Art Appreciation Module # 2

Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Office of the Vice President for Branches & Satellite Campuses
BANSUD BRANCH
Module 2
Arts as a Humanistic Discipline in Western Civilization
OVERVIEW:
In the age of Instagram and Facebook, it is very easy to come across a work of art which
is made, remade or reused to fit a certain purpose or value. You must have press that “like” or
“love” button as you deem a graphic post so relatable. YouTube offers a lots of tutorials and
techniques for painting, calligraphy, watercolor and others; lots of young artists have been
exposed to a wide range of art techniques because of them. Art and information is now within
our reach. There are so many sources available to learn from.
The downside of this quick information is that it is very scattered. We do not know which
to prioritize and are unsure if we are getting the right information.
Art appreciation, on the other hand, is a discipline offered in an academic to direct our
often ambivalent feelings toward art which is a good starting point: YOU.
MODULE OBJECTIVES:
Distinguish the humanities and the sciences as fields of learning;
Relate the Western concept of humanities with the Filipino notion of personhood or
pagkatao
Examine the history of art as a humanistic discipline
Discover the Filipino identity through the arts
Apply the Filipino sense of art in the process of appreciating art
COURSE MATERIALS:
Arts and Humanities: Western and Filipino Concepts

How would you define ‘art’? For many people, art is a specific thing; a painting, sculpture
or photograph, a dance, a poem or a play. It is all of these things, and more. They are mediums
of artistic expression. Webster’s New Collegiate dictionary defines art as “The conscious use of
skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects.” Yet art is much
more than a medium, or words on a page. It is the expression of our experiences
Art is uniquely human and tied directly to culture. It takes the ordinary and makes it
extraordinary. It asks questions about who we are, what we value, the meaning of beauty and
the human condition. As an expressive medium, it allows us to experience sublime joy, deep
sorrow, confusion and clarity. It tests our strengths, vulnerabilities, and resolve. It gives voices
to ideas and feelings, connects us to the pasts, reflects the present and anticipates the future.
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Website: www.pup.edu.ph E-mail: [email protected]
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ART AS A HUMANISTIC DISCIPLINE

The History of the Concept
‘humanitas’ has had a two cleverly distinguishable meanings:

1. Man and what is less than a man (animality)
2. Man and what is more than a man (divinity)
Humanities
Originally, the term “humanity” implied the distinguishing between human beings and
those considered to be less than human, whether that mean dogs, goldfish, or the literal “less
than humans” known as the barbarians and slaves. But with the dawning of what we now refer
to as the Middle Ages, an interest in the divine arose and man began looking what was greater
than himself. And with this recollection came the understanding that if some humans were
considered subhuman, then what must humans appear as to God? And thus the new definition
of “humanitas” began infiltrating the vernacular, one that implied our certain mortality rather than
superiority over one another. This new definition and conception lead to what we now call
“humanism” which Panofsky describes as maintaining our rationality and freedom while still
keeping in mind our own fallibility and frailty. Thus, responsibility for ourselves and tolerance to
others.
With the rise of humanism in the Middle Ages, it is no wonder that new artistic styles
emerged everywhere and played off one another versus the soon to come Renaissance which
radically shifts to looking at the past as something to be reconstructed. The humanists learned
and grew from what they could study of the past but didn’t emulate it. As Panofsky says so
beautifully, “For, if human existence could be thought of as means rather than an end, how
much less could the records of human activity be considered as value in themselves.”
The Basic Question in the Humanities --- WHO AM I?
Thinkers whose thoughts were the basis of method in the Humanities

Socrates (469-399 BC)
“Know thyself.”
- was carved into a stone at the entrance to Apollo’s temple at Delphi in Greece,
according to legend. Scholars, philosophers, and civilizations have debated this
question for a long time. Why have we not been able to find the answer?
For various reasons cultural, political, economic, and ideological that the norm of self-
knowledge has come and gone with tides through Western history. Even if we had been
constantly enjoined to achieve self-knowledge for the 2,300 years since the time
Socrates spoke, just as Sigmund Freud disposes said about civilization; that civilization
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is constantly being created anew and everyone being born has to work their way up to
being civilized being; so also the project of achieving self-knowledge is a project for
every single new member of a species. No one can be given it at birth. It's not an
achievement you get for free like a high IQ or a prominent chin. Continuing to beat that
drum, to remind people of the importance of that, is something we’ll always be doing.
Thales of Miletus (620-546 BC)

