Binalonan, Pangasinan

MODULE 1
An Overview of Art
Course Title: Art Appreciation
Course Code: GE 6
Date and Time Allotment: August 18 – 19, 25-26, 2022; 6 hrs.

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.

A. Pre-activity
Orientation

I. Objectives
At the end of the end of this module, students should be able to:
a. Define Arts and explain its importance in the society;
b. Express their personal experiences through visual forms; and
c. Appreciate artworks in relation to its functions and factors affecting the style.

II. Lecture
HUMANITIES
Humanities as a discipline, is a broad field; it may include not only the fine arts such as painting, sculpture, and
architecture, but also the performing arts such as music, dance, drama and opera, and the literary arts such as prose
and poetry.

It was derived from the Latin word “humanus,” meaning human, cultured, or refined; it embraces the social sciences
and the philosophy.
DEFINITIONS OF ART

ART came from the word “ars” which means skill; it is synonymous with skill, cunning, artifice and craft, which all mean
the faculty of what is devised.
How would you define ‘art’? For many people art is a specific thing; a painting, sculpture or photograph, a dance, a
poem or a play. It is all of these things, and more. They are mediums of artistic expression. Webster’s New Collegiate
dictionary defines art as “The conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic
objects.” Yet art is much more than a medium, or words on a page. It is the expression of our experience.
Art is uniquely human and tied directly to culture. It takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary. It asks questions
about who we are, what we value, the meaning of beauty and the human condition. As an expressive medium it allows
us to experience sublime joy, deep sorrow, confusion and clarity. It tests our strengths, vulnerabilities and resolve. It
gives voice to ideas and feelings, connects us to the past, reflects the present and anticipates the future.

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.

Art may be characterized in terms of mimesis (its representation of reality), expression, communication of emotion, or
other qualities. Though the definition of what constitutes art is disputed and has changed over time, general descriptions
center on the idea of imaginative or technical skill stemming from human agency and creation. When it comes to
visually identifying a work of art, there is no single set of values or aesthetic traits.

Art is often examined through the interaction of the principles and elements of art. The principles of art
include movement, unity, harmony, variety, balance, contrast, proportion and pattern. The elements include texture,
form, space, shape, color, value and line. The various interactions between the elements and principles of art help
artists to organize sensorially pleasing works of art while also giving viewers a framework within which to analyze and
discuss aesthetic ideas.

The nature of art has been described by philosopher Richard Wollheim as “one of the most elusive of the traditional
problems of human culture.” It has been defined as a vehicle for the expression or communication of emotions and
ideas, a means for exploring and appreciating formal elements for their own sake, and as mimesis or representation.
More recently, thinkers influenced by Martin Heidegger have interpreted art as the means by which a community
develops for itself a medium for self-expression and interpretation.

ARTISTS

Producing artworks for artists is a lucrative job. They have other purposes in engaging art activities. Others do it to
produce things of beauty, like architectural wonders and masterpieces. Some do it to express their emotions and
thoughts, real or imaginary.

Hairstylists, couturiers (cloth designers), chefs, wine connoisseurs(wine tasters), perfume experts, jewelers, body
painters(tattooists), milliners(hat makers),potters, musicians, dancers, actors, litterateurs, painters, sculptors, and
architects share one thing in common.

AESTHETICS
Aesthetics is the philosophical argument about the nature of beauty. It’s an idea central to any exploration of
art. Aesthetics deals with notions of taste, cultural conventions – ideas of art being ‘good’ and ‘bad’ based on specific
cultural information and beliefs and the judgments we make based on our perceptions.
As deep as visual art is embedded in the fabric of our lives, it still is the source of controversy and irony. It thrives on
common experience yet contradicts ideas of ourselves. Art is part of the culture it’s created in, but can reflect many
cultures at once. From where you and I stand today art has become probably more complex than ever in its use of
imagery, mediums and meanings. We need a way to access the visual information of our society, of past cultures, and
cultures not known to us to have a way to understand what we are looking at.

FUNCTIONS OF ART

1. Beauty
Why do you think some people hang artworks on their wall? What is the most common answer? The connotation of
beauty is a debatable topic, but let us talk about prettiness and the aesthetic value of art. One of the innate qualities
that “pretty art" can give is that it makes our dull, lifeless walls come to life. The contrast of having something “alive"
and dynamic to look at on something ordinary and common, let us say a pristine white wall, evokes in us an affinity
towards its beauty. Though we have different notions of beauty, still it is a common denominator when we are talking
about appreciating forms of art. Beauty makes sense to most of us.

