ART APPRECIATION

Unit 1. THE NATURE OF ART

Lesson 1: What is Art?
Ways of Defining Art(by Lisa Marder)
- there is no one universal definition of art
- general consensus: art is the conscious creation of something beautiful or meaningful using skills and
imagination
- etymology; “art” is related to Latin word “ars” meaning art, skill, or craft
- first known use of the word comes from 13th century manuscripts
- the word art and its many variants have probably existed since the founding of Rome
Philosophy of Art
“What is art?” is the most basic question in the philosophy of aesthetics, which really means, “how do we
determine what is defined as art?” This implies two subtexts: the essential nature of art, and its social
importance (or lack of it).
The definition of art has generally fallen into three categories: representation, expression, and form.
1. Art as Representation: Mimesis.
■ Plato first developed the idea of art as “mimesis” which, in Greek, means copying or imitation.
■ The primary meaning of art was, for centuries, defined as the representation or replication of
something that is beautiful and meaningful.
■ Until roughly the end of the eighteenth century, a work of art was valued on the basis of how
faithfully replicated its subject.
■ This definition of “good art” has had a profound impact on modern and contemporary artists.
■ While representational art still exists today, it is no longer the only measure of value.
2. Art as Expression of Emotional Content.
■ Expression became important during the Romantic Movement with artwork expressing a definite
feeling, as in the sublime or dramatic.
■ Audience response was important, for the artwork was intended to evoke an emotional
response.
■ This definition holds true today, as artists look to connect with and evoke responses from their
viewers.
3. Art as Form.
■ Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), one of the most influential of the early theorists toward the end of
the 18th century. He believed that art should not have a concept but should be judged only on its
formal qualities because the content of a work of art is not aesthetic interest.
■ Formal qualities became particularly important when art became more abstract in the
20th century and the principles of art and design (balance, rhythm, harmony, unity) were used to
define and assess art.
History of How Art is Defined
● Western Culture (from 11th century on through the end of 17th century):
○ The definition of artwas anything done with skill as the result of knowledge and practice.
○ This meant that artists honed their crafts, learning to replicate their subjects skillfully. The
epitome of this occurred during the Dutch Golden Age when artists were free to paint in any
different genre and made a living off their art in the robust economic and cultural climate of 17th
century Netherlands.
● Romantic period of the 18th century:
○ As a reaction to the Enlightenment and its emphasis on science, empirical evidence, and rational
thought, art began to be described as not just being something done with skill, but something that
was also created in pursuit of beauty and to express the artist’s emotions.
○ Nature was glorified, and spirituality and free expression were celebrated.
○ Artists achieved a level of notoriety and were often guests of the aristocracy.
● The Avant-garde Art movement began in 1850’s with the realism of Gustave Courbet. It was
followed by other modern art movements such as cubism, futurism, and surrealism, in which the
artist pushed the boundaries of ideas and creativity. These represented innovative approaches to
art-making and the definition of what is art expanded to include the idea of originality of vision.
 ● The idea of originality in art persists, leading to ever more genres and manifestations of art such as
digital art, performance art, conceptual art, environmental art, electronic art, and etc.
Quotes
There are as many ways to define art as there are people in the universe, and each definition is influenced by the
unique perspective of that person, as well as by their own personality and character. For example:
★ Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist - Rene Magritte
★ Art is a discovery and development of elementary principles of nature - Frank Lloyd Wright
★ Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time - Thomas Merton
★ The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls - Pablo Picasso
★ All art is but imitation of nature - Lucius Annaeus Seneca
★  Art is not what you see but what you make others see - Edgar Degas
★ Art is the signature of civilizations - Jean Sibelius
★ Art is a human activity consisting in this that one man consciously, by means of certain external signs,
hands on to other feelings he has lived through and that others are infected by these feelings and also
experience them - Leo Tolstoy
★ Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings - Agnes Martin
★ Art is the elimination of the unnecessary - Pablo Picasso
★ Art without emotion is like chocolate cake without sugar - Laurie Anderson
★ Art is the proper task of life - Friedrich Nietzsche
★ Art is to console those who are broken by life - Vincent Van Gogh
★ Art wasn’t supposed to look nice, it was supposed to make you feel something - Rainbow Rowell
★ Art is the only way to run away without leaving home - Twyla Tharp
★ Art is a way of recognizing oneself - Loiuse Bourgeois
★ Art helps us identify with one another - Olaf ur Eliasson
★ Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known - Oscar Wilde

