Unit 1: HUMANITIES AND THE ARTS: NATURE-

(CREATIVITY, IMAGINATION), ASSUMPTIONS, SYSTEM OF

APPRECIATION, AND FORMS

Module 1: Humanities and the Arts: Nature- (Creativity

, Imagination), Assumptions, System of Appreciation, and
Forms

Introduction
This module is concerned with developing your understanding of humanities
and the Arts in general. The discussion, description and explanation in this
module hope to equip you students with key concepts which are necessary
in going through the course; these concepts hopefully can give you a better
appreciation of the lessons to be learned and activities to be done.
This module covers topics on why study humanities, fundamental principles
of humanities and arts and on the system of art appreciation. Make use of
this module to provide you with insights and ideas to help you
understand humanities and the arts in general.

Learning Objectives
With the completion of this self-learning module, you should be able to:

1. Illustrate knowledge of what humanities is and why study

it; 2. Characterize art and artistic expression based on
personal experiences with art;
3. Discuss the nature of art’s preliminary expression;
4. Characterizer the assumptions of the art.
5. Define system in art appreciation
6. Categorize works of art by citing personal experiences
Humanities

Have you heard the term humanities before? What idea do you remember if
yes? If no, any guess what it is? Here, you are presented what humanities is
and the important discussions related to it. I hope you will find the discussion
interesting and they are enough to answer whatever queries you have
anticipated in your mind.

Humanities came from the word HUMANUS which means to be truly human.
In Latin Humanities means to show qualities of rationality, kindness
and tenderness. To be truly human is to be culturally enhanced and refined.
Culture comes from the Latin terms Cultus-Colere, which means to cultivate,
to develop. Culture is the general way of life of human society, including ways
of thinking, beliefs, customs, language, art, and traditions. So therefore if we
talk about humanities, we are interested with the knowing the ways of life
developed by people as expression of themselves. In the renaissance period,
colleges and universities coined the word humanities as art appreciation.
 Humanities is art itself. Humanities is the branch of learning which
is concerned with the human thoughts, feelings and relations.
(Human expressions)

Why study humanities?

The study of humanities is essential as the world shrinks due to

the explosion of information technology. Those who master the humanities
and can “walk a mile in someone else’s moccasins” will be far more
marketable than those who can’t. The humanities can first be used to
understand the past which has created the present. The culture which we
have was shaped by the past.

The study of the humanities can also be used to realize

differing interpretations of life and history. Studying facts of the past helps to
understand literature of the past. Art reflects the cultures of the past, and
shows how we achieved what we have today.

But this is only the shell of humanities education. Humanities study

brings us in contact with the best life has to offer – History, music, art,
philosophy, and literature. It is the study and contact with these topics that
enrich our existence.

IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING HUMANITIES

⚫ It provides us with the opportunity to examine what it takes and what

means to be human.
⚫ It helps us recognize fundamental values and principles such as
beauty, truth, love, justice and faith.
⚫ It develops our capacity for critical thinking and appreciation for
cultural heritage as reflected in different Filipino works of art.
⚫ It fosters understanding across barriers of race, class, gender
and ethnicity.
⚫ It helps us see the interconnectedness of all areas of knowledge-
how they affect and complement one another.
⚫ It introduces us to people who have never met, places we have
never visited, and ideas that never crossed our minds.

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⚫ It helps us conceptualize a global perspective by studying cultures and tradition by artworks

throughout the world.
⚫ It supports and strengthens local arts community by learning to appraise the value of
creativity.
⚫ It help us to address the challenges we face together in our families, our communities, and
our nation.
⚫ It emphasizes the dignity of every human being.

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF HUMANITIES

⚫ Its main goal is to the development of human virtue, in all its form, to all its fullest.
⚫ It does not aim to remake humanity but rather to reform social order by understanding what
is basically inalienably human.
⚫ It regards man as its central character along with his aesthetic, limitless potentials which
can be used as tools in transforming

NATURE OF ART

The word ART originally comes from the Aryan root AR meaning “join”, or “put together”. From
this ancient etymon, two Greek verbs are derived: Artizein – to prepare and Arkiskein – to put
together. The Latin terms ARS, ARTIS mean everything that is artificially made or composed by
man.

Read the presented ideas below and try to understand them in relation to the discussions
already presented above.
Meaningful human actions are directed by the intellect and they
are expressed in two activities: 1) Actions to be done – these are in relation
to man’s ultimate destiny and moral obligations and lead to VIRTUE; 2)
Actions to be made – these are in relation to man’s practical needs and lead
to ART

Art is therefore the making or composing of any object useful for

human needs that is, for the contemplation and enjoyment of its meaning or
beauty. It is the skillful arrangement or composition of some common
qualities of nature (colors, sounds, lines, movements, words, etc.) to express
human feelings, emotions, or thoughts in a meaningful and enjoyable way.
ART is the subjective expressions of man’s thoughts and feelings; thus
Humanities too.

ASSUMPTIONS OF ART

The following are the assumptions of what art is:

1. Art is the universal language that speaks to all people and is able
to evoke emotions, ideas and thoughts.

2. Art is timeless, famous works of art are valued by generations

past, present and future. Art is created in such a way that all people,
young or old, deaf or mute, can all enjoy and take a meaning away from
it.

