Art Appreciation: A Comprehensive Review PDF

LESSON 1 Definition of Art Root Words: 13th-century French word “art”: Skill from learning or practice. Latin word “ars”: Meaning skill or craft. Italian word “artis”: Craftsmanship, skill, mastery, inventiveness. Art is: Various human activities...

LESSON 1 Definition of Art Root Words: 13th-century French word “art”: Skill from learning or practice. Latin word “ars”: Meaning skill or craft. Italian word “artis”: Craftsmanship, skill, mastery, inventiveness. Art is: Various human activities creating visual, auditory, or performance-based works that convey imagination and technical skills. Appreciated for its aesthetic and emotional power. Plato: Art harmonizes life with the world's beauty. F. Zulueta: Art stems from man's need to express himself. What is Art Appreciation? Knowledge and understanding of the timeless qualities in artworks. A way to understand one's culture and beliefs. Deals with learning about, understanding, and enjoying artworks. Creativity, Imagination, Expression 1. Creativity: Turning new and imaginative ideas into reality (Ward 2003). 2. Imagination: The ability to form new and exciting ideas or things not yet experienced. 3. Expression: Conveying feelings and experiences through various forms, giving meaning to artwork. Assumptions of Art 1. Art is Universal: Encourages self-expression and communication. 2. Art is not Nature: Art is a human interpretation of ideas, not a replication of nature. 3. Art involves Experience: Art is emotionally and intellectually engaging. 4. Art is Cultural: Creation of art is intertwined with one’s culture. Why Study Art? Understand individual differences. Develop decision-making and problem-solving skills. Enhance creativity, nurture imagination, promote originality and innovation. Reasons People Create Art 1. Beautify surroundings: Through decoration, architecture, painting.  2. Record history: Specific times, places, people, or objects. 3. Express ideas: Communication of thoughts and beliefs. 4. Express religious beliefs. 5. Critique society. 6. Educate people. 7. Innovation: Showing unique creative ability. Categories of Art 1. Visual Art: Perceived by the eyes. Graphic Arts (2D): Flat arts with width and length (e.g., paintings, sketches). Plastic Arts (3D): Have width, length, and volume (e.g., sculptures). 2. Auditory Art: Art that is heard, including music, drama on radios. 3. Audio-Visual Arts: Perceived by both sight and hearing, such as performance arts. Music: Sounds arranged to create an effect. Dance: Organized and arranged movements set to music. Theater: Drama and storytelling through performance. 4. Literary Arts: Written works intended for reading, including prose (short stories, novels, essays). 5. Applied Arts: Artistic design applied to functional objects (e.g., fashion, interior design). LESSON 2 Functions of Art Aristotle's View on Purpose (Telos) Telos: The purpose or end of every substance. To reach its purpose, a thing must fulfill its function. Classifications of Art Functions: 1. Motivated (Functional) Art: o Created with a specific intentional objective or purpose.  o Examples: Architecture, weaving, furniture-making. 2. Non-motivated (Non-functional) Art: o Incorporates functional objectives but does not serve a utilitarian purpose. o Examples: Painting, sculpture, literature, music, theater. Personal Function Expression: Art serves as a vehicle for artists to express their feelings and ideas. Therapeutic Value: Art helps people explore new ways of thinking and feeling. Passion & Economics: Some artists create art out of passion, while others do so for economic reasons. Social Function Art is deeply connected to society. It reinforces and enhances the shared sense of identity within families, communities, or civilizations. Art’s Social Roles: 1. Influences Social Behavior: o Art influences collective behaviors and attitudes. 2. Display and Celebration: o Art is often created for public viewing and celebration. Commemorative Works: Sculptures and paintings commemorate important figures or events in society. Examples: Statues of national heroes, commissioned portraits of leaders. Political art and photography can highlight social issues, like poverty, and rouse emotions toward social causes. Physical Function Art can also serve a physical purpose. o Examples: Architecture, jewelry-making, interior design. Art often fulfills more than one function: physical, personal, and social. Philosophical Views of Art Art as Mimesis:  Mimesis: Art is the imitation or reflection of the world around us. o Examples: Paintings, drawings, photographs. Art is considered an imitation of nature, which itself is an imitation of reality. Art as Representation: Aristotle's View: Art represents possible versions of reality. o He believed that art helps reveal truth, unlike Plato, who saw art as a copy of a copy (an imitation). Art for Art’s Sake (Immanuel Kant): In his Critique of Judgment, Kant argued that art can have a universal quality despite its subjective nature. Judgments in Art: 1. "I like this painting": A judgment of taste, subjective and based on personal preference. 