Overview of Humanities Week 1

Overview of Humanities

• Originates from the Latin word "humanus," meaning refined and cultured.
• Encompasses the study of cultural aspects of humanity, addressing life's frailties and improvement.
• Chronicles humanity's quest for answers to fundamental questions.
• Reflects human emotions and thoughts, emphasizing dignity and creative expression.
• Aims to shape students' subjective energies, including feelings and aspirations.

Importance of Humanities

• Provides individuals with self-image and an understanding of human nature.
• Essential for developing a well-rounded, social individual.
• Serves as a measure of personal passions and desires.
• Helps regulate behavior through understanding and expression.

Etymology of Art

• Derived from the Aryan root "AR," meaning to assemble.
• Latin "ARS" denotes skills or abilities related to creativity.
• Encompasses various forms of artistic expression including visual arts, literature, music, and dance.
• Conveys aesthetic ideas through skill and imagination.

Division of the Arts

• Visual Arts: Engages the viewer's sight; includes painting, sculpture, and architecture.
• Auditory Arts: Involves sound; includes music and poetry, experienced over time.
• Combined/Performing Arts: Merges visual and auditory elements; includes drama, theater, dance, cinema, and opera.

Purposes of the Arts

• Creates beauty and provides decoration.
• Reveals truths and immortalizes experiences.
• Expresses religious values and records significant events.
• Establishes order and harmony in society.

Basic Assumptions of Art

• Art is universal, made by all peoples throughout history and is intrinsically linked to human experience.
• Art is intertwined with personal experience, which influences its appreciation.

Art vs. Nature

• Art is a creation of human beings, distinct from nature.

Applied Arts

• Incorporate style and design to elevate everyday items’ aesthetic value, enhancing utility.

Functions of Art

• Therapeutic: Aids in healing physical and mental ailments.
• Artifact: Represents specific ideas and technologies from its time, offering insights into cultures through historical artworks.
• Personal: Functions vary based on individual artist experiences.
• Social: Addresses collective interests, often seen in political art.
• Physical: Crafted for a tangible purpose.
• Includes music’s original functional role in rituals and dance.

Subject and Content in Art

• Subject: Visual focus or image extracted from artwork.
• Content: Meaning conveyed by the artist or inherent in the artwork.

Types of Subject

• Representational Art: Reflects recognizable objects/events in the real world.
• Non-Representational Art: Abstract; does not refer to the real world, focusing on visual elements.

Sources of Subject

• Inspired by nature, history, mythology, religion, and prior works of art.

Kinds of Subject

• Includes History, Still Life, Landscape, Animals, Nature, Fantasies, Myths, Dreams, Figures, Seascapes, Cityscapes.

Levels of Meaning in Art

• Factual: Basic meaning from identifiable forms and elements.
• Conventional: Established interpretations using recognized motifs and symbols.
• Subjective: Diverse interpretations influenced by individual perspectives and experiences.

Notable Artists

• Leonardo Da Vinci: Creator of the "Mona Lisa," known for his multifaceted skills across art and science.
• Vincent Van Gogh: Celebrated for "The Starry Night," a key figure in post-Impressionism.
• Michelangelo: Renowned for "The Creation of Adam," influential in Renaissance art development.

The Element of Line

• Lines are fundamental in art, varying in types (vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved) to express different emotions and ideas.
• Vertical lines suggest balance and dignity; horizontal lines convey peace; diagonal lines indicate movement; curved lines signify gracefulness.

The Art Element of Color

• Color: Visual perception of light reflecting from surfaces, classified into primary, secondary, and tertiary groups.
• Hue: Pure spectrum colors recognized by names (red, blue, etc.).
• Value: Degree of lightness or darkness.
• Intensity: Brightness or dullness of color.
• Tints and Shades: Variations in color lightness/darkness.

Psychology of Colors

• Colors evoke emotional responses; for example, black symbolizes death, while white represents purity.

Texture in Art

• Texture: Relates to the sense of touch, can be implied (suggested) or actual (physical).
• Implied texture conveys the feel of surfaces through artistic representation, while actual texture can be physically experienced in the artwork.