2. Happiness and Hope

There is something about art that mirrors the soul of those willing to confront it. In a societal tone, artworks tend to echo
the hopes and anxieties of an age. There is a wide range of properties of art why it gives a sense of joy and hope to its
audience. These are examples:
a. when paintings are placed in a daunting environment such as hospitals;
b. the experience and process of creating art itself;
c. the bliss of looking at a piece of imagery evoking a happy memory: e.g., the painting of a do;
d. direct words from typography and graphic messages that are so relatable as if the author has read your mind and
feelings; and
e. identifying oneself with the properties of an artwork: a homage to something; works addressing diaspora,
displacement, and other social issues.

3. Identity and understanding the self

Today's generation, being the "me" generation, is also sometimes tagged as the "anxious generation". A lot of social
issues evidently reflect this struggle for identity: gender issues, disconnectedness brought on by social media,
regionalism, and even mental health issues. How do you think art can be a tool to address such challenges? Do you
agree that we need something outside of us and tangible enough to define what we are feeling and struggling against?
Sometimes we see ourselves in an artwork. Sometimes we see ourselves in the process. Art can serve as a powerful
tool to help us communicate and relay our confusion. Even psychological interventions use art as therapy to aid in
processing some sensitive experiences.

4. Grief and healing

Many of the most poignant and humanistic products of art were made after the Word War II. Twentieth-century art
mostly expressed human suffering and darkness in its themes. Throughout the years, artists have interpreted these
shared human experiences in different ways, which also help us process our grief. Some may use art as a tool to
express pain and process it in therapy. Nonetheless, it plays an important role in making grieving somehow dignified.

5.Remembering and mark-making

How do you think has art helped us remember? How have artists shaped our landscape? The monument of Rizal in
Luneta Park is one example of a type of art that helps us remember. Without the tangible characteristic of art, we will
not be able to sustain our nationalistic values well enough. We have pictures, films, and paintings that depict heroism
and nationalism.

6. Raising awareness

Have you seen large sculptural effigies (those papier-mache-made-to-be-burned protest art) during rallies in Manila?
Some art can be categorized as activist art. But not all are as loud and garish. Some are subtle paintings which might
use satire. In the Philippines, many socially-concerned artists have emerged in the age of modernism portraying
politicians and the governments system in their most hateful actions. A more subtle type of inducing awareness can
be observed in architecture such as the stained-glass windows of Gothic churches and even their illuminated
manuscripts. Such is-also the case of our local churches with large domes at the altar part and huge stained-glass
windows.

7. Culture and togetherness

Lastly, forms of art are often localized so that they bring identity also to certain regions. This is very evident here in the
Philippines, which is geographically separated by thousands of islands-we are very regionalized. In a way, there is a
sense of redemption for the past weakness of Philippines when the Spaniards strategized the divide and conquer
method.

FACTORS AFFECTING ART STYLE

1. GEOGRAPHICAL FACTOR

The place where the artist stays influence his works. Marble sculptures are plenty in Romblon because marble abounds
in that province in the same way as wooden sculptures abound in Paete, Laguna where woodcarving is the primary
occupation of the male population.
2. HISTORICAL FACTOR

Historical events exert a great influence on artists, particularly the writers. Jose Rizal’s novels, Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, graphically highlight the events that took place in the country during the last century of Hispanic rule.

3. SOCIAL FACTOR

Social relationships affect artists, too. The English writer Ben Jonson composed his “Song to Celia”; similarly the Italian
sonneteer Francesco Petrarch wrote poems for his lady love named Laura. Society at most times dictate the types of
paintings, sculptures, songs, dances, literary pieces and movies to be produced.

4. IDEATIONAL FACTOR

The ideas coming from various people also influence artists. The Father of Psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, proposed
ideas that have influenced surrealist painters. The ideas that the human body is the most beautiful figure to present as
an art subject gave rise to the school of thought called nudism. Painters opted to produce paintings of nude males and
females. In sculpture, nudism became a fad of with the creation of nude figures of male gods known as Apollo statues.

5. PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTOR

At times, the works produced by the artists are affected by their make - up or frame of mind. For instance, the first
painting of Edward Munch, “The Sick of Child,” is an effect of his unfortunate childhood experience of contracting a
long illness after losing his loved at an early age. Vincent van Gogh’s painting entitles “Starry Night” was believed to
be completed during his stay in asylum in St. Remy, during the most tormented period in his life.

6. TECHNICAL FACTOR

Techniques matter as far as artistic styles are concerned. In fact, painters employ a variety of techniques to make their
works unique.

References
• Roldan, Albert Napoleon J., Deliosa, Chloe P. A Course Module for Art Appreciation. REX Bookstore, 2019
• Menoy, Jesus Z. Introduction to the Humanities: A Holistic Approach. International Book Royale, Inc.2014