Forms and Functions of Art

Forms of Art

• Painting: Creating meaningful effects on a flat surface using pigments.
• Sculpture: Designing and creating three-dimensional forms, representing natural or imaginary shapes.
• Architecture: Designing and constructing buildings and other structures.
• Music: Combining and regulating sounds of varying pitch to create compositions expressing ideas and emotions.
• Dance: Using the human body as a medium to perform a drama or play.
• Theater: Re-creating a story through actors on a stage.
• Motion Picture: A popular addition to the various forms of theatre.
• Literature: Combining spoken or written words to create artistic and emotional forms.

Functions of Art

• Directly Functional Art: Art with a practical purpose in daily life.
  • Example: The Grand Mosque in Cotabato, serving as a place for religious activities, while mesmerizing onlookers.
• Indirectly Functional Art: Art focusing on aesthetic value.
  • Example: Ang Kiukok's "Fishermen," visually appealing but not practical. Statues like Guillermo Tolentino's "The Oblation."

Types of Art Functions

• Personal Function: A medium for artists to express feelings and ideas. Enhances awareness of diverse perspectives. Provides therapeutic value, especially in music.
• Social Function: Influences or reflects collective behavior.
  • Example: Commemorative artworks like statues of heroes or leaders in parks. Public displays that celebrate social ideals and historical events.

Kinds of Art Subjects

• Still Life: Arrangement of inanimate (non-living) objects.
• History: Depicting factual past events.
• Religion: Serving religious themes.

Subject of Art

• Representational Art: Depicting real-world objects/events.
  • Example: Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
• Non-Representational Art: Does not reference the real world, focusing on shapes, lines, and colors.
  • Example: Jackson Pollock's Number 1A.

Content in Art:

• Content: The meaning or message expressed by the artist.
• Levels of Meaning:
  • Factual Meaning: Recognizable forms and their relationships in artwork.
  • Conventional Meaning: Based on motifs, signs, and symbols with shared interpretations.
  • Subjective Meaning: Derived from viewers' personal experiences, knowledge, and values.
• Physical Function: Art that improves comfort. Example: Rattan chairs or woven blankets.
• Mythology: Art that derived from stories of gods and goddesses. Example: Medusa by Luciano Garbati
• Dreams and Fantasy: Exploring unconscious and hidden meanings. Example: Artworks by Josephine Wall.
• Landscape: Natural sceneries. Example: Fields of Gold by Thaneeya.
• Nature: Interpretations of natural elements, Example: Nature Scene from Princetonbar.
• Portraiture: Depicting individuals or groups Example: Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada's Portrait of Barack Obama
• Abstract: Non-representational art focusing on form, shape, color, and texture. Example: Abstract works by Thaneeya.