LESSON 4: BASIC ART CRITICISM

These four coordinates of art

1. mimetic (based on the relationship on close between the Work and the Universe)
2. pragmatic (based on the relationship between the Work and the Audience)
3. expressive (based on the relationship between the Work and the Artist)
4. formal or objective (based reading of the Work)

MIMETIC CRITICISM

 The term "mimesis," the act of imitation, is derived from the Greek word mimesis.
 This form of criticism judges a work of art in terms of imitation: It assesses the authenticity of any artwork concerning the accuracy of
representation (verisimilitude).
 The mimetic approach treats art as a photographic reproduction, i.e., art's truth to life, poetic truth, etc.

PRAGMATIC OR AFFECTIVE CRITICISM

 It considers the artwork as something designed to produce a certain impact on the viewer.
 It seeks to assess the value of the artwork in achieving its goal.

EXPRESSIVE CRITICISM

 It deals primarily with artwork in relation to its artist.

 It often seeks to indicate the artist's particular disposition and experiences that, consciously or unconsciously, he or she disclosed in his
or her work.

FORMAL OR OBJECTIVE CRITICISM

 It deals with a work of art as something free from its "extrinsic" relationship with the author, the audience, or the society.
 Rather, it defines the text as an independent and self-sufficient entity, or else as an autonomous object which should be seen at its own
end, and which should only be judged by "inherent" criteria, such as its complexity ambiguity, coherence, and the interrelationship of its
elements or parts.

THE FOUR STEPS OF ART CRITICISM

1. description
2. analysis
3. interpretation
4. judgment

DESCRIPTION is the first phase in art criticism. It is a technique that depicts or explains the work of art. Take care of the general knowledge that is
present when you glance at a piece of art.

ANALYSIS is the second step in art criticism. It refers to the manner the elements and principles of art are used in the artwork, how they contribute
to one another, and how they are organized.

INTERPRETATION is the third step in art criticism. It is the attribution of meaning to a piece of art. When interpreting a work of art, try to identify
and discuss its key ideas or themes. Interpretation depends as much on the individual viewer as it does on the work of art. It is derived from the
interaction between what the artwork symbolizes to the artist and what it represents to the viewer. The meaning of an artwork can be affected by
time and culture. Thus, interpretation can be a process of unfolding. A work that would appear to imply one thing in the first evaluation might,
when further analyzed, indicate something else. Also, interpretations can often vary, and there are no incorrect interpretations, but some
interpretations are better than others, especially if they are backed up with supporting evidence.

JUDGMENT is the last step in art criticism. All these tasks of description, analysis, and interpretation are undertaken with one aim in mind: to give a
judgment on the work of art. Just as interpretations differ, so do judgments. Your judgment includes what you've learned about the artwork during
your evaluation, as well as what you've learned about the artwork, yourself. and others in the process.
LESSON 5- THE ARTIST AND THE ARTISAN
An ARTIST is someone who does something related to the creation, practice, or demonstration of art. Making tangible or intangible products as an
expression of creativity and imagination for purely aesthetic reasons is what art is all about.

An ARTISAN, produces crafts that are meant for decoration rather than being practical or useful, despite being motivated by the same impulses in
creating tangible or intangible products.

THE ORDER OF NATIONAL ARTISTS (Order ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining)

• is "the highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts,
namely: Music, Dance, Theater, Visual Arts, Literature, Film, Broadcast Arts, and Architecture and Allied Arts.

• The order is jointly administered by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and
conferred by the PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES upon recommendation by both institutions.

THE NATIONAL LIVING TREASURES AWARD, OR GAWAD SA MANLIKHA NG BAYAN (GAMABA)

• is "conferred to a person or group of artists recognized by the Government of the Philippines for their contributions to the country's intangible
cultural heritage.

• A recipient of the award, known as a NATIONAL LIVING TREASURES or MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN is defined as "a Filipino citizen or group of Filipino
citizens engaged in any traditional art uniquely Filipino, whose distinctive skills have reached such a high level of technical and artistic excellence
and have been passed on to and widely practiced by the present generations in their community with the same degree of technical and artistic
competence"
LESSON 6: SUBJECT AND CONTENT IN ART

In almost all art forms-painting, sculpture, photography, music, literature, theater, or dance-there is a subject that serves as the FOUNDATION OF
THE CREATION OF THE WORK OF ART.

The SUBJECT MATTER is the MOST OBVIOUS ASPECT of an artwork. It is what is portrayed or represented in art work. The subject of art may be a
person, a thing, a scene, an occasion or even dreams.

The subject matter of art should not be the basis for judging works of art. It doesn't mean that representational arts are superior to non-
representational arts. Some arts have a subject, others do not. Furthermore, works that depict pleasant subjects are not necessarily greater than
works that depict unpleasant subjects. What MATTERS MOST in art is not the subject matter, but how well the artist handles or presents that
subject matter in his or her work.

