 THE NATURE OF ART

WHAT IS ART?
Ways of Defining Art, by Lisa Marder
There is no one universal definition of art though there is a general consensus that art is the conscious creation
of something beautiful or meaningful using skill and imagination. The definition and perceived value of works of art have
changed throughout history and in different cultures.

The Jean Basquiat painting that was sold for 110.5 million dollars at Sotheby’s auction in May 2017 would, no doubt,
have had trouble finding an audience in Renaissance Italy, for example.

Etymology
The term “art” is related to the Latin word “ars” meaning, art, skill, or craft. The first known use of the word
comes from 13th-century manuscripts. However, the word art and its many variants (artem, eart, etc.) have probably
existed since the founding of Rome.

Philosophy of Art
The definition of art has been debated for centuries among philosophers. “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.

Art as Representation: Mimesis.

Plato first developed the idea of art as “mimesis,” which in Greek, means copying or imitation. For this reason, the
primary meaning of art was, for centuries, defined as the representation or replication of something that is beautiful or
meaningful. Until roughly the end of the eighteenth century, a work of art was valued on the basis of how faithfully it
replicated its subject.

This definition of “good art” has had a profound impact on modern and contemporary artists; as Gordon Graham writes,
“It leads people to place a high value on very lifelike portraits such as those by the great masters – Michelangelo,
Rubens, Velasquez and so on – and to raise questions about the value of “modern” art – the cubist distortions of Picasso,
the surrealist figures of Joan Miro, the abstracts of Kandinsky or the “action” paintings of Jackson Pollock.”

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.

Art as Form
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was 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 of aesthetic interest. Formal qualities became particularly important when art became more abstract
in the 20th century, and the principles of art and design were used to define and assess art.

HISTORY OF HOW ART IS DEFINED

According to H.W Janson, author of the classic art textbook, The History of Art, “…we cannot escape viewing works of art
in the context of time and circumstance, whether past or present.

How indeed could it be otherwise, so long as the art is still being created all around us, opening our eyes almost daily to
new experiences and thus forcing us to adjust our sights?”

Throughout the centuries in Western culture from the 11th century on through the end of the 17th century, the
definition of art was anything done with skill as the result of knowledge and practice.

This meant that artists honed their craft, learning to replicate their subjects skillfully. The epitome of this occurred
during the Dutch Golden Age when artists were free to paint in all sorts of different genres and made a living off their art
in the robust economic and cultural climate of 17th century Netherlands.

During the 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 the pursuit of beauty and to express the artist’s emotions.

The Avant-garde art movement began in the 1850s 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 the 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, 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 the discovery and development of elementary principles of nature into beautiful forms suitable for human use. –
Frank Lloyd Wright

• Art enables us to fin 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 others
feelings he has lived through, and that others are infected by these feelings and also experience them. –Leo Tolstoy

Conclusion

• Today we consider the earliest symbolic scribblings of mankind to be art. As Chip Walter, of National Geographic,
writes about these ancient paintings, “Their beauty whipsaws your sense of time. One moment you are anchored in the
present, observing coolly. The next you are seeing the paintings as if all other art-all civilization-has yet to exist....creating a
simple shape that stands for something else-a symbol, made by one mind, that can be shared with others-is obvious only
after the fact.

• Even more than the cave art, these first concrete expressions of consciousness represent a leap from our animal past
toward what we are today-a species awash in symbols, from the signs that guide your progress down the highways to the
wedding ring on your finger and the icons on your iPhone.” (Marder, 2018)

Some comments about Art

• “Art is something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or
feelings.” –Merriam-Webster online dictionary

• “Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.” –Pablo Picasso

• “Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings.” –Agnes Martin

• “Art is a way of recognizing oneself.” –Louise Bourgeois

• “Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.” –Twyla Tharp

SOME BASIC ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT ART

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

Basic art criticism

The steps in art criticism by Matt Fussell
When we observe art, our minds go through a process. This process naturally translates into the steps of art criticism.
Following these steps will help us evaluate art effectively. It is important for us to be able to evaluate art.
If we are artists, we must recognize what is good and what is bad, so that we may become more successful at our craft.
If we are patrons, we must be able to discern success from failure as well. If we are teachers, we must teach our
students the mental process that people naturally go through when they look at and take in a work of art. This way our
students are better equipped to create successful artworks on their own, and understand why and how their artworks
are digested.

