ART APPRECIATION (GE 103)+) The Elements of Visual Arts and Performing

Arts

CHAPTER Course Description

3
A course covering the nature, function and appreciation of the arts
in contemporary society.

Total Learning Time: 3 hrs.

Pre-requisites: None

Overview:

This chapter covers the relationship of the different field of arts, how it is presented in
different artworks and the elements of music and literature as performing arts.

This module include worksheets to work on to process your understanding and learning.
Rubrics for outputs is also included to guide you on the desired performances and learning outcomes.

Most Essential Learning Competencies

At the end of the chapter, the students must have:

 Explained the relationship of the elements of the different fields of arts;

 Explained how elements are presented in the different artwork; and
 Determined the elements of music and literature as performing arts.

Indicative Content

Elements of Visual Arts

Elements of Performing Arts
Elements of Music
Element of Dance
Elements of Literature
Elements of Fiction and Drama
Elements of Poetry
ART APPRECIATION (GE 103)+) The Elements of Visual Arts and Performing
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LET’S DISCUSS THIS!
The Elements of Visual Arts

Line
A line is mark drawn with a pointed, moving tool or the path of a dot through space. Although
lines can vary in appearance, they are considered one-dimensional and are measured by length. A line
is used by an artist to control the viewer’s eye movement and to create shapes. There are five kinds of
lines: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, and zigzag.

Shape
A shape is a two-dimensional area clearly designated in some way, generally by one or more
of the other five visual elements. Although a form has depth, a shape has only width and height.
Shapes are either geometric or organic (free form).

Texture
Texture is how things feel, or look as if they might feel, if touched. Texture is perceived by
touch and by sight. Objects can have innumerable versions of rough or smooth textures and matte or
shiny surfaces. Visual texture produces the illusion that something would feel rough smooth, or soft if
touched.

Color HTTPS://WWW.OPPORTUNITYINDIA.COM/ARTICLE/WHY-IT-IS-THE-RIGHT-TIME-TO-INVEST-IN-PERFORMING-ARTS-

Color is what the eye sees when light is FRANCHISE-13165

reflected off an object. The sensation of color is HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/VISUAL_DESIGN_ELEMENTS_AND_PRINCIPLES

aroused in the brain by the eyes’ response to different

wavelengths of light. Color has three properties: hue, value, and intensity.

Value
Value is the lightness or darkness of an object. Value depends on how much light a surface
reflects. Value is also one of the three properties of color. When black or white are added to a hue, the
results will be a tint (white), tone (gray), or shade (black).

Space
Space is the emptiness or area between, around, above, below, or within objects. Shapes and
form are defined by these spaces. Positive space is the area within an object and negative space is the
area around the object
The Elements of Performing Arts

Performing arts refers to forms of art

in which artists use their voices, bodies or
inanimate objects to convey artistic
expression. It is different from visual arts,
which is when artists use paint, canvas or
various materials to create physical or static
art objects. Performing arts include a range of
disciplines which are performed in front of a
live audience.

Theatre, music, dance and object

manipulation, and other kinds of
performances are present in all human
cultures. The history of music and dance date
to pre-historic times whereas circus skills
date to at least Ancient Egypt. Many
performing arts are performed professionally.
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Performance can be in purpose built buildings, such as theatres and opera houses, on open air stages at
festivals, on stages in tents such as circuses and on the street.

Live performances before an audience are a form of entertainment. The development of audio
and video recording has allowed for private consumption of the performing arts.

The performing arts often aims to express one's emotions and feelings.

Elements of Music

a. Pitch – register (high or low); Organization of pitches with a pattern of intervals between
them creates scales; Words we might use to describe scales: major/minor, chromatic,
gapped, and pentatonic.

b. Rhythm – the time element of music. A specific rhythm is a specific pattern in time; we
usually hear these in relation to a steady pulse, and mentally organize this pulse or tempo
into meter (sometimes called a "time signature"). Meter organizes beats into groups,
usually of two or three; beats can be divided into small units usually 2, 3 or 4 subdivisions

c. Melody, or musical line, is a combination of pitch and rhythm (some say "duration").
Sometimes a melody is considered to be the theme of a composition. We might
characterize melody by its contour (rising or falling) and the size of the intervals in it. A
melody that uses mostly small intervals (or scale steps) and is smooth is said to be a
conjunct melody. Not surprisingly, a melody that uses large intervals is called a disjunct
melody. A motif (or motive) is either a very short melody or a distinctive part of a longer
melody. I might describe the opening four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as a
"motific cell."

