter who was named as the “ Grand Old Man of Philippine Art” was the very first recipient and sole awardee of
a National Artists for Visual Arts in the year 1972.

2. What is the Order of the National Artists?

Those who have been proclaimed National Artists are given a Grand Collar symbolizing their status. Recipients of this Grand
Collar make up the Order of National Artists. The Order of National Artists (Orden ng Gawad Pambansang Alagad ng Sining) is
thus a rank, title, and a wearable award that represents the highest national recognition given to Filipinos who have made distinct
contributions in the field of arts and letters. It is jointly administered by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), and is conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by
both institutions.

As one of the honors of the Philippines, it embodies the nation’s highest ideals in humanism and aesthetic expression through the
distinct achievements of individual citizens. The Order of National Artists shares similarities with orders, decorations, and medals
of other countries recognizing contributions to their national culture such as the U.S. National Medal for the Arts, and the Order
of Culture of Japan. Based on the rules of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, the Order of National Artists should
be conferred every three years.

3. What are the criteria for the Order of National Artists?

a. Living artists who are Filipino citizens at the time of nomination, as well as those who died after the establishment of the
award in 1972 but were Filipino citizens at the time of their death;

b. Artists, who, through the content and form of their works, have contributed in building a Filipino sense of nationhood;

c. Artists who have pioneered in a mode of creative expression or style, thus earning distinction and making an impact on
succeeding generation of artists;

d. Artists who have created a substantial and significant body of work and/or consistently displayed excellence in the practice of
their art form thus enriching artistic expression or style; and;
e. Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through: (a.) prestigious national and/ or international recognition, such as the Gawad CCP
para sa Sining, CCP Thirteen Artists Award and NCCA Alab ng Haraya; (b.) critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works; and (c.)
respect and esteem from peers.

4. What are the incentives received by the awardee?

A person who receives this title gets the following honors and privileges:

a. Rank and title of National Artist, as proclaimed by the President of the Philippines;

b. Insignia of a National Artist and a citation;

c. Cash awards, monthly life pension, medical, and hospitalization benefits, life insurance coverage, state funeral and burial at the
Libingan ng Mga Bayani (Heroes Cemetery), and a place of honor at national state functions along with recognition at cultural
events.

Sample National Artists of the Philippines

There are 81 recognized National Artists to date, with the fields of Visual Literature, and Music having the most number of
recognized national artists.

1. Carlos “Botong” Francisco (Visual Arts, 1973)

Hailing from the Art Capital of the Philippines, Angono native Carlos “Botong” Francisco is known for single-handedly reviving the
modern art of murals through works that showed slices of the past. He was such a prolific muralist that he became its most well-
known practitioner for almost 30 years.

2. Leonor Orosa Goquingco

Leonor Orosa Goquingco is a pioneer Filipino choreographer known to many as “The Trailblazer,” “The Mother of Philippine
Theater Dance,” and “Dean of Filipino Performing Arts Critics.” She has produced stunning choreographies during her 50-year
career, highlighted by “Filipinescas: Philippine Life, Legend, and Love,” which elevated native folk dance to its highest stage of
development.

3. Lucrecia R. Kasilag (Music, 1989)

If you’re a fan of Filipino artists that blend Filipino ethnic and Western music, then you should probably get to know Lucrecia R.
Kasilag. An educator, composer, performing artist, administrator, and cultural entrepreneur, she is seen as the pioneering figure
for fusing Filipino ethnic and Western music, helping elevate Filipino’s appreciation for music. Her best work is the prize-winning
Toccata for Percussions and Winds, Divertissement and Concertante, which incorporates indigenous Filipino instruments.

4. Leandro V. Locsin (Architecture, 1990)

He espoused “freedom of expression” throughout all his films, injecting each and everyone with a social. A man who believes that
true Philippine Architecture “is the product of two great streams of culture, the oriental and the occidental… to produce a new
object of profound harmony,” Leandro V. Locsin is the man responsible for designing everything you see at CCP Complex – the
Cultural Center of the Philippines, Folk Arts Theatre, Philippine International Convention Center, Philcite, and The Westin Hotel
(now Sofitel Philippine Plaza).

5. Lino Brocka (Cinema, 1997)

Catalino “Lino” Ortiz Brocka is known to many as one of, if not the greatest Filipino director of all time. He espoused “freedom of
expression” throughout all his films, injecting each and every one with a social activist spirit. Some of his well-known works
include Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang (1974), Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (1975), and Insiang (1976), the latter being the first
Filipino film to be shown at Cannes.

6. Levi Celerio (Literature and Music, 1997)

Levi Celerio, a prolific lyricist and composer, is known for having effortlessly translating or rewriting lyrics of traditional Filipino
melodies like “O Maliwanag Na Buwan” (Iloko), “Ako ay May Singsing” (Pampango), and “Alibangbang” (Visaya). He’s also been
immortalized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the only person to make music using just a leaf.

7. Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero (Theater, 1997)

Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero is playwright a teacher and theater artist who, in his 35 years of teaching, has mentored some of the
country’s best Filipino performing artists, including Joy Virata and Joonee Gamboa. He wrote over 100 plays, 41 of which have
been published. His unpublished plays have either been broadcast on the radio or staged in the Philippines. He is also the founder
and artistic director of the UP Mobile Theater, leading the way for the concept of a theater campus by bringing theater closer to
students and audiences in the countryside

8. Sionil Jose (Literature, 2001)

F. Sionil Jose is best known for creating the five-novel masterpiece known as Rosales saga: Poon; Tree; My Brother, My
Executioner; The Pretenders; and Mass. Set in the town of Rosales Pangasinan, it talks about the five generations of two families,
the Samsons and the Asperri, during the Spanish and American occupation.

9. Nora Aunor, ( Film and Broadcast Arts, 2022)

Nora Cabaltera Villamayor, more popularly known as Nora Aunor, is a multi-award-winning actress and singer who achieved fame
in different fields over the decades, including film, television, music, and theter. Philippine cinema’s superstar was honored for
depicting the everyday realities and aspirations of the common man in some of the most important Filipino films including
“Himala” among others.

10. Benedicto “BenCab” Reyes Cabrera, ( Visual Arts 2006)

Benedicto Reyes Cabrera, better known as “BenCab” is a Filipino painter and was awarded National Artist of the Philippines for
Visual Arts in 2006. He has been noted as “arguably the best selling painter of his generation of Filipino artists”.In 2009, BenCab
established the BenCab Museum, a space intended for the display of BenCab’s artwork alongside his personal art collection and
indigenous Filipino artworks. Besides his countless works and significant contributions to the Philippine contemporary art,
BenCab is known for founding the Baguio Arts Guild with Kidlat Tahimik, Santiago Bose, and Roberto Villa.

B. GAMABA Award

1. How did GAMABA originate?

Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or GAMABA is an award that acknowledges folk and indigenous artists who, despite the modern
times, remain true to their traditions. It is administered by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCAA) through
Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Committee.

GAMABA began as a project of the Philippine Rotary Club Makati- Ayala. In 1992, it was adopted by the government and
institutionalized Republic Act No. 7355. This award aims to support and motivate these artists to preserve their artistic heritage
for the present and future generations. These artists are also recognized as the country’s National Living Treasures.

The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) or the National Living Treasures Award gives recognition to Filipino traditional
craftsmen or artisans whose skills have reached a high level of technical and artistic excellence and who are tasked to pass on the
present generation knowledge threatened with extinction.

NCCA chairman Felipe de Leon, Jr. spearheaded the institutionalization of the award. The law was authored by senators Edgardo
J. Angara, Heherson Alvarez, Leticia Ramos-Shalani, Sotero Laurel and congresswoman Kate Gordon.

On April 3, 1992, President Corazon C. Aquino signed Republic Act No. 7355, providing for the recognition of the national living
treasures, otherwise known as the Manlilikha ng Bayan, and the promotion and development of traditional folk arts.

On December 17, 199, the first awarding ceremony for Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan was held at the Malacanang Palace.

2. How does one become a Manlilikha ng Bayan?

To become a “Manlilikha ng Bayan”, the candidate must possess the following:

a. He/She is an inhabitant of an indigenous/traditional cultural community anywhere in the Philippines that has preserved
indigenous customs, belief, rituals and traditions and traditions and/or has syncretized whatever external elements that have
influenced it.

b. He/She must have engaged in a folk art tradition that has been in existence and documented for at least fifty (50) years.

c. He/She must have consistently performed or produced over significant period, works of superior and distinctive quality.

d. He/She must possess a mastery of tools and materials needed by the art, and must have an established reputation in the
arts as master and maker of works of extraordinary technical quality.

e. He/She must have passed on and/or will pass on to other members of the community is traditionally known.

A traditional artist who possesses all the qualities of a Manlilikha ng Bayan candidate, but due to age or infirmity has left him/her
incapable of teaching further his/her craft, may still recognize if:

a. He/She has created a significant body of works and/or has consistently displayed excellence in the practice of his/her art,
thus achieving important contributions for its development.

b. He/She has been instrumental in the revitalization of his/her community’s artistic tradition.

c. He/She has passed on to the other members of the community skills in the folk art for which the community the community
is traditionally known.

d. His/Her community has recognized him/her as master teacher of his/her craft.

3. What are the incentives received by the awardee?

A Manlilikha ng Bayan awardee receives a specially designed medallion, an initial grant of P100,000 and P10,000 monthly stipends
for life. In consonance with the provision of Republic Act No. 7355, which states that “the monetary grant may be increased
whenever circumstances so warrant, “the NCCA board approved monthly personal allowance of P14,000 for the awardees as well
as a maximum cumulative amount of P750,000 medical and hospitalization benefit annually similar to that received by the
National Artists and funeral assistance/tribute fit for a National Living Treasure.