CHAPTER 1
good tastes and manners indicative of
Humanities and the Arts
“Man is the measure of all things.” – Protagoras
(481-411 BCE)
Vitruvian Man (1490) – Leonardo da Vinci
Man continues to evolve in knowledge and
technology thus leaving an indelible mark of his
legacy.
Why Study Humanities?
Humanities came from the Latin word
“humanus” which means, human, cultured and
refined.
Humanities (Arts and Music, Literature,
Religious Studies, History, Philosophy)
- (Generally)Contains the records of
man’s quest for answers.
- (Simply)Studies man and the manner in
which he conducts himself from the
time of his existence to present (Martin
and Jacobus, 2004)
- (Knowledge) composed of academic
disciplines that make it distinctive
(natutukoy) in both content and
method from the physical and biological
sciences and from the social sciences.
- (Study) devoted to understanding the
different phenomena within the human
cultural contexts.
- (Expressions) individual manner of
expressions and documented to
compare in the past, present, future
humans.
- To be human is to show characteristics
of rationality, benevolence and care.
- (alam ang tama at mali, kabaitan,
maalagain)
- To be cultured and refined is to show
good, proper education
(tamang asal, paguugali, at tamang
karunugan)
Fundamental Principles of the
Humanities
 Human nature is inherently good
 Individuals are free and are capable of
making choices
 Human potential for growth and
development is virtually unlimited
 Self-concept plays an important role in
growth and development
 Individuals have an urge for self-
actualization
 Reality is defined by each person
 Individuals have a responsibility to both
themselves and to others
Nature of Arts
 Art > Aryan root “Ar” which means “to
join or put together”
ART
- Oldest and most important means of
expression developed by man.
- Is Subjective employs the use of
perception, insights, feelings and
intuition.
- Through Humanities deals with man’s
internal world.
- Provides enjoyment and stimulation
Latin term “sars”,”artis” means everything
that Is artificially made or composed by
man.
Humanities through arts deals with man’s
internal world, his personality and experience
- Art is subjective: it employs the use of
perception, insights, feelings and intuition.
- Art provides enjoyment and stimulation
- Art provides people with an image of
themselves, to enable them to further
understand their nature, passions and desires.
Functions of Art
Functional Art Forms – architecture, weaving,
and furniture-making serves functions the make
a man’s life better
Non-functional Art Forms – painting, sculpture,
music. Literature, dance and theatre serve
purposes far beyond mundane survival
functions.
Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata- listening to it
does something to the human spirit, giving hope
and making him realize how amazing it is just to
be alive.
ALL ART FORMS GENERALLY HAVE THE
FOLLOWING FUNCTIONS:
 The human need for expression
o Thoughts, emotions,
imaginations, dreams and
aspirations are expressed in this
art
 The social need for display, celebration
and communication
o Share and convey the art to
others, may empathize and may
realize that people are
connected
 The physical needs for functional
objects
o All art is man-made. All
technology is art. The creation
o of functional objects to make
human life better.
Art: As Viewed by Philosophy
Philosophy as a field of discipline has attempted
to explain almost all aspects of human
existence. Aesthetics is the philosophical study
of beauty and taste.
PLATO (428 – 347 BCE)
- Philosopher of Ancient Greece
- Known for his Dialogues (The Republic)
that includes his famous teacher,
Socrates
- Have loved and hated the arts at the
same time
- Good literary stylist and a great story
teller.
- The originals are called the Forms.
 Art is Imitation
o Art is imitation of physical
things. Art is a copy of a copy
which leads people farther from
away the truth. At best, art are
great for entertainment
 Art is dangerous
o Art has power to stir emotions.
So arts should not go
uncensored. (mentioned in The
Republic.
- Artist are people who have the ability to
make a better copy of the true Form.
ARISTOTLE (382-322 BCE)
- Famous Philosopher of Ancient Greece
- Student of Plato
- First distinguished between what is
good and what is beautiful.
- Good (expresses Actions) Beautiful
(Motionless)
 - Symmetry and Definiteness
- In his Poetics, physical manifestation of
beauty is likewise affected by size. Not
too big nor too small.
- Arts aim to give pleasure and in giving
pleasure.
- Painting and sculptures were seen as
representation, imitation of ideas,
imagination or reality.
- Considered art as imitation of or
representation of nature.
Poets, according to Aristotle, imitated
three things:
 Things and events which have been or
still are;
 Things which are said to be seen and
are probably; and
 Things which essentially are.
