Humanities

The Nature Of Art

What is Art?
Art : Derived from the Latin - Ars
Refers to any object, thing or procedure, which express feelings and sentiments, ideas, imagination Anything which shows skills in using materials, techniques & procedures Activities that express aesthetic ideas by use of skill and imagination in its creation

What is Creative Art?

Something produced with the INTENTION of giving it the capacity to SATISFY the AESTHETIC interest INTENTION = a combination of DESIRE and BELIEF to create something (artwork) for a purpose (that purpose is to satisfy the aesthetic interest) Artist not same with Artisan

The Importance of Art

Art is the most important means of expression The study of art is the study of mankind Art is a potent cultural force Art cultivates self-expression, imagination, creativity and critical thinking

The Value of Art

The Value of Art lies in its contribution:
Source of Inspiration Influence to change our life Change society

The Division of Art

Commercial Art Art for art sake

The Languages of Art

Primary Language (innate language of art) Secondary Language (conventional terms) Third Language (Interpretations/Criticisms

Factors Affecting The Work of the Artist

Identifying Art Conceptually

The object or event is made by an artist The object or event is intended to be a work of art by its maker Experts agree that it is a work of art (NOTE: one can not always determine these criteria only by perceiving the work)

Is this an Artwork?

Is this an Artwork?
shovel

Jim Dine
1962

What do we Perceive in an Artwork?

Fussion

Frank Morrison
2011

http://thepaintednote.com/tag/painting/

What is Perception?
Perception: what we can observe Conception: what we know we think we know We perceive: Artistic Form Content Subject Matter Participation

Artistic Form
Implies that the parts or elements we perceive, such as line, color, and shape in a painting have been organized in the most profound effect possible

FORMALISM
Composition no. 10

Piet Mondrian
1939-42, oil on canvas, 80 x 73 cm, private collection.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formalism_%28art%29

Artistic Form
Artistic form as distinct from nonartistic form, involves a high degree of perceptible unity (But how can we determine what is a high degree?) Artistic form (significant form) means the interrelationships of elements

http://twistedsifter.com/2009/06/stunning-open-concept-house-six-ramsgate-singapore-real-estates/

Left Figure: Execution in Saigon By: Eddie Adams, 1968

Right Figure: May 2, 1808 (Dos De Mayo) By:Francisco Goya

http://twistedsifter.com/2009/06/stunning-open-concept-house-six-ramsgate-singapore-real-estates/

Mont Sainte Victorie Photograph

Mont Sainte Victoirie Oil on Canvass Paul Cezanne, 1886-1887

Participation
The ultimate test for recognizing a work of art is how it works in us
Participative experiences of works of art communions Participation involves undivided and sustained attention (not spectators attention)

Participation & Artistic Form

Artistic form is a pre-requisite if our attention is to be grasped and held
Artistic form makes our participation possible

Participation & Artistic Form

Clive Bell to appreciate artwork - we need to bring with us nothing fArtistic form asrom life, no knowledge of its ideas and affairs, no familiarity with its emotions Robert Fry The presence of artistic form is all that is needed to identify a work of art

Content
Unless a work has content meaning fused or embodied with its form, a work is not art Artistic form always informs it has meaning or content Content as we experience it when we participate, is always ingrained in the artistic form We do not perceive an artistic form, then later its content- we perceive them as inseparable (we can separate them analytically) If the form and content are perceived separately, it is a weak art, less artictic

Subject Matter
The content is the meaning of a work of art the content is embedded in the artistic form But what does the content interpret? We shall call it the subject matter
Content is the interpretation by means of an artistic form subject matter

Subject Matter & Content

Female nude constitutes a subject matter fundamental to Western Art
Most of these artworks (with nudity as subject matter) are Masterpieces because they are highly valued Their value is because of the powerful interpretations of their subject matter, not just rendering of the human body

Sleeping Venus (Giorgione)

Bather Arranging Her Hair (Pierre Auguste Renoir)

Reclining Nude (Amedeo Modigliani)

Nude Under a Pine Tree (Pablo Picasso)

Great American Nude (Tom Wesselmann)

Olympia (Edouard Manet)

Reclining Nude (Suzanne Valadon)

Pregnant (Alice Neel)