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THE LANGUAGE OF ART

O V E R V I E W

Welcome to the second module where we consider art as a language. As with any
language, we in UP strive for fluency.

The visual arts, literature, performative (music, dance, theatre) and media arts, are
ways of getting an idea across. Painter and art lecturer Fernando Zobel (6) once remarked,
“Much of our trouble with paintings is that we expect them to communicate to us when we
don’t understand the vocabulary used. That is like a person who dislikes English poetry when
he doesn’t understand English.… There is more to seeing than just looking. Give a picture a
chance, rather than a glance.”

Hence, to understand and appreciate an artwork, its various aspects must be

considered (Guillermo and Flores 30). These include the elements, its forms and styles,
medium and techniques, and the governing principles of organization. Moreover, the why
and how of what art communicates change over time, under the fluctuating conditions of
abundance, war, and anxiety. Hence, we also study art movements and social contexts.

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This module will run for two weeks as we explore the facets that make an artwork or
a performance uniquely whole as both channel and method for understanding the culture,
beliefs, heritage, and history of an individual or a society. At the end of this module, we will
have participated in both creative work and discursive practice with three introductory
activities on discourse, poetry, and art.

Kindly note that, due to constraints introduced by the pandemic, we will focus the
discussion on the visual arts, sparely but dutifully complemented by other art forms.

For the online version of this course: While synchronous meetings are optional, we
are expected to go online at least four times, spending around two hours for each session.
These sessions are to be spaced generously for offline study and exercises in between.

L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E S

At the end of this module, you should be able to

1. Describe the various elements, materials and techniques of art;

2. Trace the emergence and development of various movements in art;
3. Discuss the principles of composition across art forms; and
4. Demonstrate how the components of art convey meaning.

L E A R N I N G R E S O U R C E S

This module contains the minimal material you’ll need to launch your inquiry on art
movements, styles, media, techniques, styles, elements, and principles. This is a condensed
version of the references you’ll find below.

Aside from this text, you’ll need A4 size paper or board, your choice of art materials
(ex: ink, clay, gouache, or oil pastel) and implements (ex: brush, pen, scissors, or sponge),
plus some newspapers, magazines, or any disposable printed text in the vicinity. A camera
is required to take pictures of your artwork. A separate notebook might help.

If online, please use your up.edu.ph e-mail and the corresponding Google Classroom
and Zoom accounts.

“Art Movements.” Google Arts & Culture. Accessed 20 July 2020.

artsandculture.google.com/category/art-movement.
“Art Terms.” Tate. Accessed 20 July 2020. www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms.

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Datuin, Flaudette May V., et al. “Mediums and Techniques.” Philippine Contemporary Art
in the Regions. Manila, Rex Book Store, 2016, pp.87-98.
de Leon, Felipe M., Jr. “The Elements and Principles of Organization in the Arts.” On Art,
Man & Nature: Selected Readings in the Humanities, edited by Felipe M. de Leon Jr.
Quezon City, Jingle Clan Pub, 1978, pp.83-96.
De La Paz, Cecilia, and Patrick D. Flores, eds. Sining at Lipunan. 2nd ed. Quezon City, Sentro
ng Wikang Filipino, Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, 2014.
Guillermo, Alice G. “Reading the Image.” Image to Meaning: Essays on Philippine Art.
Quezon City, Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2001, pp. 1-16.
Guillermo, Alice G., and Patrick D. Flores. Introduction to “The Text of Art.” Art and Society,
managing editor Patrick D. Flores. Quezon City, Department of Art Studies, College
of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines, 1997, p. 30.
Guttman, Lisa, and Nicola Giardina. “Lesson Plan: Materials and Meaning.” Metropolitan
Museum of Art. 2015. https://www.metmuseum.org/learn/educators/lesson-
plans/materials-and-meaning.
Strickland, Carol. The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric
to Post-Modern. 2nd ed. Kansas, Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, 2007.
“The Recommended Syllabus.” Humanities: Art and Society Handbook. Quezon City, U.P.
College of Arts and Letters Foundation, Inc.; Technical Panel on Humanities, Social
Sciences, and Communication; and Commission on Higher Education, 1998, xxi-
xxvii.
“Visual Art: Materials & Tools.” Study.com. 06 Nov 2017. Accessed 09 July 2018.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/visual-art-materials-tools.html
Zobel de Ayala, Fernando. “Lecture Outlines for the Course Introduction to Contemporary
Painting.” Manila: Ateneo de Manila, 1954-1955.

S T U D Y G U I D E

Topic 1.0 Materials

Generally, material or medium is the physical substance from which a work is made.
Artists express feelings and ideas not only through the subject matter of their work but also
through the materials or medium that they use. Painters typically use oil, acrylic, and
watercolor, as well as tempera, ink, and pastel, which they apply on a two-dimensional or
flat surface such as canvas, paper, wood, or wall. Here are visual artists Jualim Vela and
Keith Paras at work.

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Sculptors shape clay, glass, metal, stone, or wood into three-dimensional

representation or abstract forms. They carve wood or stone, mold and fire clay, or cast
various metals into figures. Below are Vela’s terra cotta, saw dust, and brass wire sculptures.