The four steps in art criticism are description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment.
• Description – The first step in art criticism is description. When we look at a work of art, our minds naturally take
notice of the general information that is present. For example, if we take The Mona Lisa, we notice, “Hey, this is
a painting of a woman.” When critiquing, start here with a simple description of what is seen in the artwork.
• Analysis – 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. In a critique, students should point out what is happening with these specific elements and
principles.
• Analysis – Many times, the formal qualities of the artwork are what makes the art successful. Students should
understand how these qualities work and what makes them successful in the artwork. They should also be able
to discern when these formal qualities are unsuccessful as well.
• Interpretation – Oftentimes, students will automatically skip to this step. We look for meaning in everything, so
this is natural. 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.
• Judgment – the last step in art criticism is judgment. Is this work of art successful? It is important if we are
teaching students, to guide them in this step. Remind students that the work of art may not be their favorite,
but it may still be successful. This way, we teach students 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 better artwork. (Fussell, “The Steps in Art Criticism” 2010)

The four steps in art criticism from Janice mason art museum
1. Description: Tell what you see (the visual facts)
1. What is the name of the artist who created the artwork?
2. What kind of an artwork is it?
3. What is the name of the artwork?
4. When was the artwork created?
5. Name some other major events in history that occurred at the same time this artwork was created.
6. List the literal objects in the painting (trees, people, animals, mountains, rivers, etc.)
7. What do you notice first when you look at the work(s)? Why?
8. What kinds of colors do you see? How would you describe them?
9. What shapes can we see? What kind of edges do the shapes have?
10. Are there lines in the work(s)? If so, what kinds of lines are they?
11. What sort of textures do you see? How would you describe them?
12. What time of day/night is it? How can we tell?
13. What is the overall visual effects or mood of the work(s)?

2. Analyze: Mentally separate the parts of elements, thinking in terms of textures, shapes/forms, light/dark or
bright/dull colors, types of lines, and sensory qualities. In this step consider the most significant art principles that
were used in the artwork. Describe how the artist used them to organize the elements. Suggested questions to help
with analysis:
1. how has the artist used colors in the work(s)?
2. What sort of effect do the color have on the artwork?
3. How as the artist used shapes within the work of art?
4. how have lines been used in the work(s)? Has the artist used them as an important or dominant part of the
work, or do they play a different roll?
5. what role does texture play in the work(s)? Has the artist used the illusion of texture or has the artist used
actual texture? How has texture been used within the work(s)?
6. How has the artist used light in the work(s)? Is there the illusion of a scene with lights and shadow, or does the
artist use light and dark values in a more abstracted way?
7. How has the overall visual effect or mood of the work(s) been achieved by the use of elements of art and
principles of design.
8. How were the artist’s design tools used to achieve a particular look or focus?

3. Interpretation: An interpretation seeks to explain the meaning of the work based on what you have learned so far
about the artwork, what do you think the artist was trying to say?
1. What was the artist’s statement in this work?
2. What do you think it means?
3. What does it mean to you?

4. How does this relate to you and your life?

 5. What feelings do you have when looking at this artwork?
6. Do you think there are things in the artwork that represent other things symbols?
7. Why do you think that the artist chose to work in this manner and made these kinds of artistic decisions?
8. Why did the artist create this artwork?

4. Judgment: After careful observation, analysis, and interpretation of an artwork, you are ready to make your own
judgment. This is your personal evaluation based on the understanding of the work(s). Here are questions you might
consider:
1. Why do you think that this work has intrinsic value or worth? What is the value that you find in the work(s)?
(For example, it is a beautiful work of art, conveys an important social message, affects the way that I see the world,
makes insightful connections, reaffirms a religious belief, etc.)
2. Do you think that the work(s) has a benefit for other? Do you find that the work communicates an idea, feeling
or principle that would have value for others?
3. What kind of an effect do you think the work could have for others?
4. 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 art? Could the subject matter by unappealing, unimaginative, or repulsive?
5. Rather than seeing the work as being very effective or without total value, does the work fall somewhere in-
between? Do you think that 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 that your own tastes
and prejudices may enter into your criticism. Give your positive and negative perceptions.

THE ARTIST AND THE ARTESAN

What’s the difference between an artist and an artisan? This question is comparable to the issue of what constitutes
art and what is labeled as a craft. An artist is someone engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the
arts, or demonstrating and 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.

Artists are creative individuals who use their imagination and skills to communicate in an art form. They use the
materials of an art to solve visual problems. Artists look to many sources for inspiration. Some look forward to their
natural and cultural environment for ideas; others look within themselves for creative imagination. Artists exhibit
the courage to take risks.

They are able to see their surroundings in new and unusual ways. They are willing to intensely for long periods of
time to achieve their goals. Some artists are self-taught and have been called folk-artists because they are not
educated in traditional artistic methods. Just like the artists, the artisans learn skills and techniques from some other
artists but eventually, both artists and artisans, develop their own unique styles.

On the other hand, 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 relative
cultural status, the distinctions are not in quality or artistic achievement but in function.

