MIDTERM COVERAGE: ARTAPP Part I: Fundamentals of Art

Lesson 1: Introduction, Assumptions, and Nature of Art

Lesson: Introduction, Assumptions, and Nature of Art When we think of art, we visualize paintings,
What is art? skyscrapers, songs, dances, prints, sculptures, artifacts –
 Art is inextricable to human life. It has the power to basically anything that entails expression and creativity. In
bring meaning and purpose to humanity by serving fact, art is inextricable to human life. It has the power to
as a mirror to culture. bring meaning and purpose to humanity by serving as a
 The word art comes from the Latin 'ars' which mirror to culture.
originally meant 'skills‘ and 'crafts‘.
 Art means 'making' or 'creating something‘. History, Nature, and Definition of Art
 The word art comes from the Latin 'ars', which
What does art matter? originally meant 'skills' and 'crafts' (Khan University,
 It is particular in process and experience. 2017). Thus, we can, therefore, say that art means
 Art provides value in its reflective and process- 'making' or 'creating something. '
driven capacities, making it important because it  Art is also particular in process and experience.
emphasizes process and experience.  There is no universally accepted definition of art.
 Art is an extricable part of our lives that offers Although commonly used to describe something of
connection, insight, and expression. To put it beauty or a skill that produces an aesthetic result, there
plainly, art allows people to think more is no clear line between a unique piece of handmade
profoundly, strive more passionately, and feel joy sculpture and a mass-produced but visually attractive
more freely. item (Visual Arts Cork, n.d).
 What may be art in one community may not be in
What is Art Appreciation? another.
 Art Appreciation is the knowledge and  Artistic creation springs from the formative impulse
understanding of the universal and timeless and craving for emotional expression.
qualities that identify all great art.  Art aims to represent not the outward appearance of
 “Art appreciation is the ability to interpret or things but their inward significance (Aristotle as cited in
understand man-made arts and enjoy them either Martinique, 2016)
through actual work and experience with art tools
and materials” Three Main Assumptions of Art
 Art appreciation deals with learning or There are three main assumptions of art, according to
understanding and creating arts and enjoying them” Davis (2020):
(Ariola, 2008). 1. Art is universal – art has always been timeless and
 It goes beyond staring at a painting hanging on the universal. It transcends from generation to generation.
wall. It also lets you: 2. Art is not nature – art is an expression and
 Gain the knowledge to understand the art. interpretation of how a person perceives his/her nature.
 Acquire the art methods and materials to discuss 3. Art involves expression – art is known through
art verbally or by the written word. experience. A work of art cannot be abstracted from actual
 Identify the movements from ancient cultures to doing. We have to use our senses fully.
today's contemporary art.
 Understand and evaluate artwork to improve your How is Art Appreciation Different from Art History?
artwork.  While art history analyzes arts' meaning at the time they
were created, art appreciation, on the other hand, is the
Why is creativity important? knowledge and understanding of the universal and
 Creativity is inherent in everyone. It is a process of timeless qualities that identify all great art (Roberts,
having original ideas that have value 2012).
(Robinson,2006)  It is the ability to interpret or understand artificial
 Without creativity, there would be no real arts and enjoy them through actual work and experience
innovation; we need people who are pure idea with art tools and materials.
generators and we need others who can modify  As further supported by Ariola (2018), art appreciation
those ideas. (Thorne, 2007) deals with learning or understanding and creating
arts, and enjoying them. It goes beyond staring at a
TAKEAWAY: painting hanging on the wall.
"Whatever the reasons for creating, art enriches our lives,  It also lets you gain the knowledge to understand the art,
stimulates, our senses, or simply makes us think. Arts acquire the art methods and materials to discuss art
have come to be revered for their gift of profound insight verbally or by the written word, identify the movements
into the human condition" (Pipes, 2003) from ancient cultures to today's contemporary art, and
understand and evaluate artwork to improve your
All it takes to understand the art is just to look! artwork (Mapua University, 2020)
 Creativity is also inextricable to art. It activates our
originality and identity. However, it is not about doing
 something better than others. It is about thinking, the Southern Philippines. A Christian Architect Felino
exploring, discovering, and imagining. Thorne in 2007 Palafox designed the mosque.
further supports by saying that "without creativity,
there would be no real innovation; we need people Music combines and regulates sounds
who are pure idea generators, and we need others of varying pitch to produce
who can modify those ideas." compositions expressing various ideas
 To cap it off, we can all agree with Alan Pipes in his and emotions.
description of the art: "Whatever the reasons for Anak is the most iconic Filipino song
creating, art enriches our lives, stimulates our senses, of all time and considered the biggest
or simply makes us think. Arts has come to be revered OPM international hit. The song was
for their gift of profound insight into the human composed and performed by Freddie Aguilar. Aguilar is
condition". one of the icons in the OPM industry. Anak became an
entry of the first edition of the Metro Manila Pop Music
Lesson 2: Forms of Art Festival in 1978. According to sources, it landed 6th place.
 As the expression of human creativity, art can take The popularity of this song reached in many places around
almost countless forms, such as painting, sculpture, the world and has 27 several international versions,
architecture, music, dance, literature, photography, including English Japanese, Spanish, and Italian. It also
digital, graffiti, animation, and video. clinched in several European musical charts. The lyrics
In this lesson, we will have the forms of art. You speak of Filipino family values. Star Music is the current
are expected to categorize works of art by citing copyright owner of the song. It was produced by Celso
personal experiences, identifying the different art forms, Llarina of VST & Co. Tito Sotto was the executive producer
and citing examples of various art forms. for this song and its album of the same name.