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Architects direct their craft on rock (stone, clay), organic materials (wood), metal
(steel), synthetic materials (glass, plastics), and hybrid materials (concrete). Poets work with
sound, imagery, and rhetoric. Musicians such as the Philippine Madrigal Singers use their
voices with or without accompanying instruments. Dancers like the PHSA Sanghiyas
Pangkat Mananayaw use timed body movements.

Theater artists, as from the Philippine High School of the Arts featured here, integrate
visual cues, facial expressions, music, and dance in their performances (Datuin et al. 89, all
photographs from Vela’s collection).

For diligent artists, material is not merely incidental to the work. The artists’ choice
of medium affects expressive content (de Leon 83) and takes part in forming the meaning of
the work (Guillermo 31). Architectural materials, for instance, also signify character and
social values. Stone connotes strength; marble, permanence; wood, warmth; brick,
practicality; and metal, impersonality (Guillermo 43-44).

An artist working with recycled material might be trying to say something about our
consumerist culture or the high cost of art. Say an artist collected discarded construction
material from a controversial dam project and turned it into art. How can the choice of
material possibly contribute to the significance of the artwork?

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Topic 2.0 Technique

Technique is the manner or method by which artists manipulate the aforementioned

materials to further express their feelings and ideas. In Eugene Delacroix’s Portrait of
Paganini (1832), notice how the painter’s rough brushstrokes seem to convey the raw
intensity of the musician’s performance. Compare how Delacroix’s brushwork affects the
subject matter in Horse Frightened by a Storm (1824).

Painters do not always apply pigments with a brush or palette knife. In a frottage
technique, artists rub lead or charcoal over a piece placed on a granular surface to obtain
textural effects. For a soft ethereal effect, a spray gun is used. In the decalcomania technique,
pigments are applied on two sheets of paper which are then pressed together to create
random shapes.

In graphic arts such as printmaking, there are four traditional techniques or engraving
processes, namely: relief, intaglio, surface or planographic methods, and serigraphy or
silkscreen. New printmaking processes include collography, plantigraphy, thermography,
xeroxography, and viscosity printing. Printmakers are particular about the medium (paper)
and engraving techniques because these have specific effects and meanings (Guillermo 35-
37).
In architecture, methods or systems of architectural constructions include: lashed
construction, post-and-lintel construction, arch and vault construction, skeleton
construction, and cantilever construction (Guillermo 44-46).

Topic 3.0 Elements of the Arts

Elements are the building blocks of the arts while principles serve as guides in
organizing these elements. Lines, shapes, forms, colors, value, space, texture and

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perspective are elements of the Visual Arts. Basic elements such as rhythm, melody,
harmony, and expressive elements such as timbre (tone color), dynamics, tempo and lastly
form, comprises the backbone of music. The elements of dance consist of the theme,
movement, technique, design, choreography, music, scenery and costume and
paraphernalia. Literary elements vary with each particular genre (short story, poetry, essay
or novel).

3.1 Elements of the Visual Arts

3.1.1. Lines are two points/dots connected that define shapes, space and contours, visually
move in various directions and suggest mass or volume. Lines are either straight or curved.
Straight lines can be vertical, horizontal or diagonal. Consider Piet Mondrian’s Broadway
Boogie Woogie (1943) alongside Bridget Riley’s Dominance Portfolio (1977) then check
these against a list of the visual meanings of lines.

Thin lines suggest frailty while thick lines imply toughness and boldness.
Horizontal lines indicate calmness and serenity.
Vertical lines evoke strength, balance, rigidity.
Diagonal lines signify a feeling of visual movement.
Curve lines express fluid movement, gracefulness, and flexibility.

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Below is Vela’s Miyajima Torii Gate (2010) where line is a primary element. What
sort of lines do you observe? What could be the significance of this execution?

3.1.2. Shapes are closed contours. A shape is created when a line is enclosed. It can be
defined by other elements in or around it such as lines, colors and texture. Shapes are either
organic/biomorphic or geometric. Consider Vela’s Sarimanok (2007) and Constancio
Bernardino’s “Anticipation” AC-1052 (1971) as respective references for our study of
biomorphic and geometric shapes.

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Below are two compositions by Keith Paras that combine biomorphic and geometric
shapes to achieve different effects. Contrast recherchè (2012) with Shibuya-kei (2015).

3.1.3. Forms are three-dimensional shapes with volume and depth. Similar to shape, forms
are either organic/biomorphic or geometric. Organic forms are derived from nature, are
visually free flowing or spontaneous and cannot be measured. On the other hand, geometric
forms show precise angles and edges, can be measured and are often found in architectural
designs. These are Cloud Gate (2004) by Anish Kapoor and Untitled Match (Beatles,
Bonifacio) (2014) by Alwin Reamillo.

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3.1.4 Colors affect an artwork’s visual emotional impact through the manipulation of hue,
intensity, and value which are dimensions of color. Considered as one of the forms of non-
verbal communication, color stimulates the imagination and generates various responses
from the viewers. Colors can elicit a particular feeling from a viewer. For example, warm
colors (red, orange, yellow) tend to advance and catch attention. Cool colors (blue, purple,
green) tend to visually recede within a visual composition.

