Art Appreciation Overview

Art Appreciation

• Art appreciation is the ability to interpret and understand man-made art, enjoying it through actual work.
• Art is considered a humanities subject.

The Subject of Art

• Art is used in representing ideas through artwork.

Representational or Objective Arts

• Art that depicts recognizable subjects. Most people can understand these works.

Non-Representational or Non-Objective Arts

• Artworks with no resemblance to a real-life subject.

Functions of Art

• Aesthetic Function: Art creates an appreciation for beauty and joy.
• Utilitarian Function: Art provides comfort, convenience, and necessities for human beings (e.g., food, clothing, medicine, transportation).
• Cultural Function: Art transmits and preserves knowledge, traditions, customs, and skills from one generation to the next.
• Social Function: Art fosters unity, understanding and better relationships, thereby improving society.
• Fine Arts/Aesthetic: Made for aesthetic enjoyment through senses.
• Practical Arts/Utilitarian: Intended for practical uses.

Visual Arts

• Visual arts are perceived by the eyes.
• Graphic Arts: Painting and photography.
• Plastic Arts: Organized in three dimensions.

Visual Arts - According to Purpose

• Practical Arts (Useful Arts): Designed to produce items for human needs.
• Liberal Arts: Intended for intellectual growth through studies of philosophy, literature, mathematics, and science. They aim to develop intellect, creativity, and moral capacity of students.
• Fine Arts: Focused on creative activity for aesthetic enjoyment and uplifting the spirit. They preserve and promote cultural heritage including values, traditions, and histories of diverse communities. Fine arts allow individuals to express emotions, creativity, and ideas, enhancing critical thinking and emotional intelligence.
• Major Arts: Characterized by actual and potential expressiveness (e.g., music, poetry, sculpture).
• Minor Arts: Concerned with practical uses and purposes.

Visual Arts - According to Media and Forms

• Plastic Arts: Works existing in physical space that are perceived using senses.
• Phonetic Arts: Utilize sounds and words as a medium of expression.

Mediums of Visual Arts in 2D

• Water Color: Has a less luminous effect and easier to use.
• Fresco: Applied to a moist plaster surface using lime water mixture.
• Pastel and Chalk: Dry pigments held together by gum binder and compressed into sticks.
• Oil: Mixed with linseed oil, produces a glossy finish, and dries slowly but lasts long. Expensive, good for flexibility. Applied to canvas for paintings.
• Tempera: Mineral mixture with yolk or egg white or ore.
• Encaustic: Using wax colors by applying heat.

Mediums of Visual Arts in 3D

• Acrylic: Widely used by painters, quickly drying, transparent.
• Stained Glass: Small colored glass pieces held together using lead.
• Tapestries: Fabric with woven designs created from threads.
• Mosaic: Pictures made of small pieces of stone or glass laid on a surface (e.g. wall, floor, or decorative items).
• Crayons: Pigments bound by wax, used as colored sticks by students.
• Charcoal: Made by carbonizing materials from heating wood.
• Stones, Granite, Marble, Jade, Ivory, Metal, Bronze, Copper, Gold, Silver, Lead, Plaster, Clay, Glass, and Wood: Used as materials for 3-D artwork.

Techniques of Visual Arts

• Technique is a process or method of using a medium, allowing the artist to create as they wish.
• Printing: A duplicate of an original artwork, not merely a reproduction making multiple prints.
• Relief Printing: the process of cutting away a portion for design details that are not needed.
• Intaglio Printing: The reverse process of relief printing for an impression.
• Planographic Process: A surface painting where printing occurs in some areas but not others.
• Stencil Process: Using a stencil as a guide for applying design to a surface.

Printmaking

• Is a form of duplicating different copies of original works of art, not merely reproductions. Each print is considered an original work.

Mediums and Techniques

• Silkscreen: A method for creating multiple color prints.
• Photography: Using a camera to create a visual likeness of objects and scenes.
• Dancer: Uses body movement as a medium.
• Theater Artist: Uses stage design and production to communicate and bring stories together on stage.
• Photographer: Uses a camera to record the world around them.
• Musician: Uses sounds and instruments.
• Film Maker: Uses cinematographic cameras to display recorded video.
• Print Maker: Uses ink.
• Painter: Uses pigments (water colors, oil paints, tempera).
• Architect: Uses wood, bamboo, brick, and stone to create 3-D structures.
• Sculptor: Carves or shapes from metal, wood, stone, and clay to create 3-D forms.

Explore the fundamental concepts of art appreciation in this quiz. Delve into the differences between representational and non-representational art, and understand the various functions of art in society. Perfect for anyone interested in the humanities and the role of art.