Art Appreciation

What is Art Appreciation?

– In cultivating an appreciation of art, one should also exercise and

develop his taste for things that are fine and beautiful.
– This allows individuals to make intelligent choices and decisions in
acquiring necessities and luxuries, knowing what gives better value
for time or money while taking into consideration the aesthetic
and practical value
- Learning to appreciate art no matter what vocation or profession
you have, will lead to a fuller and more meaningful life.
What is Art?

– Art is a highly diverse range of human activities engaged

in creating visual, auditory, or performed artifacts
— artworks—that express the author’s imaginative or
technical skill, and are intended to be appreciated for
their beauty or emotional power.
Creativity

– Creativity is thinking outside of society's norm. It

is being able to express oneself in different
varieties of arts - painting, poetry, sculpture,
style, fashion, etc.
When can we say that something is
creative?
– When we have not seen anything like it
– When it is out of the ordinary
– When it is not just a copy or imitation of someone’s work
Art as a product of imagination and
imagination as a product of art.

– Imagination is not constrained by the walls of the norm,

but goes beyond that.
– Through imagination, one is able to craft something bold,
something new, and something better in the hopes of
creating something that will stimulate change.
– imagination produces art, art also inspires imagination.
Art as Expression

– Expressing emotions is different from describing

emotions.
– This makes people’s art not a reflection of what is
outside or external to them, but a reflection of
their inner selves.
The History of Art
Stone Age (30,000 b.c.–2500 b.c.)

– Cave painting,
fertility
goddesses,
megalithic
structures
Mesopotamian (3500 b.c.–539 b.c.)

– Warrior art and

narration in stone
relief
Egyptian (3100 b.c.–30 b.c.)

Art with an
afterlife focus:
pyramids and
tomb painting
Greek and Hellenistic (850 b.c.–31
b.c.)
Greek idealism: balance,
perfect proportions;
architectural
orders(Doric, Ionic, Corinthian)
Roman (500 b.c.– a.d. 476)

Roman realism:
practical and
down to earth;
the arch
Indian, Chinese, and Japanese(653
b.c.–a.d. 1900)

Serene,
meditative art,
and Arts of the
Floating World
Byzantine and Islamic (a.d. 476–
a.d.1453)
Heavenly Byzantine
mosaics; Islamic
architecture and amazing
maze-like design
Middle Ages (500–1400)

Celtic art, Carolingian

Renaissance,
Romanesque, Gothic
Early and High Renaissance (1400–
1550)
– Rebirth of classical
culture
Venetian and Northern Renaissance
(1430–1550)
– The Renaissance spreads
north- ward to France,
the Low
Countries, Poland,
Germany, and England
Mannerism (1527–1580)

– Art that breaks the

rules; artifice over
nature
Baroque (1600–1750)

– Splendor and flourish for

God; art as a weapon in the
religious wars
Neoclassical (1750–1850)

– Art that recaptures

Greco-Roman grace and
grandeur
Romanticism (1780–1850)

– The triumph of
imagination and
individuality
Realism (1848–1900)

– Celebrating working
class and peasants; en
plein air
rustic painting
Impressionism (1865–1885)

– Capturing fleeting
effects of natural
light
Post-Impressionism (1885–1910)

– A soft revolt
against
Impressionism
Fauvism and Expressionism (1900–
1935)
– Harsh colors and flat
surfaces (Fauvism);
emotion distorting
form
Cubism, Futurism, Supremativism, Constructivism,
De Stijl
(1905–1920)

– Pre– and Post–World

War 1 art experiments:
new
forms to express
modern life
Dada and Surrealism (1917–1950)

– Ridiculous art;
painting dreams and
exploring the
unconscious
Abstract Expressionism (1940s–1950s) and
Pop Art (1960s)

– Post–World War II: pure

abstraction and
expression
without form; popular art
absorbs consumerism
Postmodernism and Deconstructivism
(1970– )
– Art without a
center and
reworking and
mixing past styles
Assumptions of Art
1. Art is universal

– Timeless, spanning generations and continents

through and through.
– Age is not a factor in determining art.
Misconception: Good art must be old.
2. Art is not nature.

– Art is made by man, whereas nature is a given

around us.
– Art, is not directed by representation of reality, is
a perception of reality.
3. Art involves experience.