Forms of Art (Mapua University, 2020) Dance is the most

direct of the arts
 Painting is a form of art creating meaningful effects on a
because it uses the
flat surface by using pigments.
human body as its
medium. Singkil
The painting, Fishermen by Ang
originated from
Kiukok, a National Artist and leader of
the Maranao
Philippine figurative expressionism,
people who inhabit the shores of Lake Lanao. The dance is
combined the struggle and hope of
a re-telling of an episode from the Maranao epic legend
fishermen working together for their haul, the crimson sun
Darangen involving the rescue of Princess Gandingan
hovering above them, representing perpetual energy.
(abducted by diwata) by the legendary Prince Bantugan.
The sculpture refers to the
The theater is a drama or play is a story re-created by
design and construction of three-
actors on a stage in front of an audience. A group of people
dimensional forms representing
acts out the plot to get the audience the idea the author is
natural objects or imaginary
trying to express.
shapes.
Ang Huling El Bimbo is a story of friendship told through
The Oblation (Filipino:
the songs of the most iconic Pinoy rock band from the ’90s.
Pahinungod, Oblasyon) is a work of
The musical is about three men — Emman, Hector, and AJ
art by Philippine National Artist Guillermo Tolentino. This
are suddenly linked to the death of a woman on the police’s
concrete statue serves as the iconic symbol of the
drug list after she repeatedly calls them days before her
University of the Philippines. It depicts a man facing
death. The woman turns out to be Joy, the three guys’
upward with arms outstretched, symbolizing a selfless
friend in college. What ensued is a flashback of a part of
offering of oneself to his union.
their college days spent with Joy and a massive amount of
her life that remained unknown after the friends lost touch
Architecture is a form of art
after graduation.
designing and constructing
buildings and other structures.
Motion Picture is one popular addition of theatre. These
The Sultan Haji Hassanal
are a series of pictures projected on a screen in rapid
Bolkiah Masjid is the largest
succession with objects shown in successive positions
mosque in the Philippines. It is
slightly changed to produce the optical effect of a
also known as the Grand Mosque of Cotabato,. It lies in
continuous picture in which the objects move.
Barangay Kalanganan II, Cotabato City and was funded by
Untrue is played by Cristine Reyes as
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei at a reported cost of
Mara and Xian Lim as Joaquim. Both
US$48 million. It is also the second-largest mosque in
characters found solace and
Southeast Asia after the Istiqlal Mosque of Indonesia. The
companionship in each other who are
Sultan of Brunei funded the construction of this mosque
lonely Filipino migrants in the country
with his money to help the emerging Muslim population in
of Georgia. They hastily get married,
without even getting to know each other very well. When Art is a vehicle for the artists’ expression of their feelings
their fiery romance turns into heated arguments and and ideas. The arts also serves as means of expressions for
physical abuse, Mara goes straight to the Georgian police. people. The therapeutic value of music cannot be ignored.
Following her narration of how she married a mad man, Works of art make us aware of other ways of thinking,
Joachim defends himself with his version of the events, feeling, and imagining that have occurred to us before
pointing to his wife as the real lunatic. (Dela Cruz, 2014).

