University of Makati

Department of Social Sciences

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 COURSE DESCRIPTION
Art Appreciation is a three-unit course that develops students' ability to appreciate,
analyze, and critique works of art. Through interdisciplinary and multimodal
approaches, this course equips students with a broad knowledge of the practical,
historical, philosophical, and social relevance of the arts in order to hone students'
ability to articulate their understanding of the arts. The course also develops
students’ competency in researching and curating art as well as conceptualizing,
mounting, and evaluating art productions. The course aims to develop students'
genuine appreciation for Philippine arts by providing them opportunities to explore
the diversity and richness and their rootedness in Filipino culture.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, the learners are expected to:
• Come up with own definition of art
• Differentiate the principles of art and the elements of art
• Define and demonstrate the elements and principles of design

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 Defining Art
How do you define art? For many people, art is a tangible thing: a painting,
sculpture, photograph, dance, poem or play. Art is uniquely human and tied directly
to culture. As an expressive medium, it allows us to experience wide ranges of
emotion, between joy or sorrow, or confusion and clarity. It gives voice to ideas and
feelings, connects us to the past, reflects the present, and anticipates the future.
Visual art is a rich and complex subject, and its definition is in flux as the culture
around it changes. This unit examines how art is defined, and the different ways it
functions in societies and cultures.

Engaging Questions
1. What is art?
2. What does art do?
3. What does art mean?
4. What makes art beautiful ?
5. Who is the artist?

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 Initial 3-2-1 Bridge
This routine can be introduced by having students do an initial 3, 2, 1 individually on
paper. Since our topic is “art,” then students would write down 3 thoughts, 2
questions, and 1 analogy about the topic.

Write down your 3 initial thoughts about art

1.
2.
3.
Write down 2 questions you have when you think about art
1.
2.
Write down 1 analogy on art (A similarity or comparison of two
different things . Ex. Love is like a battlefield because...)
Art is a/like ___________________ because ___________.

Video Time

YouTube
CW Children Official, Joey Velasco
(September 8, 2014) Sa Kambas ng
Lipunan HD [video] https://
www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ctFyKw31_Mk&t=20s

Sa Kambas ng Lipunan (Canvass of Society )

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 See-Think-Wonder
After watching the video, write down your thoughts about it following this thinking
routine.

Write down things that you saw, noticed and observed in the
video.

Write down what you think about what you saw. Why do you
think this might have happened ?

Write down things that make you wonder from the video.
Write questions that you have after watching the video.

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 Pair Work
Find a partner and discuss your answers to the Engaging Questions on page 3. Write
your personal answers below. No Googling. The answers must come from you.

1. What is art?

2. What does art do?

3. What does art mean?

4. What makes art

beautiful ?

5. Who is the artist?

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 FYI
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.

The oldest documented forms of art are visual arts, which include images or objects in fields like
painting, sculpture, printmaking , photography, and other visual media . Architecture is often included
as one of the visual arts; however, like the decorative arts, it involves the creation of objects where the
practical considerations of use are essential, in a way that they usually are not in another visual art, like
a painting.

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. A Baroque painting will not necessarily share much with a contemporary
performance piece, but they are both considered art.

Despite the seemingly indefinable nature of art, there have always existed certain formal guidelines for
its aesthetic judgment and analysis. Formalism is a concept in art theory in which an artwork’s artistic
value is determined solely by its form, or how it is made. Formalism evaluates works on a purely visual
level, considering medium and compositional elements as opposed to any reference to realism ,
context, or content.

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.

What is Art? (n.d.). Lumen Boundless Arts History https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/

chapter/what-is-art/#:~:text=Art%20is%20a%20highly%20diverse,their%20beauty%20or%20emotional%20power.

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 KEY TAKEAWAYS
Key Points
• The interplay between the principles and elements of art provides a language with which to
discuss and analyze works of art.
• The principles of art include: movement, unity, harmony, variety, balance, contrast , propor-
tion and pattern.
• The elements of art include: texture , form , space , shape, color, value and line .
• How best to define the term art is a subject of constant contention.
• Since conceptual art and postmodern theory came into prominence, it has been proven that
anything can be termed art.

Key Terms
Formalism: The study of art by analyzing and comparing form and style—the way objects are
made and their purely visual aspects.

What is Art? (n.d.). Lumen Boundless Arts History https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/

chapter/what-is-art/

The Elements of Art

Have you ever looked at an artwork and wondered how the artist decided to begin making it?
All art, whether two-dimensional like a painting or three-dimensional like a sculpture, contains
one or more of the seven elements of art. These elements are:
1. Line
2. Color
3. Shape
4. Form
5. Value
6. Space
7. Texture

They are the basic building blocks of making art.

