The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily

analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences. The humanities include ancient and modern languages, literature, history, philosophy, religion, andvisual and performing arts such as music and theatre. The humanities that are also regarded associal sciences include technology, history, anthropology, area studies, communication studies,cultural studies, law and linguistics. Scholars working in the humanities are sometimes described as [1] "humanists". However, that term also describes the philosophical position of humanism, which some "antihumanist" scholars in the humanities reject.

The humanities are the stories, the ideas, and the words that help us make sense of our lives and our world. The humanities introduce us to people we have never met, places we have never visited, and ideas that may have never crossed our minds. By showing how others have lived and thought about life, the humanities help us decide what is important in our own lives and what we can do to make them better. By connecting us with other people, they point the way to answers about what is right or wrong, or what is true to our heritage and our history. The humanities help us address the challenges we face together in our families, our communities, and as a nation. The humanities should not be confused with "humanism," a specific philosophical belief, nor with "humanitarianism," the concern for charitable works and social reform. As fields of study, the humanities emphasize analysis and exchange of ideas rather than the creative expression of the arts or the quantitative explanation of the sciences. 1. History, Anthropology, and Archaeology study human social, political, and cultural development. 2. Literature, Languages, and Linguistics explore how we communicate with each other, and how our ideas and thoughts on the human experience are expressed and interpreted. 3. Philosophy, Ethics, and Comparative Religion consider ideas about the meaning of life and the reasons for our thoughts and actions. 4. Jurisprudence examines the values and principles which inform our laws. 5. Historical, Critical, and Theoretical Approaches to the Arts reflect upon and analyze the creative process.
Despite attending a modern research university, humanities students at the UR suffer relatively little for their choice of majors. Ribbing from their colleagues in the sciences, UR students interested in the humanities have a reasonable variety of programs from which to choose.

The unfortunate truth, however, is that as research universities go, this is far more the exception than the rule. Though the push to make sure American college graduates are competitive in the international markets of the hallowed science, technology, engineering and mathematics industries is nothing new, only in the last two decades or so has government policy and public opinion turned so sharply against humanistic education. Basic reading and writing skills are now considered the end-goal of teaching, and the most viable measures of student progress, rather than a byproduct of good material combined with equal instruction. Secondary education is viewed by different segments of the population as preparation for the job market, preparation for higher education or, for some, a necessary but barely tolerable institution. While it is reasonable to demand that education provide benefits to its students benefits that then expand across those students social contexts during their lifetimes it is ridiculous to expect those benefits to be purely tangible, and it is in providing intangible benefits where the humanities excel. First, our human artistic endeavors are partly products of our individual psychologies, but it can be refined and improved by a good instructor. The aesthetic experience is something modern humans have in common with their ancient ancestors. Secondly, a democracy requires an informed citizenry to function properly. Part of the value of education is the creation and solidification of a common national political culture and the fostering of familiarity with each nations governmental and political processes. Both are particularly important in a government system that relies to a high degree upon citizen participation. Lastly, if the sciences represent the development of the mind, the humanities, as the name implies, exemplify the development of the human soul. Proper teaching of the humanities goes beyond learning the best way to write a sentence or how to draw a comparison between historical figures. It seeks to make students not only do, but question why they do, and to find personal meaning in their interaction with their objects of analysis. The scientific analogues are, more than anything, humanistic traits shoehorned into a vastly different discipline.

Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items (often with symbolicsignificance) in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses,emotions, and intellect. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, photography,sculpture, and paintings. The meaning of art is explored in a branch of philosophyknown as aesthetics, whereas disciplines such as anthropology, sociology andpsychology analyze its relationship with humans and generations. Traditionally, the term art was used to refer to any skill or mastery. This conception changed during the Romantic period, when art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified [1] with religion and science". Generally, art is made with the intention of stimulating thoughts and emotions

Evaluation

Philosopher Richard Wollheim distinguishes three approaches to assessing the aesthetic value of art: the realist, whereby aesthetic quality is an absolute value independent of any human view the objectivist, whereby it is also an absolute value, but is dependent on general human experience the relativist position, whereby it is not an absolute value, but depends on, and varies with, the human [2] experience of different humans.

