HUM 101
ART APPRECIATION
Chapter 1: Art History
Introduction to HUMANITIES
The term humanities generally refers to art,
literature, music, architecture, dance and the theatre and other
subjects, all of which have one main objective- to focus the
attention on the life and achievement of man. These are the areas
in which human subjectivity is emphasized and individual
expressiveness is dramatized. The importance of the human being
and his feelings are the main concern of the humanities.
The Meaning of Humanities
Since time immemorial man has puzzled over the meaning of existence.
“What am I? Why am I in this world? Where do I go from here?
Through the ages many attempts have been made to answer these
questions. The meaning of his existence has become more puzzling
today when his traditional functions are being taken over by
machines.
We learn to be human by studying humanity. And to do this, we
have to depend heavily on vicarious experience, and we reached
out to people of different cultures in different time and places
through whatever means would bring us nearer to them.
What are then the Humanities?
They are records of man’s quest for answers to the fundamental functions he asks about himself
and about life.
Anything that is inherently human – man’s experience, his values, his sentiments, his ideals,
and his goals.
In our century, the humanities serve to provide the student with certain skills and values through
the arts.
Humanities then provide an appreciation of what is “the true, the good” and “the beautiful”
concepts which vary from age to age, from country to country.
The humanities are distinct from sciences, which are studies dealing with the external
world of man, as well as with the facets of man’s being that can be subjected to
observation, measurement and experimentation.
Both sciences and humanities are necessary for the development of the complete,
social man, ready to take on his responsibility in his rapidly changing world and to
enjoy life as he lives it.
LESSON 2
I. Art: Its nature, meaning and Importance
A. ART AND NATURE
Art is not nature. A work of art is man-made, and although it may closely resemble
nature, it can never duplicate nature.
Nature is evanescent and always recreating itself; art is non-repeatable and
unchanging.
In many ways, we use art to improve nature.
Aristotle’s teaching regarding imitation in art:
1. “Art aims at imitating nature.”
2. “Imitation is natural to man.”
3. “It is natural to man to delight in works of imitation.”
ART is EVERYWHERE
The popular feeling about art is that it exists only in concert halls, museums, and at
galleries in a world by itself, accessible only to those who can afford to pay for its
enjoyment or to the critics and scholars who take time to study the art objects. On the
contrary, art is found everywhere. It is very much part of our lives. We cannot ignore
the presence even if we try to.
We find art in the clothes and accessories we wear, in the design of our furniture and
furnishings, in the style of the houses we build and the vehicles we use. We find art
objects in the home and in the community, in religion, in trade and industry.
ART as EXPRESSION and COMMUNICATION
No one can contain an intense emotion within himself for long. The tension that results
would compel him to unburden or share the feeling with others.
We express our emotional state by some visible sign and activities. We burst into song
when we are happy, or we dance, for it is pleasant to express joy through rhythmic
body movements. We like wise sing out our love or our despair, or we try to convey our
deep emotions in poetic language.
When an artist produces a poem, a song, a sculpture, or even a chair, he is actually
saying or revealing something significant.
As in other systems of communication, the artist uses symbols, which he organizes
into some comprehensive equivalent of the experience he is trying to convey. If his
audience understands symbols, then communication has been established.
ART as CREATION
Man has also been led by an innate craving for order to create objects that are
delightful to perceive. The word “creation “in this sense refers to the act of combining or
re-ordering already existing materials so that a new object is formed.
As a creative activity, art involves skill or expertness in handling materials and
organizing them into new, structurally pleasing, and significant units. This skill does not
just happen. It is acquired through long training and constant practice.
ART as EXPERIENCE
At least three major kinds of experienced are involved in the artistic activity. It usually
starts as an experience which the artist wants to communicate. Then the act of
expressing these experiences. Finally, when the work is done, there is artist’s gratifying
experience of having accomplished something significant.
But there is another kind of experienced associated with art. This refers to what an
onlooker or listener undergoes when he perceives the work of art. The perception may
kindle and experience which is similar or related to what the artist tried to express.
B. ART as BEAUTY
The desire for beauty and order around us is another basic human need.
A thing of beauty is one that gives us pleasure when perceived. The delight that we
experience is called aesthetic pleasure, “aesthetic” coming from a Greek word which
means “to perceive with the senses.”
What we call beauty is relative, however. What may be beautiful to as may not be so
to others. And no two persons derive exactly the same degree of satisfaction from what
they mutually agree upon as beautiful.
Concepts of beauty change as time passes. The prevailing idea held by one
generation is usually different from that of the previous one.
An artist’s own concept may change as he grows older.
Concepts of beauty may vary between cultures too.
We expect every work of art beautiful. But it may not always be so.
However “ugly” the subject, if we find the presentation a sense of order, a harmonious
arrangement of formal elements, then we can also experience aesthetic pleasure from
looking at it. Beauty in art may be result of the successful organization of lines, colors,
shapes and spaces in order to convey an idea or emotion.
C. DEFINITIONS OF ART
❖ “the right reason of doing things”- Aristotle
❖ Is that which brings life in harmony with the beauty of the world –
Plato ❖ Is the whole spirit of man – Ruskin
❖ Is the medium by which the artist communicates himself to his fellows – Charlton
Noyes
❖ Is anything made or done by man that affects or move us so that we see or feel
beauty in it – Collins and Riley
❖ Is a way life, of doing, of thinking, of feeling, of making choices. of living in a fine
way – Arthur Dow
❖ Is man’s response to his experiences with his environment through materials –
Margaret Mathias
❖ Is an attitude of spirit, a state of mind – John Dewey
❖ Is an expression with a particular combination of mediums to satisfy the senses, to
express human imaginations, emotions and intellect, and make use of them in
practical life through the use of artistic principles, taste and skill – Vicente Dizon
Essential Requirements of Art
1. Art must be man-made
2. It must benefit and satisfy man.
3. It must be expressed through certain medium or material.
Art can also be defined as an expression of life, beauty, harmony and truth. Its
purpose is to create something meaningful, beautiful or interesting to man.
In general, art is either the making or the composition of things useful for our human
needs, or the arrangements of certain elements and qualities made for the
contemplation of the mind and relaxation of the spirit.
D. THE DIVISIONS OF ART
1. With respect to the purpose.
a. Practical or useful arts – when human activity is directed to produce things
like artifacts and utensils, which cope the human needs.
b. Fine arts – which are the products of human creative activity in so far as
they express beauty in different ways and media, for the contemplation of
the mind and the relaxation of the spirit.
c. Liberal Arts – in which intellectual efforts are considered.
d. Major Arts – which are characterized by their actual and potential
expressiveness.
e. Minor Arts – which are connected with practical uses and purposes.
2. According to media and forms
a. Plastic Arts –which are developed through space and perceived by the
sense of sight
b. Mixed Arts – which use two or more media
c. Phonetic Arts- which are based on sounds and words as media of
expression
Other useful definitions
1. Beauty – the sensual quality or qualities in a thing or idea which excites one’s
immediate admiration, pleasure or satisfaction for itself rather than for its uses 2.
Aesthetic – it pertains to beauty or object which emphasizes beauty rather than
usefulness.
3. Art Appreciation- is the ability to interpret or understand arts and enjoy them. 4.
Art Education – is the study of the elements and principles of art or design and
their proper application to all things made by man.
5. Graphic Art – it covers any form of visual artistic representation.
