ART APPRECIATION

SESSION 1
SHORT HISTORY
Medieval humanities ? 12th and 13th century
Centered on theology and philosophy
Interest was in the concept of eternal
Renaissance humanities ? 14th ? 18th century
Focused on the intrinsic value of mans life on earth
Disciplines that would make mans life richer and more meaningful (language
s and literature, fine arts, music, philosophy)
19th Century
Science ruled humanities took a back stage
Today, humanities include/emphasize modern literature, critical and historical s
tudy of fine arts and music with an emphasis on serving man as an individual rat
her than as a social being
DEFINITION OF HUMANITIES
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Humanism ? specific philosophical belief or Humanitarianism ? concern fo
r charitable works
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Latin humanus meaning human, refined and cultured
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The study of humanities strengthens the appreciation for the arts ? bec
thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and values are conveyed.
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In academic discipline, Humanities is the study of the human condition (
may be social, personal or cultural context)
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Academically, humanities is the study of art ? concerns itself with huma
n beings, his feelings and how he expresses his feelings. Analysis and exchange
of ideas rather than the creative expression of the arts
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In the curriculum, humanities covers
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Fine arts ? painting, archi, sculpture
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Literature
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Performing arts ? music, dance, theater, drama
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Liberal arts ? history, philo, theo, and all the languages
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Greek philosopher Protagoras man is the measure of all things - Meaning man
is used as the foundation of value rather than any god or moral law. Implying th
at the humanities emphasizes the dignity and worthiness of man and recognizes cr
eative expressions. So ART as a creative expression of man may be regarded as a
"measuring stick" in looking into a certain period/era or even a specific countr
y or group of people.
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Ultimately, this implies that everything is relative. What one man holds
to be true may be false with another, depending on environment, culture and oth
er aspects that influence him.
DEFINITION and CONNOTATIONS OF ART
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Latin Ars ? ability or skill
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The oldest form of expression developed by man even before writing!
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Form of communication of ideas and feelings through different media. Com
municates beauty primarily through the senses through visual, literary or perfor
ming arts.
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As a result, art is a representation of the times in which the artist li
ves. - example: cave paintings told us that men hunted to survive, that Egypts c
ulture was deeply rooted in the afterlife from their artworks.
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Any activity that expresses aesthetic ideas by the use of skill and imag
ination in the creation of objects, environments and experiences which can be sh
ared with others to help create an aesthetic experience in the viewer. Knowledge
is useless unless put to useful ends. Knowledge alone is meaningless unless acc
ompanied by values, sentiments, priorities, insights, inter-relationships.
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Art is in everyday life ? way we decorate our rooms, the way we dress, c
ooking, and in almost all human activities.

A great work of art:

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A record of an artists point of view shared in an aesthetically pleasing w
ay
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Product of an artists personality ? environment, traditions, national trai
ts, religion, economic condition, ideals
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A representation of an individual, character of the period, place where
it was produced. Art is a historical document
* Leo Tolstoy referred to the aesthetic experience we get from art as an infecti
on. The greater the work of art, the deeper the infection and the longer it stays wi
th you.

Specific types/grouping of the arts:

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Visual arts
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Perceived by the sense of sight
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Graphic Arts
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2-dimensional surfaces
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Painting, drawing, photography and other products of the printing indust
ry ? books, signs, posters, ads/advertisements
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Plastic Arts (Greek plastikos ? to form or to mold)
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3-dimenional forms
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Architectural designs, other structures; landscapes, interior design, sc
ulpture, crafts ? jewelry, weaving, ceramics; industrial arts ? designs of cars
or appliances or clothing or stage production
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Performing arts
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Theater, play, dance and music
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Involves movement, speaking and gestures
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Literary arts
Short stories, novels, poetry, drama

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Popular Arts
Film, newspaper, magazine, radio and television
Main characteristic ? gay and lively

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Gustatory art of the cuisine

Skill in food preparation

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Decorative Arts
Visual objects produced for beautifying houses, offices
Also called Applied arts
Example: bowls, chandeliers, furniture

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Values and Reason for Art
What is the purpose of art? Why does art exist? ? brief summary, general purpose
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Commemorate occasions and important events
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Historical document ? we see the artists environment, people, culture; ref
lects a society
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Boost the human spirit
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Learn to value beautiful things ? brings out the noble and good in us
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Opportunity for self-transformation
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Source of inspiration because of its aesthetic value
5 BASIC ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE ARTS
1.