An object may be characterized by the intentions, or lack thereof, of its creator, regardless of its apparent purpose. A cup, which ostensibly can be used as a container, may be considered art if intended solely as an ornament, while a painting may be deemed craft if mass-produced. The nature of art has been described by Wollheim as "one of the most elusive of the traditional problems [3] 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. Leo Tolstoy identified art as a use of indirect means to communicate from [4] one person to another. Benedetto Croce and R.G. Collingwood advanced the idealist view that art expresses emotions, and that the work of art therefore essentially exists in the mind of the [5][6] creator. The theory of art as form has its roots in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, and was developed in the early twentieth century by Roger Fry and Clive Bell. Art as mimesis or representation [4] has deep roots in the philosophy ofAristotle. More recently, thinkers influenced by Martin Heidegger have interpreted art as the means by which a community develops for itself a medium for self[7] expression and interpretation. art as "the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others." By this definition of the word, artistic works have existed for almost as long as humankind: from early pre-historic artto contemporary art; however, some theories restrict the [8] concept to modern Western societies. The first and broadest sense of art is the one that has remained closest to the older Latin meaning, which roughly translates to "skill" or "craft." A few examples where this meaning proves very broad include artifact, artificial, artifice, medical arts, and military arts. However, there are many other colloquial uses of the word, all with some relation to its etymology.

20th-century Rwandan bottle. Artistic works may serve practical functions, in addition to their decorative value.

The second and more recent sense of the word art is as an abbreviation for creative art or fine art and [9] emerged in the early 17th century. Fine art means that a skill is being used to express the artist's creativity, or to engage the audience's aesthetic sensibilities, or to draw the audience towards consideration of the finer things. Goethe defined art as an other resp. a second nature, according to his ideal of a style that be founded on [10] the very basic fundaments of insight and on the innermost character of things. The word art can describe several things: a study of creative skill, a process of using the creative skill, a product of the creative skill, or the audience's experience with the creative skill. The creative arts (art as discipline) are a collection of disciplines (arts) that produce artworks(art as objects) that are compelled by a personal drive (art as activity) and echo or reflect a message, mood, or symbolism for the viewer to interpret (art as experience). Artworks can be defined by purposeful, creative interpretations of limitless

concepts or ideas in order to communicate something to another person. They can be explicitly made for this purpose or interpreted on the basis of images or objects. Art is something that stimulates an individual's thoughts, emotions, beliefs, or ideas through the senses. It is also an expression of an idea and it can take many different forms and serve many different purposes. Although the application of scientific knowledge to derive a new scientific theory involves skill and results in the "creation" of something new, this represents science only and is not categorized as art. Often, if the skill is being used in a common or practical way, people will consider it a craft instead of art. Likewise, if the skill is being used in a commercial or industrial way, it will be considered commercial art instead of fine art. On the other hand, crafts and design are sometimes considered applied art. Some art followers have argued that the difference between fine art and applied art has more to do with value [11] judgments made about the art than any clear definitional difference. However, even fine art often has goals beyond pure creativity and self-expression. The purpose of works of art may be to communicate ideas, such as in politically, spiritually, or philosophically motivated art; to create a sense of beauty (see aesthetics); to explore the nature of perception; for pleasure; or to generate strong emotions.

The importance of Art To some people art is very important, to others it is nothing. To most, it is nice, but fades besides the everyday problems of physical survival, housing, food, money, children, etc.

As far as I can see, the value boils down to what you think you are: A meat machine or a spiritual being. For a meat machine, naturally anything that is not about physical survival is very secondary. For a spiritual being, who knows what is important? Basically, that would be up to the individual spiritual being to decide, wouldn't it?

But there appears to be something about art that really means something to many of us. The fact alone that some people are willing to spend more money on a single work of art than most people earn in a lifetime should make you think. It might be wrong or right or something else, but it definitely shows that something is goin on there.

One pertinent issue is that "art" is defined much more broadly than most people realize, but that is a seperate chapter. The fact is it is an observable fact that art makes people happier, and also that happiness is one of the most important factors in life, even if you only look at bare survival. Just for instance, only unhappy people commit suicide, so it should be clear that being happy is great if you want to live long! Not to mention that happy people are more productive, and production is basic for survival.