Look for these contrasting effects between Vela’s Untitled (2019) and Money Talks
(part of a triptych, 2005).

3.1.5 Value refers to lightness or darkness of specific areas in the visual composition of a
painting or a drawing. Value creates the illusion of volume and emphasizes by creating light
and depth. See El Greco’s The Fable (1580-1585) and Vela’s goat skull rendering (2007) for
your study of this element.

3.1.6. Space is the area between and around objects or figures in a visual composition. We
call the area occupied by objects positive space. Empty areas are called the negative space.
Space can project a feeling of depth and thus may be two-dimensional or three-dimensional.
Importantly too, space provides the audience a visual reference of understanding the

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artwork. Let us consider space in Juan Sajid Imao’s design for the Marawi Heroes Memorial
(2018) and JC Mendoza’s The Mind of Kris Aquino (2014).

3.1.7. Texture refers to the surface quality of an artwork as seen and/or felt by the viewer.
What can we say about texture in Vela’s Female Figure (2006)? In this detail of Anton del
Castillo’s OMG 2 (Chaos) (2019)?

3.1.8. Perspective creates a three-dimensional illusion (depth, volume and space) on a two-
dimensional painting, design, drawing or a photograph. Perspective can be achieved by
utilizing linear or aerial perspective. Linear perspective uses lines and a vanishing point in
order to show that a visual object’s size changes with the distance. On the other hand, aerial

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perspective shows an illusion of depth influenced by the atmospheric distance between

objects in the composition.

Here are, respectively, linear and aerial perspectives in Vela’s photograph taken in a
temple (Nara, Japan, 2008) and Juanito Torres’ Assassination of Gen. Antonio Luna (2011).

Row One Row Two Row Three Row Poor (2006) is an example that uses both linear
and aerial perspective. Specify the differences in physical distance as we move from row to
row? What brought about these distinctions?

Topic 4.0 Principles of Composition in the Arts

Principles organize elements. In Visual Arts, “principles of composition” are the ways
artists employ, position, and combine the elements to create something aesthetically
pleasing or thought-provoking. The fundamental principles are Balance, Rhythm,
Movement, Proportion, Unity and Emphasis.

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4.1. Balance is the equal distribution of visual weights of each element in a composition.
Colors, shapes, forms, texture and space should be balanced in the design space to make
the whole composition stable. Balance can be formal (symmetrical) , informal
(asymmetrical), or radial. Formal balance is achieved by placing similar elements on each
side of the design composition. Informal balance is achieved by placement of objects in the
design area. In radial balance, the elements are placed accordingly around a central point.

Mae West’s Lips Sofa (1936) by Salvador Dali shows formal balance while Magnolias
on Light Blue Velvet Cloth (1885/95) by Martin Johnson Head exhibits informal balance.

4.2. Rhythm is a visual tempo created when one or more elements of design are used
repeatedly to create a feeling of organized movement. To keep rhythm visually interesting
and lively, the use of a variety of elements is important. Rhythm can be achieved by
repetition, gradation, radiation, opposition and transition. Study rhythm in Andy Warhol’s
Campbell’s Soup Cans (1962) and del Castillo’s Yellow Nation (2016).

4.3. Movement gives the artist the control over the arrangements or use of various elements
to create an illusion of action. This in turn creates a path for the viewer’s eye throughout the
work of art, often to focal areas. Where are the focal areas in Batang Makabayan (2009) by
Torres? Then account for movement in Kagampan (1982) by Renato Habulan.

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4.4. Proportion achieves visual unity when objects or figures relate well with each other in
terms of their sizes, color or number in the visual design composition. For example, when
drawing the human figure, proportion can refer to the size of the head compared to the rest
of the body. Let us make use of Vela’s Untitled (2020) and Neil Doloricon’s entry to Manila
Today’s Inkwentro: Lockdown (2020) to study proportion and its significance.

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4.5. Unity is the achievement of visual harmony or a sense of cohesion between all parts of
the work of art, which creates an overall sense of wholeness or completeness of the artwork.
See this principle at work in del Castillo’s Man created God not God created man (2015)
and Torres’s Piging (2009).

4.6. Emphasis refers to the use of elements on a focal point that catches the viewer’s
attention. Artist makes one area or a main subject matter stand out by contrasting it with
other areas using colors, value, shape, texture or size. How was emphasis achieved in
Paras’s Luna (2019)? In del Castillo’s The Sleeping Dragon (2015)

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How about in Biboy Royong’s Cry of the Dead Whale (2019)?

Topic 5.0 The Art Movements

Art movements are distinct styles in art which are shared by artists with common
philosophies, concepts, goals, mediums, and techniques. You will likely notice that the idea
of “a movement” changes from one movement to another. The thirteen below are condensed
presentations from online sources, mainly Google Arts & Culture and Tate Modern. These
are but a few among the many art movements for us to explore.