QUIZ: Types of Major Art Forms (pg. 13-14)

1. Theatre - a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers, typically actors or actresses, to
present the collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers, typically actors and actresses, to
present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage.
2. Drawing - a form of visual art in which a person uses various drawing instruments to mark paper or
another two-dimensional medium.
3. Dance - a performing art form consisting of purposefully selected sequences of human movement.
4. Film - a series of still messages that, when shown on a screen, create the illusion of moving images.
5. Music - an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound organized in time.
6. Literature - refers to writing considered to have artistic merit.
7. Architecture - the art and science of designing buildings and (some) non-building structures.
8. Sculpture - the art of making two- or three-dimensional representative or abstract forms, especially by
carving stone or wood or by casting metal or plaster.
9. Photography - the art, application and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other
electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of
a light-sensitive material.
10. Painting - the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (support
base).

Lesson 2: Some Basic Assumptions about Art

Top 10 Questions on our Assumptions about Art
1. Why do we assume that this list of questions about some basic assumptions of art has to have a
coherent message and a sound ending?
2. Why do we assume that art should be art?
3. Why do we assume that popularity is the ultimate indicator of good art when it is in conflict with your
own taste in art?
4. Why do we assume that art is something that can be defined?
 5. Why do we assume that serious art has more significance or greater value than a doodle which only you
seem to appreciate?
6. Why do we assume that art should be interpreted without context?
7. Why should we assume that art has any particular consistent and persistent qualities at all?
8. Why do we assume that art should be intelligent or explainable or intended to impress?
9. Why do we assume that art should be collectible?
10. Why do we assume that art is always something intended for public display?

Lesson 3: Basic Art Criticism

The Steps in Art Criticism (by Matt Fussel)
When we observe art, our minds go through a process. This process naturally translates into the step of art
criticism. Following these steps will help to evaluate art effectively.
The four steps in art criticism are description, analysis, interpretation, and judgement;
1. Description. When we look at a work of art, our minds naturally take notice of the general
information that is present. When critiquing, start here with a simple description of what is seen in the
artwork.
For example, if we take The Mona Lisa, we notice, “Hey, this is a painting of a woman.”
2. Analysis. It refers to how we see the elements and principles of art. In this step, our minds take in the
lines, values, and colors of the artwork. We also may take notice of the balance, proportion, rhythm, and
unity found within the work. Many times, the formal qualities of the artwork are what makes the art
successful.
3. Interpretation. Oftentimes, students will automatically skip to this step since we are looking for
meaning in everything. In this step, we explore the meaning of the artwork. What is the artist trying to
communicate to us? There are no wrong responses here.
4. Judgement. Is this work of art successful? The work of art may not be one’s favorite, but it may still be
successful. This way, we teach people to appreciate good art, even if we personally do not like it.
Understanding the steps to art criticism and implementing them in a structured way in critique, will help you
create a better artwork.

