Defining Art: History and Evolution

• Abstraction broadly denotes the presentation of life's myriad forms through art.

Defining Art

• The word "art" originates from the ancient Latin term "Ars," signifying "craft or specialized form or skill," examples include carpentry, smithying, or surgery.
• In ancient times, art primarily involved creating useful items by hand for daily life, differing from modern conceptions.
• Medieval Latin defined "Ars" as "any special form of book-learning such as grammar, logic, magic or astrology".
• During the Renaissance, the term "art" reverted to its association with craftsmanship, losing attached connotations.
• By the 17th century, aesthetics—the study of beauty—separated from technical workmanship, which was the initial meaning of "art."
• The 18th century saw art evolve to differentiate between fine and useful arts.
• Human history illustrates cultural evolution from cave painters to skilled paintbrush users, revealing that humans have always expressed emotions and thoughts through art beyond mere survival.
• Art serves as a high form of cultural expression.
• Art embodies ideals, aspirations, and challenges existing assumptions.
• Art provides new pathways.
• Contemporary art is generally fine art.
• Before the Renaissance, art was functional crafts such as goldsmithing.
• The concept of autonomous art emerged gradually over time.

Assumptions of Art

Art is Universal

• Key literary art includes Greek epics like the Iliad and Odyssey, and Sanskrit pieces like Mahabharata and Ramayana.
• These age-old pieces are believed to be man’s attempt at recording passed-down stories and myths.
• Art is not good because it is old, but because it is inherently good.
• Art will persist as humans continually seek to express themselves and find joy in these expressions.

Art is Not Nature

• Art expresses man's interpretation, not duplication, of nature.
• Nature should not be expected in art, since art is created by man, whereas nature is a given.
• Artists do not simply replicate nature, differing from scientists in laboratories.
• Considerations when viewing artwork include questions like: Why did the artist create this?
• In every art piece, ask what the artist wants to convey.

Art Involves Experience

• Experiencing art involves "actual doing of something", not just definition.
• To know a thing, is different from hearing about it.
• Experiencing art is highly personal, individual, and subjective.
• Perception of art involves aspects of value judgement such as perception, tastes and biases.
• Every experience with art is accompanied by emotion, indicating whether one likes, dislikes, agrees, or disagrees with it.
• Stage plays or moving pictures evoke strong emotions.
• Emotions and feelings are proof that artwork has been experienced.

Summary of Key Points

• Since the beginning of humankind, art has been a fundamental aspect of human civilization.
• The common assumptions of art are universality, divergence from nature and need for experience.
• Art is global and timeless, it transcends mere mirroring, existing as an artist's unique creation.

Art Appreciation

• Jean-Paul Sartre defined art as a creative expression reflecting works in a different light due to human freedom.
• Each artwork beholds beauty in its own way, and the artist wants viewers to see what they do.
• Appreciation allows a deeper understanding and recognition of artwork's beauty.

Cultivating Art Appreciation

• Developing an appreciation for the beauty and fine qualities, one should exercise his/her taste.
• Go visit museums, galleries, performing arts theatres, and art shows during spare time.
• Appreciating art leads to a fuller, more purposeful life, regardless of profession.

Role of Creativity in Art

• Creativity requires thinking outside the existing parameters.
• Creativity solves a problem that was never previously seen, and combines function with style.
• Creativity makes life more unique, and sets artworks apart from one another.
• Creative artists should not simply copy or imitate.
• Artists should embrace their own style by injecting its own flavour.
• Being creative nowadays can challenging considering the possibility of someone else devising the same idea.
• The Department of Tourism used the tagline "It's more fun in the Philippines" that rose to popularity in 2011.
• The slogan was found to be plagiarized from one of Switzerland's taglines that was used way back in 1951.
• Creativity has to back up by diligent research to effectively prevent conflicts.

Art as Product of Imagination

• Knowledge stems from imagination.
• An artists gallery of work is not real, it is imaginary.
• It remains imaginary until it become something tangible.
• What is imaginary can still be called art.
• Empty spaces are not inspiring, therefore we see art around us to add desired, beautiful things.

Art as Expression

• An English Philosopher known as Robin George Collingwood states that artists should not try to induce an emotion but should express it.
• Expressing is not related/referred to something specific.
• Expression on the other hand, individualizes.
• There is not specific technique in expression.
• Art is a reflection of the inner selves.

Pre-historic Art

• Archaeological discoveries help societies understand ancient civilizations.
• Early human artifacts reflected a civilization's spiritual and economic matters.
• Limestone, gems and metals were used to create art and architecture.
• Everyday activities changed as they transition from being nomads to settlers.
• Artworks display central themes.

The Stone Age

• Humans established settlements during the the Stone Age.
• Humans created paintings/sculptures of humans, animals, and their environments.
• These serve as a record to how they lived their lives.
• Art, religion and life are possibly linked together.

Paleolithic Art

• Product of climate change.
• Caves gave protection from the cold.
• Cave artworks where able to be traced to Lascaux in France.
• These caves where found by two boys and their dog.
• The figures depicted on the walls were done with certain life and crispness.
• They evoked naturalism, through the contours of animals and their dark colours.
• Early humans used spray-painting techniques using reeds as their materials.
• Early humans worked with illusions of light and form.

Neolithic Art

• Neolithic art was developed to meet stable needs.
• Stonehenge in Southern England was erected by 4000 BCE.
• Some believed Stonehenge was a temple.
• Others thought Stonehenge was a calendar that tracked the movement of the sun and moon.
• Some believe magical events happened there, such as the story surrounding King Arthur's Merlin.
• Civilizations were flourishing by the time the Neolithic Period was coming to a close.
• The earliest civilizations emerged in river valleys.

