WHAT IS ART?

Came from the Latin word ARS, which

means skill or craft.
We can give countless of definitions of
art because it is so vast and extensive,
you cant fit everything inside a box.
Also, not one definition applies for all
times and places.
It can be simple or complex.
Art is a primarily visual medium
that expresses ideas about our human
experience and the world around us,
formed with skill through use of a
medium.
Medium (plural media) type of tools
used to create the artwork. (i.e, clay,
fiberglass, paper, wood, paint, etc.)
Artists use their medium to express
their feelings and or personality to the
viewer.
Art:
o Assists in rituals (tribes of
ancient times put significant
tattoos that would attest that
they are an official member of
that tribe, batuk- a tattoo for
warriors of a certain tribe)
o Reflects customs (tombs or
Egyptian
coffins,
engraved
prayers, some believe that
would befall bad luck to anyone
who attempts to open it.)
o Shows how rich a civilization, a
country or a community is
o Communicates
o Helps us imagine the divine
(there are artworks that echo
religion or religious entities, i.e.
Buddha, saints)
o Commemorates the dead (i.e.
statues or portraits of heroes)
o Celebrates war and conquest
(i.e. Spoliarium by Juan Luna,
exposition, the Mona Lisa and
one of the most prized paintings
of the Filipino people.
It was a proof that Indios,
despite their so called barbarian

o
o

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

race, paint better than the

Spaniards who colonized them.)
Barbarian - a community or
tribe that doesnt belong to the
great civilizations, such as
Roman, Greek, etc.
Glorifies the state artworks
that uplift a nation
Political and social protests
(artworks
done
in
rallies,
figurative or symbolic)
Promotes cohesion (chemistry,
unity)
Records likenesses
Elevates or uplifts our spirits
Can show beauty
Can show injustices
Plainly, can show anything
Educates us (are you being
educated or informed?)
Used to impart information

FOR WHOM, WHERE AND WHEN IS ART?

Art is whatever a society or a culture

says is art.
Though it is not a universal or a
fixed definition.
It fluctuates (rise and fall irregularly)
because cultures are alive and
changing.
Only an enlightened (well-informed,
open-minded, aware, liberal) audience
can appreciate GREAT art.
If you cant appreciate ART yet, you
have to be enlightened.

ART AND AESTHETICS

What defines BEAUTY?

Beauty:
o Pleasing to the eye
o Eye candy
o Stimulates / Excites our sense of
sight
o We are influenced by what we
see.
o Whether we like it or not, we
are influenced by art, especially
those that we look at directly.

Art can be used to influence the

public.
(i.e.
Advertising,
Summer time, Halo-halo or ice
cream commercial.
When people have read Rizals
Noli
Me
Tangere
and
El
Filibusterismo, it stirred up
something in the hearts of the
Filipinos, and eventually led to a
revolution.)
When we say beauty, it is
visually attractive and wellcrafted.
A messy house is an eyesore.
But in those cozy homes with
dim lighting, it has this effect on
you that you feel relaxed, you
wanna sleep.

AESTHETICS - Art and Beauty combined.

-

It
is
a
branch
of
Philosophy that
deals
with art, its sources,
forms and effects

These artworks do not

depict a being, a place, or
a thing in the natural
world.

FORMS OF ART:
1. VISUAL ARTS
2. APPLIED ARTS
3. PERFORMING ARTS
I. VISUAL ART
- art works that entice our sense of sight
(vision)
* Some of the earliest artworks discovered
are drawings and paintings of humans and
wild animals on walls deep in prehistoric
caves.
e.g. Hand stencils, paintings of animals in
Lascaux Cave, France
* Earliest painting pigments were
minerals, plants, and even blood.

from

Beauty is SUBJECTIVE.
SUBJECTIVE ART- full of personal emotions,
thoughts, and feelings. It may be biased.
OBJECTIVE ART free of personal feelings
or emotions.
-

Not biased.
Focuses on the physical
characteristics, or the
obvious traits
Depicts something that is
easily
recognized
by
ordinary people.
Also
known
as
representational
or
figurative art.