2. "This painting is beautiful": An aesthetic judgment, which requires objectivity and going beyond individual tastes to appreciate beauty from a universal standpoint. LESSON 3 ELEMENTS OF ART - Basic component of art-making. - Artworks can also be analyzed according to the use of elements. LINES Most basic element of art. A moving dot. TYPES OF LINES Vertical Horizontal Zigzag Curve Spiral Curly Shape Dot  Broken Diagonal Wavy Cross hatching STRAIGHT LINES (VHDC) 1. Vertical Rising perpendicularly from level surface. Implies ambition, authority, majesty, strength, balance, stability, and respect. 2. Horizontal Stable and secure Lines of repose, calmness, serenity, relaxed, comfort, and rest. 3. Diagonal Imply actions and movements. Rising or falling line. Have positive and negative(stress, frustration, or defeat) implications. 4. Curve lines Grace, movements, flexibility, and joyousness. E.g. David sculpture and Spolarium Shape Line is enclosed. One of the seven elements of art. Has a variety of uses in the creation of art. Form( 3D shape) Objects that have three dimensions. Space Area around, above, and within an object. The goal is to create the illusion of space (drawings and paintings) Value The lightness or darkness of a color. Important to art because it helps us to see and understand objects. Texture  The way an object feels to the touch or looks. Understanding it fully will lead to stronger drawings and paintings. E.g. Pieta, shoes and Sunflowers by vincent van gogh (oil canvas) Color Reflected light. The most expressive element of art. Shares powerful connection with emotion. Can represent many different feelings or ideas. BLACK- mystery or evil WHITE - purity or innocence RED - love, passion, hunger, or violence GREEN - meditative, calming BLUE - power, or loyalty The perception of color is influenced by the color that surrounds that color. INTERMEDIATE COLORS Also called tertiary colors Made by mixing one primary color + one secondary color. MEANING OF DIFFERENT COLORS RED Excitement, energy, passion, love, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, etc. PINK Love and romance, caring, tenderness, acceptance, and calm. YELLOW betrayal, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, Joy, dishonesty, cowardice, jealousy, etc. BLUE Peace, tranquility, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, etc. PURPLE Royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mystery, transformation, wisdom, etc. ORANGE Energy, balance, enthusiasm, wrath, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant, etc. GREEN  Nature, environment, health, good luck, renewal, youth, spring, generosity, fertility, etc. BROWN Earth, stability, hearth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, simplicity, and comfort. GRAY Security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practice, etc. WHITE Reverence, purity, birth, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, winter, sterility, marriage (western cultures), death (eastern cultures, cold, clinical. BLACK Power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, unhappiness, mourning, death (western cultures), austerity, detachment. PRINCIPLES OF ART Represents how the artist uses and organizes the elements of art to create an effect and to help convey the artist’s intent. PATTERN AND REPITITION Very important design concept. The visual arrangement of elements Repetitive form or intelligible sequence UNITY AND VARIETY Describes whether all the elements work together or not. Related to each other. EMPHASIS The way of using elements to stress certain areas in an artwork. Another way to describe a focal point in your work. BALANCE The visual distribution or weight of the elements in a work of art. SCALE AND PROPORTION Ratio of one element to another. The appropriate relation of shapes and quantities of objects to each other. RHYTHM AND MOVEMENT It is the path the viewer’s eye takes through a work of art. (M) Can be directed along lines, edges, shapes, and color (MOVEMENT)  Created when one or more elements are used repeatedly to create a feeling of movement (RHYTHM) CONTRAST Everything is art. Without it, artwork would be nothing but a blank surface. It refers to the striking difference between two elements. LESSON 4 THE SUBJECTS OF ART AND METHODS OF PRESENTING THEM SUBJECT OF ART The matter to be described or to be portrayed by the artist. Any person, object, scene or event. REPRESENTATIONAL ART Has a subject that refers to objects or events occurring in the real world. Also termed as FIGURATIVE ART for the figures depicted are easy to make out and decipher. STILL LIFE - depicting mostly inanimate matter, typically COMMON PLACE OBJECTS: NATURAL Food Flowers Plants Rocks Shells MAN-MADE Drinking glasses Books Vases Jewelry ARTIFICIAL SETTING PORTRAITURE (portrait) Painting, photography, sculpture, etc. Any artistic expression of a person in which the face and its expression is predominant. LANDSCAPE, SEASCAPE, MOONSCAPES, CITYSCAPES (LSMC) Natural scenery such as mountains, cliffs, rivers, etc. MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION, DREAMS AND FANTASIES (MRDF) History and culture NON-REPRESENTATIONAL ART Artworks that do not refer to the real world. Limited to visual elements: shapes, lines, and colors. METHODS OF PRESENTING A SUBJECT 1. Realism Accurate, detailed, unembellished depiction of nature or of contemporary life. Rejects imaginative idealization in favor of a close observation of outward appearances. ZEUXIS 5th century painter. Grape (the subject of his painting) Birds flew down from the sky to peck at the