Lesson 4 : ART

From the Latin term ars, artis meaning everything artificially made or composed by man
Aryan root ar meaning to join or to put together
Greek words artizein & arkiskein meaning to prepare and to put together
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Something created by man; not nature

The right reason of making things Aristotle
The skillful arrangement or composition of some common but significant qualities of nature (colors,
sounds, lines, movements, words, stones, etc) to express human feelings, emotions, or thoughts in a
perfect, meaningful and enjoyable way
A formal expression of a considered human experience
A creative human skill. It is communication about the self and the world using sight - the Visual Arts ,
sound - Music, words - the Literary Arts, and/or actions - Dance and Drama
The use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environment or experiences that
can be shared with others

Characteristics of Art
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Art is everywhere.
Art is not nature.
Art is imitation.
Art perfects the imperfections of nature.
Art is creation.
Art is expression.

Functions/Purpose of Art
Art has a great number of different functions throughout its history, making its purpose difficult to abstract or
quantify to any single concept. This does not imply that the purpose of Art is "vague", but that it has many
unique, different reasons for being created. Some of these functions of Art are provided in the following outline.
The different purposes of art may be grouped according to those that are non-motivated, and those that are
motivated (Levi-Strauss).
Non-Motivated Functions of Art
The non-motivated purposes of art are those that are essential to being human, transcend the individual, or do
not fulfill a specific external purpose. Aristotle said, "Imitation, then, is one instinct of our nature." In this sense,
Art, as creativity, is something humans must do by their very nature (i.e., no other species creates art), and is
therefore beyond utility.
1. Basic human instinct for harmony, balance, rhythm. Art at this level is not an action or an object,
but an internal appreciation of balance and harmony (beauty), and therefore an aspect of being human
beyond utility.
2. Experience of the mysterious. Art provides a way to experience one's self in relation to the universe.
This experience may often come unmotivated, as one appreciates art, music or poetry.
3. Expression of the imagination. Art provide a means to express the imagination in non-grammatical
ways that are not tied to the formality of spoken or written language. Unlike words, which come in
sequences and each of which have a definite meaning, art provides a range of forms, symbols and
ideas with meanings that are flexible.

4. Universal communication. Art allows the individual to express things toward the world as a whole.
Earth artists often create art in remote locations that will never be experienced by another person. Art
created in this way is a form of communication between the individual and the world as a whole.
Ritualistic and symbolic functions. In many cultures, art is used in rituals, performances and dances as
a decoration or symbol. While these often have no specific utilitarian (motivated) purpose,
anthropologists know that they often serve a purpose at the level of meaning within a particular culture.
This meaning is not furnished by any one individual, but is often the result of many generations of
change, and of a cosmological relationship within the culture.
Motivated Functions of Art
Motivated purposes of art refer to intentional, conscious actions on the part of the artists or creator. These may
be to bring about political change, to comment on an aspect of society, to convey a specific emotion or mood,
to address personal psychology, to illustrate another discipline, to (with commercial arts) to sell a product, or
simply as a form of communication.
1. Communication. Art, at its simplest, is a form of communication. As most forms of communication
have an intent or goal directed toward another individual, this is a motivated purpose. Illustrative arts,
such as scientific illustration, are a form of art as communication. Maps are another example. However,
the content need not be scientific. Emotions, moods and feelings are also communicated through art.
2. Art as entertainment. Art may seek to bring about a particular emotion or mood, for the purpose of
relaxing or entertaining the viewer. This is often the function of the art industries of Motion Pictures and
Video Games.
3. The Avante-Garde
Art for political change. One of the defining functions of early twentieth century art has been to use
visual images to bring about political change. Art movements that had this goalDadaism, Surrealism,
Russian Constructivism, and Abstract Expressionism, among othersare collectively referred to as the
avante-garde arts.
Art for psychological and healing purposes. Art is also used by art therapists, psychotherapists and
clinical psychologists as art therapy.
4. Art for social inquiry, subversion and/or anarchy. While similar to art for political change,
subversive or deconstructivist art may seek to question aspects of society without any specific political
goal. In this case, the function of art may be simply to criticize some aspect of society.
5. Art for propaganda, or commercialism. Art is often utilized as a form of propaganda, and thus can be
used to subtly influence popular conceptions or mood. In a similar way, art that tries to sell a product
also influences mood and emotion. In both cases, the purpose of art here is to subtly manipulate the
viewer into a particular emotional or psychological response toward a particular idea or object.
The functions of art described above are not mutually exclusive, as many of them may overlap. For example,
art for the purpose of entertainment may also seek to sell a product, i.e. the movie or video game.
Genres of Arts
1. Visual Arts are those that we perceive with our eyes. They may be classified into 2 groups graphic and
plastic arts.
Graphic Arts (flat or 2-dimensional surface) covers any form of visual artistic representation
in which portrayals of forms and symbols are recorded in 2-dimentional surface.
Examples: painting, drawing, graphic processes, commercial art, photography