d. Timbre – sound quality or tone color; timbre is the characteristic that allows us to
distinguish between one instrument and another, and the difference between vowel
sounds (for example, long "a" or "ee"). Terms we might use to describe timbre: bright,
dark, brassy, reedy, harsh, noisy, thin, buzzy, pure, raspy, shrill, mellow, and strained. I
prefer to avoid describing timbre in emotional terms (excited, angry, happy, sad, etc.);
that is not the sound quality, it is its effect or interpretation. Rather than describe the
timbre of an instrument in other terms, it is often more clear just to describe the timbre by
naming the instrument, once we have learned the names and sounds of a few instruments.

e. Dynamics – loud or soft. A composition that has extremely soft passages as well as
extremely loud passages is said to have a large or wide dynamic range. Dynamics can
change suddenly or gradually (crescendo, getting louder, or decrescendo, getting softer.)

f. Texture – monophonic (one voice or line),

f.1 polyphonic (many voices, usually similar, as in Renaissance or Baroque

counterpoint),

f. 2 homophonic (1. a melody with simple accompaniment; 2. Chords moving in the

same rhythm (homorhythmic))

f.3 heterophony – “mixed” or multiple similar versions of a melody performed

simultaneously (rare in European music; possibly used in Ancient Greece)

f.4 collage – juxtaposition & superimposition of extremely different textures or sounds

Meter and examples

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Most music in the world has a pulse or beat (exceptions include shakuhachi music from
Japan, Gregorian chant from Europe, various forms of Arab music, some Australian didjeridu music,
etc.). Usually, the pulses are organized (by the performer, listener, and composer) into groups,
usually from 2 to 5 beats in a group, and are usually regular (the same number of beats repeating
over and over, and the beats always the same length). This grouping is the general idea of METER.
Most music derived from European sources falls into DUPLE (2 or 4 beats) or TRIPLE meters.
Beats themselves can be SUBDIVIDED into smaller parts, usually 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8 even parts (duple or
triple subdivisions). Music derived from folk music in the Balkans or from other sources such as
India have beats that are IRREGULAR in size. These beats usually are groups of two or three sub-
pulses (or pulse subdivisions). I prefer the term “asymmetrical,” but there is no ideal term for this
concept.

The organization of time in European-influenced the music usually is happening at at least

three levels. The middle ground, the level to which we are most likely to tap our foot, is the beat (or
pulse) which is grouped at a higher level into groups of beats known as measures or bars. Going the
other direction, beats are subdivided into smaller parts. Sometimes it is difficult to decide what is the
basic level or speed of the pulse (or tempo). For example, fast music in a triple meter could be heard
as a slow or moderate tempo (60 beats per minute) with its beat subdivided into three parts, or as a
very fast stream of beats (180 beats per minute) that are grouped into threes.
In music there is a play between repetition (pattern) and variety. The regularity of meter
gives rise to a set of expectations, and these expectations can be manipulated to create emotion,
motion, surprise, etc. For example, in a 4-beat meter ("4/4" or "common time"), the first beat is the
strongest beat, and the third beat is the next strongest. The second and fourth beats are "weak" beats.
Heavy accents on these beats create a feeling of surprise known as “syncopation.” Repeated heavy
accents on the second and fourth beats create a feeling known as "rock 'n' roll." Another use of the
strong/weak beat distinction is the relative degree of melodic closure; when the melody ends on beat 1
(the "downbeat"), it is called a strong cadence and has the greatest feeling of closure, finality, rest or
completeness.

Element of Dance

a. Body: dance is comprised of various body motions that express feeling and emotion. Our
bodies move in ways to express ourselves using locomotor and non-locomotor
movements.
b. Energy: energy is the force at which we express our body motions. Are you moving with
hard motions or gentle motions? How do you choose to move? Bounce, shake, explode,
or sway?
c. Space/Level: to show variation and movement, we need to use our surroundings well. We
zig, zag, move high and low. We use the entire space around us and below us.
d. Relationship: in dance, we often dance with one other person or with many people in a
group. Just like with conversation, we communicate and react using our bodies.
e. Time: timing is key to any dance. We follow the rhythm or beat to match our actions with
the sound of the music. When working with others, we sometimes mimic another using
time.