Based on that I feel it pretty clear that art is not a mere "luxury", but rather a vital ingredient in the lives of the peoples of Earth. It probably does little good to go into great arguments with those who believe differently, for this issue, like so many others, easily borders on beliefs.

explore subjects in art

The term subjects in art refers to the main idea that is represented in the artwork. The subject in art is basically the essence of the piece. To determine subject matter in a particular piece of art, ask yourself: What is actually depicted in this artwork? What is the artist trying to express to the world... what is his or her message? And how are they conveying that message? In this section, we'll learn about 5 main subjects that artists have been exploring in art for centuries:

still life- a collection of inanimate objects arranged together in a specific way landscape - natural scenery such as mountains, cliffs, rivers, etc nature - a focused view or interpretation of specific natural elements portraiture - an image of a particular person or animal, or group thereof abstract - a non-representational work of art

Click on a subject matter above to read an in-depth description and see examples of artwork focusing on that subject. You will also find a depiction of what specific mediums can achieve within that subject matter. If you want to paint or draw, but you need some ideas and inspiration, remember that subjects in art can be anything you want them to be - whatever your imagination conjures up. The most important thing is to choose a subject matter that interests you something that you can happily immerse yourself in while working on your piece. Subject (in Art)

Two distinct, but interrelated, elements of a work of art are the crucial means of projecting its sense of life: the subject and the stylewhat an artist chooses to present and how he presents it.

The subject of an art work expresses a view of mans existence, while the style expresses a view of mans consciousness. The subject reveals an artists metaphysics, the style reveals his psycho-epistemology.

The choice of subject declares what aspects of existence the artist regards as importantas worthy of being re-created and contemplated. He may choose to present heroic figures, as exponents of mans natureor he may choose statistical composites of the average, the undistinguished, the mediocreor he may choose crawling specimens of depravity. He may present the triumph of heroes, in fact or in spirit (Victor Hugo), or their struggle (Michelangelo), or their defeat (Shakespeare). He may present the folks next door: next door to palaces (Tolstoy), or to drugstores (Sinclair Lewis), or to kitchens (Vermeer), or to sewers (Zola). He may present monsters as objects of moral denunciation (Dostoevsky), or as objects of terror (Goya)or he may demand sympathy for his monsters, and thus crawl outside the limits of the realm of values, including esthetic ones.

Whatever the case may be, it is the subject (qualified by the theme) that projects an art works view of mans place in the universe.

Art and Sense of Life, The Romantic Manifesto, 40 The subject is not the only attribute of art, but it is the fundamental one, it is the end to which all the others are the means. In most esthetic theories, however, the endthe subjectis omitted from consideration, and only the means are regarded as esthetically relevant. Such theories set up a false dichotomy and claim that a slob portrayed by the technical means of a genius is preferable to a goddess portrayed by the technique of an amateur. I hold that both are esthetically offensive; but while the second is merely esthetic incompetence, the first is an esthetic crime.

There is no dichotomy, no necessary conflict between ends and means. The end does not justify the meansneither in ethics nor in esthetics. And neither do the means

justify the end: there is no esthetic justification for the spectacle of Rembrandts great artistic skill employed to portray a side of beef.

That particular painting may be taken as a symbol of everything I am opposed to in art and in literature. At the age of seven, I could not understand why anyone would wish to paint or to admire pictures of dead fish, garbage cans or fat peasant women with triple chins. Today, I understand the psychological causes of such esthetic phenomenaand the more I understand, the more I oppose them.

In art, and in literature, the end and the means, or the subject and the style, must be worthy of each other.

That which is not worth contemplating in life, is not worth re-creating in art.

Misery, disease, disaster, evil, all the negatives of human existence, are proper subjects of study in life, for the purpose of understanding and correcting thembut are not proper subjects of contemplation for contemplations sake. In art, and in literature, these negatives are worth re-creating only in relation to some positive, as a foil, as a contrast, as a means of stressing the positivebut not as an end in themselves.