Literature is the art of combining written or spoken words Social Function

and their meanings into forms that have artistic and One cannot conceive of a society without art, for art is
emotional appeal. closely related to every aspect of social life.
Noli Me Tangere tells the story of the young and idealistic 1. Art performs a social function when it influences
Juan Crisostomo Ibarra who returns home after seven social behavior. It seeks or tends to influence the
years in Europe. Like his father Don Rafael, the wealthy collective behavior of a people (Dela Cruz, 2014).
mestizo endeavors for reform primarily in the area of 2. Art performs a social function when it displays and
education to improve the lives of his countrymen and to celebrated. It is created to be seen or used primarily
eliminate poverty. Simoun is the hero of El Filibusterismo in public situation. One function of sculpture and
who is a wealthy jeweler. He was Crisostomo Ibarra of the painting is the commemoration of important
Noli. With Elias’ help, he escaped from the soldiers at personages in society. The statues of national heroes
Laguna de Bay who were pursuing him, dug up his buried that grace our parks and plazas are commemorative
treasure, and fled to Cuba where he became rich. In Cuba, works as are the commissioned paintings of leaders
he befriended many Spanish officials. After many years he or rulers. Often they serve to record important
returned to the Philippines, freely moving around. He is an historical events, or reveal the ideals of heroism and
influential figure because he is a rich jeweler and because leadership that the community would want the young
he is a good friend and adviser of the governor-general. to emulate (Dela Cruz, 2014).
3. Art performs a social function when it becomes a
Lesson 3: Functions of Art social description. It expresses or describes social or
In this lesson, we will have the functions of art. collective aspects of existence as opposed to
You are expected to determine the difference between individual and personal kind of experiences (Dela
directly functional and indirectly functional art and Cruz, 2014).
describe the different functions of art.
Art is generally classified as to the purpose and Physical Function
aesthetic values. Purpose value means its utilitarian Works of arts become objects which function to make our
purpose or practical use for daily living. Aesthetic value lives physically comfortable. Functional works of art may
means the beauty it presents to the audience. be a tool or a container (Dela Cruz, 2014).
If the value is focused on its use, it is functional
art. Functional art means an object that man could Lesson 4: Subject in Art
commonly use but at the same time exhibits aesthetic Art is a liberating passion of society. It allows artists to
purposes. express whatever they want to convey. This is reflected in
the artists’ freedom on their arts’ subject and content. Both
Classifications of Art entirely up to the artists. They decide no matter others
Directly Functional Art understand the message or otherwise, artists have it in
Functional art means an object that could be commonly them whether to disclose the meaning of their art.
used by man but at the same time exhibits aesthetic
What is Subject?
purposes.
It the visual focus or the image that may be extracted from
examining the artwork; ‘the what’

Types of Subject:
Representational Art
Indirectly Functional Art  These types of subjects refer to objects or events
This refers to the arts that are ‘perceived through the occurring in the real world.
senses’ such as fine arts, painting, sculpture, dance,  This is also termed as figurative art because the figures
literature, theatrical performances, music, and the like depicted are easy to make out and decipher.
(Mapua University, 2020).  Example is the Mona Lisa portrait by Leonardo da Vinci
(1503).

