Visual Arts: History and Forms

Forms of Art

• Art comes in a variety of forms, including; Visual, Applied, Literary, and Performance

Visual Arts Definition

• Visual arts are creative art forms, such as painting, sculpture, and film, primarily appreciated through sight and evoke emotion, reflect the world, and reflect historical periods using skill and imagination..

Historical Periods of Visual Arts

• Prehistoric Art: Cave paintings, sculptures, and petroglyphs date back to the Upper Paleolithic era
• Greek Art (8th century BCE): Characterized by harmony, balance, and proportion and includes Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic styles
• Roman Art: Known for its monumental architecture, practicality, and focus on engineering
• Early Christian Art: Characterized by religious themes, frescoes, and illuminated manuscripts
• Gothic Art: Represented by cathedral architecture featuring pointed arches and ribbed vaults
• Renaissance Art: Marked by harmony, proportion, and a human-centered worldview
• Baroque Art: Notable for drama, rich colors, and intense use of light and shadow from the 17th-18th century
• Romanticism: Emphasized emotion, individualism, nature, and mythology
• Realism (Mid-19th century): Focused on ordinary life and unembellished depiction
• Impressionism: Concerned with light and color perception over realism
• Contemporary Art: Expands beyond traditional media to reflect societal issues

Types of Visual Art & Notable Artists

• Painting: Notable painters include Salvador Dali and BenCab
• Photography: Notable photographers include Alfred Eisenstaedt and Hannah Reyes Morales
• Sculpture: Notable sculptors include Michelangelo and Guillermo Tolentino
• Architecture: Notable architects include Zaha Hadid and Ildefonso Santos
• Drawing: Notable drawers include Peter Paul Rubens and Ernesto Tagle
• Digital Art: Notable digital artists include Beeple and Armand Serrano

Applied Arts

• Combines artistic principles with functionality and is found in architecture, fashion, and product design
• Enhances daily life through culture, innovation, and craftsmanship

Types of Applied Arts

• Machine-Made Designed Products include:
  • Industrial Design: Includes phones, cars, and appliances
  • Fashion Design: Includes clothing, accessories, and footwear
  • Graphic & Digital Arts: Includes branding, advertisements, and UI/UX design
  • Interior Design: Includes furniture, decor, and living spaces
• Handcrafted Functional Art:
  • Decorative Arts: Includes pottery, jewelry, tapestries, and embroidery
  • Textile Arts: Includes handwoven fabrics, batik, and carpets
  • Metalwork & Glassware: Includes goldsmithing, stained glass, and mosaics
  • Book Arts: Includes illuminated manuscripts and handcrafted illustrations

Notable Artists & Works

• International: Takashi Murakami (Louis Vuitton x Murakami Collection) and Marc Newson (Lockheed Lounge)
• Philippines: Kenneth Cobonpue (Yoda Chair) and Glenn Cagandahan (Catching Fish, 2019)
• Regional (Bicol): Pancho M. Piano (Glass Windows of Peñafrancia Basilica Minore) and BidiBidi (Handcrafted bags and accessories)

Literary Arts

• Uses language to create narratives, express emotions, and ideas, and to shape human thought and culture
• Consists of oral(folklore, myths, allegories) and written literature (novels, poetry, drama).

Genres of Literary Arts

• Epic Poetry: Heroic tales
• Lyric Poetry: Emotional expression
• Mythology: Cultural and natural explanations
• Drama: Plays, musicals, tragedy, comedy
• Fables: Moral lessons
• Fiction: Imaginative narratives
• Nonfiction: Historical, biographical, journalistic writings
• Experimental Genres: Essay Novels, Graphic Poetry

Evolution of Literature

• Classical Period: Iliad, Epic of Gilgamesh
• Medieval: Beowulf, Canterbury Tales
• Renaissance: Hamlet, Don Quixote
• Enlightenment: Candide
• Romanticism: Frankenstein
• Victorian: Pride & Prejudice
• Modern: Ulysses, The Waste Land
• Postmodern: Slaughterhouse-Five

Philippine Literature Development

• Pre-Colonial: Biag ni Lam-ang
• Spanish Colonial: Florante at Laura
• American Colonial: A Child of Sorrow
• Post-Colonial: Dekada '70, Trese

Literature in the Digital Age

• Emerges with E-books, audiobooks, online literary magazines, blogs, and social media influence
• Now features interactive and multimedia storytelling with self-publishing platforms

Performance Arts Definition

• Art is expressed through live performances, including music, dance, theater, and storytelling
• Key elements of performance art include time, space, body, audience interaction, and conceptual content

Forms of Performance Arts

• Music: Genres include Hip-hop, Jazz, Folk, and Pop and has notable artists include Mozart, Freddie Mercury
• Dance: Consists of the following notable people:
  • International: Mikhail Baryshnikov (Ballet)
  • National: Alice Reyes (Modern Dance)
• Storytelling: Consists of the following notable people:
  • International: Jennifer Cayley
  • National: Severino Reyes (Lola Basyang)
• Circus Arts: Acrobatics, Aerial, Tightrope, Contortion
• Puppetry:
  • International: Wayang Kulit (Indonesia), Chinese Puppetry
• Theater Arts:
  • Greek & Roman: Classical plays
  • Renaissance: Shakespearean drama
  • Comedy: Slapstick, Satire, Stand-up
  • Drama: Musical Drama, Opera
  • Ballet: Mime, Kabuki, Pantomime
  • Tragedy: Portrays the downfall of a noble figure

Characteristics of Performance Art

• Ephemeral: Temporary and is a live experience
• Interdisciplinary: Uses multiple art forms
• Body as Medium: Physical Expression
• Provocative/Subversive: Challenges norms
• Site-Specific: Tied to a location
• Non-Commercial: Not for mass production
• Improvisational: Often spontaneous