– “All art depends on experience, and if one is

to know art, he must know it not as fact or
information but as experience.”
Forms of Art
Visual Arts

– Creations that fall under this category are those that appeals to
the sense of sight and are mainly visual in nature.
– Artists produce visual arts driven by their desire to reproduce
things that they have seen in the way that they perceived them.
– Some mediums of visual arts include paintings, drawings,
letterings, printing, sculpture, digital imaging.
Film

– Film refers to the art of putting together successions of

still images in order to create an illusion of movement.
– Filmmaking focuses on its aesthetic, cultural, and social
value and is considered both an art and an industry
– Filmmaking simulates experiences or creates one that is
beyond the scope of our imagination as it aims to deliver
ideas, feelings, or beauty to its viewers.
Performance Art

– Performance art is a live art and the artist’s medium is mainly the
human body which he or she uses to perform, but also employs
other kind of art such as visual art, props, or sound.
– The fact that performance art is live makes it intangible, which
means it cannot be bought or traded as a commodity.
Poetry Performance

– Poetry is an art form where the artist expresses his

emotions not by using paint, charcoal, or camera, but
expresses them through words.
– These words are carefully selected to exhibit clarity and
beauty and to stimulate strong emotions of joy, anger,
love, sorrow among others.
Architecture

– Art is the pursuit and creation of beautiful things while architecture is the
making of beautiful buildings.
– However, not all building are beautiful because some only embody the
functionality they need, but the structure, lines, forms, and colors are not
beautifully expressed.
Dance

– Dance is series of movements that follows the rhythm of the music

accompaniment.
– Dancing
– Choreography may seem not to allow this, but in art expression, dancers are not
confined to set steps and rules but are free to create and invent their own
movements as longs as they deem them graceful and beautiful is a creative art
form that allows people to freely express themselves.
Literary Art

– Artists who practice literary arts use words to express themselves and
communicate emotions to the readers.
– Simply becoming a writer does not make one a literary artist.
– Literary art goes beyond the usual professional, academic, journalistic and other
technical forms of writing.
– It focuses on writing using a unique style, not following a specific format or
norm
– It may include both fiction and non-fiction such as novels, biographies, and
poems.
Theater

– Theater uses live performers to present accounts or imaginary events before a

live audience.
– Theater art performance usually follows follow a script, though they should not
be confused with literary arts.
– Like in filmmaking, theater also considers several elements such as acting,
gesture, lighting, sound effects, musical score, scenery and props.
– Like performance art, theater also is a live performance.
Applied Arts

– Applied arts is incorporating elements of style and design to everyday items

with the aim of increasing their aesthetic value.
– Artists in this field bring beauty, charm, and comfort into many things that were
useful in everyday life.
– Industrial design, interior design, fashion design, graphic design
Functions of Art
Personal Function

– Arts are vehicles for the artists’

expression of their feelings and ideas.
The arts also serve as means of
expression for us.
– Works of art make us aware of other
ways of thinking, feeling, and imagining
that have never occurred to us before.
Social Functions

– One cannot conceive of a society without art, for art is closely related to every
aspect of social life.
Arts Perform a Social Function
When:
1. When it Influences a Social
Function:
- It seeks or tends to influence the
collective behavior of a people.
Arts Perform a Social Function
When:

2. Display and
Celebration:
- It is created to be seen or
used primarily in public
situation.
Social Functions

– One function of sculptures and paintings are

the commemoration of important
personages in society. The statues of
national heroes that grace our parks and
plazas are commemorative works as are the
commissioned paintings of leaders or rulers.
Often they serve to record important
historical events, or reveal the ideals of
heroism and leadership that the community
would want the young to emulate.
Arts Perform a Social Function
When:

3. Social Description
-It expresses or describes
social or collective aspects
of existence as opposed to
individual and personal
kind of experiences.
Physical Functions

– Tools and containers are objects which function to make our lives
physically comfortable. Functional works of art may be classified as
either tools or containers.
 Physical Function

1. Form and Function

The function of an object generally determines
the basic form that it takes. A chair is so
designed as to allow the seated body to rest
comfortably on it. The shapes, sizes , and
different parts are harmoniously related to
one another and integrated into an object that
fulfills and tells about their particular purpose
 Physical Functions

2. Architecture
-The design of the building is determined primarily by
its operational function. What is the building for?
Who are going to use it? How many are they?
- The design that a building takes is also adapted to
the climate of the region.
- The architect must take the physical, psychological,
and spiritual needs of the family into account when
he designs a house.
Physical Functions

3. Community Planning
-A community is more than just a group of
buildings. It is a group of individuals and
families living in a particular locality
because of common interest and needs.