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 Analyze This !
Do you see the seven elements of
art in this painting? Do you see
lines, color, shapes, texture,
value, form, and space? Tell us
what you see and write your
observations below. What do
you think the theme of the
painting is about ? Can we
consider this art? Why? What
title would you give this work ?
Share your thoughts below.

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 The Principles of Art
The principles of art represent how the artist uses the elements of art to create an effect and to
help convey the artist's intent. The principles of art and design are balance, contrast, emphasis,
movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity/variety. The use of these principles can help determine
whether a painting is successful, and whether or not the painting is finished.

The 7 principles of art

1. Balance refers to the visual weight of the elements of the composition. It is a sense that the
painting feels stable and "feels right." Imbalance causes a feeling of discomfort in the
viewer.
Balance can be achieved in three (3) different ways:
a. Symmetry, in which both sides of a composition have the same elements in the same posi-
tion, as in a mirror-image, or the two sides of a face.
b. Asymmetry, in which the composition is balanced due to the contrast of any of the elements
of art. For example, a large circle on one side of a composition might be balanced by a small
square on the other side
c. Radial symmetry, in which elements are equally spaced around a central point, as in the
spokes coming out of the hub of a bicycle tire.
2. Contrast is the difference between elements of art in a composition, such that each element
is made stronger in relation to the other. When placed next to each other, contrasting
elements command the viewer's attention. Areas of contrast are among the first places that
a viewer's eye is drawn. Contrast can be achieved by juxtapositions of any of the elements
of art. Negative/Positive space is an example of contrast. Complementary colors placed side
by side is an example of contrast.
3. Emphasis is when the artist creates an area of the composition that is visually dominant and
commands the viewer's attention. This is often achieved by contrast.
4. Movement is the result of using the elements of art such that they move the viewer's eye
around and within the image. A sense of movement can be created by diagonal or
curvy lines, either real or implied, by edges, by the illusion of space, by repetition, by
energetic mark-making.
Marder, Liza (May 22, 2019) The 7 Principles of Art & Design. Retrieved from https://www.liveabout.com/principles
-of-art-and-design-2578740#:~:text=The%20principles%20of%20art%20represent,rhythm%2C%20and%20unity%
2Fvariety.

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 The Principles of Art
5. Pattern is the uniform repetition of any of the elements of art or any combination there-
of. Anything can be turned into a pattern through repetition. Some classic patterns are spi-
rals, grids, weaves. For examples of different pattern types see the Artlandia Glossary of
Pattern Design. A popular drawing practice is Zentangles, in which an abstract or represen-
tational outline is divided into different areas, each of which contains a unique pattern.
6. Rhythm is created by movement implied through the repetition of elements of art in a non-
uniform but organized way. It is related to rhythm in music. Unlike pattern, which demands
consistency, rhythm relies on variety.
7. Unity/Variety You want your painting to feel unified such that all the elements fit together
comfortably. Too much unity creates monotony, too much variety creates chaos.You need
both. Ideally, you want areas of interest in your composition along with places for your eye
to rest.

You can also watch this YouTube video

ArtOfTeaching (November 26, 2012) Art Principles [video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=eapeL2fwdc8&t=23s

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 Analyze This!

How did the artist use the different principles of design

in relation to the element of art in this painting ? Do you
think the artist succeeded in expressing the message?
Write down your thoughts on the space provided on the
next page. What do you think the painting is about ?
What title would you give this painting?
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 Share your thoughts
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NEW 3-2-1
After everything we have discussed, what new thoughts, new questions and new analogy came
to mind ? Share your thoughts below.

Write down your 3 NEW thoughts about art

1.
2.
3.

Write down 2 NEW questions you have when you think about art
1.
2.

Write down 1 NEW analogy on art (A similarity or comparison of

two different things . Ex. Love is like a battlefield because...)
Art is a/like ___________________ because ___________.

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ON-LINE Assignment
Watch this YouTube instructional video
Danielle Frid (October 1, 2015) Elements of Art Poster [video]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SP_Qg1w_J8&t=371s
Follow the procedures in making your own Elements of Art
Poster. Take a picture of your poster and take selfie holding
your artwork. Submit the 2 jpeg files in our assignment
page in Edmodo. Be creative in showing the different
elements of art.

Elements of Art Poster

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 ON-LINE QUIZ
After learning the contents of
this module, be ready for a short
quiz in Edmodo.

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