- A philosopher renowned as one of the legendary Seven Wise Men, or Sophist, of
antiquity. He is remembered primarily for his cosmology based on water as the
essence of all matter, with Earth a flat disk floating on vast sea.
- The most outstanding aspects of Thales’ heritage are: The search for knowledge for
its own sake; the development of the scientific method; the adoption of practical
methods and their development into general principles; his curiosity and conjectural
approach to the questions of natural phenomena – In the sixth century B.C.E.,
Thales asked the question, “What is the basic material of the cosmos?” The answer
is yet to be discovered.
- A scientist tends to know everything about the world that he forgets to know anything
about himself.
Confucius (555-479 BC)

- A wise man once said, “If you can revive the ancient and use it to understand the
modern era, then you are worthy to be a teacher”
- He was born a couple of centuries before Socrates’ teachings on ethics and logic,
and half a millennium before the start of modern calendar and the birth of Jesus of
Nazareth. He established a school with the explicit purpose of educating the next
generation for political leadership. He was the first great thinker of the independent
intellectual class, and is regarded as China's first self-conscious philosopher who
can beat historically and verified. He is further recognized as China's first teacher,
and his ideas have travelled beyond its borders to influence Japan, Korea, Vietnam,
and now Western civilizations.
- The philosophy of Confucius does not purport to layout a formula of how everyone
should live. It is merely the way in which he, as particular person, chose to live his
life.
Two General Fields of Learning

 Sciences – deal with natural and physical phenomena
 Humanities – human phenomena
Difference between scientist and humanist
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The scientist is able to analyze almost immediately while the humanist must re-enact
and re-create mentally. As such, the scientist can simply read and interpret a book on art history
but the humanist must understand what the book says in so far as its meaning and impact on
the reader.
Humanistic Discipline
History – refers to a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events.
Language – refers to the subjects (such as reading, spelling, literature, and composition) that
aim at developing the student’s comprehension and capacity for use of written and oral
language.
Philosophy – refers to a search for a general understanding of values and reality by chiefly
speculative rather than observational means.
Art – refers to the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of
aesthetic objects.
The Study of arts includes:

 Art Creation – concerned with the practice of making art taken up the artists
 Art Appreciation – deals with the theories of art taken up by the art spectators
THE HUMANITIES IN WESTERN CIVILIZATION
The Relationship of Arts and Humanities

When you hear the word “humanities”, what is the first thing that comes into your mind?
Human nature, people, relationships, understanding others?
When you say Humanities, those are branches of knowledge that concern themselves
with human beings and their culture or with analytic and critical methods of inquiry derived from
an appreciation of human values and of the unique ability of the human spirit to express itself.
Is humanities and arts the same?

Arts and humanities are considered as two of the oldest fields of knowledge available to
man. While art as seen as a more all-inclusive field, humanities, on the other hand, takes into
consideration a diverse and oftentimes unrelated set of disciplines from literature to political
history.
What is the importance of arts and humanities?

The humanities and arts are central to all human cultures throughout the time. Their
study can facilitate deeper intercultural understanding and lay the groundwork for a civically
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engaged life. They can also prepare you to think critically, act creatively, and succeed in a
rapidly changing world.
Both interpret the human experience through words or non-verbal forms of expression.
It’s true that the arts have more to do with the act of creation itself, whether through
performance or the physical production of works, while the humanities have to do more with a
research and critical analysis.
Why art is called as humanities?

The arts are usually considered as part of the humanities. These include visual arts,
such as painting and sculpture, as well as performing arts such as theatre and dance, and
literature.
Other humanities such as language are sometimes considered to be part of the arts, for
example, as the language arts.
The Place of Humanities in the History of Western Civilization

1. Cosmocentric View – Acient (800 BC)
Protagoras: Man is the measure of all things.
Geocentrism: Man is at the center of the universe
In the Cosmocentric View, human person is studied or understood in relation to
the Cosmos. Here, the Cosmos is at the center. Hence, the Cosmos is given great
importance.
2. Theocentric View – Medieval (300 AD)

Scholasticism: Man is created in the image of God. Man is at the center of creation.
Theocentric view where human person is being studied or understood in
reference to God. Here, human person is considered to be the image of God. He is
being created by God, in His own image and likeness.
3. Anthropocentric View – Renaissance (1400)

Humanism: Nothing is more wonderful than man.
In the Anthropocentric view, the human person himself is the point of the
departure. He himself becomes the basis and object of the study matter.
4. Scientific-Technocentric View – Modern (1600)