The Four Steps in Art Criticism (from Janice Mason Art Museum)
Being able to critique art by utilizing the art elements, principles of design, and correct terminology is very
important for students. To assist students in being successful in this endeavor, we are including a four-step
process for art criticism. These are valuable questions that can be used to critique any piece of art - if you use
and answer the questions listed under each, you will have a comprehensive method to critique any piece of art.
1. Describe. Tell what you see (the visual facts).
✓ What is the name of the artist who created the artwork?
✓ What kind of artwork is it?
✓ What is the name of the artwork?
✓ When was the artwork created?
✓ Name some other major events in history that occurred at the same time this artwork was created?
✓ List the literal objects in the painting (trees, people, animals, mountains, rivers, etc.).
✓  What do you notice first when you look at the work/s? Why?
✓ What kind of colors do you see? How would you describe them?
✓ What shapes can we see? What kind of edges do the shapes have? Do the shapes have?
✓ Are there lines in the work? If so, what kinds of lines are they?
✓ What sort of textures do you see? How would you describe them?
✓ What time of day/night is it? How can we tell?
✓ What is the overall visual effect or mood of the work?
2. Analysis. Consider the most significant art principles that were used in the artwork. Describe how the
artist used them to organize the elements.
✓ How has the artist used colors in the work?
✓ What sort of effect do the colors have on the artwork?
✓ How has the artist used shapes within the work of art?
✓ How have lines been used in the work?
 ✓ What role does texture play in the work?
✓ How has the artist used light in the work? Is there the illusion of a scene with lights and shadows or
does the artist use light and dark values in a more abstracted way?
✓ How has the overall visual effect or mood of the work been achieved by the use of elements of art
and principles of design?
✓ How was the artist’s design tools used to achieve a particular look or focus?
3. Interpretation. It seeks to explain the meaning of the work based on what you have learned so far
about the artwork and what the artist is trying to say.
✓ What was the artist’s statement in this work?
✓ What do you think it means?
✓ What does it mean to you?
✓ How does this relate to you and your life?
✓ What feelings do you have when looking at this artwork?
✓ Do you think there are things in the artwork that represent other things-symbols?
✓ Why do you think that the artist chose to work in this manner and made these kinds of artistic
decisions?
✓ Why did the artists create this artwork?
4. Judgement. This is your personal evaluation based on the understanding of the work(s).
✓ Why do you think that this work has intrinsic value or worth? What is the value you find in the
work(s)?
✓ Do you think that the work(s) has a benefit for others?Do you find that the work communicates an
idea, feeling or principle that would have value for others?
✓ What kind of an effect do you think the work could have for others?
✓ Does the work lack value or worth? Why do you think this is so? Could the reason you find the
work lacking come from a poor use of the elements of the art? Could the subject matter by
unappealing, unimaginative, or repulsive?
✓ Rather than seeing the work as being very effective or without total value, does the work fall
somewhere in-between? Do you think the work is just okay? What do you base this opinion on?
The use of elements of art? Lack of personal expression? The work lacks a major focus?
Explore your criticism of the work(s) as much as you would any positive perceptions. Realize your own tastes
and prejudices may enter into your criticism. Give your positive and negative perceptions.

Lesson 4: The Artist and the Artisan

Difference between an artist and an artisan?
★ An artist is someone engaged in an activity related to creating art, producing the arts, or
demonstrating an art.
★ The term art basically refers to the making of tangible or intangible products as an expression of
creativity and imagination for purely aesthetic reasons.
★ An artisan, though stimulated by the same impulses in creating tangible or intangible products,
produces crafts which are meant for decoration and are designed to be practical or useful.
Though there may exist a perceived dissimilarity between an artist (a producer of art) and an artisan (a
designer of craft) in their cultural status, the distinctions are not in quality or artistic achievement but in
function.

List of GAMABA Awardees 1

Ginaw Bilog (+2003) Masino Intaray (+2013)
Poet Musician and Storyteller
Hanunuo Pala’wan
Mangyan Brookes Point, Palawan
Panaytayan, Oriental Mindoro 1993
1993

Samoan Sulayman (+2011) Lang Dulay (+2015)

Musician Textile Weaver
Maguindanao T’boli
Mama sa Pano, Maguindanao Lake Sebu, South Cotabato
1993 1998
 Salinta Monon (+2009) Alonzo Saclag
Textile Weaver Musician and Dancer, Kalinga
Tagabawa Bagobo Lubugan, Kalinga
Bansalan, Davao del Sur 2000
1998

Federico Caballero Uwang Ahadas

Epic Chanter Musician
Sulod-Bukidnon Yakan
Calinog, Iloilo Lamitan, Basilan
2000 2000

Unit 1 Quiz (pg. 47-48)

1. Artist (D) - a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, producing the arts, or
demonstrating an art.
2. Artisan (B) - a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand
3. Craft (E) - an activity involving skill in making things by hand
4. Formal Approach (G) - it posits that everything necessary to comprehending a work of art is
contained within the work of art
5. Expressive Approach (F) - it shows that works of art are the expression of the author, as the
description of the author’s feelings and thoughts, or as imagination products of the author who works
with perceptions, thoughts, and feelings.
6. Mimetic Approach (I) - the earliest way of judging any work of art in relation to reality whether the
representation is accurate (verisimilitude) or not.
7. Mimesis (H) - the imitation of life in art and literature.
8. Thematic Approach (J) - the study of art categorized or classified by theme.
9. Art criticism (B) - the discussion or evaluation of visual art.
10. Art (A) - the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual
form such as painting, sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or
emotional power.