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4 Art Appreciation

UNIT 4: Culture and Arts

4.0 Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of the first learning packet, the students are expected
to:
a.Discuss the concept of “soul making”;
b. Develop one’s artistic potentials through soul making;
c. Trace and summarize the developments of the arts in the
Philippine culture; and
d. Develop a sense of art appreciation through engagement with
various arts activities such as creating artworks out of one’s own
self-expressions, critiquing and analyzing artworks.

4.1 Introduction

This unit will discuss the concept of soul making artwork and
improvisation as the potentials of making an artwork through soul
making. It will also tackle the development of the arts in the Philippine
culture.
The activities in this unit will help the students appreciate art by
learning the concept of soul making. The students will also trace and
summarize the development of art in the Philippine culture and be able to
develop a sense of art appreciation through engagement with various
arts activities such as creating artworks out of one’s own self-
expressions, critiquing and analyzing artworks.

ACTIVITY: Let’s Work On This!

Based on your own prior knowledge and previous experiences, how
will you conceptualize the idea of crafting an artwork through soul
making? Write your discussion inside the box.

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4.2 Soul Making (Art making)

As Dr. Norman Narciso, one of the leading
Filipino thought leaders in the art world, deeply
explains soul-making, “Soul making is an alternate
place to know oneself and to look at the depths
and meaning of what we do in our daily lives”.
Soul making is a step towards a deeper
comprehension of how the world is perceived and
how his or her own personality is seen.
Soul making plays a major role in art-production; it is a form of
crafting stories, transforming brief moments into images, symbols that
connect with people, understanding culture and embodying tolerance,
peace and imagination. It is also an avenue for knowing ourselves and
looking into the depths and meaning of what we want to do. Otherwise,
it’s an understanding of a certain artwork in order to know its meaning
and be able to appreciate a certain piece of an artwork.
In other cases, improvisation has been practiced by several artists.
It is about doing something without planning. In other words, it’s an
abrupt or sudden decision to craft or create such piece of artwork which
can be based usually from a natural flow of an imagination.
Knowing Oneself
In soul making, “who are you” is the
topic that throughout the process serves as a
guidepost. Knowing oneself begins with
consciousness. In order to start the process,
it is necessary to realize and embrace one’s
truth, history and understanding of
existence. With this new found insight, art, which is actually the very core
of soul-making can now come into play. Therefore, it is not much the
production that is mostly taken into account but the method of perceiving
anything.
Depths and essence
Soul making is more than the soul’s religious perspective. Soul
refers to a person’s individuality that resonates with his or her behavior.
Since art is a human expression that is highly valued and symbolic, a
person typically uses different art forms to fulfill the need to communicate
and express him or herself. The human desire to actualize his or her very
being is strongly assisted by soul making.

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What we are doing

Art gives a person a sense of purpose about what he or she is doing.
As any artwork is an expression of one’s perceptions, feelings, emotions
and realities, the key to personal cultural growth is the process of creating
such expression. Soul making utilizes every human experience to build
the influence that can make the artist himself and others improve.
Everyday life
Life includes a lot of adventure, understanding the challenges that
come with each adventure and understanding how each person has a
unique way of perceiving things as life happens to them. Soul making is a
method that can be gone through by anyone. As all are creative in their
own right, it is not limited to the “obviously artistic”. It’s just a matter of
losing yourself in the art of viewing the world from a different perspective
and detaching yourself from yourself.
Categories of Soul making
1. Crafting images
It refers to imaging or representing in
any form, which may be through painting,
sculpting, drawing, storytelling, poetry,
dancing, composing, or talking notes.
2. Crafting Stories
The moments we write, engrave and
inscribe our own thoughts, ideas, commentaries, criticisms, and
positive and negative emotions, we are crafting stories. Stories that
can be presented in any form – image.
3. Crafting Instruments
An instrument maker is a bridge toward the unknown because
the instrument produces sound that transcend our feelings,
emotions, and sensation in another realm.
4. Crafting movements

Our life is full of movements; it is filled with various beats.