5.1 The Renaissance: The 14th to 16th centuries saw a vibrant period of European
cultural, artistic, political and scientific “rebirth” after the Middle Ages. It has been
characterized as a nostalgia for classical antiquity.

Renaissance art reached its peak in the short period known as the High Renaissance
(1500–1530) in the work of Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael. The Renaissance

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style then underwent a myriad of successive transformations in Mannerism, Baroque,

Rococo, neoclassicism, and the Romantic movement. The work of Raphael was held up
as the prime model in the art academies until the mid-nineteenth century. Here are his
works entitled The School of Athens (1509) and The Sistine Madonna (1512).

In Renaissance literature, the production of John Donne, Ben Jonson, and William
Shakespeare flourished. Here is how Mary Sidney Herbert “[The Doleful Lay of
Clorinda]” begins.

Ay me, to whom shall I my case complain,

That may compassion my impatient grief?
Or where shall I unfold my inward pain,
That my enriven heart may find relief?
Shall I unto the heavenly pow’rs it show,
Or unto earthly men that dwell below?

To heavens? Ah, they, alas, the authors were,

And workers of my unremedied woe:
For they foresee what to us happens here,
And they foresaw, yet suffered this be so.
From them comes good, from them comes also ill,
That which they made, who can them warn to spill.

The poem will move along twelve more sextets faithfully retaining this form, and it ends with
these two stanzas.

There liveth he in everlasting bliss,

Sweet spirit never fearing more to die:
Ne dreading harm from any foes of his,
Ne fearing savage beasts’ more cruelty.
Whilst we here, wretches, wail his private lack,
And with vain vows do often call him back.

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But live thou there still happy, happy spirit,

And give us leave thee here thus to lament:
Not thee that dost thy heaven’s joy inherit,
But our own selves that here in dole are drent.
Thus do we weep and wail, and wear our eyes,
Mourning in other’s, our own miseries.

5.2 Baroque: Reaching its height in Rome, 1630–1680, Baroque is characterized by

confidence, dynamism, and an engaging, realistic approach to depiction. While its direct
emotional appeal suited the spirit of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, the movement
became influential across Europe and went on to engage non-religious themes in portraits,
still-lifes, and mythical subjects. In fact, the term “Baroque” has prospered beyond its origins
and has gone on to mean any florid and elaborate style in art, architecture, music or
literature. Take a look at Saturn Devouring His Son (1936) by Flemish artist Peter Paul
Rubens and Deer Hunt (1650/1695) by Dutch artist Abraham Hondius.

5.3 Realism: The French novelist Champfleury coined the term in the 1840s. Rejecting
“High Art” and the History paintings of their time, artists of realism took for their subjects
scenes of peasant and working class life, the life of the city streets, cafes and popular
entertainments. They conveyed increasing frankness in the treatment of the body and sexual
subjects. The term generally implies grittiness. Such subject matter combined with the new
naturalism of treatment caused shock among the predominantly upper and middle class
audiences for art. These paintings from two French artists are Gustave Coubert’s The Man
Made Mad with Fear (1844) and Jean-François Millet’s The Angelus (1857-1859).

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Literary realism represents reality by portraying everyday experiences as they are in

actuality, without dramatizing or romanticizing. It depicts familiar people, places, and
stories, primarily about the middle and lower classes of society. So we find stark scenes
and complex characters in the fiction of Honoré de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, Mark Twain,
and George Eliot.

5.4 Impressionism: The impressionists of 1860s France found that they could capture the
momentary and transient effects of sunlight by working quickly, in front of their subjects, in
the open air (en plein air) rather than in a studio. They developed a greater awareness of
light and color as they followed the shifting patterns of nature. Brushwork became rapid,
broken into separate dabs to render the fleeting quality of light. Many critics faulted the
resulting paintings for their unfinished, amateurish appearance.

Notably, it was the Impressionist movement that included a woman, Berthe Morisot,
among its roster of founding members: Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Pissarro. These are
Morisot’s The Cradle (1879) and Laura Muntz Lyall’s The Watcher (1894).

Impressionistic literature can be seen as a shift from how things/events are to how
these are perceived, processed as/into sensations, thoughts, expectations and moods. We
can also consider that an emotion is itself a thing/event in that it welcomes representation,
but via different means such as the narrative technique called stream of consciousness.

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Mark the associative flow as well as the interruptions in this excerpt from Virgina
Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway.

Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.

For Lucy had her work cut out for her. The doors would be taken off their
hinges; Rumpelmayer’s men were coming. And then, thought Clarissa Dalloway,
what a morning — fresh as if issued to children on a beach.

What a lark! What a plunge! For so it had always seemed to her, when, with
a little squeak of the hinges, which she could hear now, she had burst open the French
windows and plunged at Bourton into the open air. How fresh, how calm, stiller
than this of course, the air was in the early morning; like the flap of a wave; the kiss
of a wave; chill and sharp and yet (for a girl of eighteen as she then was) solemn,
feeling as she did, standing there at the open window, that something awful was
about to happen; looking at the flowers, at the trees with the smoke winding off
them and the rooks rising, falling; standing and looking until Peter Walsh said,
“Musing among the vegetables?”— was that it?—“I prefer men to cauliflowers”—
was that it? He must have said it at breakfast one morning when she had gone out
on to the terrace — Peter Walsh. He would be back from India one of these days,
June or July, she forgot which, for his letters were awfully dull; it was his sayings one
remembered; his eyes, his pocket-knife, his smile, his grumpiness and, when millions
of things had utterly vanished — how strange it was!— a few sayings like this about
cabbages.

