Lesson 2: Creativity, Imagination, and Expression individuals to make intelligent choices and decisions in acquiring

necessities and luxuries, knowing what gives better value for time or
money while taking into consideration the aesthetic and practical value.
Objective:
Learning to appreciate art no matter what vocation or profession you
 Describe the role of creativity in art making;
have, will lead to a fuller and more meaningful life.
 Differentiate art as a product of imagination and imagination
as a product of art; The Role of Creativity in Art Making
 Express the oneself through art in the society. Creativity requires thinking outside the box. In art, creativity is what
sets apart one artwork from another. We say something is done
It takes an artist to make art. One may perceive beauty on a daily creatively when we have not yet seen anything like it or when it is out
basis. However, not every beautiful thing that can be seen or of the ordinary. A creative artist dos not simply copy or imitate another
experienced may truly be called a work of art. Art is a product of man’s artist’s work. He does not imitate the lines, flaws, colors, and patterns
creativity, imagination, and expression. No matter how perfectly in recreating nature. He embraces originality, puts his own flavor into
blended the colors of a sunset are and no matter how extraordinarily his work, and calls it his own creative piece.
formed mountains are, nature is not considered art simply because it is
made by man. All creative work, according to Sternberg (1999), happens in one or
more domains. People are not creative in a general sense; they are
Perhaps not everyone can be considered an artist, but surely, all are creative in particular domains such as the visual arts. Talented
spectators of art. In deciding what pair of shoes to buy in Shopee, we individuals fit well in certain domains of knowledge within their own
carefully examine all possible choices within our budget and purchase cultures and are recognized as highly competent by members in their
the one that satisfies our beauty and practical standards. We are able fields of expertise (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996;). Creative persons,
to distinguish what is fine and beautiful from what is not and what is however, often do not fit easily within a domain of knowledge, and it is
good quality from poor. This gives us a role in the field of art only after much time and effort that they may be able to establish a
appreciation. body of work that comes to be valued. Creativity from this point of view
is an individual characteristic as a person reacts with one or more
Art Appreciation as a Way of Life systems within a particular social context.
“The role of art as a creative work is to depict the world in a completely
different light and perspective” – Jean-Paul Sartre Yet, being creativity nowadays can be quite challenging. What you
thought was your own unique and creative idea may not what it seems
Each artwork beholds beauty in its own kind, the kind that the artist to be after extensive research and that someone else has
sees and wants the viewers to perceive. More often than not, people coincidentally devised before the idea in another part of the world.
are blind to this beauty and only those who have developed a fine
sense of appreciation can experience and see the art the way the artist Art as a Product of Imagination, Imagination as a Product of Art
did. Hence, refining one’s ability to appreciate arts allows him to deeply It is a challenge to try to capture with painted brushstrokes, something
understand the purpose of an artwork and recognize the beauty it that is moving and changing all the time; the shifting clouds, reflections
possesses. and colors; every second the landscape is changing and made new by
subtle transformations
In cultivating an appreciation of art, one should also exercise and
develop his taste for things that are fine and beautiful. This allows
St. John College of Buug Foundation, Inc. 2nd Semester – A.Y. 2020-2021 – Art Appreciation: Lesson 2
The experience of making something from raw materials is a simple Art, at its root, is an expression and the artist is an expresser,
and fundamental one. The coldness of clay, the smell of linseed oil, the translating in order to create meaning. Art expresses and translates,
familiar feel of wooden tools or brushes connect you to the elements. art acknowledges and reveals, art transfers and art intervenes. Art is
Over time the process of choosing the right color and quality of paint an expression—an expression of feeling, belief, and character. The
becomes unconscious and instinctive. During painting hundreds of simplicity of that sentence is rather deceptive and seems tidier than its
decisions are made – from minute changes to complete destruction of implications.
previous work.
Just the statement that art is an expression is complex and raises
questions: What does art express? Why does art express? How does
Where do you think famous writers, painters, and musicians get their art express? What does art express?
ideas? Where do ideas in making creative solutions begin?
There are countless ways of expressing oneself through art. The
Human beings by nature are creative. Since individuals by themselves following list includes, but is not limited to, popular art expressions.
are creative, they are prone to engage in arts. It all starts in human
mind. It all begins with an imagination. Visual Arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works that are primarily visual
Imagination is the ability that you have to form pictures or ideas in your in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking,
mind of things that are new and exciting, or things that you have not design, crafts, photography, video, film making and architecture. These
experienced. Imagination creates a spacious narrative for our past and definitions should not be taken too strictly as many artistic disciplines
(performing arts, conceptual art, textile arts) involve aspects of the
for the present. It is a place where we can be absolutely free.
visual arts as well as arts of other types. Also included within the visual
Imagination is not constrained by the walls of the norm, but goes
arts are the applied arts such as industrial design, graphic design,
beyond that. That is why people rely on curiosity and imagination for
fashion design, interior design and decorative art.
advancement.

In an artist’s mind sits a vast gallery of artworks. An artwork does not

need to be real thing, but can be something that is imaginary.
(Collingwood, 1938). The making if this tune in his head makes it an
imaginary tune, an imaginative creation, an imaginary art. It remains
imaginary until he hums, sings or writes down the notes of the tune on
paper. However, something imaginary does not necessarily mean it
cannot be called art. Artists use their imagination that gives birth to
reality through creation.

