Art and Beauty Theories

• Art does not always conform to traditional notions of beauty, unlike beauty, which seeks harmony

Beauty

• Beauty gives pleasure or satisfaction
• Beauty is connected to harmony, balance, and aesthetic appeal
• Beauty is subjective, as it is in the eye of the beholder
• Beauty is objective, implying it's an inherent property of objects
• Beauty, according to Immanuel Kant, has a universal appeal, regardless of individual perception
• Beauty can be natural or artificial
• Beauty is natural without manmade alterations
• Artificial beauty is manmade

Art

• Art evokes emotions or thoughts
• Aesthetic appreciation applies to art
• It encompasses various forms, including visual arts, literature, music, dance, and Theater

Theories of Art

• The Mimetic Theory, articulated by Aristotle, states that art is an imitation of reality or life
• Art reflects the world, representing nature, human actions, or emotions
• Art offers a deeper understanding of the world, imitating the essence or idealized form of reality and capturing its universal aspects
• The Expressionist Theory, articulated by Leo Tolstoy, argues that art expresses the artist's emotions, feelings, and personal experiences
• The artist communicates their internal state in a way that resonates with the viewer as art becomes a conduit for emotional expression and communication

Institutional Theory

• The Institutional Theory of art, proposed by Arthur Danto, suggests that art is not defined by inherent qualities like beauty or imitation, but by the cultural context where it is presented and recognized
• Art is determined by the "art world" (institutions, critics, curators, galleries) that shape what is recognized as art

Key Differences Between Art and Beauty

• Beauty seeks to please, create admiration, while art provokes thought, conveys messages, or expresses creativity
• Beauty is passive and based on appearance, whereas art engages viewers intellectually and emotionally

Understanding Perception

• Art is a universal form of expression, transcends cultures, time periods, and languages
• Appreciating art requires understanding how we perceive and explore it
• Perception is organizing and interpreting sensory information
• Cultural context includes the customs, traditions, beliefs, and history that belonging to a place or group, which influences art interpretation
• Open-mindedness, observation, researching the artist's intent and trusting your emotional response are tips for exploring art
• Arts are concerned with emotions and feelings, which is why people's reactions to art are primarily emotional
• People experience excitement, pleasure, and anger when viewing art

Areas of Art

• Visual arts are perceived through the eyes; ideas are selected by painters and sculptors
• Graphic arts broadly cover any form of visual artist representation
• Includes painting, drawing, photography, portraying forms and symbols on a 2D surface
• Commercial art includes designing books, advertisements, signs, posters, that promote a product, service, or idea
• Mechanical processes are developed by commercial printers for rapid, large-quantity reproduction of words and pictures in one or more colors
• Photography uses a chemical-mechanical process to produce images on sensitized surfaces by light, which can be in B&W or colors
• Plastic arts are visual arts where materials are organized in 3D, including architecture, landscape architecture, city planning
• Interior design, sculpture, crafts, industrial design, and dress and costume design

Literature-Related Art

• Literature combines spoken or written words with artistic and emotional meanings
• Essays are non-fiction, expository writing ranging from informal, personal topics to critical treatments of important subjects
• Fiction comes from the Latin word meaning "to form", "to invent" while it is divided into novels and short stories
• Poetry uses special forms and words for emotional images

Music

• Music arranges sounds in rhythmic succession and combination, using melodies to creat harmony
• It is creative and performing art
• Vocal music is composed primarily to be sung, using voice or voices with one or more instruments
• Instrumental music is written for instruments of keyboard, stringed, wind, and percussion types
• "Opera, beatbox and acapella are other forms of music"

Drama and Theater

• Drama or play is a story re-created on stage
• Tragedy is one of literature's greatest dramatic art forms, where the central character faces a sad or disastrous end, portraying suffering
• Melodrama emphasizes action over character, with sensational or romantic plots
• Comedy includes all plays with a happy ending
• Romantic comedy is a light, amusing tale of lovers with a happy ending
• Farce is a light, humorous play with jokes, physical action, silly situations, and characters
• Miracle and Mystery are dramatized stories from the Bible and lives of saints
• Morality represents specific vices and virtues in characters
• Closet drama is a term for plays written for reading, not staging

Dance

• Dance involves movement of the body and feet in rhythm.
• Social or ballroom dances are typically performed by pairs, like Waltz, Foxtrot, Rhumba, and Tango.
• Ballet originated in royal courts of the Middle Ages, has solo or concerted dances, and actions accompanied by music.
• Ethnolologic includes folk dancing associated with national and cultural groups
• Modern dances are contemporary or interpretive, with styles are based on current trends.

Art Creation Aspects

• An artist possesses skills that have exceptional skills in design, drawing, painting, and is more sensitive and creative
• Creativity is an artist's life trait developed through the course of his life to to solve problems or express feelings
• His trait gives life to new ideas and new methods with an artist as communicator and interpreter

Art Elements and Principles

• Art communicates thoughts, ideas, and feelings
• Visual elements of art are analagous, using side-by-side colors on the color wheel
• Warm color schemes use red, yellow, and orange to remind us of the sun, while artists use blue, green, and violet for cool colors

Elements of Art

• Color relies on light since the eyes see colors when light is reflected
• Hue means the name of a color (red, blue, or yellow) arranged in a circle with red, yellow and blue
• Value is hue lightness or darkness, which can be changed by adding white or black
• Intensity is the brightness or dullness of hue, with pure hues being high-intensity
• Monochromatic color scheme uses different values of a single hue

Lines as Art

• Lines send messages, it is defied as a path of a moving point
• Horizontal lines run parallel to the ground, which means they appear to be at rest
• Vertical lines that run up and down signify dignity, formality, and strength
• Diagonal lines signal action and excitement
• Zigzag lines are made from combined diagonal lines to display confusion and curved actions

Contour, Hatching, and Forms of Art

• Contour lines display edge of subject or outline subject
• Line quality refers to the the characteristics of the line drawn
• Cross contour lines are flow over subject, visible to shade with hatching and crossing
• Shading uses lines to develop value and is the darkness/lightness of a color
• Hatching is using liner strokes to develop the shading
• Cross hatching is developing value by crossing each other for value
• Every object has a shape by one or more Elements, but limited in two dimensions
• Geometric shapes are squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, and ovals
• Organic shapes are free forms with curves, or angles found in nature
• Forms have dimensions with Length, Width, and Depth