Humanities, Assumptions, and Nature of showing how others have lived and thought

Arts about life, the humanities help us decide

Humanities what is important in our own lives and what
• The word humanities comes from the Latin we can do to make them better"
word humanus which means human who is • By connecting us with other people, they
refined, cultured, and worthy of the dignity of point the way to answers about what is right
man. or wrong, or what is true to our heritage and
• It is also based on the philosophical view of our history. The humanities help us address
the sophist's dictum of the Greek Pythagoras, the challenges we face together in our
who said that "man is the measure of all families, our communities, and as a nation.
things" • Humanities is defined as the set of
• The study of humanities includes the disciplines taught in universities which
appreciation of the arts which can strengthen include grammar, rhetoric, history, literature,
our values about life and reality. music and philosophy, a body of knowledge
• The Webster dictionary def hes humanities aimed to make a man, a full human -
as any of the branches of learning embraced cultured, refined and well-rounded. This
by philosophy, literature, language, art, developed from the concept which
excluding theology, natural and social recognized man's essential worth as a
sciences member of society. - Dr. Francisco Zulueta,
• As the artist conveys his thoughts, beliefs, (2003)
values and feelings through his artwork,
whether it is visual, literary or the performing Arts: Nature and Meaning
arts, we begin to aesthetically open and • The term art (from the Latin word ars) is
educate our senses. often used to describe the arts, which consist
• "Though they had eyes to see they saw to of painting, sculpture, architecture, literature,
avail: they had ears, but understood not; but dance, music, and film.
like the shape in dreams, throughout the • Art is an expression of our thoughts,
lengths of days, without purpose they emotions, intuitions, and desires, but it is
wrought all things in confusion” - Aeschylus, even more personal than that: it is about
a fifth century Greek dramatist observation sharing the way we experience the world,
about human beings. which for many is an extension of personality.
• To become totally and truly human, we must • It is the communication of intimate concepts
therefore learn how to use and enjoy our that cannot be faithfully portrayed by words
senses, or we may become part of what the alone. And because words alone are not
psychologist Rudolp Arnheim observed about enough, we must find some other vehicle to
a "generation that has lost touch of its sense" carry out our intent.
• "What is important now is to recover our • But the content that we instill on or in our
senses. We must learn to see more, to hear chosen media is not in itself the art. Art is to
more, to feel more... The aim of all be found in how the media is used, the way in
commentary on art now should be able to which the content is expressed.
make works of art- and by analogy, our own • Art is a way of grasping the world. Not
experience more rather than less, real than merely the physical, which is what science
us... his function of criticism should be to attempts to do; but the whole world, and
show how it is, even that it is what it is, rather specifically, the human world, society and
than to how what it means” spiritual experience.
• "The humanities are the stories, the ideas, • Art emerged around 50,000 years ago, long
and the words that help us make sense of before the cities and civilizations, yet in forms
our lives and our world. The humanities to which we can still directly relate. The wall
introduce us to people we have never met, paintings is the Lascaux caves, which so
places we have never visited, and ideas that startled Picasso, have been carbon dated at
may have never crossed our minds. By around 17,000 years old.
• Art cannot be simply defined on the basis of term artisan came from it. Centuries later,
concrete tests like ‘fidelity of Rousseau spoke of metallurgy and
representations’ or vague abstract concepts agriculture as two arts which brought
like beauty, so, how can we define art in civilization to humanity during the 19th
terms of applying to both cave dwellers and century, the term art came to be used
modern sophisticates? What does art do? -it primarily for the so-called fine arts.
provokes an emotional, rather than simply
cognitive response Liberal Arts
• Originally, the term liberal arts (from Latin
Art: Definition Liberalis), which means "suitable for a
• Art consists of shareable ideas that have a freeman" refers to seven (7) courses of
shareable emotional impact. Art need not university study that were offered during the
produce beautiful objects or events, since a medieval period: grammar, rhetoric,
great piece of art could validly arouse arithmetic, geometry, music, and
emotions other than those aroused by astronomy. The primary and most basic aim
beauty, such as terror, anxiety or laughter. of liberal arts education is the fullest possible
Yet to drive an acceptable philosophical development of the individual is not only its
theory of art from this understanding means fundamental aim but also for democracy to
tackling the concept of “emotion” head on, work.
and philosophers have been notoriously • By exploring issues, ideas and methods
reluctant to do this. across the humanities and the arts, and the
• The Roman poet Lucretius refers to art as natural and social sciences, you will learn to
skills, which Greek mythological Titan read critically, write cogently and think
Prometheus bestowed to man, enabling him broadly. These skills will elevate your
to improve the material conditions of his conversations in the classroom and
existence. However, according to the strengthen your social and cultural analysis;
classical Greek philosophers, art is an they will cultivate the tools necessary to allow
imitation of reality, art copies something of you to navigate the world's most complex
the world. The idealist Greek philosopher issues.