NON-OBJECTIVE ART also known as nonrepresentational

or
in
easier
terms,
ABSTRACT.

Some branches of Visual art:

a. DRAWING a representation of any form
or object by hand through a medium such as
a pencil, charcoal, pen, etc.

b. PAINTING The practice of applying

paint, pigment, color or other media to a
surface such as canvas, wood, glass, etc.
- Pigments are commonly applied by
brush.

c. SCULPTURE (PLASTIC ARTS) the

branch of visual arts that operates in 3
dimensions and is usually molded by the
hands.
- Durable sculptural processes include
carving and modelling.
c.1. carving removal of material
c.2. modeling addition of material
* Petroglyphs mean rock carvings

d. CALLIGRAPHY the art of writing letters

in a manner that it looks visually appealing
- a special pen with a flat nib or
brushes dipped in paint is often used.

e. PHOTOGRAPHY the art of producing an

image of an object on a photographic film,
captured by a device called camera.

f. DIGITAL ART or computer art is widely

used in creating websites, video games, clip
arts, templates, etc. Digital technology has
given the art industry a boost since newer
and innovative tools have been developed.

II. APPLIED ARTS

- a part of Visual Art that has practical
application as well as functionality.

Some branches of Applied Arts:

a. ARCHITECTURE came from the Greek
word, Arkhitekton, which means chief,
builder, carpenter, mason.

- Both the process and the product of

planning, designing, constructing buildings
and other physical structures.
e. g. THE DOME OF FLORENCE CATHEDRAL
by BRUNELLESCHI; The PARTHENON in
Greece

b. FASHION DESIGN the art of designing

apparel that are aesthetically pleasing as
well as functional.
- Good design, great fit and impeccable style
are the hallmarks of a great fashion design.

c. JEWELRY DESIGN involves the design of

intricate pieces of jewelry from metals, wood
or plastic.
- A good jewelry design should not only have
a great design and style but should be
wearable too.
- metals that are primarily used for designing
jewelry are gold, silver, platinum, copper,
etc. Jewelry design also incorporates
precious and semi precious stones for its
execution.

d. WOOD CRAFTS Any object that is made

with wood that is aesthetically pleasing to
the eye as well as functional.
e.g. Furniture and Dcor Items

e. INDUSTRIAL DESIGN the use of both

applied art and applied science to improve
the aesthetics, design, functionality, usability
of a product, and may also be used to
improve
the
marketability
and
even
production.
e. g. Gadgets like cellphones and mp3
players, cars, sports shoes

e.g. modern dance, ballet, belly dance

f. INTERIOR DESIGN The art of planning
the design, layout and style of an
architectural space, be it home or office.

OTHER BRANCHES OF HUMANITIES:

- Includes furnishings, furniture placement,

layout of the interiors, ETC.

a. LANGUAGES the generic name given to

the study and improvement of the arts of
language. The scientific study of Language is
called Linguistics.

III. PERFORMING ARTS

The five strands of the language arts are

reading, writing, speaking, listening
and viewing.

- Art forms in which the artist uses his boy,

voice or objects to convey his artistic
expression.
- Performing arts include a variety of
disciplines but all are intended to be
performed in front of a live audience. It
is much appreciated and enjoyed by people.

b. LITERATURE covers a variety of uses of

language including prose forms such as
novel, drama, and poetry.

c. CLASSICS refer to cultures of traditional

antiquity. (ancient)
e.g. Ancient Greek and Roman cultures,
Hammurabi Code

Some Branches of Performing Arts:

a. MUSIC vocal or instrumental sounds (or
both) combined in such a way as to produce
beauty of form, harmony, and expression of
emotion.
* If you wanna be good in music, you
must have good listening skills. (Music is an
auditory art).
e.g. Orchestra, Concert

b. THEATER comes from the Greek word,

Theatron, concerned with acting out stories
in front of an audience.
e.g. Opera, Pantomime

c. DANCE moving the body in a particular

sequence and usually accompanied with
music

d. RELIGION the belief in and worship of a

superhuman controlling power, especially a
personal God or gods. It is a particular
system of belief and worship.