CONARTS

Everything about ART

What is art?
 A tool for communication. As long it is a venue for one to convey or express thoughts,
emotions, or aspirations.
 Every artwork reflects the artist and his/her society.
 A manifestation of the various creative disciplines. It is produced by human creativity
and skill to express oneself.

Forms of Art
 Literary Arts
 Media Arts
 Visual Arts
 Performing Arts

EXPERIENCES
a. Human interaction and responses
b. Encounters the vision

PROCESSES
a. Creative thoughts
b. Materials and Techniques
PRODUCTS
a. The outputs = the artworks
b. Can be called a Composition

WHAT IS A WORK OF ART?

A work of Art is one’s person’s vision of human reality, our hopes, desires, fears and experiences
which is expressed in a particular artistic medium, and is shared with other people.

Characteristics of Art

 Non-restrictiveness. If the originator intends it to be art, then it is one!

 Human Enterprise. We come in contact w/ other human being. Engage = desire to respond.
 Medium of Expression. Does not have to be scripted to express. At most non-verbal.
 Communication. Sharing / interested in the interaction. SYMBOLS, not SIGNS

Functions of Art

 Entertainment. Provides escape. Treat us to a pleasant time. Entertain us

 Political and Social Weapon. Seeks to bring change. Modify behaviors of people/group. Attack /
convey truth
  Therapy. Treat physical & mental illness. Art therapy in counselling. Laughter strengthens the
immune system
 Artifact. Represents the ideas and technology of time and place. Connects us to our past
 Day-to-Day Life. Mirrors daily living. Shows the community and the livelihood. Skill = norm
 Cultural Expression. Uniqueness in a culture. The people as a whole
 Self-expression. Personal preferences. Style and Talent
 Religious & Spiritual Purposes. Represents the ideas and beliefs of a particular culture.
Connects us to our past.

Forms of Art

Visual Arts
 Associated with a wide array of artistic disciplines that are appreciated primarily through
sight. We use the term visual art to describe the arts we can see – space art. They
include the different art forms and disciplines such as fine arts, decorative arts and
contemporary arts.
Fine Arts
 “Artworks that are readily associated with ART”. Was first used to describe the art forms
created primarily for their appearance than their practical use.
Decorative Arts
 Also known as decorative crafts. Artworks that are both aesthetically pleasing and
functional. E.g. Textile Arts, Glassware, Jewelry, Furniture, Metal Craft, Interior Design.
Contemporary Arts
 New and unusual art forms that could not be easily categorized between fine arts and
decorative arts –could be a blend of the two. Include recently conceived art styles and
techniques that are experimental in nature (avant-garde).
Auditory Arts
 We use the term auditory art to describe the arts we can hear – time art.
Performing Arts
 We use the term performing art to describe the arts of visual and auditory combined.

Contemporary Arts

 “Art made and produced by artists living today.”

 It is not restricted to individual experience but it is reflective of the world we live in.
 Artwork that is created by today’s contemporary artists and has a world view, and is
sensitive to changing times.

ELEMENTS/PRINCIPLES OF CONTEMPORARY ART

APPROPRIATION
 Existing artworks are appropriated to produce another artwork. Usage of prints,
images, and icons to produce another art form. Combines past from the present.
Revives interests to existing forms of art.
PERFORMANCE
 Performance evolved to “emphasize spontaneous elements of chance”. (Walker Art
Center). Interpreting various human activities such as ordinary activities such as chores,
 routines and rituals, to socially relevant themes such as poverty, commercialism and
war.
SPACE
 Arts transforming space. For example, flash mobs, art installations in malls and parks.
 Site specific art forms – art form that is performed and positioned in a specific space
such as public places.
HYBRIDITY
 Usage of unconventional materials, mixing of unlikely materials to produce an artwork.
For example, coffee for painting; miniature sculptures using crayons.
TECHNOLOGY
 Usage of technology in the creation and dissemination of art works. Video phenomenon
from MTV to Youtube. Recording performances, video posting, sharing, live streaming.