IMMANUEL KANT (1721-1804)
- German Enlightenment Philosopher
- In 1763 he wrote treatise on Aesthetics
entitled, “Observations on the Feelings
of the Beautiful and Sublime”
- Interests beauty
- Beauty rests on the manner which
people respond to objects or things.
- Beauty is a matter of taste.
Kant explained that taste can be both
Subjective and Universal
 Subjective Taste
o Does not focus on the
properties of the object itself
but rather of the pleasure one
experiences as he responds to
it. (Waw artwork, ang galing
ang ganda ng pagkakagawa
daming nagawang meaning)
 Universal Taste
o Non-aesthetic and does not
consider the beauty of the work
of the mastery of the artist, but
rather, the artwork is
appreciated for what it is. (Waw
artwork, nice yun na yun).
- Color only used for its decorative
function.
Artists and Artisans
Artist – a person who exhibits exceptional skills
in the visual and/or the performing arts.
Artisan – a person who is in a skilled trade that
involves making things by hand.
The Art Forms
 Painting
o Best described as application of
pigment to a surface
 Sculpture
o An art form that is best
described as three-dimensional.
 Architecture
o Most functional of all art forms.
 Music
o Art of sound expressed through
a song, through instruments or
a combination of both.
 Dance
o Art of body movements that is
attuned to a musical piece.
 Literature
o Art of using words to express
thoughts, ideas, and feelings.
 Theatre
o The performance of drama.
Visual arts include painting, sculpture and
architecture while music, dance and theatre are
consider as performing arts.
Appreciating Arts
The Study of Arts is aimed at engaging
the audience to have a relationship with the
work that would make them understand art not
only itself but from the view of the artist, the
period, the culture, and the society on which it
was created. An audience should be able to:
 Give good physical description of the
artwork based on their knowledge of
art elements and materials
 Analyze the artwork in terms of what
the artist wants his work to represent
and their subjective reaction to the
works which includes their thoughts
and feelings.
 Perceive the artwork in the context of
its history.
 Give meaning to the artwork based on
its description, analysis and context.
 Judge the artwork as to whether it is
good or bad based on the perception of
it and its aesthetic and cultural value.
Appreciating art is essential to man’s
understanding of himself and his psychic need
to seek expression.
Art is here to stay. It is man’s legacy. It is the
proof that he together with others have sought
to express the working of his mind and achieve
immortality.
The Scream
- By the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch
- Second most famous image in art
history
CHAPTER 2
Art Subject Defined
Subject refers to what the work represent it
could be a person, an object a scene or an
event.
Representational or objective arts – artworks
that have subjects.
Non-representational or non-objective arts –
artworks that do not have subjects. Non-
objective arts do not represent descriptions,
stories or references to identifiable objects or
symbols.
- Color usually conveys mood.
- Bright and dark hues affect how a piece
of painting may be interpreted.
- Light and delicate lines suggest gaiety
- Dark, heavy ones communicate
foreboding or heavy feeling.
Sculptors and painters have opted for non-
objective art.
Artist of objective art can choose any object
that inspires them for their art. Their choices is
virtually unlimited.
SOURCES OF OBJECT
Art is human expression and the artist’s choice
of subject are clues to their inner world which
tells viewers how their art should be
interpreted.
The following are the sources of the artist’s for
their works.
 Nature – most popular source of
objective art. Mountains, trees, animals,
landscapes.
 People – Human subjects, whether real
or imagined. Works can range from a
single subject to a group.
 History – historical art works depict real
events which are verifiable facts that
occurred in the past. Purpose of such
works are either to commemorate
events or to teach history to the
viewers.
 Legends – based on legends present to
viewers of the art something tangible
even when unverified. Art brings “life to
these stories”.
 Religion – based on the sacred text
 Mythology – can also be based on the
stories of the gods and goddesses of
Ancient, Greece, Rome.
 Dreams and Fantasy – intrigue of the
unconscious also inspires artists to
present it through art for others to see,
relate and interpret.
 Technology – modern era with its tall
buildings and amazing machines are
also subject matter for the artist.
Ways of Presenting the Subject
 Naturalism – In Greek (Hellenistic) art,
gods and heroes, looked and behaved
like human beings. Not focus on specific
attributes of and individual but more on
universal characteristics.
 Realism – portraying the subject as it is.
Most popular way of presenting art
subjects.
 Abstraction – abstract means “to move
away or to separate from”. Move away
from reality.
a) Distortion – subject is
misshapen or twisted out
b) Elongation – stretched
vertically and/or some parts
lengthened to give the
impression of thinness.
c) Mangling – Artists show subject
as cut, lacerated, mutilated or
hacked with repeated blows.
d) Cubism – presented through
the use of figures: a cone,
cylinder, sphere, triangle,
square, and cube. Forms in their
basic geometrical shapes.