Non-Representational Art
 These are art forms that do not make a reference to the
real world, whether it is a person, place, thing, or even a
Functions of Art particular event.
Personal Function
 It is stripped down to visual elements, such as shapes, Elements of Art are the building blocks or the
lines, and colors that are employed to translate a ingredients of artwork. These can be the deciding factor
particular feeling, emotion, and even concept. as to what kind of artwork an artist is going to create.
 Example is the Number 1A by Jackson Pollock (1948)

Kinds of Subject
a. Still life – a compilation of inanimate objects arranged
together in a specific way (McArdle, 2021)
b. History – It is the depiction of factual events that
occurred in the past whose purpose is either to
remember important events of long ago or to teach the
learners about the lessons of the past (Manalo, 2021).
c. Religion – It was also established that art is considered
the handmaid of religion (Manalo, 2021).
The Hand of God by Auguste Rodin source: by
commonconsent.com (google images)
d. Mythology. These are sources of subjects that come
from the stories of gods and goddesses of Ancient 1. Line – a mark on a surface with length and direction
Greece, Rome, Norse, and Egyptians. These so-called created by a tool (pencil, pen, brush). Examples are Trees
deities of the mythological world depict present and Snow by Ansel Adams and an Artwork by Pablo Picasso.
humanlike behaviors (Manalo, 2021).
e. Dreams and Fantasy – The wonder of the unconscious
is what is being expressed by artworks under dreams
and fantasy. These works of art somehow explain to the
viewers the content of the art piece, including the hidden
meaning behind each work (Manalo, 2021).
f. Landscape – natural scenery such as mountains, cliffs,
rivers, etc. (McArdle, 2021)
g. Nature - a concentrated view or interpretation of
2. Color – consists of:
specific natural elements (McArdle, 2021).
 hue (another term for color)
h. Portraiture - an image of a specific person or animal, or
 intensity (brightness)
group thereof (McArdle, 2021).
 value (lightness or darkness)
i. Abstract – a non-representational work of art. Abstract
 Examples are Girl before A Mirror by Pablo Picasso and
art is like visual poetry, it uses color, shape, line, form,
Yellow-Red-Bue by Wassily Kadinsky
pattern, and texture to create a visual dance of the spirit
(McArdle, 2021).

Moreover, Content in art is the meaning or

message that is expressed or communicated by the artist
or the artwork (Lumen Learning, n.d.). If subject answers
the question 'what', content answers the question 'why'.
This is because it carries the intention and sense of the
artist. 3. Space- distance or area between, around, above, below,
In delving the content of art, it is significant to note that or within things. Examples are Le Fluers by Robert
there are various levels of meaning emanated by the artist, Mapplethorpe and an artwork by Claude Monet.
according to Caslib, Garing, & Casaul (2018).
Positive: The object
1. Factual Meaning – Is the most rudimentary level of
Negative: The space around
meaning. It may be obtained from the identifiable or
the object
recognizable forms in the artwork and understanding how
these elements relate to one another.
2. Conventional meaning – concerns to the acknowledged
interpretation of the artwork using motifs, signs, symbols, Foreground
and other ciphers as bases of its meaning. Middle Ground
3. Subjective meaning – these meanings stem from the Background (creates depth)
viewer's or audience's circumstances that come into play
when engaging with art (what we know, what we learned,
what we experienced, what values we stand for) 4. Texture – surface quality or "feel" of an object, its
smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. Textures may be
Lesson 5: Elements of Art actual or implied. Example is an art of Paula Nizamas, and
Starry Night by Van Gogh.
5. Shape – An element of art that
is two-dimensional, flat, or
limited to height and width.
Example is Three Mansions,
Pablo Picasso, 1921.

6. Form – An element of art that

is three-dimensional and encloses volume;
includes height, width AND depth (as in a
cube, a sphere, a pyramid, or a cylinder).
Form may also be free flowing. A
form can be “GEOMETRIC” or
“ORGANIC”. Examples are
Salvador Dali, Galatea of the
Spheres, 1952 and Niki de Saint
Phalle, Le Paradis Fantastique.

7. Value – The lightness or darkness of tones or colors.

White is the lightest value; black is the darkest. The value
halfway between these extremes is called middle gray.
Examples are Albrecht Durer, Melancholy I, 1514, and
Women of Tehuantepec by Rufino Tamayo, 1939