Elements of Literature

Elements of literature denote the things that are used to make up a work of literature. There
are different types and forms of literature. They are novel, drama, poetry, biography, non-fictional
prose, essay, epic and short story. All these types of literature have some elements. To complete a
piece of literature, a writer, dramatist or a novelist need to use certain elements like plot, character,
theme, etc. However, elements of fiction and elements of drama differ from elements of poetry. These
elements are discussed below.
Elements of Fiction and Drama
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Literary types such as fiction; drama and short story have some elements. These include

 Plot
 Character
 Setting
 Theme
 Structure
 Point of view
 Conflict
 Diction
 Foreshadowing

Plot: Plot is the serial arrangement of incidents, ideas or events. In literature, the plot
encompasses all the incidents and provides aesthetic pleasure. The story of the novel progresses
through various plots and conflicts. Plots of dramas are divided into "Acts" and "Scenes". Drama has
five essential parts. These are:
 Introduction of the story where the characters and setting are introduced
 Rising action
 Climax
 Falling action
 Denouement
 Playwrights use dialogue to develop their plots. They reveal information about their
characters such as their background and personality.
Character: Character plays a pivotal role in a drama, novel, short story and all kinds of
narratives. In drama, character reflects the personality of the protagonist and other related characters.
The method of conveying information about characters in art is called characterization. Characters can
be fictional or based on real, historical entities. It can be human, supernatural, mythical, divine,
animal or personifications of an abstraction. There are round characters, flat characters, stereotypical
stock characters, etc. In Marlowe’s drama "The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus", Faustus is the main
character of the play.
Setting: It refers to HTTPS://WWW.OPPORTUNITYINDIA.COM/ARTICLE/WHY-IT-IS-THE-RIGHT-TIME-TO-INVEST-IN-PERFORMING-ARTS-
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geographical location of the story, time

period, daily lifestyle of the characters and climate of the story. In a novel, the setting plays an
important role. In short stories, sometimes it plays an important role, while for others it is not.
Settings of literary forms have been changing according to theme of the literary piece, for example,
Shakespeare’s tragedies and comedies have the setting of palaces, castles whereas modern and post-
modern dramas have setting of houses of common people. There were supernatural elements in earlier
literature and nowadays absurdity rules the literature. Setting can take place in a house, school, castle,
forest, hospital or anywhere that the writers want to extend their scenes.
Theme: Theme is another prime element of literature, which contains the central idea of all
literary forms such as a novel, drama and short story. It reflects innocence, experience, life, death,
reality, fate, madness, sanity, love, society, individual, etc. Thus, it reflects the society as a whole, for
example, the theme of Hardy’s novel "The Mayor of Caster Bridge" reflects the role of fate in our life.
Likewise, in a drama, theme represents the brief idea of the drama.
Structure: Structure is another important element of a drama, novel or short story. In dramas,
there are plots and subplots. These also are divided into acts and scenes. Here the contrasting subplots
give the main plot an additional perspective. Likewise, novels have different chapters and scenes.
Point of view: Point of view is another element of the narrative, through which a writer tells
the story. Authors use first-person point of view or third-person point of view. First-person point of
view indicates that the main character is telling the story, whereas the third-person point of view
directs that the narrator is telling the story. A novel can be written in the first-person narrative, third-
person narrative, omniscient point of view, limited omniscient point of view, stream of consciousness
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and objective point of view. These points of view play an important role in the distinct structure of the
story or a play.
Conflict: Be it a short story, drama or novel, conflict is the essential element of all these
literary forms. A plot becomes interesting and intriguing when it has its share of inbuilt conflict and
twists. Conflict can be internal conflict or external. It can take place between two men, between the
character and his psychology, between the character and circumstances or between character and
society.
Use of language or diction: Diction is another essential element of drama. A playwright
exhibits the thoughts of characters through dialogue. "Dialogue" has come from the Greek word
"dialogosa" which means "conversation". Shakespeare used this to portray the thoughts, emotions and
feelings of the character. This also provides clues to their background and personalities. Diction also
helps in advancing the plot. Greek philosophers like Aristotle used dialogue as the best way to instruct
their students.
Foreshadowing: Foreshadowing is another important element of literature that is applied as
hints or clues to suggest what will happen later in the story. It creates suspense and encourages the
reader to go on and find out more about the event that is being foreshadowed. Foreshadowing is used
to make a narrative more authentic.
Elements of Poetry
Poetry is literature in a metrical form. However, free-verse became the popular style towards
the modern and post-modern age. Like fiction, it may not have plots, setting, etc, yet it has a
structured method of writing.
There are various kinds of poetry such as ballad, sonnet, etc. All these forms have some
elements such as style, theme, rhyme, rhythm, metaphor, etc. that are described below:
Style: Style refers to the way the poem is written. Poems are written in various styles, such as free
verse, ballad, sonnet, etc., which have different meters and number of stanzas.
Symbol: Symbol represents the idea and thought of the poem. It can be an object, person, situation or
action. For example, a national flag is the symbol of that nation.
Theme: Like other forms of literature, poetry has a theme of its own. Theme contains the message,
point of view and idea of the poem.
Imagery: Imagery is another important element that a poet often uses in poems that appeal to our
senses. In the age of modernism, T.S. Eliot used images of urban life in his poems. Wordsworth used
nature as poetic images in his poems.
Rhyme and rhythm: Rhyme is an element that is often used in poetry. It’s a recurrence of an
accented sound or sounds in a piece of literature. Poets and lyricists use this device in various ways to
rhyme within a verse. There is internal rhyme, cross rhyme, random rhyme and mixed rhyme. It gives
the poem flow and rhythm. It contains the syllables in a poem. Every poem has a rhythm in it. It’s
about how the words resonate with each other, how the words flow when they are linked with one
another in a poem.
Meter: This is an important rhythmic structure of poetry. It is described as sequence of feet, each foot
being a specific series of syllable types - such as stressed/unstressed and makes the poetry more
melodious.
Alliteration: Alliteration is another element used in poetry for the sound effect. It indicates two or
more words with same repetition of initial letter, for example, "dressy daffodils". Here the sound of
the letter ‘d’ is repeated.
Simile: A simile is a figure of speech used for comparison in the poetry with the words ‘like’ or ‘as’,
for example, "as black as coal".
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Metaphor: Metaphor is used in poetry to make an implicit comparison. Unlike simile, here the
comparison is implied, for example, ‘Her laughter, a babbling brook’.
Onomatopoeia: This is one important element of poetry, which refers to words that sound like their
meaning, for example, buzz, moo and paw.
Element of literature includes all the elements that are essential to create a piece of literature.
These elements help a writer to create splendid poetry, superb drama and soul-touching novel. These
elements are used to form the structure of a literary piece.