Life is full of flowing narratives. Everything we do in life is a
performance; we perform life.

5. Crafting techniques

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Anything that can be crafted by using different evocative

descriptions of experiences and explorations, like photograph
studies, puppets and masks, constructions,
and notepad studies.
5 Phases of Soul Making
1. Seeking – the first step is seeking or finding.
At this point, we recognize that each of us
who are interested in our own growth and
the ways of our world is a “seeker”. We are
looking for a discipline or method that can
help us live in and make sense of the world
and heal the wounds of “self”.
- The best thing about searching is that it is vital stage in our
growth as soul builders. It gives us the tools to live our lives, and
if we systematically look, we find that in some integral sense,
these tools and practices can be fitted together allowing us to
settle down, moving us on to a practice or cluster of practices
that satisfy our creativity and passion, and that we can then
spend time perfecting.
2. Settling – soul making is about communicating as profoundly as
possible with the soul with other human and non-human beings and
with the world. If we are perpetually wondering, we cannot do this.
We must find ourselves settled at some point in our lives.
3. Surrender – If it is permitted to surrender, with all its pain and
vulnerability, something magical will happen. We tend to note in the
midst of the crashing that our activities begin to be in the service of
the soul. The capacity to surrender, of course, is restricted by the
amount of pain and uncertainty that we can bear. True surrender
takes us up and throws us down; calls for the wounds we bear to be
accepted; forces us to spend time living in the darkness.
4. Soul making – At some point in the variations between the settling
and surrender dual polarities, we begin to perceive our practice and
life in the universe as Soul Making. We are beginning to become an
expert, an injured healer. We’re starting to grow up enough to feed
our girls, our children. We accept that there’s no way to ever get it
right.
- Soulmakingis the fourth stage in which the individual transitions
from a stage of improving reflective practice to becoming a
practitioner of soul making. However, this is still not be
completely settled in, since it holds all the strengths and

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disadvantages of the previous levels. Both of us have to keep

looking. Throughout life, we all settle and re-settle. We would all
be met with the psyche’s appeal for submission, over and over
again. And it will constantly call upon our capacity to care and
nurture.
5. Soaring – When we begin the journey, what we most wish is to
soar. To conquer our worldly experience’s material realities to travel.
It will not happen, however, if we only want to fly, nor can the
psychological version of a spaceship or airplane be created by
ourselves. What may be true is that we could find ourselves soaring,
together, engulfed in the air and sky, enabling ourselves to pass
through the stages of Soul Making.
Soul making: Making and Deriving Meaning from Art
Semantics and grammatical rules are essential elements to
remember in order for human beings to make sense of language and
derive meanings from words. Apart from
this, it is often known that meaning and
symbolisms view and evaluate either verbal
or written works. In terms of art, it would
involve understanding the visual elements
on which art was focused, particularly the
concepts of design, in order for people to
make sense of the work. It is important to
remember that the viewer must have a certain degree of understanding of
the work’s style, shape and material. It would be impossible to
appropriate the visual arts in their fullness and completeness without such
understanding.
Improvisation
It is possible to describe improvisation as doing
without previous planning. There is a decision to act
upon something that might not be expected
necessarily. Improvisation has become an important
part of the arts within the present context. Some would
claim that during the 20th century it was a response to
the stiffness of the arts. There is a call for emancipation
from monotony aimed at rekindling people’s creative
spirits in the arts.
Infusing spontaneity and improvisation adds up
to the totality of the work of art for certain artists. The unpredictability of

