What is art?

What is Art?
This first lesson in appreciation deals with the meaning of art and how art
affects our lives. You will also explore your personal ideas and feelings
about art.

Learning Outcome

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. explain the meaning of art in your lives

2. discuss the definitions of art
3. explore your personal ideas and feelings about art

Etymology of Art

The word Art originally comes from the Aryan root word “ar” which
means “join,” or “put together.” From the Greeks, the word Art is artizein,
meaning “to prepare”. Latin terms are and artis mean everything that is
artificially made or composed by man. The word art is often used to
describe the visual arts, which consists of painting and sculpture; the
performing arts like music, dance, film and theatre; the literary arts which
includes poetry, short story and novel; and the industrial art which covers
architecture. Combined arts or mixed arts are a combination of two or
more basic arts like dance, drama and film.

Nature of Art

1. Art is everywhere.
It is found in museums, galleries, in garments and accessories we
wear, designs of houses built for us, styles of vehicles, melody and
sound of music, different food delicacies, rhythmic movement of
dance, etc.
2. Art is a human activity that promotes enjoyment and satisfaction to
us viewers and it lessens the drabness and weariness of everyday
life. The doer of these “artworks” is called the “artist” and

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 he produces his works with great skill because his intention of
creating his works of art is to share them to others and to satisfy
their aesthetic interest.

3. Art is concerned with the expression of man’s thoughts and

emotions as beautiful or not beautiful.

Leo Tolstoy, in his essay “What is Art?” says that:

“Every work of art causes the receiver to enter into a certain kind of
relationship both with him who produced, or is producing, the art, and
with all those who, simultaneously, previously, or subsequently, receive
the same artistic impression.”

Art is a means that enables us to express our emotions, intellect and

ideas. Through art, we can communicate to the world our inner feelings
and our creativity that only exists within our minds.

Views of Art

1. Aristotle, Greek (384-322 BC)

“A work of art should be evaluated based on mimesis (imitation),

how faithfully the artists recorded what they saw in the natural
world.”

For Aristotle, the works of art are best judged according to likeness
or resemblance. Art, however is not mere copying but it is how the
artist presents his artwork better or worse than what the object or
man usually was, or it does not fall short the average standard.

2. Plato, a Greek, 2500 years ago, believed that art depended on

harmony created by symmetry and proportion. This ancient Greek
temple combined both ideas beautifully.

Example: The Parthenon. Its construction started in 477 B.C. and

was completed in 432 B.C. by architects Iktinos and Kallikrates
with Phidias, Greek Building Online (www.greatbuildings.com/)

3. Leonardo da Vinci - “The individual artist should engage in

intellectual activity of a higher order and attempt to capture the
inner life - the energy and the power – of a subject”

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What is art?
Example: Head of Leda, 1505-1507, Leonardo da Vinci, Da Vinci
(www.drawingsofleonardo.org)

Georgia O’Keeffe, American, 1887 – 1896 “I have painted what each

flower is to me and I have painted it big enough so that others would
see what I see."

Example: Red Poppy, 1927, Artworks of Georgia O’Keeffe

(www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/okeeffe_georgia.html)

4. John Dewey said, “Art is an attitude of a spirit , a state of mind –

one which demands for his own satisfaction and fulfilling, a
shaping of matter to new and more significant form”

Example: Parenthesis Flower, 1995. Wax, Plexiglas.

5"x5"x1"(dewey@thing.net)

5. Leon Battista Alberti quotes, “A man can do all things if he but wills
them.”

Example: Façade, 1472-92 Sant'Andrea, Mantua, ALBERTI, Leon

Battista Italian architect (b. 1404, Genova, d. 1472, Roma), Web
Gallery of Art

6. John Ruskin, English, 1819-1900, said, “Fine art is that in which

the hand, the head and the heart of man go together.”

Example: John Ruskin's Study of Gneiss Rock, Glenfinlas, 1853.

Pen and ink and wash with Chinese ink on paper, Ashmolean
Museum, Oxford, England (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ruskin)

7. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) said this about art, “My opinion is
that the best thing would be to work on till art lovers feel drawn
toward it of their own accord, instead of having to praise or to
explain it.”

Four Common Points of Art

From the definitions of art:

(1) art is a product of man

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(2) art is creative

(3) art is shared to satisfy others

(4) art is expressed in different styles through certain media that enable
the artist to communicate his idea and feelings to his viewers or
recipients.

Major Themes of Art

1. The Human Form

Art using the human form as its theme is broken down into three
categories: the portrait, the human figure and narratives. The
portrait usually focuses on one person. The artist concentrates on
showing important, beautiful and interesting or famous people.

2. The Natural World

The natural world can be expressed in these three areas: plants,
animals, landscapes.
Artists celebrate the wonders of the living world around us. Laurel
leaves were created by the Greeks and adapted by the Romans, as
a symbol of respect and value.

3. The Spiritual World

The spiritual artwork may be seen in three categories: images of
heroes and religious figures, ritual objects and places of worship.
Every culture believes in the higher power that oversees all beings.
The art of Egypt is heavily influenced by spiritual and religious
ideas and culture that extends back thousands of years

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What is art?

References

Cathey, A. L. (1990). The nature of art. USA: Library of Congress

Cataloguing in Publishing Data.

Chaudhari, M (Retrieved from buzzle.com on March 5, 2011)

Tagore, R. (2010).What is art? LLC: Kessinger Pulishing. Reprint.

Tolstoy, L. (graf) Jone, W. G What is art? Russia: Bristol Classical Press.

www.artshow.com/.../WorkshopDisplay

www.greatbuildings.com

www.drawingsofleonardo.org

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figuredrawing

environental-audit.net

absolutearts.com

www.humanitiesweb.org

www.fg-a.com/backgrounds.htm

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