Art Appreciation

What is Art?

Art is the process or product or deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses
or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, an models of
expressions including music an literature.

Art is an expression of thought through a visible medium. It is about looks an appearance. It is

about pleasing or displeasing the eye. – Anne91 Airaudi

Art is a form and content. Form means (1) the elements of art, (2) the principles of design, (3) the
actual, physical materials that the artist has used. Form, in this context is concrete an fairly easily
describe – no matter which piece of art is under scrutiny. “Content” is idea-based and means (1)
what the artist meant to portray, (2) what the artist actually did portray and (3) how we react, as
individuals, to both the intended and actual messages. It also includes ways in which a work was
influence – by religion, or politics, or society in general, or even the artist’s use of hallucinogenic
substances – at the time it was created. – Shelley Esaak

Art is the expression or application of human creative skill or imagination, typically in a visual
form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciate primarily for their beauty or
emotional power.

What is Art Appreciation?

Art appreciation is the knowledge and understanding of the universal and timeless qualities that
identify all great art.

Art appreciation involves having an understanding of all the qualities that comprise a great work
of art.

Art appreciation involves learning about certain time periods, movements, styles and techniques
so that a person has a better understanding of the basis for the art as well as of the art itself.

What is Aesthetics?

Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty; deals
with the question of beauty an artistic taste.

Types of Art
A. Major Arts

1. Architecture – is the art of science of building; specifically, the art or practice of designing and
building structures and especially habitable ones.

2. Dance – is a sport and art form that generally refers to movement of the boy, usually rhythmic,
and used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or
performance setting.

3. Fashion Design – is the applied art dedicate to clothing and lifestyle accessories created within
the cultural and social influences of a specific time.

4. Literature – comes from Latin word littera which means letter. In broad sense, it means any
written work.
5. Music – is an art form whose medium is sound organized in time. Common elements of music
are pitch (melody and harmony), rhythm (tempo, meter and articulation), dynamics, and
the sonic qualities of timbre and texture.

B. Minor Arts

1. Decorative Art – is concerned with the design and decoration of objects that is chiefly prized
for its utility, rather than for its purely aesthetic qualities, like ceramics, glassware,
basketry, jewelry, metal ware, furniture, textiles, clothing and many others.

2. Graphic Art – refers to the art of drawing or painting or printmaking which focuses on visual
communication and presentation.

3. Industrial Art – is tantamount to practical arts,, such as engineering, metalworking or carpentry.

4. Plastic Art – includes those visual arts that involve the use of materials that can be mole or
modulate in some way, often in three dimensions. Examples are clay, paint and plaster.

5. Popular Art – refers to any dance, literature, music, theatre, or other art form intended to be
received and appreciated by ordinary people in a literate an technologically-advanced
society dominated by urban culture.

6. Painting – is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface like
wall, paper, canvas, wood and glass.

7. Sculpture – comes from the Latin word sculpere, which means to carve. It can be defined as the
art or practice of creating three-dimensional forms or figures through carving, modeling
and casting.

Types of Artists

A. The Visual Arts B. The Performing Arts C. The Literary Arts

1. Architect 1. Actor 1. Essayist
2. Designer 2. Composer 2. Novelist
3. Painter 3. Dancer 3. Poet
4. Photographer 4. Instrumentalist 4. Playwright
5. Sculptor 5. Singer 5. Scriptwriter

The Importance of Art

1. Art communicates feelings and emotions expressively and forcefully.

2. It connects people around the world.
3. It stimulates our thoughts when recreating the message of the artist.
4. It is a great tool for learning.
5. It reminds us of people’s selfless actions and what they believe in.
6. It serves as a source of inspiration and aesthetic pleasure.
7. It makes the surrounding look better an complete.
8. It commemorates certain occasions.
9. It transforms us into highly cultures an respectable human beings
10. It makes us human.

The Process of Art Appreciation

1. Description – In this step, objective observations about what is seen is noted. Describe only
the facts such as the name of the artist, his or her nationality, and information about
 him/her; the name of the artwork or the year/s it was made. Describe as well the details
that is seen in the art work such as the line shape, form, space, texture, color and value.

2. Analysis – In this step, a consideration for the most significant art principles used in the
artwork should be noted. Principles like, Balance, Contrast, Emphasis, Harmony, Variety,
Unity, Gradation, Movement, Rhythm, Proportion, Depth, and Composition.

3. Interpretation – Based on the artwork, what have you learned so far? What do you think was
the artist trying to say? Why did the artist create this artwork? What do you think does
this mean? What feelings do you have when looking at the artwork? Do you think there
are things in the artwork that represent other symbols?

4. Judgment – Do you like the artwork? Is it a good artwork? Is it important? Then justify your
opinion, explain why you feel the way you feel about the artwork. Always present a
criteria in judging/ appreciating the artwork.

The Different Theories of Aesthetics

1. Imitationalism – The aesthetic which applies to artwork that look very realistic. These
artworks contain recognizable, realistic looking objects and scenes that closely imitate
what we see in the real world.

2. Formalism – The aesthetic theory which focuses on the effective arrangements of lines, colors,
shapes, and other elements of art. They are not intended to look realistic. A formalist
artwork is considered to be successful if the artist has created a visually interesting
design.

3. Emotionalism – The aesthetic theory which stresses the expressive qualities in an artwork. The
primary purpose of an emotionalist artwork is to vividly communicate moos, feelings an
ideas to the viewer. The main focus is to get the viewer’s attention in a dramatic way to
impact the viewer’s emotions.

VISUAL ARTS
The visual arts are art forms which focus on the creation of works, which are primarily visual in
nature such as drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, and filmmaking.

The following are elements which are used in the development of visual arts:

Medium – the material used to make a work of art. Different mediums have different effects.
Example: Coffee, sand, oil, acrylic, mud, clay, etc.

Tension – a controlled dramatic quality or pairing of opposites in works of art.

Example: Contrasting white and black; Asymmetrical formations of sculptures.

Perspective – the two to three dimensional quality of artwork, and its successful use draw a
viewer more deeply into the artwork. Seeks to create a form, distance and makes the art look
real.

Plan – the pattern, organization, or map system of art, how its parts or divisions are arranged
such that the viewer’s divisions are arranged such as their eyes drawn to the key parts.