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the changes brought on by improvisation enables the artwork to have a

distinctive quality that creates its identity and uniqueness. The principle
of allowing opportunities in the process of making the work is supported
by some artists. Artists would like, for instance, to depict the darkness
brought on at night by an incoming storm or the beauty of a meteor
shower. Since they do not inherently have the total influence over natural
phenomena, their dependency on opportunities may not necessarily
deliver their anticipated result. Artists who encourage their subjects to
improvise can often have entirely different outcomes.
Appropriation
Throughout history, appropriation of art
has been a common occurrence. In the past,
an apprentice painter would be able to use
his master’s work to copy if he wanted to
develop his skills in his art. It is as if the
apprentice is attempting to explore what he is
more familiar with through his personal
application of techniques. There are,
however, several individuals who have reached the extreme by assuming
that an artist’s exact artwork is replicated and credited to himself. This
could pose a problem with authorship in particular. The issue occurs when
the artist of appropriation goes bits and pieces from other works and
incorporates these elements into his own work. Furthermore, when
appropriation artists escape responsibility for putting the specifics of other
works and incorporating them into their own, with that of the
appropriation artist, their voices and perceptions of the other artists are
lost.
A very thin demarcation line seems to exist between the art of
appropriation and forgery. Forgery can historically be categorized into two
forms: outright copies of existing works and pastiches which are works
that incorporate elements of a work and infuse them into a new work. But
forgery may be in the form of making an interpretation of what an artist
might do by prediction in contemporary times. This can be accomplished
by studying the techniques and style used by the artist and also the focal
points highlighted in his past and present works. Since problems of
plagiarism or forgery often arise, the motives of the appropriation artists
are sometimes challenged. Some would say that the purpose behind the
appropriation is that they want the audience to remember the images
they replicated. There is a desire on the artist’s part that the audiences

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will see a new take on the original work

4.2.1Art in Asia
Chinese Art
 Metal works befitting the royal family during
Zhou dynasty and jade was a popular material
for artworks.
 Confucianism was a dominant way of life with
embedded principles and teachings of
Confucius.
 Chinese artists created art that depicted their
own culture.
 The Chinese paintings depicted magical places
and realms which define their culture. It was a
belief of a great power from a higher spirit that moved through the
artist.
 Most Chinese paintings are monumental wherein the rocks and
mountains served as the barriers.
 Porcelain was commonly used as decorative ornaments.
Japanese Art
 Some Japanese artworks are influenced by
Chinese and Korean artworks.
 Haniwa is one of the ceramic artwork of
Japan. These are ceramic figures made
from clay.
 Shintoism is the native religion of
Japanese people.
 Buddhism is an integral part of Japanese
culture.
 Buddhist temples were staples in key places.
 Art for Japanese people were an expression of worship to gods.
 Ukiyo-e is a Japanese minimalist painting crafted through woodcut
prints.
Philippine Art
 Pottery, weaving, carving and the use of metal work
and jewelry were the most forms of artwork used by
various ethnic groups in the Philippines.
 Pottery and weaving are the earliest art form by early
Filipino people.
 T’nalak is a woven abaca cloth made by T’boli people
in Mindanao.

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 Okir is known for Tausug and Maranao and it is applied for wood
carvings.
 Sarimanok is a stylized design of a mythical bird. It is a central of a
number of legends.
 While Naga is a stylized design of a mythical dragon or serpent.
 Both Sarimanok and Naga were ornamental deigns for Sultans.
 When the Spanish came to the Philippines, the Christian church has
been the sole patron of arts.
 Spolarium was the famous work that expressed nationalism. This
artwork was made by Juan Luna.

ACTIVITY: Let’s Do this Assessment!

1. Search on the internet the development of arts in the Philippines.
Then discuss how art became a reflection of the Philippine
society. (10 pts.)

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_______________________________.
2. Create an artwork or illustrate an image that would depict the

culture of Filipino people. Then, explain your artwork. (20 pts.)