Man is a part of nature.
Scientific-Technocentric believes in classical science, technology, conventional
economic thinking, and in the human control over nature. Such view is almost arrogant
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in its assumption that man is supremely able to understand and control events to suit his
purposes and more anthropocentric in the sense that it views humankind as separate
from the superior to nature and that the earth is regarded as a life support system for the
benefit of human beings.
5. Eclectic View – Postmodern (1960)
Man is a piece of everything.
Electic view refers to a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single
paradigm or set of assumption, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas
to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular
cases. However, this is often without conventions or rules dictating how or which
theories were combined.
Western Concept of Art

Academic – only schooled people are artists
Elitist – meant for the higher social class
Hierarchical – Liberal art and servile art, high and low art, major art and minor art or craft, fine
art and practical art, folk art, indigenous art, popular art
Western Classification of the Arts

Major Art – Made by artists and primarily concerned with the form and beauty
Minor Art or Craft – Made by artisans and concerned with functionality and usefulness of
human-made objects (artifacts)
The Major Arts in Western Civilization

Visual Arts
The visual arts are arts form such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics,
photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines
(performing arts, conceptual art, textile arts) involve aspects of the visual arts as well as arts of
other types. Also included within the visual arts are the applied arts such as industrial design,
fashion design, interior design and decorative art.
Current usage of the term visual arts includes fine art as well as the applied or
decorative arts and crafts, but this was not always the case. Before the Arts and Crafts
Movement in Britain and elsewhere at the turn of the 20th century, the term ‘artist’ had for some
centuries often been restricted to a person working in the fine arts (such as painting, sculpture,
or printmaking) and not the decorative arts, craft or applied art media. The distinction was
emphasized by artists of the Arts and Crafts Movement, who valued vernacular art forms as
much as high forms. Art schools made a distinction between the fine arts and the crafts,
maintaining that a craftsperson could not be considered a practitioner of the arts.
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Performing Arts
Performing arts are a form 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.
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 are often aim to express one’s emotions and feelings.
Linguistic Arts
Linguistic arts is the study and improvement of the arts of language. Traditionally, the
primary divisions in language arts are literature and language, where language in this case
refers to both linguistics, and specific languages. Language arts instruction typically consists of
a combination of reading, writing (composition), speaking, and listening. In schools, language
arts is taught alongside science, mathematics, and social studies. It is the scientific study of
language. It involves analyzing language form, language meaning, and language in context.
Minor Arts: Crafts

Ceramics
Weaving
Sewing
Handicraft
Carpentry
Masonry
Stone Cutting
Gardening
Cooking
THE HUMANITIES AND THE FILIPINO PERSONHOOD
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Ayon kay Covar (1992), “hangarin ng disiplinang antropolohiya na pag-aralan ang likas
na tao, kasama na rito ang pagdalumat (conceive/deep thought) ng pagkataong Pilipino. Di
gaya ng siyensa na may pretensyong panukat na unibersal,
Ayon pa rin kay Covar, “May kasabihan ang mga Pilipino na: “Madali ang maging tao;
mahirap magpaka-tao.” Ang pagiging tao ay isang prosesong bayolohikal. Ang pagpapakatao
ay naaayon naman sa prosesong kultural. Ang salitang tao ay pangngalan. Ito ay tumatanggap
ng iba’t ibang panlapi upang makapagsaad ng iba’t ibang kahulugan. Halimbawa: maka-tao; t-
um-ao; tau-han. Ang ka-tau-han ay nangangahulugan ng “kabasalan ng diwang taglay ng
salitang-ugat,” i.e. tao. Sa Ingles, ang salin ko ng katauhan ay ‘humanity’. Ayon kay Miranda,
‘humanhood’. Dahilan dito, ang salitang pagkatao ay angkop na konsepto bilang ‘personhood’ o
pagiging taong Pilipino. Ayon kay Santiago at Tiangco ang pagka- “ay tumutukoy sa kalikasan
ng tao, hayop o bagay.” Ganito ang gamit ng pagka- sa pariralang pagkataong Pilipino, i.e.
Pilipinong tao.
Katauhan
Biological: Born as a human being; Act of being human “personality”
Pagkatao
Cultural: Becoming a human being; Process of becoming human “personhood”
Pagpapakatao – The process by which one becomes a human being
The “Humanities” in Filipino Concept

“PAGPAPAKATAO”
- The process how a human being becomes a Filipino
Filipino Personhood
How does a human being become a Filipino?
The Jar and the Personhood – Both came from clay
Labas – ulo | dibdib
Loob – isip | damdamin
Lalim – kaluluwa | budhi
Labas ng Pagkatao | Katawan (Physical)