Subject (in Art)

Two distinct, but interrelated, elements of a work of art are the crucial means of projecting its sense of life: the subject and the stylewhat an artist chooses to present and how he presents it. The subject of an art work expresses a view of mans existence, while the style expresses a view of mans consciousness. The subject reveals an artists metaphysics, the style reveals his psychoepistemology. The choice of subject declares what aspects of existence the artist regards as importantas worthy of being re-created and contemplated. He may choose to present heroic figures, as exponents of mans natureor he may choose statistical composites of the average, the undistinguished, the mediocreor he may choose crawling specimens of depravity. He may present the triumph of heroes, in fact or in spirit (Victor Hugo), or their struggle (Michelangelo), or their defeat (Shakespeare). He may present the folks next door: next door to palaces (Tolstoy), or to drugstores (Sinclair Lewis), or to kitchens (Vermeer), or to sewers (Zola). He may present monsters as objects of moral denunciation (Dostoevsky), or as objects of terror (Goya)or he

may demand sympathy for his monsters, and thus crawl outside the limits of the realm of values, including esthetic ones. Whatever the case may be, it is the subject (qualified by the theme) that projects an art works view of mans place in the universe.

Art and Sense of Life, The Romantic Manifesto, 40 The subject is not the only attribute of art, but it is the fundamental one, it is the end to which all the others are the means. In most esthetic theories, however, the endthe subjectis omitted from consideration, and only the means are regarded as esthetically relevant. Such theories set up a false dichotomy and claim that a slob portrayed by the technical means of a genius is preferable to a goddess portrayed by the technique of an amateur. I hold that both are esthetically offensive; but while the second is merely esthetic incompetence, the first is an esthetic crime. There is no dichotomy, no necessary conflict between ends and means. The end does not justify the meansneither in ethics nor in esthetics. And neither do the means justify the end: there is no esthetic justification for the spectacle of Rembrandts great artistic skill employed to portray a side of beef. That particular painting may be taken as a symbol of everything I am opposed to in art and in literature. At the age of seven, I could not understand why anyone would wish to paint or to admire pictures of dead fish, garbage cans or fat peasant women with triple chins. Today, I understand the psychological causes of such esthetic phenomenaand the more I understand, the more I oppose them. In art, and in literature, the end and the means, or the subject and the style, must be worthy of each other. That which is not worth contemplating in life, is not worth re-creating in art. Misery, disease, disaster, evil, all the negatives of human existence, are proper subjects of study in life, for the purpose of understanding and correcting thembut are not proper subjects ofcontemplation for contemplations sake. In art, and in literature, these negatives are worth re-creating only in relation to some positive, as a foil, as a contrast, as a means of stressing the positivebut notas an end in themselves.
Sources of Art Subjects: 1. Nature-animals, people, landscapes. These 3 are the most common inspiration and subject matter

for art. 2. History- artists are sensitive to the events taking place in the world around them. the dress, the houses, the manner of living, the thoughts of a period are necessarily reflected in the work of the artist. 3. Greek and Roman Mythology-these are the gods an goddess. its center is on deities and heroes 4. the judaeo christian tradition- religion and art, the bible, the apocrypha, the rituals of the church 5. Oriental sacred texts-the countries of the orient, especially china, japan, and india, have all produced sacred texts of one kind or another, and these inspired various kinds of art. most fruitful have been the texts and traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. 6. Other works of Art- these are the subjects that can be found in those works that take their subject directly from other works of art. Subject matter is what something is about. In artwork, the subject matter would be what the artist has chosen to paint, draw or sculpt. In patent law, the subject matter would be the technical content of a patent or patent application found in the description, claims and drawings. In other words, subject matter is what the inventor has choosen to invent, and in a patent application the inventor must reveal the subject matter (invention) in a way dictated by law. Examples: Example 1 The specification must conclude with a claim particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention or discovery. Example 2 The distinction between patentable and unpatentable subject matter continues to be a topic of debate among software developers, academics, lawyers, and USPTO examiners. Example 3 The patented subject matter, and additional subject matter still pending in the US and foreign patent offices, includes claims to methods and devices for delivering medicinal substances to the interior of cells in various body tissues Related to Subject Matter