-Community planning involves the efficient

organization of buildings, roads, and spaces
so that they meet the physical and aesthetic
needs of the community.
Community Planning

1. Residential districts
Special areas are assigned for
residential purposes. The present trend
is to get away from overcrowded
downtown districts and the attendant
problems and settle in areas where it is
possible to blend the charms of rural
living with the conveniences of urban
living.
Community Planning

2. Industrial and commercial areas

These areas are usually located near the
source of raw materials. A commercial
area can be a cluster of small
neighborhood stores, a shopping complex
in the suburbs, or a central downtown
district. It is usually situated where it can
be reached easily by car or public
transport.
Community Planning

3. Civic centers
- A community governs itself; it therefore
provides structures where the functions
of government can be efficiently carried
out, and which would, in appearance, be
symbolic of community dignity and
pride.
Community Planning

4. Parks, plazas, and malls

- The need for a balance between man-
made structures and natural areas is
answered in the design of plazas and
malls. These may provide some relief
from problems such as air and water
pollution, inadequate facilities for
recreation, and lack of parking space.
Community Planning

5. Streets and roads

Transportation must function with
reasonable ease and rapidity from
one area to another. Streets are
large or small according to their
function.
Function and Beauty

– Many things remain the same in shape throughout the years because their
functional requirements do not allow for greater variations in their form. Time
has proved that their designs best enable them to accomplish their purpose.
3 Elements of Beauty
3 Elements of Beauty

For the medieval theologian St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), a beautiful thing had three
primary characteristics:
1. Integritas (wholeness) –
– It must not be deficient in what it needs to be most itself.
2. Consonantia (proportionality) and –
– Its dimensions should suitably correspond to other physical objects as well as to a
metaphysical ideal, an end.
3. Claritas (radiance) –
– It should clearly radiate intelligibility, the logic of its inner being and impress this knowledge
of itself on the mind of the perceiver.
Philosophical Perspective
on Art
Art as an Imitation

– In Plato’s The Republic, paints a picture of artists as imitators and art as mere
imitation.
– In his description of the ideal republic, Plato advises against the inclusion of art
as a subject in the curriculum and the banning of artists in the Republic.
– In Plato’s metaphysics or view of reality, the things in this world are only copies
of the original, the eternal, and the true entities that can only be found in the
World of Forms.
– For example, the chair that one sits on is not a real chair. It is an imperfect copy
of the perfect “chair” in the World of Forms.
Art as an Imitation

– Plato was convinced that artists merely reinforce the belief in copies and
discourage men to reach for the real entities in the World of Forms.
– Plato was deeply suspicious of arts and artists for two reasons:
1. They appeal to the emotion rather to the rational faculty of men
2. They imitate rather than lead one to reality
Art as an Imitation

– Poetry rouses emotions and feelings and thus, clouds

rationality of people.
– Art is just an imitation of imitation. A painting is just an
imitation of nature, which is also just an imitation of
reality in the World of Forms.
Art as an Imitation

– Art then is to be banished, alongside the practitioners, so that the attitudes and
actions of the members of the Republic will not be corrupted by the influence
of the arts.
– For Plato, art is dangerous because it provides a petty replacement for the real
entities than can only be attained through reason.
Art as Representation

– Aristotle, agreed with Plato that art is a form of imitation.

– However, Aristotle considered art as an aid to philosophy in revealing the truth.
– The kind of imitation that art does is not antithetical to the reaching of
fundamental truths in the world.
Art as Representation

– Unlike Plato who thought that art is an imitation of another imitation, Aristotle
conceived of art as representing possible versions of reality.
– For Aristotle, all kinds of art do not aim to represent reality as it is, it endeavors
to provide a version of what might be or the myriad possibilities of reality.
Art as Representation

In Aristotelian worldview, art serves two particular purposes:

• Art allows for the experience of pleasure (horrible experience can be made an
object of humor)
• Art also has an ability to be instructive and teach its audience things about life
(cognitive)
Art as a Disinterested Judgment

– Immanuel Kant, in his Critique of Judgment, considered the judgment of beauty,

the cornerstone of art, as something that can be universal despite its
subjectivity.
– Kant recognized that judgment of beauty is subjective.
– However, even subjective judgments are based on some universal criterion for
the said judgment.
Art as a Disinterested Judgment

How and in what sense can a judgment of beauty,

which ordinarily is considered to be a subjective
feeling be considered objective or universal?
How are these two statements
different?

1. “I like this painting.”

