Define humanities.

According to Sanchez et al., the term humanities “comes from the Latin humanus, which means
human, cultured and refined."

"To be human is to have or show qualities like rationality, kindness, and tenderness.”

According to Dudley and Faricy,

the humanities constitute a “group of cultural subject areas” in which “human subjectivity and …
expressiveness are celebrated.”

These subject areas include philosophy and the arts (visual arts, literature, performing arts, and applied
arts).

According to Martin and Jacobus, the term humanities refers to “those broad areas of creativity and
study,” where “strictly objective or scientific standards are not usually dominant.”

The humanities “study… the reaches of human feeling in relation to values,” both personal and social.

human subjectivity

- quality of being personal, of coming from or taking place in an individual’s mind

subjective- personal or particular to an individual; proceeding from or taking place within an individual’s
mind and unaffected by the outside world (American Heritage Dictionary).

Why is the study of the humanities important?

According to Martin and Jacobus, as a “study that explores the reaches of human feeling in relation to
values,” both personal and social, the humanities increase our sensitivity to ourselves, others, and the
values in our world.

The humanities focus on the significance of the human being– what it is to be human (human identity)–
on human values, feelings and ideas and how humans express them (human expression and creativity).
By emphasizing human values and creativity, the humanities provide us hope and empower us amid
threats to human survival. (Martin and Jacobus)

ART (acc. to the American Heritage Dictionary)

the activity of creating beautiful things

works, such as paintings or poetry, resulting from such activity

the aesthetic values of an artist as expressed in his work

a craft or trade and its methods

A WORK OF ART

is an expression of a feeling, idea or experience, skillfully formed using a medium.

*expression- visual, auditory, or any other sensory expression

** medium- paint, sound, word,

body, etc.

Origin of the wrod "art"

Ars in ancient Latin meant a craft or specialized form of skill, like carpentry.

In medieval Latin, ars meant

any special form of book-learning, such as grammar or logic, magic or astrology.

(R.G. Collingwood, The Principles of Art)

ART APPRECIATION is the practice of studying and valuing art.

The twofold purpose of art is to delight and to instruct (dulce et utile, Horace on literature)

CLASSIFICATIONS OF THE ARTS:

Visual Arts (Painting, Sculpture, Graphic Arts, Architecture);

Literature;

Performing Arts (Theater, Film, Music, Dance);

Applied Arts

Note: These are traditional classifications of the arts. There are also hybrid forms, as well as later art
forms that at times may defy conventions, like performance art.

Poetry is the only permissible way of saying one thing and meaning another.

“When we held each other’s hands, I couldn’t tell which fingers were his and which were mine.”-
Sleepless in Seattle

The Look - By Sarah Teasdale

Strephon kissed me in the spring,

Robin in the fall,

But Colin only looked at me

And never kissed at all.

Strephon’s kiss was lost in jest,

Robin’s lost at play

But the kiss in Colin’s eyes

Haunts me night and day.

Art Criticism is the analysis and evaluation of artworks.

Art critics usually critique artworks in terms of a theory of beauty, or aesthetics. One goal of art
criticism is to provide a rational basis for art appreciation.
Art Criticism asks the following of an artwork:

MEDIUM. What is the artwork made of?

SUBJECT. What is it about?

ORGANIZATION/COMPOSITION. How is it put together?

FUNCTION. What is its purpose?

THEME. What does it say about an aspect of human life?

JUDGMENT. Is it any good? How good is it?

(adapted from Dudley and Faricy)

ART APPRECIATION (based from saylor.org)

FIVE-STEP SYSTEM FOR UNDERSTANDING VISUAL ART:

Description: a work of art from an objective point of view – its physical attributes and formal
construction.

Analysis: a detailed look at a work of art that combines physical attributes and subjective statements
based on the viewer’s reaction to the work [how parts are organized to form a whole].

Context: historical, religious, or environmental information that surrounds a particular work of art and
which helps one to understand the work’s meaning [factors that shaped a work] .

Meaning: a statement of the work’s content; a message or narrative expressed about the subject matter
[a comment on the subject].

Judgement: a critical point of view about a work of art concerning its aesthetic or cultural value. ADD
experience, affect and reception

ASSUMPTIONS OF ART

Art has been created by all people at all times; it lives on because it is liked and enjoyed.

Art involves experience.

Art is not nature.

(Dudley and Faricy. The Humanities)

ART APPRECIATION: FUNCTIONS OF ART

Works of art can describe things, tell stories, impart information, embody beauty, engage us emotionally,
elevate our spirit or inspire us, express ideas, challenge notions about art or other matters, or cause us
to react to or act on pressing social issues.

Works of art can perform a utilitarian function.

SUBJECTS OF ART

A subject is “whatever is represented in a work of art.”

“Not all arts have subjects.”

(Dudley and Faricy, Humanities)

SOURCES OF SUBJECTS OF ART

Nature (landscape, seascape, etc.)

History

Literature, incl. mythology and folklore

Religion (sacred texts, stories of saints, etc.)

Man-made objects and structures

Experiences

Imagination, dreams, etc.

Other works of art

Basic Tools of Visual Communication

Space

Dot
Line

Shape

Movement

Direction

Tone

Color

Texture

Scale and Proportion

Dimension

Perspective

PRINCIPLES OF VISUAL ART

Balance: refers to the equilibrium of visual forces. Balance may be either symmetrical or asymmetrical
(among other types).

Pattern: results from the repetition of elements in an artwork.

Movement and rhythm: refer to the way a painting controls the motion and pace of our vision.

Proportion: refers to the emphasis or relationship achieved by the scaling of sizes of shapes.

Proportion refers to the relative size of parts of a whole (elements within an object). In experiencing the
scale of an artwork, we tend to compare its size to the size of our own bodies. In an artwork, we also
infer the size of one object with that of another known, familiar object.

Unity: refers to the togetherness of details and regions to the whole, despite contrasts

Harmony in art and design is the visually satisfying effect of combining similar, related elements.

Variety/Variation: refers to the contrasts of details and regions to complement unity and create visual
interest, particularly in a pattern.
Contrast results from a marked difference (in size, value, hues, etc.) between objects. It is synonymous
with opposition or contradiction.

7. Emphasis: is the principle that creates a center of interest by putting more importance to one
element over other elements in a composition. It involves both dominance and subordination.

8. Gradation: refers to a continuum of changes in the details and regions (areas), such as the gradual
variations in shape, color value and shadowing, etc.

Composition in Art

Refers to the ordering of relationships: among details, among regions (or areas), among details and
regions, and among these and the total structure.

Techniques are the ways artists go about applying the principles of composition.

COMPOSITION:

RULE OF THIRDS

GOLDEN SECTION

HANDLING OF SPACE (ILLUSION OF DEPTH)

HANDLING SPACE:

ILLUSION OF DEPTH may be achieved through:

Overlapping of shapes

Making distant shapes smaller, darker and less detailed

Placing distant shapes higher

Moving from higher to lower saturation

Moving from heavier to lighter textures

Shading from light to dark

Using less saturated and cooler hues in the distance

Slanting lines inward (to a vanishing point)