5.5 Post-impressionism: While founders have no agreement on its direction, Post-

Impressionism can be considered a rejection of the impressionist emphasis on the
naturalistic depiction of light and color in favor of abstract qualities or symbolic content. It
includes neo-impressionism, pointillism, symbolism, Cloisonnism, synthetism, and the later
work of some impressionists.

Here is Suzanne Valadon’s Nu assis sur un canapé (1916) and her son Maurice
Utrillo’s Little Communicant, Church of Mourning (undated).

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5.6 Cubism: Cubists broke down objects and figures into distinct planes to show different
viewpoints simultaneously in one frame. This suggests three-dimensional form and the two-
dimensional flatness of the canvas. This marked a break with European tradition (since the
Renaissance) of creating the illusion of depth from a fixed viewpoint using light, shadow,
linear perspective, and other devices. Our paintings are Linen (1913) by Natalia Goncharova
and Still Life with Checked Tablecloth (1915) by Juan Gris.

5.7 Fauvism: The fauvists were interested in the scientific color theories developed in the
19th century – particularly those relating to complementary colors that, side-by-side, make
each other look brighter. They used simplified forms, vivid colors (often applied directly
from the tube), wild, loose dabs of paint, and rough, abrupt brushstrokes. French artists who
initially comprised the movement called themselves the Fauves (wild beasts) in response to
a comment about their work by art critic Louis Vauxcelle.

The paintings here are Game of Carnage (1905) by Georges Rouault and The
Dressing Room by Émilie Charmy (1902).

5.8 Surrealism: The Surrealists perceived a deep crisis in Western culture and responded
with a revision of values at every level. They were inspired by the psychoanalytical

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discoveries of Freud and the political ideology of Marxism. Surrealism aimed to

revolutionize human experience, rejecting rationality and valuing dreams, the unconscious.
Unconventional techniques were developed in both poetry and the visual arts, all of these
in service of a quest for the beauty of the uncanny.

Here are The Reckless Sleeper (1928) by Rene Magritte alongside Bird Bath (1974)
by Leonora Carrington.

Read surrealist prose by Gisèle Prassinos. From her The Arthritic Grasshopper, this is
“Transformation”.

A troop of soldiers passing by looked in a mirror. They saw a big whitewood

bed, and behind it an embroidered curtain holding up rows of glass corks. The bed
was covered in a fur-trimmed coat riddled with holes, woven from intertwined
feathers. The whole thing floated slowly by on a white sea populated by merchants.
One of the soldiers left the ranks and stationed himself in front of the
swaying mirror. He took a silk pompom from his hat and watched it open up like a
flower whose petals evaporate in the light. Once all the petals had disappeared, the
stem transformed into an enormous jug full of wine that spilled onto the mirror and
added to the volume of the sea. The big bed was immediately lifted up and thrown
to the side, pushed by undulating arms covered in sinewy calluses that followed the
movements of the water. And so the big bed went off, pulling along the soldier, who
gestured to his friends to accompany him. Soon they were following along, and the
mirror reflected a different image.

5.9 Expressionism: Although partly a reaction to academic art and Impressionism, we can
also understand the movement as a form of “new Humanism” which sought to communicate
man’s spiritual life. Expressionism reflected a deep intellectual unrest regarding the
destruction of trust between man and the world. As a consequence, the rift between subject
and representation widens. Color can be highly intense and non-naturalistic, brushwork
typically free, the application of paint often generous and highly textured. Expressionist art
tends to be emotional and sometimes mystical.

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The following paintings are from a couple: Willem de Kooning’s Attic (1949) and
Elaine de Kooning’s Bacchus #3 (1978).

5.10 Dadaism: Launched in Zurich in 1916, the movement was shared by independent
groups in New York, Berlin, Paris, and elsewhere. The Dadaists hurled art, poetry, and ideas
against the nationalist and materialist values that had brought about war. Diverse in style,
they were united by a rejection of conventions, seeking through unorthodox techniques,
performances, and provocations to shock society into self-awareness. Here are Baroness Elsa
von Freytag-Loringhoven and Morton Schamberg’s God (1917) and Kurt Schwitters’s Heavy
Relief (1945).

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Try your hand at Tristan Tzara’s method.

5.11 Pop Art: Emerging in Britain then in America, Pop Art reached its peak in the 1960s, a
continuing revolt against the dominant approaches to art and culture of that time. Artists felt
that what they learned at art school and saw in museums did not have anything to do with
their lives or the things they saw around them every day. Instead they turned to sources such
as Hollywood movies, advertising, product packaging, pop music and comic books for their
imagery. These are Rosalyn Drexler’s The Dream (1963) and Sister Mary Corita Kent’s news
of the week (1969).