Elements of Description
Three elements constitute contemporary art description: subject matter, materials, and art elements
and principles
Subject Matter
 What you see is depicted in the artwor. May be a human form where the figures are
engaged in an activity, or a combination of texture and color
Material
 What the artwork is made of. Can be a combination of objects used in the artwork
The Art Elements and Principles
 Physical qualities of the image. Color, lines, space and other elements to create visual
image. Arranged into an organized manner that observes unity, harmony, rhythm, or
other principles of design in a creative way

Interpretation and Analysis of Contemporary Art

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

 Laid the foundation for artistic modernism that has influenced contemporary artists.
Viewers of art should not put themselves in a state of sensory awareness, give up their
personal interests, and not associate art with anything when they respond to it. Art as
independent of any purpose or utility other than aesthetic value
Aesthetics
 The branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, beauty, and value of art objects
and experiences. Involves appreciating, understanding, and judging the value of art
 Psychic distance- Viewer should rise above time, place, and personal biases to reach a
judgment of art to which all reasonable people would agree.
Roger Fry (1866-1934) and Clive Bell (1881-1964)
 The artist’s intent or any social influence that went into the making of an artwork should
be disregarded
 Only the form is important and attention to other aspects of the artwork such as subject
matter, narrative content, function to a culture or references to the ordinary world, are
considered distractions
 Post World War II

Harold Rosenberg (1906-78)

 “a painting is not a picture of a thing; it’s the thing itself;” artists should “just paint” and
not care about anything else”.
Andy Warhol (1928-87)
 “everything is art”. Pop art demanded social and cultural interpretations. Boundaries
between high art and low art and between elite and popular audience were challenged.
Arthur Danto (1924-2013)
 “art need not be beautiful; it need not have a pictorial subject; and need not deploy its
forms in pictorial space”.
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
 Dropped the three-dimensional forms as well as “art, the beautiful. Eliminated the need
to have an art object itself because the idea is more important than the finished work.
Arnold Hauser (1892-1978)
 Believes in the social history of art. Visual image is a window to a specific time and
space, to culture or to a social condition. Artwork can “infer into the milieu or social
environment in which the artist lives or from where the artwork comes; it can also
account in terms of its actual origin for the outlook on life”.
 Contemporary trends in art-making became pluralistic, open to many variations in
subject matter, content, form and material.
 The artist is free to deconstruct or recontextualize art.
 The art that takes into account the uniqueness of the individual, creativity and artistic
genius, and unawareness of the art marke.

Postmodernism vs. Modernism

 Modernists attempt to be pure in their use of medium and believe in the possibility of
universal communication.
 Postmodernists believe that originality has to do with raising an issue rather than with
inventing a new image; invention and uniqueness are no longer essential in making art.
Embrace a much wider array of art-making activities and projects, and tend to be
eclectic regarding media and freely gather imagery, technique and inspiration from a
wide variety of sources, much of it from pop culture.
Art Analysis
 Starts with a description of the artwork. Requires an understanding of the content by
separating the parts of the subject matter. Leads to the grasping of the artwork’s
organizational structure, nature, function, and value.
 Determination of subject matter through naming events or issues associated with the
artwork.
 Discussion of how the qualities of the artwork contribute to its appearance, image or
function.
 Effect of the materials/medium used.
 Your reaction to the artwork.
Art Interpretation
 Employed by the viewer after describing and analyzing an artwork. Focus is on the
expressive qualities, the meaning, theme, mood, or idea communicated by the artist.
Main idea and overall meaning of the artwork. Interpretive Statement: “Can I express
 what I think the artwork is about in one sentence?”. The evidence inside or outside the
artwork that supports your interpretation.

Visual Elements
Line
 An element of art that is used to define shape, contours, and outlines, also to suggest
mass and volume. It may be a continuous mark made on a surface with a pointed tool or
implied by the edges of shapes and forms.
 Characteristics:
a. Width- thick, thin, tapering, uneven
b. Length - long, short, continuous, broken
c. Direction- horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curving, perpendicular, oblique,
parallel, radial, zigzag
d. Focus- sharp, blurry, fuzzy, choppy
e. Feeling- sharp, jagged, graceful, smooth
Types of Line:
 Outlines- Lines made by the edge of an object or its silhouette.
 Contour Lines- Lines that describe the shape of an object and the interior detail.
 Expressive Lines- Line that are energetic and catches the movement and gestures of an
active figure.
 Sketch Lines- Lines that captures the appearance of an object or impression of a place.
 Calligraphic Lines- Greek word meaning “beautiful writing.” Precise, elegant
handwriting or lettering done by hand. Also artwork that has flowing lines like an
elegant handwriting.
 Implied Line- Lines that are not actually drawn but created by a group of objects seen
from a distance.

Shapes

Categories of Shape
 Geometric Shapes-Circles, Squares, rectangles and triangles. We see them in
architecture and manufactured items.
 Organic Shapes-Leaf, seashells, flowers. We see them in nature and with characteristics
that are free flowing, informal and irregular.
 Positive Shapes-In a drawing or painting positive shapes are the solid forms in a design
such as a bowl of fruit. In a sculpture it is the solid form of the sculpture.