Egyptian Art

• Fertile Ribbon flows from the banks of the Nile up North to Africa.
• Recognizing for their everyday life, Egyptians worshiped the Nile.

Periods of Egyptian Civilization

• Consists of Old, Middle and New Kingdom periods.

Old Kingdom

• Religion was tied to the afterlife.
• Tombs provided important people with a resting place for the next journey
• The Narmer palette was the most important cosmetic palette found in Egypt.
• It utilized dark colors that surrounded King Narmer's eyes.
• Symbol that commemorates the unification of upper and lower Egypt.

Great Pyramid of Giza

• It served as tombs.
• To provide a resting place for the Pharaohs.
• Constructed with a total of two million limestone blocks.
• Highlighted Egyptian art.

Middle Kingdom

• A shift in the Political Hierarchy occurred.
• Landlords started to threaten the pharaohs authority.
• Arts took a back seat.

New Kingdom

• Artists started to make references from both preceding kingdoms.
• They started building mortuary temples.
• Power and strength were inflated.
• Sculptures/monuments were linked to the deceased.
• Sculptures would show the real figure.

Post New Kingdom

• King Tut became king at a young age then died at eighteen years old.
• Howard Carter discovered his gold works in 1922.
• The body was covered in a gold mask.

Summary

• From prehistoric times through the Amarna Revolution, early humans shifted from nomadic to settled lifestyles, profoundly shaping civilization.
• Egyptians civilizations flourished in the Egyptian Kingdoms.
• Throughout all of this, art was used religiously and spiritually.
• Through art, there is the modern world has the ability to better understand the ancient period in time.

Art of Emerging Europe

Ancient Greece

• Reflected their democratic style of governing.
• Greeks favoured order.
• The core of this was belief and ideologies.
• Developments in greek are can be divided into 4 periods.

Geometric

• Was when Great was just starting to get up from the Dark Ages.
• Geometric shapes where highlighted.

Archaic

• It came from Greece's trading with other civilization.
• Origins of theatre and drama where seen in these civilizations.

Classical

• Peak in Greek sculpture and architecture.
• Emphasis creating artworks showing balance.
• In John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism (1879), enjoyment in the arts belongs to a higher good, one that lies at the opposite end base of pleasures.

Summary of Art Forms

Baroque and Rococo

• Derives from "barocco" (irregularly shaped pearl).
• Strengthened politics independent of religion.
• Artists took motion/space into account.
• Musical styles rose.

Neoclassism

• Claimed as 1863 Modern Painting Emergence.
• Influences from Greek and Roman styles were revived.

Romanticism

• Used the central themes of Neoclassical times.
• There was a lot of emphasize on patrotism.

Realism

• Mirrored depiction accuracy.
• Influenced by Hellenistic Style.
• Ideal concepts are replaced by the real world.

Impressionism

• Start in France leading to a break from European.
• Took shape within 1800s.
• Scientific principles were incorporated.

Cubism

• Visual arts style created by Pablo Picassor and Georges Braque.
• Highlights flat artwork.
• Rejects conventional art.

Fauvism

• Began in France around 20th Century.
• Used pure colours.

Futurism

• Originating in Italy.
• It exemplified speed and dynamism.

Modern Art of Today

• It is the ability to give something new meaning.

Functions of Art

Artist

• Artists express themselves
• Artists create art for therapeutic reasons.

Social

• Art with social intent, convey a message that artists want their work to carry.

Physical

• Crafted to serve purpose.

Other art

• Music used for worship, but expressing feeling (serenade) .
• People create statues.
• Architecture: most prominent.

Philosophical Perspective on Art

• Plato says artist just imitate.
• Plato says it clouds the judgement of people because of emotion.
• Aristotle agreed that art is an aid to philosophy in reviling truth.
• Art is not there just to represent it does to provide vision what art might be of the many possibilities.

Art as Disinterested Judgment

• Kant said, judgment of beauty of all things.
• Subjective to everyone.
• Individual has to move past certain bias.

Art as Communicant

• Leo Tolstoy said, arts plays a huge role in communication to its audience's.
• Transmitting one self.

Summary

• Some art has always played a role in function.
• The art is divided in to personal social and physical .

The Art World

• Artistic practices are now more intricate.
• In the last Century, some roles that have been in existence since from the beginning of art history have been ascribed with a name.
• There are multiple individuals who cooperate to ensure an artwork comes through.

Awards and Citations

• The National Artist award is the greatest national recognition presented to Filipinos for their contributions in music, dance, theater, visual arts, literature, film, broadcast arts, architecture, and allied arts.
• Jointly conferred by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Cultural Center of the Philippines and conferred by the President.

Indigenous Artistic Expressions

Indigenous People

• Every citizen and their culture has been inspired by art.
• Since the 14th century, they've been creating Islamic artworks.
• Culture identity is displayed in this way.

Livelihood

• Weaving is most famous.
• Originating in the pre colonial times of Cordillera tribal groups.
• Natives rely on straps to mass produce blankets.

Crafts

• Pina and barong tagalog are popular throughout the province of antique.

Traditional Craftmanship

• Jewelry (Central Southern Luzon and Mindanao regions).
• Metal Crafts (Southern luzon and Mindanao).
• Pots and Jars (ilocos region).
• Woven Fabric (Mindanao and corillderas of Northern Luzon.)
• Wood craving (Cordillera and Southern lazons).

Traditional

• Canaw cordilleraluton ritual dance.
• Inamong indigenous dance Tigwahanon.
• Kayle was a dance from Tblot Tansug.
• Manmanok vaganicolos war dance with blankets.
• Padita refers to certain ethnic groups in palawon.

Art

• It is everywhere you go at every people you see it had involved it and they had include it this past.