5.12 Constructivism: Here, art directly reflects the modern industrial world. The utopian
climate following the October Revolution of 1917 led artists to seek to create a new visual
environment, embodying the social needs and values of the new Communist order. In their
manifesto: “The material formation of the object is to be substituted for its aesthetic
combination. The object is to be treated as a whole and thus will be of no discernible ‘style’
but simply a product of an industrial order like a car, an aeroplane and such like.
Constructivism is a purely technical mastery and organization of materials.” Constructivism
was suppressed in Russia in the 1920s, but was transmitted to the West. Here is Lyubov

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Popova’s set design for Fernand Crommelynk’s play “The Magnanimous Cuckold” (1922)
along with her Production Clothing for Actor no. 5 (1921).

5.13 Post-modernism: Anti-authoritarian by nature, postmodernism rejected the dominance

of any single style or definition of what art should be. As it broke the established rules about
style, it introduced a new era of freedom and a sense that “anything goes”. Postmodernism
embraced complex and often contradictory layers of meaning. Most of all, it reflects a self-
awareness of the style itself. By mixing different artistic and popular styles and media, this
art can borrow from or ironically comment on a range of styles from the past. These are John
Cage’s 4’33” (first page of musical score of Four Minutes and 33 Seconds, 1952) and Yayoi
Kusama’s Pumpkin (2018).

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ACTIVITY Dadaism: Tzara’s Bag (40-60 minutes)

Review the Dada art movement and proceed with the following steps:

(1) Do Tzara’s “To make a Dadaist poem” in 5.10 (using around 50 words)
and submit a legible copy of the result. (2) Share your thoughts about the process and the
results. (3) Discuss these thoughts in relation to the ideas/concepts of the Dadaist Art
movement by channeling what you understand about poetry, prose, and other art forms.

Submit via Google Classroom Assignment or offline correspondence. 20 points

6.0 Meanings in Art: Representation, Iconography and Semiotics

6.1 Representation: We know paintings and sculptures that clearly refer to real object
sources. Even in symbolic or non-figurative form, such images are instantly recognized by
the audiences. Some artworks aren’t as readily “consumed”. Some works are interested in
the possibilities of art outside the perceived constraint to “represent” or “mean something”.

6.2 Semiotics: Meaning forms as it is communicated through the senses (through vision in
painting, touch in sculpture, hearing in music and poetry). Semiotics studies how the
resulting signs and symbols create and send messages in particular contexts.

6.3 Iconography: As the study of image, this involves identification, description,

classification and interpretation of visuals, symbols, themes or subject matter, focusing on
what is observed rather than what is seen. Here is an example of a masterpiece teeming with
symbols and icons.

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G U I D E Q U E S T I O N S

1. How can a choice of medium or material affect the meaning of

art? Please cite some examples of artwork for which a shift of
medium or material would result in a drastic change in meaning.
2. Which art styles seem most effective to you?
3. After reviewing the philosophy behind the art movements, which
one/s resonate/s most with you? Why?
4. Based on the “progress” of art as reflected in the advancement of
the movements, do principles of composition ultimately matter?
Why, or why not?
5. Do you think it is worthwhile to study the elements of art during
crises? Why, or why not?

A S S E S S M E N T

Creative Work: Mask. Allot 60-120 minutes. 40 points.

Follow the instructions below:

1. Create a self-portrait in A4 size board or paper. Divide the image in two and employ
different styles for each half. Choose one from these nine templates provided by Dr.
Jualim D. Vela. Use any coloring materials of your choice.

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2. Post a photo of your completed artwork along with two other photographs of yourself
while doing the work in progress (early stage and late stage).

3. Use at least three paragraphs to introduce your artwork. Discuss the rationale of your
design. What styles or movements inspired you? How did you observe selected
elements and principles? What are the factors you considered or the circumstances
that influenced you while planning/creating your portrait? How would you describe
the process of creating your work?

Submit via Google Classroom Assignment or offline correspondence. 40 points

R U B R I C S

CREATIVE EXCEEDS MEETS PARTIALLY MEETS DOES NOT

WORK MEET
Perfect 85% 70 %
60% or less

Completely unique Mostly unique and A marked attempt Mostly

DESIGN and engaging. Serious interesting. Some at uniqueness. derivative work.
40 % creative risks taken. creative risks taken. Minimal creative Played it safe.
risks taken.

Accomplished with Accomplished with Work nearly Sloppy or

CRAFT exceptional care and ample care and accomplished with unfinished
40 % attention to detail. attention to detail. minimal care and work.
attention to detail.

Evidently impeccable Good Limited grasp of the Failure to

GRASP understanding of both understanding of task and topic. follow
task and topic (ex: the task and topic. instructions and
20 % chosen art study the topic.
movements).

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DISCOURSE/ EXCEEDS MEETS PARTIALLY DOES NOT

CRITIQUE MEETS MEET
Perfect 80 %
75 % 60 % or less

Inclusion of all Inclusion of most of Inclusion of half Mention of less

necessary the necessary the necessary than half of the
SWEEP discussion points discussion points discussion required
(ex: all 8 of the (ex: 6-7 visual points (ex: 4-5 discussion points
40 %
visual elements). elements). visual elements).
(3 or less of the
visual elements).