Plato defines it as an "imitation of imitation" • "Teaches a man to see things as they are,
• "The painting of a bed is a copy of a to go right to the point, to disentangle a skein
concrete bed, which is a copy of the ideal of thought, to detect what is sophisticated
form of bed. If art is imitating an imitation of and to discard what is irrelevant. It prepares
an ideal, then art is doubly divorced from him to fill any post credit, and to master any
reality and therefore doubly inferior" subject with facility"
• Aristotle defines art as an imitation, but
imitation is not of the ideal world but of the Nature of Art
real physical world. For him, “art is a • It covers those areas of artistic creativity
reflection or a mirror of reality” that seek to communicate beauty or ugly
• The classical idea of art as a mimesis subjects primarily through the senses.
(imitation) had long been accepted for • An art embraces the visual arts, paintings,
centuries. Thus works or art are best judged sculpture, architecture, and graphic arts, and
according to similitude; the better the the auditory and performing arts, music,
imitation, the better the art. Today, however, dance, theater, opera and cinema and
not all art is imitative or representative, there literature.
are new forms of art such as expressionist • Art applies to such activities that expresses
and conceptual art. aesthetic ideas using skills and imagination in
• Until the end of the 18 century, the word art the creation of objects through experiences
was broadly used to cover all human skill and about the environment or through other
all the things which human beings are able to personal collective experiences, which can
produce by skilled workmanship. Hence the be shared worthy to others.
• Throughout history, art is seen as a realm of people and because they are appreciated
pure emotion, the unfathomable territory of a and enjoyed. The timelessness about art
dark mystery, a human product whose nature makes people feel it is not old; art does not
and function are impervious to reason and grow old.
objective definition. Yet recent times have • Art imitates Life and Reality - art is born
witnessed phenomena that heightened in experience; it is the footprint of fingerprints
urgency to the question of the nature of the of the artist' experience of life in a reality.
art.. Artists live in green time, place, and culture.
• Anything accomplished with great art skill. Some artworks are therefore statements,
Hence, there are the specialized arts such as which probed and analyzed concepts of life
those arts of teaching, and the art of and reality during their time.
acupuncture. • Art has Intrinsic Worth - humanities are
• These are also the art of speaking, sartorial generally regarded as the areas in which
art (dressing), culinary art (cooking), and the human values and a person's creativity are
other practical arts such as the art of celebrated. Every creative work of art has a
metallurgy. "lifetime enhancing value. Although art can
• Art is present in almost all human activities. be used as spiritual values, it cannot be used
We also have different forms of martial arts- up nor be exhausted. A great masterpiece of
judo, karate, taekwondo, arnis, etc., even in art is never out of date; they tend to magnify
modern technology, the phrase 'state of the their value through the ages, and the ages to
art' means. quintessential or technically come.
perfect workmanship.
• Artwork is something produced with the Values of Art
intention of giving it; capacity to satisfy • Aesthetic Value - beauty is truth, truth is
aesthetic interest. The word intention means beauty; that is all you know on earth and all
a combination of desire and belief, with the you need to know
goal of producing a work capable of satisfying • Didatic Value - advocates that art can be
the aesthetic interest. an effective means to show what is moral,
• A work of art may serve as an exercise in that art can improve the moral fiber of
skill and manually dexterity but skill itself society.
does not define art, though it is possible to • Religious Value - art is supposed to
examine the products of an artist as the result increase awareness of man's relationship
of skilled manipulation of materials. with God and to promote better and stronger
• "To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once bonds between God and man.
experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, • Historical Value - this is present if an art
then by means of movements, lines, colors, tells us something significant aspects about
sounds, or forms expressed through words, the past.