An artisan is a craftsman, such as carpenter, carver, plumber, blacksmith, weaver, embroiderer, and the like, who
produces directly functional and/or decorative arts. Artisans help us in meeting our basic needs, such as food,
shelter, clothing, dwelling, furniture, and kitchen utensils; they craft everything that makes our life easy. The
artisan’s works are useful, relevant and essential in our everyday life. They serve us for a long time, supplying us
directly functional arts.

The artisan is basically a physical worker who makes objects with his or her hands, and who through skill,
experience, and ability can produce things of great beauty, as well as usefulness. The artist on the other hand, is
someone devoted only to the creative part, making visually pleasant work only for the gratification and appreciation
of the viewer but with no practical value.

Though there may exist a perceived dissimilarity between an artist (a producer of art) and an artisan(a designer of
craft) in their relative cultural status, the distinctions are not in quality or artistic achievement but in function.

KEY COMPONENT OF THE ART MARKET

The art market is an economic ecosystem that relies not only on supply and demand but also on the fabrication of a
work’s predicted future monetary and /or cultural value. The art market can appear somewhat unclear since artists
do not make art with the sole intention of selling it, and buyers often have no idea of the value of their pleasure.

The following are the important players in the art market:

CURATOR - A curator, who is a manager or overseer, and usually a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution
(e,g, gallery, museum, library, or archive), is a content specialist charged with an institution’s collections, selecting
arts to be displayed in a museum, organizing art exhibitions in galleries or public places, researching artists, and
writing catalogs and involved with the interpretation of heritage.

ART BUYER - An art buyer is a professional who is knowledgeable in art, who may scout talents for an advertising
agency seeking to employ an art director, or who may look for an art for a collector or a company.

ART DEALER - An art dealer is a person or a company that buys and sells works of art. Art dealers often study the
history of art before starting their careers. They have to understand the business side of the art world. They keep up
with the trends in the market and are knowledgeable about the style of art that people want to buy. They figure out
how much they should pay for a piece and then estimate the resale price. To determine the artwork’s value, dealers
inspect the objects or paintings closely and compare the fine details with similar pieces.

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS - This is personal owned collection of works, usually a collection of art. In a museum or art-
gallery environment, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by the institution, but is on loan from an
individual or organizations, either for temporary exhibition or for the long term. The source is usually from a school,
church organization, from a bank, or form other private company or any institution.

RECOGNITION AND AWARD FOR ARTIST AND ARTISAN

1. Gawad sa Manlilikhang Bayan (GAMABA) National Living Treasure Award
The award is conferred upon a Filipino citizen or group of Filipino citizen engaged in any traditional art uniquely
Filipino, whose distinctive skills have reached such a high level of technical and artistic excellence and have been
passed on to and widely practiced by the present generation in his/her community with the same degree of
technical and artistic competence.

HOW DOES ONE BECOME A MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN?

a. Possess a mastery of tools and materials needed for the traditional, folk art and be a maker of works of
extraordinary technical quality;
1. Have consistently produced works of superior quality over significant period;
2. Have engaged in a traditional and folk art which has been in existence and documented for at least fifty (50) years;
3. Command respect and inspire admiration of the country with his character and integrity;
4. Must have transferred and/or willing to transfer to other members of the community the skills in the traditional
and folk arts for which the community has become nationally known.
5. However, a candidate who, due to age or infirmity, has left him/her/them incapable of teaching further
his/her/their craft, may still be recognized provided that he/she/they must possess the qualifications as enumerated
above.

Duties and Responsibilities of Awardees

The Manlilikha ng Bayan is a link between the past, in which his/her traditional folk art found fertile soil for growth,
and the future, during which he/she seeks his/her art to be permanently sustained. It becomes his/her
responsibility, therefore, to undertake the following: (a) to transfer the skills of his/her traditional folk art to the
younger generation through apprenticeship and such other training methods as are found to be effective; (b) to
cooperate with the implementing agency, as provided for in Sec. 7 of this Act in the promotion and propagation of
his/her traditional folk arts; and (c) to donate to the National Museum a sample or copy of his/her work.

List of GAMABA (Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan) AWARDEES

• Ginaw Bilog (+2003) Poet, Hanunuo Mangyan, Panaytayan, Oriental Mindanao 1993
• Masimo Intaray (+2013) Musician and Storyteller, Pala’wan, Brookes Point, Palawan 1993
• Samoan Sulayman (+2011) Musician, Magindanao, Mama sa Pano, Maguindanao 1993
• Lang Dulay (+2015) Textile Weaver, T’boli, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato 1998
• Salinta Monon (+2009) Textile Weaver, Tagabawa Bagobo, Bansalan, Davao del Sur 1998
• Alonzo Saclag (Musician and Dancer, Kalinga, Lubugan, Kalinga 2000
• Federico Caballero Epic Chanter, Sulod-Bukidnon, Calinog, Iloilo 2000
• Uwang Ahadas Musician, Yakan, Lamitan, Basilan 2000