Comprehensive and Comprehensive Barely Insubstantial

DEPTH engaged discussion articulation of the substantial discussion of
40 % of each observation. observations. articulation of observations.
observations.

Consistent logical Fairly consistent Some coherence Little to no

and/or aesthetic logical and/or in the delivery of attempt to
pattern in the aesthetic pattern in observations. organize
ORDER delivery of the delivery of Several observations.
20 % observations. No observations. Few grammatical Glaring and
grammatical errors. grammatical errors. errors. frequent
grammatical
errors.

M O D U L E S U M M A R Y

The first module showed us how we’ve tried to limit and expand art, how we wished
it to serve us, or keep silent, or say more.

In this second module we listened to art’s vocabulary and syntax: materials and
elements shaped by technique and combined under the guidance of principles. Via art
movements and its corresponding stylistic principles, we historically traced how we’ve been
using this language, transforming and enriching it as we went through periods of plenty,
conflict, disease, and upheaval.

We practiced the language ourselves in the module activities (poetry, mask) and
found out, first-hand, how we can create meaning (or beg off from meaning) in art. We saw
how the components of meaning-making developed, and how these developments
influence not only meaning but also what we consider significant, where we locate beauty

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(ex: in mastery of form, traditional symmetry, or in the fleeting acts of light, or in art aware
of itself, in the social gravity of a concept).

Let us continue practicing the language as we create art in its many forms, as we
attend to it, seeking it out in feeds or galleries, finding it in our dreams, the unexpected, the
news. And we’ll get better at it: we’re to use this language on new concerns, with varying
contexts and emphases, as we move toward the third and subsequent modules.

L E A R N I N G A C T I V I T I E S

Before submitting the final project and exiting this module, please make sure you
have accomplished the following activity.

Activity 1 Dadaism: Tzara’s Bag □

Assessment Creative Work: Mask □

I M A G E S O U R C E S

Bernardo, Constancio. “Anticipation” AC-1052. 1971. Violeta Soriano Collection.

https://www.constanciobernardo.com. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Cage, John. 4’33”. 1952. Medium. https://medium.com/@3038999/when-there-is-silence-

87b49c27268c. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Carrington, Leonora. Bird Bath. 1974. Obelisk. https://arthistoryproject.com/artists/leonora-

carrington/bird-bath. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Charmy, Émilie. The Dressing Room.

1902. http://www.emiliecharmy.org/index.php/gallery/nudes. The Friends of Émilie
Charmy. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Coubert, Gustave. The Man Made Mad with Fear. 1844. Obelisk.
https://arthistoryproject.com/artists/gustave-courbet. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Dali, Salvador. Mae West’s Lips Sofa. 1938. Dali Theatre and Museum.
https://www.dalipaintings.com/mae-west-lips-sofa.jsp. Accessed 16 August 2020.
de Kooning, Elaine. Bacchus #3. 1978. Artsy. https://www.artsy.net/artwork/elaine-de-
kooning-bacchus-number-3. Accessed 16 August 2020.

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de Kooning, Willem. Attic. 1949. The Met.

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/482491. Accessed 16 August
2020.

del Castillo, Anton. Man created God not God created man. 2015. With permission from
the artist.
del Castillo, Anton. OMG 2 (Chaos). 2019. With permission from the artist.

del Castillo, Anton. Yellow Nation. 2016. With permission from the artist.

Delacroix, Eugene. Horse Frightened by a Storm. 1824. WikiArt.

https://www.wikiart.org/en/eugene-delacroix/horse-frightened-by-a-storm-1824.
Accessed 16 August 2020.

Delacroix, Eugene. Portrait of Paganini. 1832. WikiArt. https://www.wikiart.org/en/eugene-

delacroix/portrait-of-paganini-1832. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Doloricon, Neil. Untitled. 2020. Manila Today. https://manilatoday.net/inkwentro-

lockdown-visual-artists-response-to-the-covid-pandemic/neil-doloricon. Accessed
16 August 2020.

Drexler, Rosalyn. The Dream. 1963. Artsy. https://www.artsy.net/artwork/rosalyn-drexler-

the-dream. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Eyck, Jan van. Arnolfini Portrait. 1434. National Gallery, London.

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/articles/the-
meaning-of-jan-van-eycks-the-arnolfini-portrait. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Freytag-Loringhoven, Elsa von, and Morton Schamberg. God. 1917. The Met.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/261000. Accessed 16 August
2020.

Goncharova, Natalia. Linen. 1913. Tate. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/goncharova-

linen-n06194. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Gris, Juan. Still Life with Checked Tablecloth. 1915. The Met.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/646469. Accessed 16 August
2020.

Heade, Martin Johnson. Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth. 1885/95. Art Institute
Chicago. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/100829/magnolias-on-light-blue-velvet-
cloth. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Hondius, Abraham. Deer Hunt. 1650/1695.