so to convey this so that others may • Socio- Political Value - this is used to
experience the same feeling this is the clarify some problems of society and
activity of art. Hence, there is a difference government. For example, Jose Rizal's novel
between an artisan and artist.” - Tolstoy "Noli me Tangere" and Juna Luna's
(1986) "Spolarium"
• Scientific Value - it is an art if it informs us
Importance of Art about the earth, outer space, psychology,
• Timeless Art - the art constitutes of the numbers, etc.
oldest and most important means of • Commercial Value - exist if the artwork can
expression developed by man. Art is not only sell for a fortune.
found in all ages; but it is present in all • Pragmatic Value - this is the practical value
countries. No matter the country, there is of an artwork.
always art. Works of arts have been • Therapeutic Value - art has been explored
preserved because they meet the needs of by medical sciences.
• Personal Value - this is flexible. It can be • Scholarly interest in creativity is found in a
Socratic in approach. "Know thyself" theory number of disciplines, primarily psychology,
through art can lead to self- discovery, business studies, and cognitive science, but
greater self-awareness, self- development, also education, technology, engineering.
self- expression which at the same time is a philosophy, sociology, linguistics, economics,
form of communication and ideally self- and mathematics, covering the relations
fulfillment. between creativity and general
intelligence, personality type, mental and
Assumptions of Art neural processes, mental health or artificial
Art is Universal intelligence; the potential for fostering
• Art is a universal phenomena and is as old creativity through education and training, the
as human beings. Every society has its own fostering of creativity for national economic
art, which is encouraged and molded by the benefit, and the application of creative
patronage it gets from its members. Artists as resources to improve the effectiveness of
members of society create such works of art teaching and learning.
in accordance with the existing relations in • The English word creativity comes from the
the society. Latin word creare which means "to create,
o Art is available to everyone make”
o It is a means of communication • The word create appeared in English as
o It is timeless early as 14th century, to indicate divine
o It addresses human needs creation
√ Culture - pattern of behaviors, ideas and • However, its modern meaning as an act of
value human creation did not emerge until after the
√ Art - the taste in art and manners that are Enlightenment.
favored by a social group
o The sensitivity and imagination of an Imagination
artist is what can make a culture • It is the ability to produce and simulate
o Art defines culture novel objects, people and ideas in the mind
o Art is an articulation and transmission without any immediate input of the senses
of new information and values • It is also described as the forming of
Art is Experience experiences in one's mind, which can be re-
• Art then is not merely the process by artist; creations of past experiences such as vivid
it involves both the artist and the active memories with imagined changes, or they
observer who encounter each other, their can be completely invented and possibly
mental environments, and their culture at fantastic scenes
large. • Imagination helps make knowledge
• The creation of art must be something of applicable in solving problems and is
personal and knowledgeable value fundamental to integrating experience and
• A work of art cannot be abstracted from the learning process. A basic training of
actual doing. In order to know what an imagination is listening to storytelling
artwork is, we have to sense it, see and hear (narrative) in which the exactness of the
it. chosen words is the fundamental factor to
evoke worlds
Creativity • Imagination is a cognitive process used in
• It is a phenomenon whereby something new mental functioning and sometimes used in
and somehow valuable is formed. The conjunction with psychological imagery. It is
created item may be intangible (such as an considered as such because it involves
idea, a scientific theory, a musical thinking about possibilities
composition, or a joke) or a physical object
(such as an invention, a printed literary work, Values of Art in Society
or a painting)
•Art appreciation helps to open the mindset of
the people by listening to different
perspectives and views as well as
interpretations of art
•Art affects culture and society in various
ways and promotes communication between
cultures, being a universal language that
breaks cultural barriers and give people
respect for the beliefs and tradition of others
•The significance of art in society is to serve
and fulfill our sense of beauty and wonder
about the world and provides an outlet for
creative expression and documentation of
history
•It brings different people together as well as
understands each other. Lessons acquired
from. these subjects can be applied in
learning positive behaviors and lifestyle that
needs consistency
•Scientific students have proven that art
appreciation improves our quality of life and
make us feel good, creating an art elevates
our mood and improve our ability to solve
problems and lead to open our minds to new
ideas
• Art influences society by changing opinions,
instilling values and expressing experiences
across space and time. Research have
shown that art affects the fundamental sense
of self. Painting, sculpture, music, literature,
and other arts are considered to be the
repository of a society's collective memory.