- Kulay ng balat (maputi, maitim)
- Tindig (matangkad, pandak)
- Ilong (matangos, pango)
- Dibdib (malapad, Malaki)
Loob ng Pagkatao | Kalooban (Intellectual, Emotional and Moral)
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- Isip (matalino)
- Ugali, Asal (mabuti)
Lalim ng Pagkatao | Kaluluws (Spiritual)

- Anito (banal)
Felipe del Leon Jr. (2011)
Defining the Filipino through the Arts
Cultural Identity
- “The worldview and values, beliefs systems, knowledge, skills, and practices, core
principles and ideas shared by a society”
- “Cultural identity is a sine qua non for becoming active in the world… a source of
social empowerment. Rob a people of their identity and they become passive, lost,
indolent, uncreative and unproductive.”
“The first objective of a colonizing power is to erase the cultural memory of the conquered
people, to induce a collective amnesia about their past and supplant it with the culture of the
colonizers. In this, lie the roots of Filipino derivativeness and inferiority complex vis a vis the
West.”
Pre-Colonial Period (Before 1500’s) – Has our own cultural identity

Colonial Period (1500-1950) – Our identity destroyed by colonizers: Westernization of Filipino
Culture making us alienated from our own
Post-Colonial Period (1950 onwards) - Reclamation, affirmation and definition of our identify in
our own terms
Forms of Alienation Caused By Westernization of Filipino Culture

1. Alienation from Community
2. Alienation from Our Sources of Cultural Energy: Thinking in Borrowed Forms and the
Economics of Dependency
3. Alienation from Our Race: The Doña Victorina Syndrome:
4. Alienation from the Indigenous: Denigrating the Local
5. Alienation from the Land
6. Alienation from Being Filipino
7. Alienation from Sustainable Living
Some Recommendations for Developing a Filipino and Humanistic Perspective

1. Heightening social consciousness and sense of responsibility to then nation.
2. Promoting people participation, local genius, and cultural diversity.
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3. Promoting the local but thinking national or global: human communities, not the state,
are the ultimate actors in the development process
4. Integrating the arts to social and cultural phenomena as lucid mirrors of social
consciousness.
The Communal Character of Philippine Traditional Cultures as Reflected in the Arts
1. Integration of the arts with other values and functions
2. Unity of the arts
3. Art is integrated with everyday life and not regarded as a separate activity.
4. Equality of opportunity for participation in the artistic and creative process.
5. Flexibility of material, technical, and formal requirements
6. Use of available resources for artistic creation
7. Emphasis on the creative process rather than the finished product
8. Simultaneity of conception and realization
Becoming Filipino through the Arts

The arts can provide us the most vivid images of social relations and cultural values.
They are perhaps the most lucid symbols of people’s quality of being or consciousness.
Contemplating the arts is like reflecting on the psychic template of an artist or a cultural
community.
THE FILIPINO CONCEPT OF ART

Western Concept of Art (Academic, Elitist, Hierarchical)
- Only schooled people are artists
- Meant for the higher social class
- High and low art, major art and craft
- Fine and practical art, folk, indigenous
Filipino Concept of Art

- Has no such Western distinctions
DAMIAN DOMINGO (1796-1834)

Father of Philippine Painting
- Son of Chinese immigrants converted to Christianity, but thought to be a noble Spanish
descent by the Spaniards so that they commissioned him to paint
- Engaged by a merchant to paint, in miniaturismo style, albums of people wearing their
daily costumes
- Had a vision of making art more accessible to the Filipinos (Indios)
- Founded the first Art School in the Philippines Escuela Dibujo y Pintura in Tondo Manila
in 1821
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- His patron was Sociedad Economica de los Amigos del Pais

- Professor and Director of the Philippine Art Academy. The academy was closed after his
death producing Filipino artists trained in Western artistic tradition
JUAN LUNA (1857-1899)