Rijksmuseum. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-A-2677. Accessed 16
August 2020.

Imao, Juan. Design for the Marawi Heroes Memorial. 2018. Daily Tribune.
https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2018/06/26/marawi-monument-to-honor-slain-
soldiers. Accessed 16 August 2020.

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Kapoor, Anish. Cloud gate. 2006. Photograph taken by Jualim Vela and used with
permission.

Kent, Corita. news of the week. 1969. Artsy. https://www.artsy.net/artwork/corita-kent-

news-of-the-week. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Kusama, Yayoi. Pumpkin. 2018. Victoria Miro. https://publicdelivery.org/yayoi-kusama-

pumpkins. Accessed 16 August 2020.
Lyall, Laura Muntz. The Watcher. 1894. Virtual Museum of
Canada. https://150ans150oeuvres.uqam.ca/en/artwork/1894-the-watcher-by-
laura-muntz-lyall. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Magritte, René. The Reckless Sleeper. 1928. Tate.

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/magritte-the-reckless-sleeper-t01122. Accessed
16 August 2020.

Millet, Jean-François. The Angelus. 1857-1859. Google Arts & Culture.

https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-angelus/CgHjAgexUzNOOw?hl=en.
Accessed 16 August 2020.

Mendoza, JC. The Mind of Kris Aquino. 2014. Kulay-Diwa Gallery of Philippine
Contemporary Art. https://www.facebook.com/KulayDiwa/photos/jc-mendoza-the-
mind-of-kris-aquino/710987152301831. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Mondrian, Piet. Broadway Boogie Woogie. 1942-1943. MoMA.

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78682. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Morisot, Berthe. The Cradle. 1872. The Art Story. https://www.theartstory.org/artist/morisot-

berthe/artworks. Accessed 16 August 2020.
Paras, Keith. Luna. 2019. With permission from the artist.

Paras, Keith. recherchè. 2012. With permission from the artist.

Paras, Keith. Shibuya-kei. 2015. With permission from the artist.

Popova, Liubov. Production Clothing for Actor no.5 in Fernand Crommelynck’s play The
magnanimous Cuckold. 1921. Tate. https://www.tate.org.uk/tate-etc/issue-15-spring-
2009/short-life-equal-women. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Popova, Liubov. Set Design for Fernand Crommelynck’s play The magnanimous Cuckold.
1921. Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Slavic Languages and
Literatures, Northwestern University.
http://max.mmlc.northwestern.edu/mdenner/Drama/plays/constructivist/constructivi
st.html. Accessed 16 August 2020.
Riley, Bridget. Dominance Portfolio. 1977. Zane Bennett Contemporary Art.
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/bridget-riley-dominance-portfolio. Accessed 16
August 2020.

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Rouault, Georges. Games of Carnage. 1905. Centre Pompidou.

https://www.thecollector.com/fauvism-2/ Accessed 16 August 2020.

Rubens, Peter Paul. Saturn Devouring His Son. 1936. Museo del Prado.
https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/saturn-devouring-a-
son/d022fed3-6069-4786-b59f-4399a2d74e50. Accessed 16 August 2020.
Sanzio, Raffaello. Sistine Madonna. 1512. Google Arts & Culture.
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-sistine-
madonna/CgEiMJRg7ZS6DA?hl=en. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Sanzio, Raffaello. The School of Athens. 1509. My Modern Met.

https://mymodernmet.com/school-of-athens-raphael. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Schwitters, Kurt. Heavy Relief. 1945. WikiArt. https://www.wikiart.org/en/kurt-

schwitters/heavy-relief-1945. Accessed 16 August 2020.

Torres, Juanito. Assassination of Gen. Antonio Luna. 2011. With permission from the artist.

Torres, Juanito. Batang Makabayan. 2009. With permission from the artist.

Torres, Juanito. Piging. 2009. With permission from the artist.

Torres, Juanito. Row One Row Two Row Three Row Poor. 2006. With permission from the
artist.

Utrillo, Maurice. Little Communicant, Church of Mourning. Undated. WikiArt.

https://www.wikiart.org/en/maurice-utrillo/little-communicant-church-of-mourning.
Accessed 16 August 2020.

Valadon, Suzanne. Nu assis sur un canapé. 1916.

Christie’s. https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/suzanne-valadon-1865-1938-nu-
assis-sur-un-6127259-details.aspx#. Accessed 16 August 2020.
Vela, Jualim. Female Figure. 2006. With permission from the artist.

Vela, Jualim. Goat skull rendering. 2007. With permission from the artist.

Vela, Jualim. Miyajima Torii Gate. 2010. With permission from the artist.

Vela, Jualim. Money Talks. 2010. With permission from the artist.

Vela, Jualim. Sarimanok. 2007. With permission from the artist.

Vela, Jualim. Untitled. 2019. With permission from the artist.

Vela, Jualim. Untitled. 2020. With permission from the artist.

Warhol, Andy. Campbell’s Soup Cans. 1962. MoMA.

https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/andy-warhol-campbells-soup-cans-
1962. Accessed 16 August 2020.

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