DESCRIBING THE WORLD OF ART

 “The subject is a means to an end, the end being excellence in artistry.” -Theresa Bayer
  “The subject itself is of no account; what matters is the way it is presented.” -Raoul Dufy
 “The purpose of art is to stop time.” -Bob Dylan
 “It is the function of art to renew our perception. What we are familiar with we cease to see. The writer shakes
up the familiar scene, and, as if by magic, we see a new meaning in it.” -Anais Nin
 “Perhaps the mission of an artist is to interpret beauty to people – the beauty within themselves.” –Lngston
Hughes

SUBJECT AND CONTENT IN ART

SUBJECT – In almost all art forms-painting, sculpture, photography, music, literature, theater, or dance-there is a
subject that serves as the foundation of the creation of the work of art. The subject matter is the most obvious
aspect of an artwork. It is what the work of art depicts or represents. It may be a person, an object, a scene, or an
event. The subject provides the answer to the question: What is the work of art all about?

The subject matter of art should not be the basis for judging works of art. It doesn’t mean that representational arts
are superior to non-representational arts. Some arts have a subject, others do not. Furthermore, works that depict
pleasant subjects are not necessarily greater than works that depict unpleasant subjects. What matters most in art is
not the subject matter, but how well the artist handles or presents that subject matter in his or her work.

TWO BASIC CONSIDERATION ON ART

FORM – the physical and visible characteristics inherent in works of art. Materials or medium used to create or
to contain the artwork. The development and configuration of the art work – how the elements and the medium
or material are put together; the “how”
CONTENT – the meaning we derive from them. Formal distinctions include a work’s size, medium (painting,
drawing, sculpture or other kind of work) and descriptions of compositional elements such as the lines, shapes
and colors involved. The meaning that is communicated by the artist or the artwork; the “why”
SUBJECT - the visual focus or the image that may be extracted from examining the artwork; the “what”

Subject vs. Content

The subject matter is the literal, visible image in a work while content includes the connotative, symbolic, and
suggestive aspects of the image. The subject matter is the subject of the artwork, e.g., still life, portrait, landscape, etc.
While content is not subject or things in the work of art but it is the communication of ideas, feelings and reaction
connected with the subject. When we look at an artwork its content is what is sensed rather than what can be analyzed.
It is the ultimate reason for creating art.

TYPES OF VISUAL ART ACCORDING TO SUBJECT

There are two basic types of Visual Art according to the subject matter. These types are representational or
figurative art and non-representational or non-objective art.

REPRESENTATIONAL/FIGURATIVE ART
Representational artwork aims to represent actual objects or subjects from reality. They are artworks which are
based on images which can be found in the objective world, or at least in the artist’s imagination; i.e., images which can
perhaps be named or recognized.

Subcategories under representational art include Realism, Impressionism, Idealism and Stylization. All of these forms of
representational arts represent actual subjects from reality. Although some of these forms are taking steps toward
abstraction, they still fall under the category of representation.

Representational art is perhaps the oldest of the three types of art. It is also the easiest to identify from a viewer’s
perspective. It also represents the largest collection of artwork created and has gone through many phases and
movements, yet the principle of presenting the viewer with the recognizable subject matter has stayed the same.

Also termed figurative art because the figures depicted are easy to make out and decipher. Painting, sculpture, graphic
arts, literature, and theater arts are generally classified as representational, although some paintings and sculptures are
without subjects.

Johann Anton Eismann, Meerhaven. 17th c.

This figurative or representational work from the seventeenth century depicts easily recognizable objects–ships, people,
and buildings. But artistic independence was advanced during the nineteenth century, resulting in the emergence of
abstract art. Three movements that contributed heavily to the development of these were Romanticism, Impressionism,
and Expressionism.

NON-REPRESENTATIONAL/NON-OBJECTIVE ART
 Non-objective is another way to refer to non-representational art. Essentially, the artwork does not represent or
depict a person, place, or thing in the natural world. Usually, the content of the work is its color, shapes, brushstrokes,
size, scale, and, in some cases, its process.

Many people have difficulty in understanding the differences between abstract art and non-objective art. The clear
difference lies in the subject matter chosen. If the artist begins with a subject from reality, the artwork is considered to
be abstract. If the artist is creating with no reference to reality, then the work is considered to be non-objective.

Mondrian's work, such as "Tableau I" (1921), is flat; it is often a canvas filled with rectangles painted in primary colors
and separated by thick, amazingly straight black lines. On the surface, it has no rhyme or reason, but it is captivating and
inspiring nonetheless.

Robert Delaunay, Le Premier Disque, 1913

Delaunay's work is a primary example of early nonrepresentational art, bearing no trace of any reference to anything
recognizable from the real world. In nonrepresentational art, for instance, one is unlikely to find references to
naturalistic entities.