It is important not to confuse the subject with the content of a work.

 SUBJECT MATTER is the literal, visible image in a work.

 SUBJECT MATTER is the subject of the artwork, e.g., still life, portrait, landscape, etc.

 CONTENT includes the connotative, symbolic, and suggestive aspects of the image.
 CONTENT is not subject or things in the work of art but it is the communication of ideas, feelings and reactions connected with the
subject.

TYPES OF VISUAL ART ACCORDING TO SUBJECT

1. REPRESENTATIONAL OR FIGURATIVE ART

2. NON- REPRESENTATIONAL OR NON-OBJECTIVE ART.

REPRESENTATIONAL OR FIGURATIVE ART NON- REPRESENTATIONAL OR NON-OBJECTIVE ART

Representational artwork aims to represent real objects Non-objective art is another way to refer to non-
or real subjects. They are artworks based on images that representational art. Basically, the artwork does not
can be found in the objective world, or at least in the reflect or describe a person, place or thing in the natural
artist's imagination, that is, images that can perhaps be world. Typically, the work's contents are its color,
named or recognized. Painting, sculpture, graphic arts, shapes, brushstrokes, scale, size and method, in certain
literature and theater arts, although some of them do cases.
not depict recognizable subjects, are generally classified
as representational.

Most people find it difficult to understand the distinctions between abstract and non-objective art. The obvious difference lies in the chosen
subject.

ABSTRACT NON-OBJECTIVE ART

If the artist begins with a real subject, the artwork is When the artist creates without any relation to reality,
called abstract. the work is known as non-objective.

•Architecture is mostly non-objective or non-representational. It does not depict or portray a subject. It is its own form.

•Music is also mostly non- objective or non-representational although some music depicts a subject.

WAYS OF REPRESENTING SUBJECT

• Art allows a person to create works that are only limited by the artist's imagination.

•This can be achieved in the manner of REALISM, IDEALIZATION, ABSTRACTION, DISTORTION, SURREALISM or any mixture of it. They are briefly
defined below.

REALISM

It is typically an attempt, without artificiality, to portray subjects in reality without artistic constraints or implausible, exotic and supernatural
elements.

IDEALIZATION
It refers to the representation of objects according to a preconception of the ideal form or type. One possible motive could be to make things look
as if the world were perfect

ABSTRACTION

It is the method of replacing or extracting characteristics from something to reduce it to a set of essential characteristics.

DISTORTION

It is any alteration in the scale, shape or visual character of a medium by an artist to communicate a concept, convey a feeling or enhance visual
impact.

SURREALISM

It is a means of putting together the conscious and the unconscious worlds of perception in such a way that the world of dream and imagination
can join the daily rational world in "super reality."

THE THREE ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF A WORK OF ART

1. Subject
2. Form
3. content.

The subject is the "what" in an artwork: the topic, focus, or image.

Some Of The Most Popular Art Subjects:

A.) Abstract art
B.) animal-themed art
C.) cityscape
D.) floral art
E.) genre
F.) historical art
G.) landscape
H.) mythological art
I.) nude
J.) portrait
K.) religious art
L.) seascape
M.) still life
N.) surrealistic art
LESSON 7: THE FUNCTIONS OF ART

FUNCTION

• refers to the direct and practical utility of something.

>In the arts, architecture is directly and almost entirely functional, because buildings and other structures are always built for a specific purpose.

>Painting and sculpture can be used to narrate events, to portray people or events, to instruct, to commemorate individuals or historical events.

>Crafts such as metalwork, furniture, ceramics, glassware, etc. are referred to as utilitarian arts because they are intended for practical use.

THE FUNCTIONS OF ART FALL INTO THREE DIVISIONS NAMELY:

1. personal functions
2. social functions
3. physical functions

The PERSONAL FUNCTIONS of art are the most difficult to explain in detail.

- There are a lot of them, and they vary from person to person.
- An artist may be created out of the need for self-expression or gratification.
- She or he might have wanted to communicate his mind or speak to the audience. Perhaps the artist was attempting to provide
an esthetic experience for both himself and the audience.
- Perhaps a piece was intended to "merely" entertain others.
- Sometimes a piece is not intended to have any meaning at all.

Art also has SOCIAL FUNCTIONS when dealing with facets of collective existence, as opposed to the point of view or perspective of an individual.

- For example, political art (skewed to whatever message) always has a social function.
- Satire has social functions.
- Often having specific pieces of art in a group will serve the social function of increasing the prestige of that community.
- For example, a Botong Francisco mural can be a community treasure and a source of pride.

The PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS of art are most easily addressed.

- Artworks that are made to perform some kind of service have physical functions.
- Architecture, any craft, and industrial design are all forms of art that have physical functions.

•The function of art must not be considered in judging works of art.

•Some arts have a function, others do not.

•Functional arts are not necessarily superior to non-functional arts.

• What is important in the arts is not the function of the artwork but how well that artwork is made.