2. “This painting is beautiful.”
Art as a Disinterested Judgment

-The first is clearly a judgment of taste (subjective), while the second is an

aesthetic judgment (objective).
- Making an aesthetic judgment requires us to be disinterested. In other words, we
should try to go beyond our individual tastes and preferences so that we can
appreciate art from a universal standpoint.
Art as a Communication of Emotion

– According to Leo Tolstoy, art plays a huge role in communication to its

audience’s emotions that the artist previously experienced.
– In the same that language communicates information to other people, art
communicates emotions.
– As a purveyor of man’s innermost feelings and thoughts, art is given a unique
opportunity to serve as a mechanism for social unity.
– Art is central to man’s existence because it makes accessible feelings and
emotions of people from the past and present.
Subject and Content
Subject and Content

In viewing art, there are clues that mediate between the artwork and the viewer,
allowing the viewer to more easily comprehend what he is seeing.
• Subject – the visual focus or the image that may be extracted from examining
the artwork; the “what”
• Content – the meaning that is communicated by the artist or the artwork; the
“why”
• Form – the development and configuration of the art work – how the elements
and the medium or material are put together; the “how”
Think-Pair-Share

Look at the painting below by artist David Bailly entitled Selbstbildnis mit
Vanitassymbolen (Self-Portrait with Vanitas Symbols). List down everything that
you see within the four corners of the work. List as many items as you can in 3
minutes.
Think-Pair-Share

– With your seatmate, discuss and compare the items you listed.
– Based on your answers, write an assumption about what the painting means.
Art as a Science

– In the sciences, experimentation is the key to proving a hypothesis or a larger

theory.
– In the arts, there are observable qualities that the artwork holds that will point
to its subject, and sometimes even to its content. (look at the constituent
figures that are perceptible, the manner in which the artist chose to depict
those figures)
Types of Subject
Representational Art

– These types of art have subjects that refer to objects that refer to objects or
events occurring in the real world.
– Also termed figurative art because the figures depicted are easy to make out
and decipher.
Mona Lisa Leonardo da Vinci (1503)
Representational Art

– Despite not knowing who Mona Lisa is, it is clear that the painting is of a
woman that is realistically-proportioned
– only the upper torso is shown
– a beguiling and mysterious smile is flashed
– the background is a landscape
Non-representational Art

– Art forms that do not make a reference to the real world,

whether it is a person, place, thing, or even a particular
event.
– It is stripped down to visual elements, such as shapes,
lines, and colors that are employed to translate a
particular feeling, emotion, and even concept.
Wassily Kandinsky, 
Composition VII, 1913
Kandinsky is recognized as the
father of modern abstract art i
n the 20th century.
Non-representational Vs. Abstract Art

– Is non-representational art the same with abstract art?

– There is no clear-cut divide, rather, they exist in a spectrum.
Pablo Picasso, Femme Assise (Dora Maar), 1955
Sources and Kinds of
Subjects
Sources and Kinds of Subjects

– For non-representational art, a higher, level of perceptiveness and insight might

be required to fully grasped the feeling, emotion, or concept behind the work.
– For representational art, it is easier to infer the subject matter because from the
figures depicted in the artwork, there is already a suggestion as to its
implication.
Sources of Subject

– Nature
– History
– Greek and Roman mythology
– Judeo-Christian tradition
– Sacred oriental texts
– Other works of art
Kinds of Subject

– History - Mythology
- Myth
– Still life - Dreams
- Fantasies
– Animals
– Figures
– Nature
– Landscape
– Seascape
– Cityscape
Die Ebene von Auvers (Wheat Fields
Near Auvers Vincent van Gogh (1890)
A Cockchafer, Beetle,
Woodlice and Other Insect,
with a Sprig of Auricula Jan
van Kessel (early 1960s)
Fruit Pickers Under the
Mango Tree Fernando
Amorsolo
Young Women in the
Ricefield Fabian de la
Rosa (1902)
Discobolus Myron (Roman, 2nd Century AD)
Sistine Chapel Michelangelo (1508-1512)
El Tres de Mayo Francisco de Goya
(1814)
House at a lake with mountains, 1910
Content in Art
Content

– The meaning or message that is expressed or

communicated by the artwork.
– In understanding the content of art, it is
important to note that there are various levels of
meaning:
Factual meaning

– The most rudimentary level of meaning for it may be extracted from the
identifiable or recognizable forms in the artwork and understanding how these
elements relate to one another.
Conventional meaning

– Pertains to the acknowledged interpretation of the artwork using motifs, signs,

and symbols and other cyphers as bases of its meaning.
– These conventions are established through time, strengthened by recurrent use
and wide acceptance by its viewers or audience and scholars who study them
Subjective meaning

– When subjectivities are consulted, a variety of meanings may arise when a

particular work of art is read.
– These meanings stem from the 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)
– Meaning may not be singular, rather, multiple and varied
Creation of Adam (from the ceiling of
the Sistine Chapel) Michelangelo
(1814)
Analysis

– Subject: biblical art

– Factual meaning: Creation Story
– Conventional meaning: man was created in the image and likeness of God
– Subjective meaning: endowment of intellect to man from God