Art has been created by various people, at all places and time. Art exis

ts because it is liked and enjoyed.

2.
Art does not grow old.
3.
Art is something to be seen or heard or experienced.
4.
Art is the product of mans imagination, good taste and skill in doing thin
gs.
5.
Art is in nature. Its beauty can be enhanced with artistry.

CRITIQUING A WORK OF ART

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How do we perceive art? Perception of art depends largely on who the vie
wer is as a result of his/her past training, experiences, inclination and specia
l interest in any of the arts. = we appreciate certain art forms, like going t
o galleries or museums or watching a concert if we have previous trainings or sp
ecial interest in them.
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Before guidelines, learn the Elements of art and the Principles of Art.
ELEMENTS OF ART
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Line ? kind of lines: sharp, jagged, diagonal, curved, horizontal, zigza
g, thick, choppy, fuzzy, graceful, straight, dotted, heavy, vertical, thin, smoo
th, broken, wavy
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Shape ? circles, rectangles, squares, diamonds, triangles
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Form ? cones, spheres, cylinders, cubes
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Space ? background, foreground, middle ground; positive space (space of
a shape representing subject matter), negative space (space around and between t
he subject matter)
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Texture - quality of a surface; may be real or implied
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Value / tone ? use of light and dark, shade and highlight; contrast | CH
IAROSCURO (chiaro-light oscuro- dark)
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Color ? primary (red, yellow, blue), secondary (green, orange, violet)
PRINCIPLES OF ART
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Emphasis/focal point ? the first thing you see, dominant figure
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Contrast - are there any noticeable differences in light and dark shade
s
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Harmony/Unity ? wholeness, feeling of completeness
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Balance
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Symmetrical ? both sides weigh about the same
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Asymmetrical ? both sides does not weigh equally
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Radial ? elements equally distributed around a center point
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Repetition/Pattern/Rhythm ? consistency of line or color; makes the artw
ork seem more active
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Variety ? the quality of having different forms, contrast, emphasis, siz
e and color

4 Steps in Critiquing an artwork

Step 1:
Describe
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What do you see? (like taking an inventory/list of things you see)
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What is the subject and what are the objects? Are there people? Building
s? Plants? Animals?

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What sort of artwork is it? Is it a landscape? A seascape? A portrait? S
till life? Nature? Figures?
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What is the media used? Paint, pastel, ink, wood, marble, bronze?
Step 2:
Analyze
* Use the elements/principles to reflect upon the art form and w
hy the artist used them
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What kind of lines are present? Jagged? Curved? Diagonal? Straight?
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What shapes? Circles? Squares?
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What colors? Bright? Strong? Neutral? Muted?
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How is space used?
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Deep space (looks like you can see for miles, a wide range of light and
dark values)?
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Shallow space (shapes are flattened with limited use of light and dark v
alues)
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Flat space (shapes appear in one value or color, not 3 dimensional)
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For landscapes
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Foreground (objects near the viewer)
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Midground (space between foreground and background)
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Background (objects that appear most distant from the viewer)
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What grabs your attention the most and why?
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Do you see any relationship to the things described in step 1?
Step 3:
Interpretation
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What is the artwork about? Your own perspectives or opinions met with th
e evidences in the artwork.
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What is the purpose of the art work? What is the artist trying to say? W
hy?
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What is its meaning? Strength, mystery, beauty, fear, anger, adventure,
love, war, madness
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What kind of mood is being portrayed?
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Why do you think the artist created this work?
Step 4:
Evaluation
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What do you think about the artwork? Your own conclusions about the artw
ork based on all information gathered.
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What is the value that you find in it? Is it beautiful? Thought-provokin
g? Gives an important social message? Helps us understand the past?
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Does it benefit others? How?
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Why do you like or dislike the artwork? Explain.

Source:
http://www.dl.ket.org/humanities/resources/art/critproc.htm
http://teacher.nicholas.k12.ky.us/ejohnson/art_dept/Four%20Step%20Critique%20of%
20a%20Work%20of%20Art%20Handout.pdf
http://www-bths.stjohns.k12.fl.us/teachers/rizzol/078D56A1-0118C716.8/4%20Steps%
20to%20Critiquing%20Art%20Work.pdf