 Course Description

 Grading System :60 % CS, 40% exam

 Requirements:
Prelims:
1. Interview of an Artist
2. Coffee Painting

Midterms:
1. Group Research on Indigenous patterns in art
2. Soul making
3. Transcreation
Finals:
1. Miniature
2. Music Improvisation with theatre
 Relationship to the Course
Topics:
PRELIMS
1. Art Appreciation, Creativity, Imagination and Expression- 3 hours
2. Assumptions of Art - 1 hour
3. Functions of Art- Personal, Social, Physical, Artist versus Artisan- 4 hours
4. Subject in Art- Type, Scope, Kinds- 2 hours
5. Content in Art- Factual, Conventional Subjective- 2 hours
PRELIM EXAM: Feb 20
MIDTERMS
1. 7 Da Vincian Principles
2. Visual Art- Mediums and Techniques, Principles of Design
3. Narratives, Appropriation and Ownership( Photoappropriation)
4. Visual Elements in Philippine Traditional Motifs and Crafts
5. Indigenous Art- Textile Art,Weaving, Sculpture
6. Fusion and Overlapping and interrelated Elements
7. Transcreation
8. Review of Art History ( Group Work: Similarities and Differences of each Art
movement)
MIDTERM EXAM:
FINALS
1. Soul and Space
2. Instrumental Music
3. Improvisation in various art forms
4. Theatre
FINAL EXAM: DECEMBER 11-15

Lesson 1: Art Appreciation, Creativity, Imagination

and Expression
Objectives:
1. Define the key concepts of the arts: taste, creativity, imagination, and
expression
2. Create a definition of art reflecting one’s personal values and beliefs.

Overview:
Art, since time immemorial, is man’s concrete product of his innermost
thoughts, feelings, observations, desires, needs, and fancy. Regardless of
culture, milieu, and space, art continues to expand linking the past, the
present and the future.

Understanding the Concepts:

Definition of Art
What is art? Perhaps this simple question has baffled every civilization
and culture. Due to the vastness of art, several definitions of it have
developed out of individual perceptions, feelings, and beliefs. The following
are some definitions:
1. “We have our Arts so we won’t die of Truth.” Friedrich Nietzsche,
made famous all over again by Ray Bradbury in Zen in the Art of
Writing
2. “ Art is an imitation of an imitation” Plato, philosopher
3. "Art is either plagiarism or revolution." Paul Gauguin, painter
4. "Art is the signature of civilizations." Jean Sibelius, composer
5. "Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is
given us to understand." Pablo Picasso, painter
Art is an ever-expanding form. Trying to encapsulate all great ideas
pertaining to what art is into one single definition poses a vexing challenge.
Art Appreciation
Because of our varied tastes, the way we perceive and appreciate art
differs at certain levels.
Ariola (2008) defines Art Appreciation as the ability to interpret and
understand man-made arts and enjoy them either through actual work-
experience with varied tools and materials for one’s admiration and
satisfaction.

Creativity
 Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality.
Creativity is characterized by the ability to perceive the world in new ways,
to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated
phenomena, and to generate solutions. Creativity involves two processes:
thinking, then producing.
Rollo May (1975) states that creativity is the process of bringing something
new into being. Creativity requires passion and commitment. It brings to our
awareness what was previously hidden and points to new life. The
experience is one of heightened consciousness: ecstasy.
Imagination
Anne Sheppard(1991) argues that imagination plays an important part
in our understanding of representational art, claiming that imagination is
what enables us to see a picture as a representation of something in the real
world. IN addition, she claims that imagination plays a part in our response
to the expression of emotion in art such as joy, sadness, and grief.
Expression
In his article The Expression Theory of Art: A Critical Evaluation, Haig
Khatchadourian(1965), explains that expression may be any kind of
conscious experience- intellectual, imaginative, or emotional. What an artist
expresses is the subconscious experiences, his conceptions of or reactions to
various qualities or aspects of society in which he lives or works, and/or the
world around him.

Lesson 2: Assumptions of Art

Objective:
1. Analyze the different assumptions of art

Overview:
What is art? What makes something art? People have raised questions
as to what constitutes art. Each culture would have its definition and scope
of art making it a challenge to identify and classify all the kinds of art into
several categories or groups.

Understanding the Concepts:

a. Art is universal
Stephen Greenblatt(2012) argues that art is always grounded in its
time and place, but that powerful art contains universal elements.
Shiner(2003) argues that the universality of art relies on the
following elements:
Skill, and admiration Musical instruments
for skill Rhythmic
Creativity, and movement, dancing
admiration for Story-telling
Role playing
creativity Decorating
Spontaneity, and Tool-making
admiration for Language, and
spontaneity skillful use of
Sensory enjoyment language
Pleasure, pain, Rational thought
disgust, satisfaction, Meaning
etc. Symbolic activity
Tension and release Emotional
Color expression through
Sound non-verbal means
Shape
Texture (gestures,
Speed movements, sounds,
Image making images)
Singing
 a. Art is Cultural
Art is the vanguard of human development. Every culture has
developed a kind of art that reflects its beliefs, practices, ideals, and
societal temperament. The Ifugaos, for example, created the bulol
to serve as guardians in the rice granaries in order to protect the
crops from spoilage, rats, and other pests.
b. Art is not Nature
Mountains and other natural landscapes never seize to awe even
the most innocent child. Though these great wonders produce a
certain effect on the onlooker, they are not considered art. Art, by
definition, is man-made.