 Symbolism – visible sign of something
invisible such as an idea or quality. The
key to deciphering symbolic art involves
studying the background and
personality of the artist.
 Fauvism –used bright colors applied to
a surface, painted pictures of comfort,
joy and pleasure.
 Dadaism – Dada is French for hobby
horse. Aims to show the wickedness of
society.
 Futurism – wanted their art works to
capture the speed and force of the
modern industrial society.
 Surrealism – deeper meaning, true and
ugly part of human nature.
 Expressionism – strong emotions,
depicts the emotion aroused by objects
and events. Involve chaos, sadness,
tragedy and defeat.
CHAPTER 3
The Artist and His Medium
 Visual artists – use the visual arts as
their venue of expression. These include
the painters, the sculptors, and the
architects.
 Creative artists – are more adept at
writing words and arranging musical
 notes. These include the writers, poets,
composers.
 Performing artists - express their art
through execution in front of an
audience. These include singers,
dancers, actors and musicians.
 Visual arts – perceived by the eyes. Its
medium are those materials that can be
occupy space.
- Graphic or two-dimensional art which
include drawing, painting, mosaics,
collage and printmaking.
- Plastic or three-dimensional arts which
include sculpture, architecture and
installations.
 Auditory or time arts – medium for this
art is the viewers can ear and which are
expressed time.
 Combined arts – medium for these art
are those viewers can see and hear
which considers both time and space.
These includes dramas, dance, and
cinema.
The Process of Art Production
The Medium
- influenced by certain considerations
such as: the availability of the material,
the nature and special characteristics of
the material.
- inherent limitations as well as
potentials.
The Technique
- Artists knowledge of medium and his
skill in making it achieve what he wants
it to, is the artists technique.
- Artists can also vary their techniques
depending on what they want to show.
- Artists exploring different medium and
also vary and update his techniques.
- wise artists should not stop learning.
Curation
- derived from the Latin word ‘curare’
which means to take care.
- involves managing, overseeing and
assembling or putting together.
o Curator – responsible for the
acquisition of objects. He is the
one who decides on what
objects to select to be part of
the collector or exhibit.
The Different Media of the Visual
Arts
A. Graphic or Two-Dimensional Arts
 Drawing – fundamental skill
needed in the visual arts.
Forms of drawings:
 Sketch – shows the
general organization or
a design of a product
being planned.
 Cartoon – is a full-size
work meant to be used
as a guide or basis for
the real work.
1. Pencil
- made of graphite
comes in different
hardness soft to hard or
thickness from thick to
needle like.
- 6b indicates the
softness of the lead
- Graphite pencils are
capable of producing
different kinds of lines
and a variety.
a) Hatching – series of thin parallel lines
run in the same direction.
b) Cross-hatching – series of thin parallel
lines and criss-crossing it with another
set of thin parallel lines.
c) Stippling – using the sharp point of the
pencil to make dot patterns to create
depth in some parts of the drawing.
d) Blending – using the finger or a paper
stump to gradually change the tone
from dark to light.
2. Ink - oldest material for drawing.
Pen and ink drawings are
characterized by controlled
uniform lines.
3. Pastel
- composed of dry pigments
held together by a gum
binder and compressed into
sticks.
- 3 kinds of pastels: soft
pastel, hard pastel and oil
pastel.
a. Stippling – using pastel of
different colors to produce small
marks, thus creating pattern.
b. Feathering – using the point of
the pastel to make parallel strokes
creating a feather like effect.
c. Scumbling – layering using pastel.
The side of the pastel is lightly drawn
on top of an existing color.
d. Impasto – thickly applying the
pastel by pressing it hard to create
opaque effect.
e. Sgrafitto – applying a thick deposit
of pastel on the support then using a
blunt pen, scrapes. Underlying color
and create the design.
4. Charcoal
- organic medium that comes
from burnt wood
- compressed charcoal and
manufactured charcoal that
made from loose charcoal
mixed with a binder and
pressed into sticks
- Soft charcoal produces dark
velvety tones. Hard charcoal
produces light, gray ones.
5. Paper
- most common surface used
in two- dimensional art
- an organic material made
from woods, grass and linen
rags.
3 types of paper
1. hot-pressed paper – smooth
2. cold-pressed paper –
moderate texture
3. rough paper – most texture
(tooth).
 Painting
- describe as the art of
creating beautiful effects on
a flat surface.
- describe as the art of
creating beautiful effects on
a flat surface.
Pigment is the part of the paint
that gives color. It is fine
powder which was grounded
from clay, stone, mineral,
vegetable matter or produced
by chemical process.