grape. Very realistic, luscious, and inviting 2. Abstraction The artist doesn’t show the subject at all as an objectively reality. Only his ideas or feelings about it. Exaggerated emotionalism Abstract art is all shapes No real-life images, scenery, or objects. PAINTING OF CONSTANTIN BRANICUSI’s “ bird in space” Doesn’t look like a bird for it is supposed to convey an impression of the bird's grace and speed. DISTORTION The subject is misshapen condition Regular shape is twisted out. It is not correctly depicted ELONGATION Being lengthened A protraction or an extension MANGLING  Not commonly used way of presenting an abstract subject subject/object which are cut, lacerated, mutilated, torn, hacked or disfigured. CUBISM Began in the 1900s when GEORGES BRAQUE(french) and PABLO PICASSO (spanish) began painting this way. Combination of basic geometric shapes Sometimes shows multiple viewpoints of a particular image. Often described as looking like pieces of fractured glass. SYMBOLISM Ancient myth is depicted here by GUSTAVE MOREAU in his painting Jupiter and Semele – showing the story of the love of Jupiter with the God of Gods, Semele. The BIGGEST SYMBOLIC PICTURE is the RS between humanity and the divine that ultimately ends in death. FAUVISM Derived from French “les fauves” (the wildest beast) Artistic movement of the last part of the 19th century Emphasized SPONTANEITY and use of extremely bright colors. EX: tree trunks need not to be brown. DADAISM “Dada” (french word) means hobby horse. (a child’s toy consisting of a wooden horse mounted on a stick. A system of art which is per se “nonsensical”. It strives to have no meaning at all. FUTURISM Presented as a modernist movement celebrating the technological future era. SURREALISM An offshoot or a child of data. Also known as super realism Revolves on a method of making ordinary things look extraordinary. Focus on real things found in imagination or fantasy. EXAMPLE: Salvador Dali’s PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY Hard and soft objects coexist.  Opposes surrealism to reality and questions the ineluctability of time. IMPRESSIONISM Sometimes referred to as OPTICAL REALISM due to its interest in the actual viewing experience. Focused on directly describing the visual sensations derived from nature. LESSON 5 Definition of Medium The word medium comes from the Latin word meaning "means" or "way." It refers to the materials used by an artist to communicate their ideas and feelings. Examples of mediums include: Pigments for painting. Stone, wood, brick for architecture. Steel, marble, bronze for sculpture. Sound in music. Words in literature. Visual Arts These are arts that can be seen and occupy space. Two categories: 1. Two-dimensional (2D) arts: Examples: Painting, drawing, printmaking, photography. 2. Three-dimensional (3D) arts: Examples: Sculpture, architecture, landscape design, industrial design, ceramics. The Artist and His Technique Technique: The manner in which an artist controls their medium to achieve a desired effect. Reflects the artist's skill and ability to meet the technical requirements of their artwork. Types of Mediums 1. Fresco From the word "fresh." A painting method where color is applied on wet plaster. The color dries into the plaster, becoming part of the wall.  Requires quick work due to the nature of the medium. 2. Tempera Mineral pigments mixed with egg yolk or white. Known for its quick-drying nature and the vibrant color it produces. 3. Pastel Dried paste made of pigments and chalk. Flexible medium with luminous colors. 4. Oil Pigments mixed with linseed oil and applied to a canvas. One of the most expensive mediums due to material costs. 5. Acrylic Popular among contemporary artists. Combines the quick-drying properties of watercolor with the flexibility of oil. 6. Stained Glass Found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. Created by combining small pieces of colored glass with lead bands. 7. Drawing Often done on paper with pencil, pen, ink, or charcoal. The most fundamental skill in the arts. 8. Bistre A brown pigment extracted from wood soot, used in pen and wash drawings. 9. Crayons Pigments bound by wax, commonly used in drawing. 10. Charcoal Used for representing light and shadow. Soft charcoal produces dark values; hard charcoal creates lighter tones. 11. Silverpoint Drawing with a silver stylus on specially prepared paper. Produces thin, grayish lines. Printmaking A duplicating process where an image is transferred from a surface to paper.  Five Major Types of Prints: 1. Woodcut: Made from a wood block, with the design standing in relief. 2. Engraving: Cutting designs into metal, transferring ink from the plate to paper. 3. Relief: Carving away parts of a block (wood or linoleum) to create a design. 4. Intaglio: The design is engraved into a metal plate, and ink is transferred from the grooves. 5. Stencil Printing: Ink is rubbed over a design cut into paper or metal to reproduce it on a surface. Artistic Concepts 1. Perspective A technique used to create the illusion of depth or distance in art. 2. Chiaroscuro (Light and Shadow) Taken from Italian words meaning "light" (chiaro) and "dark" (oscuro). The use of light and shadow in a pictorial representation without color. 3. Texture The visual appearance of surfaces in art. Can be described as rough, smooth, shiny, dull, fine, or coarse.