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Norman Narciso, one of the

leading Filipino thought
leaders in the art world,
deeply explains soul-
making, "Soulmaking is an
alternate place to know
oneself and to look at the
depths and meaning of what
we do
in our daily lives.”
Soulmaking is a step towards
a deeper comprehension of
how the world is perceived
and how
his or her own personality is
seen.
Norman Narciso, one of the
leading Filipino thought

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leaders in the art world,

deeply explains soul-
making, "Soulmaking is an
alternate place to know
oneself and to look at the
depths and meaning of what
we do
in our daily lives.”
Soulmaking is a step towards
a deeper comprehension of
how the world is perceived
and how
his or her own personality is
seen4.2.1 Setting Goals for Success

Rubrics
Your essay will be graded based on this rubric. Consequently, use

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this rubric as a guide when working on your essay and check it again
before you submit it.
Criteria Exceptiona Excellent Good Fair Not Mastered
l (5pts) (4pts) (3pts) (2pts) (1pt)
Quality of Student Student Good Student Student
information responses responses responses, responses are
far exceed exceed what Student although largely
what is is expected. responses somewhat incorrect.
expected. Information meet correct, are Although some
Information is factually expectation lacking in answers come
is not only accurate, s. relevant close to the
factually and offers Information details and main idea,
accurate, extra is factually supporting there is little
but shows supporting accurate. examples evidence of the
insightful facts. The student and/or required
interpretatio Responses somewhat interpretatio amount of
n which include responds n. mastery for the
indicates some beyond the topic being
mastery interpretatio basic level assessed.
above grade n which of the
level. indicates question to
mastery. provide
supporting
details
and/or
interpretatio
n.
Quantity of Student Student Student Student Student
information responses responses responses responses responses are
exceed the meet the exceed the meet the below the
minimum
upper upper minimum minimum
quantity of
quantity of quantity of information quantity of quantity of
information information requested to information information
expected to expected to show requested requested to
show show mastery. to show show mastery.
mastery. mastery. mastery.

Neatness/ Student Student Student Student Student

legibility always responds in responds in does not frequently
responds in complete complete always responds in
sentences
complete sentences. respond in incomplete or
most of the
sentences. Sentences complete grammatically

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Sentences are mostly time. sentences. incorrect

vary in grammatical Sentences Sentences sentences,
length and ly correct. are contain making the
generally
are The paper is grammar paper difficult
grammatical
grammatical neatly and ly correct, errors that to read. The
ly correct. clearly with a few sometimes paper may
The paper is written - minor errors make the contain
neatly and representing that do not paper excessive rips,
impact the
clearly the difficult to folds, doodling
readability
written - student's of the essay. read. The or messy
representing personal The paper is paper may corrections.
the best. neatly and contain The paper does
student's clearly excessive not meet
personal written - rips, folds, minimum
representing
best. doodling or acceptable
the
student's messy standards.
personal corrections.
best. This does
not
represent
the
student's
personal
best.

The performance rubric used by the writer was adopted from the
performance rubric of Mr. Raul B. Celmar of Samar State University –
Mercedes Campus

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4.3 References
Abstract Expressionism. Retrieved from
https://abstractexpressionismishidden.weebly.com
/characteristics.html on September 16, 2020
Blumberg, N. What’s the Difference Between Modern and Contemporary
Art? Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-
difference-between-modern- and-contemporary-art on September
16, 2020.
Caslib, B.N.JR., Garing, D.C., &Casaul, JA. R. (2018). Art Appreciation, First
Edition. REX Book Store.
Przybylek, S. Minimalist Art: Definition, Characteristics & Famous Painters.
Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/minimalist-art-
definition-characteristics- famous-painters.html on September
16, 2020.

Online References:
https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/st-michaels-college-iligan/
art-appreciation/module-4-lesson-1-art-appreciation-soul-
making/10824645

The pictures that were used in this Learning Packet was taken from
google.com

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4.4 Acknowledgment
The images, tables, figures and information contained in this
module were taken from the references cited above.

For questions and clarifications:

MARISSAN MOLITO, LPT
Samar State University-Mercedes Campus
Facebook/Messenger Account: Marissan Molito
Email: [email protected]
Contact no: 09481474507

CONGRATULATIONS! You have already finished your LP 4.

C. M. D. Hamo-ay