MODULE 8

ART APPRECIATION
GE-6
College of Teacher Education
For Semester, A.Y. 2023-2024

Introduction
This module entitled An Overview of Art is about the meaning, scope and
importance of humanities, the meaning purposes, functions, and art styles
together with the factors that influenced these styles.

I. Objectives
At the end of the end of this module, students should be able to:

a. Define Architecture, kinds and methods of Architectural Construction and

Mediums used
b. Criticize some architectural structures and points out its architectural
composition
c. Create a design or model of their desired structure
 ARCHITECTURE
– it is the art and technique of designing and building, as
distinguished from the skills associated with construction. The
practice of architecture is employed to fulfill both practical and
expressive requirements, and thus it serves both utilitarian and
aesthetic ends
It is a complex art inasmuch as the task of the architect is not
only to create the design of the exterior of the building or
similar structure, but also to do the design of its interior.
Because every society—whether highly developed or less so,
settled or nomadic—has a spatial relationship to the natural
world and to other societies, the structures they produce reveal
much about their environment (including climate and weather),
history, ceremonies, and artistic sensibility, as well as many
aspects of daily life.
The characteristics that distinguish a work of architecture
1. the suitability of the work to use by human beings in
general and the adaptability of it to particular human
activities,
2. the stability and permanence of the work’s construction,
3. the communication of experience and ideas through its
form.
 TYPES OF ARCHITECTURE
1. Domestic architecture
Domestic architecture is produced for the social unit: the individual, family, or clan and their
dependents, human and animal. It provides shelter and security for the basic physical functions of life
and at times also for commercial, industrial, or agricultural activities that involve the family unit rather
than the community. The basic requirements of domestic architecture are simple: a place to sleep,
prepare food, eat, and perhaps work; a place that has some light and is protected from the weather.
A single room with sturdy walls and roof, a door, a window, and a hearth are the necessities; all else
is luxury.
POWER ARCHITECTURE
As wealth and expressive functions increase, a special type of domestic building can be distinguished
that may be called power architecture.
In almost every civilization the pattern of society gives to a few of its members the power to utilize the
resources of the community in the construction of their homes, palaces, villas, gardens, and places
of recreation.
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE
This is the simplest form of addressing human needs, is seemingly forgotten in modern architecture.
However, due to recent rises in energy costs, the trend has sensibly swung the other way. Architects
are embracing regionalism and cultural building traditions, given that these structures have proven to
be energy efficient and altogether sustainable.
GROUP HOUSING
A third type of domestic architecture accommodates the group rather than the unit and is therefore
public as well as private.
It is familiar through the widespread development of mass housing in the modern world, in which
individuals or families find living space either in multiple dwellings or in single units produced in
quantity.
 TYPES OF ARCHITECTURE
2. Religious architecture
The history of architecture is concerned more with religious buildings than with any other
type, because in most past cultures the universal and exalted appeal of religion made the
church or temple the most expressive, the most permanent, and the most influential building
in any community.
Places of worship
Temples, churches, mosques, and synagogues serve as places of worship and as shelters for
the images, relics, and holy areas of the cult. In the older religions, the temple was not always
designed for communal use.

Shrines and memorial

Shrines consecrate a holy place for its miraculous character or for its association with the life
of the founder, gods, or saints of a cult.
No single formal design characterizes this type, but the theme of the domed or central-plan
structure (round, square, polygon, Greek cross, etc.) connects the memorial of Asia (the
Indian stupa, Chinese pagoda), pagan antiquity (the Pantheon in Rome), and Christianity (the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem).

Funerary art
Funerary architecture is produced by societies whose belief in the afterlife is materialistic and
by individuals who want to perpetuate and symbolize their temporal importance.
Monumental tombs have been produced in ancient Egypt (pyramids), Hellenistic Greece (tomb
of Mausolus at Halicarnassus, which is the source of the word mausoleum), ancient Rome
(tomb of Hadrian), Renaissance Europe (Michelangelo’s Medici Chapel, Florence), and Asia
(Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India).
 TYPES OF ARCHITECTURE
3. Governmental architecture
The basic functions of government, to an even greater extent than those of religion, are similar in all societies:
administration, legislation, and the dispensing of justice. But the architectural needs differ according to the
nature of the relationship between the governing and the governed.
.Some examples are: first, capitols, city halls, municipal halls, courthouses, parliament buildings, printing
offices, and mints and, later, post offices, embassies, archives, secretariats, and even laboratories,