Different Media Used for Painting.
1. Water Color
- the pigments are mixed
water and applied to paper.
- Paper is the most commonly
used ground for watercolor
2. Gouache
- The pigment has been mixed
with water and added with a
chalk-like material to give it
an opaque effect.
3. Oil Paints
- Pigments are mixed with oil
as its binder
- Discovered by a Flemish
painter Jan Van Eyck
- Surface for oil paints are
canvas and wood.
- Thick impasto to produce a
rough surface which gives
the work the element of
texture.
4. Tempera
- Pigment mixed with egg yok
(sometimes with the white)
as binder.
- Dries quickly and the colors
do not dull or yellow with
age.
5. Fresco
- Mixed with water and
applied on a portion of the
wall with wet plaster
6. Acrylic
- modern medium of synthetic
paint using acrylic emulsion
as binder.
- Quick drying quality of water
color and is as flexible as oil
paints.
 Mosaic
- Made of small tiles or
irregularly cut pieces of
colored stones or glass
called tesserae.
 Collage
- Derived from a French word
‘coller’ which means to
stick.
- Gluing or pasting on a firm
support materials or found
objects.
 Printmaking
- Process used for making
reproductions of graphic
works.
- Repeated transfer of a
master image from a
printing plate (matrix) onto
surface.
1. Relief Printing (Raised)
- oldest method of
printmaking
- cutting away using knives or
gouges
2. Intaglio Printing (Depressed)
- opposite of relief printing
- the lines of the image are
cut or incised to a metal
plate
3. Surface Printing (Flat)
- Includes all process in
which printing is done from
a flat surface (plane).
Example of this type is
serigraphy or silkscreen
printing.
-
Plastic or Three-Dimensional Art
 Sculpture
- Word sculpture originated
from the Latin word
‘sculpere’ which means to
curve.
- Art of practice of creating
three-dimensional forms or
figures.
- Described as having length,
width and volume
3 kinds of Sculpture
1. Freestanding (in the round)
- Sculptures which can be
viewed from all sides.
-
 2. Relief 3 types of Casting ;
- Sculptures in which the 1. sand-casting
figures project from a 2. plastic casting
background 3. lost-wax casting
Types of relief sculptures
 Low relief (bas relief) Different Media of Sculpture
- figures are slightly  Stone
raised/projected from its - Is a natural medium. Hard
background, less shadows and relatively permanent.
are created. - Stone will last for many
 High Relief years
- Almost half of the figures - Marble is the most
project from its beautiful stone for
background, or more sculpture
shadows are created.  Wood
3. Kinetic (mobiles) - Also a natural medium
- Sculpture that capable of - Easy to work on
movement by wind, water - In the Philippines, the best
or other forms of energy. woods for sculpture are
- Molave, Acacia, Langka
THE PROCESS OF CREATING wood, Ipil wood,
SCULPTURES Kamagong, Palm wood and
bamboo.
.1.) Subtractive process - Narra is a Philippine hard
- Removing or cutting away pieces of the wood
material to form the figure. - Technique to protect wood
- Use of tool like chisels, hammers, saws (staining and waxing)
and grinders.  Metal
- “freeing” the figure that is hidden or - Has three unique qualities:
trapped within the material tensile strength, ductility
2.) Additive process and malleability.
- Involves the construction of a figure by - Metal can turn into
putting together beautiful sculptures is
- Modeling and assembling example of through assembling
this process (welding) and casting.
3.) Process of Substitution 1. Stainless steel
- Also knows as casting - Known as Inox steel
- Using a mold to produce a 3D figure in - Combination of steel and
another material chromium
- Liquid form
2. Bronze
- An alloy of two elements: tin
and copper.
- Reddish-brown -
3. Brass
- is an alloy of copper and zinc
that gives it a yellowish
golden color.
- More malleable than bronze
and has a lower melting
point -
 Plaster
- Specifically, Plaster of Paris
finely ground gypsum
mixed with water and
poured into a mold.
 Terra cotta (cooked earth)
- Baked clay or clay fired in a
kiln at a relatively high
temperature.
- Major weakness of clay is
its fragility; it breaks easily.
 Glass
- Made by heating and
cooling a combination of
sand and soda lime.
- May be transparent,
translucent or opaque.
1. Hot sculpting
- Using a metal rod to gather
the molten glass from the
furnace and shapes it using
another tool.
2. Cold working
- Using cold hardened glass.
- Involves sandblasting,
engraving, polishing and
grinding.
3. Glass blowing
- a synthetic medium made
from organic polymers