Art as Expression
Fernando Amorsolo, “Planting Rice”
Art is an expression made visible by a form. The expression contained https://www.8list.ph/8-of-our-national-artists-in-visual-arts/
in the form is an attempt to translate the unnamed and the unknown.
Intrinsic to our existence as humans is our quest to create meaning, Film
and art allows that process to take place. Making meaning involves Film refers to the art of putting together successions o still images in
understanding our surroundings and marking our experiences. order to create an illusion of movement. Filmmaking focuses on its
aesthetic, cultural, and social value and is considered as both an art
and an industry. Filmmaking simulates experiences or creates one that
St. John College of Buug Foundation, Inc. 2nd Semester – A.Y. 2020-2021 – Art Appreciation: Lesson 2
is beyond the scope of our imagination as it aims to deliver ideas, Architecture
feelings, or beauty to its viewers. Architecture is the art and science of designing buildings and other
physical structures. A wider definition often includes the design of the
Performance Art total built environment from the macro level of town planning, urban
Performance Art is a live art and artist’s medium is mainly the human design, and landscape architecture to the micro level of construction
body which he or uses to perform, but also employs other kind of art details and, sometimes, furniture.
such as visual art, props or a sound. It usually consists of four
important element: tie, where the performance took place, the
performer’s body, and a relationship between audience and the
performance. The fact that performance art is live makes it tangible,
which means it cannot be bought or traded as a commodity, unlike the
previously discussed art expressions.

The Saint Augustine Church “Paoay Church”

Literary Art
Artists who practice literary arts use words not paint, musical
instruments or chisels to express themselves and communicate
emotions to the readers. However, simply becoming a writer does not
make one a literary artist. Simply constructing a succession of
sentences in a meaningful manner is not literary art. Literary art goes
Source: The Philippine Performing Arts Company, Inc. beyond the usual professional, academic, journalistic and other
technical forms of writing. It focuses on writing using a unique style, not
Poetry Performance following a specific format or norm. Examples of famous literary artist
Poetry is an art form where the artist expresses his emotions not by and their works include The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
using paint, charcoal, or camera but expresses them through words. and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
These words are carefully selected to exhibit clarity and beauty and to
stimulate strong emotions of joy, anger, love, sorrow, and the list goes
on. It uses a word’s emotional, musical, and spatial values that go
beyond its literal meaning to narrate, emphasize, argue, or convince.
These words, combine with movements, tone, volume, and intensity of
the delivery, add to the artistic value of the poem.

Juan Miguel Severo’s “Habang Wala Pa Sila”

Spoken Word Performance
Antoine de Saint Exupery’s The Little Prince Willian Shakespeare

St. John College of Buug Foundation, Inc. 2nd Semester – A.Y. 2020-2021 – Art Appreciation: Lesson 2
Theater better in the hopes of creating something that will stimulate change. In
Theatre is a collaborative art form which combines words, voice, the same way that imagination produces art, art also inspires
movement and visual elements to express meaning. The field of imagination. Lastly, through expression, an artist is able to explore his
theatre encompasses not only live improvised and scripted work, but own emotions is something different from describing emotions.
also dramatic forms such as film, television and other electronic media. Description actually destroys the idea of expression, as it classifies the
Due to the increasingly pervasive influence of contemporary theatrical emotion, making it ordinary and predictable. Expression on the other
media, theatre has enormous importance in citizens’ lives. It is not
hand, individualizes the artist.
possible for students to achieve media literacy without understanding
and having hands-on experience with theatre. Theatre is about the
examination and resolution of fundamental human issues, and is built Activities
on understanding and presenting interactions between people.
Theatre work provides a vehicle for students to reflect on important Activity 2.1
aspects of life, in the process developing their sensitivity to and Answer the following questions as precisely yet as thoroughly possible.
deepening their understandings of others’ points of view. The broad, 1. What art field would you like to explore? Why?
worldwide base of theatrical literature or repertoire ranges from 2. How can you use arts to express yourself, to your community and
classical forms such as Japanese Kabuki and Shakespeare, to folk relations to others?
forms such as traditional puppetry, to contemporary forms such as
animated cartoons and movies. Activity 2.2
Using the picture below, what can you imagine on the painting? What
Applied Arts
expression do think was being expressed by the artist?
Applied Arts is incorporating elements of style and design to everyday
items with the aim of increasing their aesthetical value. Artists in this
field bring beauty, charm and comfort into many things that are useful
in everyday life.

Summary

Art is a product of man’s creativity, imagination, and expression. An

artwork may be inspired by nature or other works of art, but an artist
invents his own forms and patterns due to what he perceives as
beautiful and incorporates them in creating his masterpiece. Perhaps
not everyone can be considered an artist, but surely, all are spectators
of art, which gives us all role in the field of art appreciation. Refining
one’s ability to appreciate art allows him to deeply understand the
purpose of an artwork and recognize the beauty its possesses.

Creativity is what sets apart one artwork from another. A creative artist
does not simply copy or imitate another artist’s work. He does not
imitate the lines, flaws, colors, and patterns in recreating nature. While
through imagination, an artist is able to craft something bold, new and Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”. 1893

St. John College of Buug Foundation, Inc. 2nd Semester – A.Y. 2020-2021 – Art Appreciation: Lesson 2
Activity 2.3
Create a drawing that best express your imagination while listening to
Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor. Explain after why you think that
drawing best describes Mozart’s Classical Piece.

St. John College of Buug Foundation, Inc. 2nd Semester – A.Y. 2020-2021 – Art Appreciation: Lesson 2