4. Recreational architecture
Few recreations require architecture until they become institutionalized and must provide for both active and
passive participation (athletic events, dramatic, musical performances, etc.) or for communal participation in
essentially private luxuries (baths, museums, libraries).
Throughout history, recreational architecture has been the most consistent in form of any type. Diversions
may change, but, as in domestic architecture, the physical makeup of human beings provides consistency. If
their participation is passive, they must be able to hear and to see in comfort. If their participation is active,
they must be given spaces suited to the chosen activities. In most cultures, recreational institutions have their
origins in religious rites, but they easily gain independence, and religious expression is reduced or eliminated
in their architecture.
Theatres
Theatres originated in ancient Greece with the rites of the god Dionysus, first as temporary installations and
later as outdoor architecture using the natural slope and curves of hillsides to bring the spectator close to the
stage and to avoid the need for substructures.
A flat or inclined pit accommodated standing patrons, tiers of boxes rose vertically above in a horseshoe plan,
and permanent covering (for both acoustics and comfort) made artificial lighting an important feature in
theatrical performances. Auditoriums
The auditorium is distinguished by the absence of stage machinery and by its greater size. The development
of large symphony orchestras and choirs and of the institution of lectures and mass meetings combined with
growing urban populations/
* Athletic facilities
Sport arenas, racetracks, and public swimming pools of the present day owe their origin to the ancient
Romans.
Museum and library
Museum and library architecture was also an innovation of classical antiquity (library architecture appears
independently in ancient China and Japan).
 TYPES OF ARCHITECTURE
5. Architecture of welfare and education
The principal institutions of public welfare are those that provide facilities for education, health, public
security, and utilities. Some of these functions are performed by the church and the state, but, since their
character is not essentially religious or political, they may require independent architectural solutions,
particularly in urban environments.

Schools, from the nursery to the university, now demand not only particular solutions at all levels but
structures for a variety of purposes within each level; advanced education demands buildings for scientific
research, training for trades and professions, recreation, health, housing, religious institutions, and other
purposes.

6. Commercial and industrial architecture

Buildings for exchange, transportation, communication, manufacturing, and power production meet the
principal needs of commerce and industry. In the past these needs were mostly unspecialized. They were met
either within domestic architecture or in buildings distinguished from domestic types chiefly by their size.
All the types cannot be discussed here, but a categorical listing into which they can be fitted will illustrate their
importance for architecture:
• exchange (office buildings, stores, markets, banks, exchanges, warehouses, exhibition halls);
• transportation (roads, bridges, tunnels; stations for rail, sea, and air transport and the dispensing of
fuel; garages, hangars, and other storage facilities; hotels);
• communication (structures for the transmission and reception of telephone, telegraph, radio,
television, and radar communication;
• for the printing and distribution of newspapers, magazines, books, and other reading matter; for
motion-picture production; and for advertising functions);
• production (mines, factories, laboratories, food-processing plants);
• power (dams, generating plants; fuel storage, processing, and distribution installations).
 METHODS OF ARCHITECTURAL CONSTRUCTION
POST AND LINTEL – consists of a horizontal beam called lintel and two vertical posts to support it. It is usually found in doors and
entrances. The prehistoric “Stonehenge” illustrates this type of architectural construction.
support the roof.
2
CANTILEVER – similar to the post and lintel, the cantilever has two vertical posts for support and a horizontal beam with one end more
extended than the other. Often times, steel is used for this type of architectural construction because of its tensile strength. At times,
wood is also used less frequently because of its tendency to warp, sag and rot.

DOME – it is a large hemispherical roof or ceiling that looks like an inverted cup. It is an extension of the principle of the arch capable
of enclosing a wide area, “The Dome of the Rock” in Jerusalem is a classic example of this type of architectural construction.

VAULT – it is an arched structure of masonry usually forming a roof or ceiling. Similar to the dome, it is an extension of the principle of
the arch capable of enclosing a vast expanse of space.
It has several types, namely:

Barrel vault, Groined/Groin vault, Cross vault, Welsh , Cloister vault ,Fan vault, Rib vault

TRUSS – A truss is essentially a triangulated system of straight interconnected structural elements. The most common use of trusses is
in buildings, where support to roofs, the floors and internal loading such as services and suspended ceilings, are readily provided.
MEDIUMS

CLASSIFICATIONS:
LIGHT MATERIALS – include paper, nipa, bamboo, and other light wood
ADVANTAGE: They allow for good ventilation
DISADVANTAGE: They are not resistant to fire and other natural elements. For example, the houses made of light materials are
described as fire hazards.
HEAVY MATERIALS – these materials are hardwood, stone, concrete (combination of cement, gravel and sand), brick, steel, and cast
iron. They always form part of high-rise building, for example, condominiums.
ADVANTAGE: They are not only fire resistant but also durable and able to withstand natural forces such as earthquakes, landslides,
storms and floods.