Lesson 3: Artist, Artisan, and the Functions of Art

Objectives:
1. Differentiate the different functions of art
2. Research about a local artist

Overview
Works of art were and are created to serve a specific function. Houses are
built to shelter people from the harsh effects of the weather. In the
Cordilleras, the gong or gangsa is used primarily to create a certain beat
harmoniously in accord with the other cultural instruments. Each work we
see and come across with were created by specific individuals or groups.

Understanding the Concepts:

Oftentimes, the tem artist and artisan are interchanged. A clear
distinction is given by Uriel Dana(2017). She states that an artist is into the
fine arts- painting, sculpture, illustration, including those into film making,
poetry and short stories.
Suzanne Lacy( 1995) created a spectrum of artist’s roles:

artist as artist as artist as artist as

experiencer reporter analyst activist

On the other hand, an artisan is a skilled worker that uses his hands to
make something often functional or that will enhance something else;
furniture, gold leafing, decorative arts (like faux finishes), jewelers,
upholstery, embroidery, glassblowers, leather workers (like shoemakers),
potters, weavers.

From the definition and differences stated above, there are five main
functions of art:
1. Personal Function
While it is true that an artwork is an artist’s expression, its impact may
be individualized and personal. Through the artist’s ability, a shared
theme or experience could be felt and appreciated by an individual.
2. Social Function
Feldman(1967) states that art performs a social function when it
influences the collective behavior of people, it is created to be seen
and experienced by the public, and when it expresses a collective
feeling rather than an individual one. These characteristics lead to
global understanding and peace.
3. Spiritual Function
The statues of saints, Jesus, and Mary were all created to enhance
one’s spiritual connection. Through these works, man feels connected
with the Higher Being.
4. Cultural Function
Art’s cultural footprints can reveal much about the culture in which it is
created. Some cultural practices such as dances and body tattoo have
been passed on to preserve not only the art but also the culture.
5. Utilitarian Function
Some forms of art were and are created to be used. These works make
man’s life more comfortable.

Lesson 4: Subject in Art

Objectives:
1. Identify subjects in selected works.
2. Illustrate a subject
Overview:
When we look at a work of art, we look at figures or ideas we can relate with.
There are instances though when finding the subject becomes notoriously
vexing especially when attempting to comprehend an abstract art.
Understanding the Concept:
The subject of art is the matter to be described or to be portrayed by the
artist. This may refer to any person, object, scene or event.

Laura Cumming(2009) identifies the following as traditional subjects in the

art:
1. Portraiture- an image of a particular person or animal, or group
2. Historical scenes- images that reflect historical events such as war
3. Genre paintings- concerns everyday life, domestic scenes, and
sentimental family relationships.
4. Still life- a collection of inanimate objects arranged together in a
specific way
5. Landscape- natural scenery such as mountains, cliffs, rivers, etc
Because of art’s continuous expansion in terms of genre and kinds, other
types of subject have been recognized:
6. Sacred – scenes and images found in the bible
7. Nonobjective subject- entirely imaginative and no recognizable figure
8. Self-portrait- a painting, drawing, or sculpture or other work of art
showing the artist himself.
9. Visionary- art that involves simplification and/or rearrangement of
natural objects to meet the needs of artistic expression.
10. Myth- images of gods and goddesses including mythological
monsters and symbols
11. Cityscape- images found in the city such as buildings,
transportation, and other structures
12. Wildlife- scenes and images depicting animals and their ways of
life

The different subjects may be classified as representational or non-

representational. Artworks that depict something easily recognizable by most
people are representational. On the other hand, artworks that have no
resemblance to anything concrete is non-representational.

Lesson 5: Content and Form in Art

Objective:
1. Describe the content of an art work.
Overview:
Understanding why an art work is great and timeless does not rely solely on
the popularity of the artist but also on the magnitude of effect the work has
on the audience.

Understanding the Concept:

You sometimes find yourself questioning an artwork’s timelessness and
universality despite the work’s seemingly simple technique or style.

The terms content, form and subject are usually interchanged because of
how they are related. To holistically appreciate an artwork, one has to
understand the relationship of these terms. The subject of the work is what
you literally see. On the other hand, form refers to everything from the
materials used to make the artwork ,the way it employs various formal
elements, to the ways in which those elements are organized into a
composition. Somehow misleadingly, it is generally opposed to content.
Margaret Ryall(2009) explains that content is the communicated feelings,
reactions, and ideas connected with the subject. It is something that appeals
and speaks to the heart, spirit, and soul of the audience or viewer. Simply
put, it is the meaning derived from the arrangement of the subjects.

Ortiz (1978) explains that meaning in art has three levels:

1. Factual meaning- the literal statement of the work because of
recognizable figures or images.
2. Conventional meaning- the special meaning that a figure, color, line, or
image has to a specific group or culture.
3. Subjective meaning- the personal meaning conveyed by an artist
unconsciously or consciously that stem from the artist’s experience or
exposure.