Plastic Arts (3-dimensional) includes all fields of visual arts in which materials are organized
into 3-dimentional forms.
Examples: architecture, interior design, sculpture, crafts, dress and costume design
2. Literature the art of combining spoken or written words and their meanings into forms which have artistic
and emotional appeal
Example: drama, essay, prose fiction, poetry
3. Music the art of arranging sounds in rhythmic succession and generally in combination. It is a creative and
performing art. Common forms are: song, march, sonata, fantasy, concerto, etc
Musical compositions fall into 3 groups:
1. Vocal Music
2. Instrumental Music
3. Music combined w/ other arts (opera, comedy, cantata, musical comedy)
4. Performing Arts the art that uses movements or actions to form an aesthetic presentation or piece.
Examples:
Drama/play a story re-created by actors on a stage in front of an audience
Dance involves the movement of the body and the feet in rhythm
Elements of Arts
1. Subject refers to any person, object, scene or event described or represented in a work of art. It answers
the question, What is it all about?
Ways of Presenting the Subjects
1. Realism it is the attempt to portray the subject as is.
2. Abstraction the process of simplifying and/or re-organizing objects and elements
according to the demand of artistic expression
3. Distortion figures/objects are so arranged that proportions differ so noticeably from
natural measurements
4. Surrealism realism plus distortion; dreamlike scenes that show irrational
arrangement of objects; may also depict workings of the subconscious,
with the artist using symbols
5. Symbolism uses symbol which is generally a visible sign of something invisible. It
can simply be an emblem
2. Medium refers to the physical or material components of the art. These are materials which make up the
art.
3. Lines refers to the continuous mark made on some surface by a moving point. It is the most basic of the
elements.

Kinds of Lines
1. Straight Lines
Examples: Vertical line express poise, alertness, balance, firmness and
strength
Diagonal line signifies energy, dynamism, impulse, will power,
passion, and emotion
Horizontal line connotes calmness, peace, quiet, and stability
Jagged line signify pain, difficulty, discomfort
2. Curve Lines associated with movements of dance, the human figure, or clouds. It
suggests beauty and grace.
4. Color the element of art that gives life, reality, and beauty to an artwork. It has 3 properties : Hue the
name of the color ; Intensity/Value the relative lightness or darkness of a color ; Saturation
the degree of purity or strength of a color
5. Texture refers to our perception of touch in relation to the artwork that we are viewing. Actual texture can
be felt directly while Simulated texture is implied by the way the artist renders areas of the
picture.
6. Perspective refers to our feeling of distance as simulated in a work of art. This may create illusion of truth
and reality especially in 2-dimensional art.
Linear perspective concerns parallel lines receding into the background. It is generally
achieved through the use of diagonal lines.
Aerial perspective concerns the use of color, tones and values to simulate distance.
Example: objects closer to the viewer appear lighter, darker when they
are farther away from the viewer.
7. Form and Shape form is an element of art that is either two-dimensional or three-dimensional and
encloses volume. On the other hand, shapes are used by artists to signify certain meanings.
Examples:

Circle associated with concepts of freedom, movement, infinity and unity

Square associated with qualities of stability, formality, order and precision
Pyramid associated with stability, strength, and staying power

Principles of Art
1. Emphasis refers to developing points of interest to pull the viewers eye to important parts of the body of
the work of art
2. Balance a sense of stability in the body of work. It refers to the distribution of weights in the artwork to
achieve a feeling of equilibrium
3. Harmony gives an uncomplicated look to your work. It may be achieved by using similar elements
throughout the artwork
4. Variety refers to differences in the artwork. It can be achieved by using different shapes, textures, or
colors
5. Proportion refers to the relationships of the size of objects in a body of work
6. Unity is seen when all the parts equal a whole