3. Art is cultural. Art is not nature. Art involves experience. Art

as expression, as a form of creation.
4. Is art an imitation or a creation?
– Art tends to imitate, but to express nature with clarity and meaning.
Art therefore is not mere copying of things and nature, but is a creative
activity.

SYSTEM IN ART APPRECIATION

 Art Appreciation is the knowledge and understanding of the universal and
timeless qualities that identify all great art. The more you appreciate
and understand the art of different eras, movements, styles and techniques,
the better you can develop, evaluate and improve your own artwork.

Criteria for Judging. Description, Analysis, Content, Meaning and

Judgment.

When do we say an art is BEAUTIFUL? Beautiful is that which a source of

pleasure is. Thus, if an art is the reason of our pleasure, it is then
really beautiful.

Where does beauty lie?

Three ideas are mentioned as to where beauty lies. 1) Beauty is out there;
it is objective. It is a primary quality that resides in the object. 2) Beauty is not
there. It is a secondary quality that resides in the perceiver. And 3). Beauty is
neither primary nor secondary. It is tertiary in nature. It depends on
the appropriate situational perspective. It is this third idea which should be
given emphasis. Beauty is not just in the object because the object cannot
be judged as beautiful without the subject judging it as beautiful. It is not just
in the subject because even if there is one that judges what is beautiful if
there is nothing that he judges as beautiful then it is nothing. So therefore, it
is both the object and subject put together that make beauty.

Are there any criteria to determine the excellence of the works art?

Art depends on individual feelings and opinions; tastes are relative

and personal. It may vary according to different periods and culture.

If the appreciation of arts is subjective, can it be objective? Yes it can

be objective as well.

How do we form good standards for art appreciation and judgment?

1. Successive EXPERIENCES reveal to us insights of beauty and

the meaning of art.
2. Through critical study of the properties of beauty: order,
proportion, clarity, unity, balance, dominance.
3. Through the general consensus of experts.
4. The final arbiter in the judgment of the works of art is TIME. Good
art lasts long, if not immortal. Bad art is ephemeral and transitory. 5.
Get rid of our prejudices and personal sentiments.

Is everything in nature and art beautiful? Why are certain things ugly?

Everything in nature and art is beautiful for everything is created

perfect according to its nature and form. All things are beautiful and perfect
in them, but not in relation to us. The reasons: Objects which we see every
day tend to lose their significanXce to us. People who have been in the
Banawe Rice Terraces for a long time will not see beauty of their mountains
as in the eyes of a tourist. Certain things are dangerous to our lives like
snakes and other wild animals. Certain conditions in human life such as
poverty and disease are referred to as ugly but once painted in a canvass or
described in a novel, they become meaningful and beautiful.

Categories of beautiful:

1. The sublime – enjoyment is aroused by astonishment and awe like looking

at the starry heavens, the majesty of mountain ranges, the heroic acts
of heroes and saints.

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1. The Nice – enjoyment is aroused by sympathy, love,
benevolence, tenderness and modesty like children, flowers, flower
arrangement, artefact’s.
3. The Comic – enjoyment because it makes us laugh like satire and
irony, the exaggerated, the repetitious, the ridiculous and the playful.

The role of art criticism:

Criticism is a method of verifying or testing artistic works. It is a technique

to stimulate the understanding of art and to develop artistic sensibility.

Different forms of Arts:

The following are the different forms of Arts that man developed through the
years:1) Visual Arts, 2) Literature and Combined Arts, 3.) Performing
Arts (Music and Dance) and 5) Applied Arts (Fashion and Furniture)
Divisions of arts:

1. With respect to purpose:

a. Practical arts –directed to produce artifacts and utensils which
cope with human needs like basket, weaving, furniture making, agriculture
etc… b. Liberal arts – intellectual efforts are considered like
philosophy, psychology, social sciences…
Fine Arts – products of the human creativity in so far as they express
beauty in different ways and different media like drawing, painting,
sketching… d. Major arts – characterized by their actual and potential
expressiveness like music, dance, literature.
e. Minor arts – connected with practical uses and purposes like
interior design, landscape, porcelain making …
2. With respect to media and forms
a. Plastic arts – perceived by sense of sight like sculpture,
architecture… b. Phonetic arts – based on sounds and words like music,
drama, literature…
c. Kinetic arts – rhythmic movement like the different kinds of
dances… d. Pure arts – which take only one medium of expression as
sound in music, color in painting…
e. Mixed arts – which use two or more media like opera, a
combination of music, poetry and drama

Classification of Arts:

1. Space arts – visual arts

a. 2 dimensional(seen only in one angle
1. Painting, printing, photography, drawing, sketching
b. 3 dimensional ( seen in several angles)
1. sculpture, architecture
2. Time arts – auditory arts
2. music, dance, combination-musical theater/opera

Synthesis/Generalizations:
1. Humanities is art itself.
2. Humanities is the branch of learning which is concerned with the
human thoughts, feelings and relations.
3. The main goal of humanities is to the development of human virtue, in
all its form, to all its fullest.
4. ART is the subjective expressions of man’s thoughts and feelings. 5.
Art is universal, cultural, timeless, and it’s a creation not merely
an imitation.
6. Art depends on individual feelings and opinions; tastes are relative
and personal. It may vary according to different periods and culture. 7.
Art comes in different forms as developed by men through the years; it
is also divided and classified for better understanding and appreciation.