Academic Westernized Filipino Painter
- Bachelor of Arts Degree, Ateneo Municipal de Manila. Enrolled in Academy of Fine Arts,
Manila
- Went to Europe in 1877, and studied in Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
- Won gold medal in Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1884 for Spoliarium
- Commissioned by Spanish government to do paintings like La Batalla de Lepanto and El
Pacto de Sangre
- Arrested for murdering his wife and mother-inlaw, but was acquitted on grounds of crime
of passion.
RIZAL’S SPEECH
“… In the history of mankind there are names which in themselves signify an achievement….
To such belong the names of Luna and Hidalgo: their splendor illuminates two extremes of the
globe the Orient and the Occident, Spain and the Philippines. As I utter them, I seem to see two
luminous arches that rise from either region to blend there on high…to unite two peoples with
eternal bonds; two peoples whom the seas and space vainly separate; two peoples among
whom do not germinate the seeds of disunion blindly sown by men and their despotism. Luna
and Hidalgo are the pride of Spain as of the Philippines-though born in the Philippines, they
might have been born in Spain, for genius has no country; genius bursts forth everywhere…”
Winning the exposition had proven that Filipinos were equal with the Spaniards, so that the
Filipinos deserve the recognition of other people in the world with equal dignity and respect.
Philippine Art Western Art

One positive way of looking at Filipino identity in the arts is to see Philippine Art as integrated in
Western Art, and these two traditions are uniting and harmonizing with one another.
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Filipino Identity Western

“The principle of cultural identity does not mean that cultures cannot be criticized. If all cultures
on earth are to survive, most of them have to change some of their beliefs and practices in
order to become compatible with one another”. (Felipe, 2011)
The Philippine culture has to be dynamic in its relation with other cultures in the world. By
harmonizing the Western and the Filipino concepts of art and its practice, a truly Philippine
identity in the arts would emerge out of the shared cultural universe, not only of our own people,
but of the humanity as a whole.
ACTIVITIES/ASSESSMENT:
1. Compare and contrast Science and Humanities.
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2. Why art is called Humanities?
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Republic of the Philippines

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Arts and Humanities: Western and Filipino Concepts

Lambot St., Poblacion, Bansud, Oriental, Mindoro

THE COUNTRY’S 1st POLYTECHNICU

ART AS A HUMANISTIC DISCIPLINE

‘humanitas’ has had a two cleverly distinguishable meanings:

The Basic Question in the Humanities --- WHO AM I?

Thinkers whose thoughts were the basis of method in the Humanities

Lambot St., Poblacion, Bansud, Oriental, Mindoro

THE COUNTRY’S 1st POLYTECHNICU

Thales of Miletus (620-546 BC)

Confucius (555-479 BC)

Two General Fields of Learning

Difference between scientist and humanist

Lambot St., Poblacion, Bansud, Oriental, Mindoro

THE COUNTRY’S 1st POLYTECHNICU

The Study of arts includes:

THE HUMANITIES IN WESTERN CIVILIZATION

The Relationship of Arts and Humanities

Is humanities and arts the same?

What is the importance of arts and humanities?

Lambot St., Poblacion, Bansud, Oriental, Mindoro

THE COUNTRY’S 1st POLYTECHNICU

Why art is called as humanities?

The Place of Humanities in the History of Western Civilization

2. Theocentric View – Medieval (300 AD)

3. Anthropocentric View – Renaissance (1400)

4. Scientific-Technocentric View – Modern (1600)

Lambot St., Poblacion, Bansud, Oriental, Mindoro

THE COUNTRY’S 1st POLYTECHNICU

Western Concept of Art

Western Classification of the Arts

The Major Arts in Western Civilization

Lambot St., Poblacion, Bansud, Oriental, Mindoro

THE COUNTRY’S 1st POLYTECHNICU

Live performances before an audience are a form of entertainment. The development of

Minor Arts: Crafts

THE HUMANITIES AND THE FILIPINO PERSONHOOD

Lambot St., Poblacion, Bansud, Oriental, Mindoro

THE COUNTRY’S 1st POLYTECHNICU

The “Humanities” in Filipino Concept

Lalim – kaluluwa | budhi

Labas ng Pagkatao | Katawan (Physical)

Loob ng Pagkatao | Kalooban (Intellectual, Emotional and Moral)

Lambot St., Poblacion, Bansud, Oriental, Mindoro

THE COUNTRY’S 1st POLYTECHNICU

Lalim ng Pagkatao | Kaluluws (Spiritual)

Pre-Colonial Period (Before 1500’s) – Has our own cultural identity

Forms of Alienation Caused By Westernization of Filipino Culture

Some Recommendations for Developing a Filipino and Humanistic Perspective

Lambot St., Poblacion, Bansud, Oriental, Mindoro

THE COUNTRY’S 1st POLYTECHNICU

Becoming Filipino through the Arts

THE FILIPINO CONCEPT OF ART

Filipino Concept of Art

DAMIAN DOMINGO (1796-1834)

Lambot St., Poblacion, Bansud, Oriental, Mindoro

THE COUNTRY’S 1st POLYTECHNICU

- His patron was Sociedad Economica de los Amigos del Pais