ASSESSMENT
Name:______________________________________ Course and Year:_____________________

1. Which of the following describes a LINE?

a. A two-dimensional area clearly designated in some way, generally by one or
more of the other five visual elements.
b. It can be perceived by touch and by sight. It produces the illusion that something
would feel rough, smooth, matte or shiny.
c. Refers to what the eyes see when light is reflected off an object. It has three
properties like hue, value, and intensity.
d. A one-dimensional mark measured by length drawn with a pointed, moving tool
or path of a dot through space.
2. Which of the following illustrates TEXTURE?
a. A two-dimensional area clearly designated in some way, generally by one or
more of the other five visual elements.
b. It can be perceived by touch and by sight. It produces the illusion that something
would feel rough, smooth, matte or shiny.
c. Refers to what the eyes see when light is reflected off an object. It has three
properties like hue, value, and intensity.
d. A one-dimensional mark measured by length drawn with a pointed, moving tool
or path of a dot through space.
3. Which of the following describes a SHAPE?
a. A two-dimensional area clearly designated in some way, generally by one or
more of the other five visual elements.
b. It can be perceived by touch and by sight. It produces the illusion that something
would feel rough, smooth, matte or shiny.
c. Refers to what the eyes see when light is reflected off an object. It has three
properties like hue, value, and intensity.
d. A one-dimensional mark measured by length drawn with a pointed, moving tool
or path of a dot through space.
4. This refers to an element of literature that encompasses the serial arrangement of incidents,
ideas or events. It is further divided into acts and scenes.
a. Plot
b. Character
c. Setting
d. Theme
5. It refers to geographical location of the story, time period, daily lifestyle of the characters and
climate of the story. In a novel, the setting plays an important role.
a. Plot
b. Character
c. Setting
ART APPRECIATION (GE 103)+) The Elements of Visual Arts and Performing
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d. Theme
6. Elements of poetry that represents the idea and thought of the poem.
a. Style
b. Theme
c. Symbol
d. Imagery
7. Elements of poetry that refers to the way the poem is written.
a. Style
b. Theme
c. Symbol
d. Imagery
8. Refers to an important element that a poet often uses in poems that appeal to our senses.
a. Style
b. Theme
c. Symbol
d. Imagery
9. Is a figure of speech used for comparison in the poetry with the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.
a. Metaphor
b. Simile
c. Hyperbole
d. Personification
10. A figure of speech used in poetry to make an implicit comparison.
a. Metaphor
b. Simile
c. Hyperbole
d. Personification
REFERENCES

Panisa, W.P. et al.(2015). Art Appreciation. Mutya Publishing House Inc., Malabon City.

REFERENCES

Ariola,M.M., 2014 Introduction to Art Appreciation, C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City.
pg 12-41
Barerra, L. (2020). Module in Art Appreciation. Capiz State University, Dumarao CampuS