THE CONTEXT OF

ART
 Art does not have one, single context but multiple and varied contexts.
History is one important context.
It is important that we discern various contexts so that we may have a better
grasp of arts complexity and diversity. By recognizing its many context, we
acknowledge arts interaction with active forces in the society: social, political,
economic, religious, and historical.
Art draws inspiration from the society and at the same time, art is honed by the
specific conditions that engendered its production.
Analyzing its contexts allows us to establish the synergy of art and society and
recognize the formers ability to function as an agent of change.
It also enables us to critically look at some of the widely held notions on culture
and to reexamine them from a perspective on a diligent study of specific contexts.
 WHAT IS CONTEXT?

Refers to settings, conditions, circumstances, and

occurrences affecting production and reception
or audience response to artwork.
It is a set of background information that enables
us to formulate meanings about works of art and
note how context affects form.
 EXAMPLE : BULUL
An indigenous, pre colonial ritual object and motif in the everyday life of the people of
the Cordillera region.
A human-like figure made of hardwood, the bulul is believed to be a granary god that
assures the community of a bountiful harvest.
During dry season, the ritual specialist or mumbaki would perform a ritual where the
figure is drenched in pigs blood as a form of offering to the spirits.
Although the bulul contains elements of sculpture, it is not exactly regarded as such
by its makers and by the people who continue to find value in its rich symbolic
functions.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT CONTEXT IN
ART?
 A. ARTIST BACKGROUND
Do you know of an artist who is self-taught? How did s/he learn to
make the art? Did s/he read art books? Did s/he closely observe
other artists in the area? Did s/he have any models?
The artists age, gender, culture, economic conditions, social
environment, and disposition affect the art production.
The mode of production which encompasses the kind of materials
accessible to the artists as well as the conditions sorrounding labor,
also hope the work produced by the artist.
 Some of the artists deliberately foreground
their cultural identity in their works
ABDULMARI ASIA IMAO (TAUSUG NATIONAL
ARTIST- AWARDED IN 2006)
 JULIE LLUCH
Artist who hails from Iligan City who emphasize her female identity
and personal experiences in many of her terracotta works. (terra-
cotta is a reddish clay that is used for pottery and tiles)
In Cutting Onions Always Makes Me Cry (1998), Lluchs self portrait
presents cooking a role associated with women in the home as
oppressive and unpleasant.
 Travels, training and professional development broaden
the artists horizons..
The exposure of the painter and National Artist Victorio
Edades to the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art
during his study in the US in the early 20th century was
said to have a profound impact on his artistic vision and
style.
VICTORIO EDADES

The Sketch
 B. NATURE
Can be seen as a source of inspiration and wellspring of materials for
art production.
While it is seen as source of inspiration, it is also seen as a force that
one has to contend with.
 PHOTOGRAPHERS ALERT THE PUBLIC
ABOUT ALARMING EFFECTS OF CLIMATE
CHANGE, AND HOW IT FORCES PEOPLE TO
BECOME REFUGEES IN THEIR OWN LAND.
VEEJAY VILLAFRANCA
ROY LAGARDE
FERNANDO AMORSOLO (1ST TO BE NAMED
NATIONAL ARTIST IN 1972)
RICARTE PURUGGANAN
 C. EVERYDAY LIFE
Philippine traditional art has always been an integral part of daily life. Its
significance lies not only in its aesthetic appearance but also in its
functionality and its value to the community that produced it. Because
traditional forms may also be used in daily private situations, it is experienced
more intimately, and engages many senses simultaneously.
Example include pabalat, a crisp Ilocano bed cover with dainty ubas designs,
delicate pastillas wrappers from Bulacan with elaborate cutout designs,
enveloping an equally delicate milk-based dessert.
The sense of touch, taste, and smell are engaged along with the visual sense.
 D. SOCIETY, POLITICS AND HISTORY
The artists creative process is affected if not compromised by patronage,
such as the State or the Church.
Changes in the society, politics and economy affect artists, the work that
they do, and the structures that support their production.
Technological innovations engender shifts in artistic production. It was only
in the early 20th century when photography became accessible to local
photographers as Kodak set up shop in the Philippines in 1928.
Photography fulfilled documentary and artistic functions, serving as an
alternative to painting as a reproducible and inexpensive form of portraiture.
 We can also look at the technology-dependent cinematic art as an
example. First film ever to be directed by a Filipino was based on the
play Dalagang Bukid by Hermogenes Ilagan and Leon Ignacio.
Directed by Jose Nepomuceno in 1919, at the time when technology
integrating sound in the movies was not yet developed, live music
was synced with the moving image. Here, we can imagine the
singer-actress National Atang de la Rama singing while the movie
ran.
 We can think of art not only as a document that gives us clues about the
historical conditions surrounding its production, but also as a means to
re-tell history itself.
The painting of National Artist Benedicto Cabrera titled Brown Brothers
Burden, ca. 1970, approximates the look of an old photograph which,
presents an aspect of colonial history from the gaze of the colonized.
If we were to look at the jeepney on the other hand, we will see that its
style of ornamentation, reminiscent of folk characteristics, has practically
effaced its roots as a postwar vehicle.
Brown Brothers Burden by
BenCab
 E. MODE OF RECEPTION
Aside from considering our personal identity as a perceiver of art as well as the
contexts discussed above, it is also important to note when, where and how art
is encountered.
Most often, art is encountered via the museum; arranged and categorized
before a public for the purpose of education and leisure.
When forms of street art like graffiti are placed inside the whitewashed walls of
the museum, how does looking at this art make you feel? Conversely, what
happens when artists get out of the museums and galleries and bring their
works to the streets and paint the walls by collaborating with paint
manufacturing companies like Boysen and Davies?
GRAFFITIS
 Reception is very much affected by our level of exposure to art forms
that may be unfamiliar or have startling or shocking images.
In 2010, Mideo Cruz rose to national prominence or notoriety,
depending on your point of view, over his work Poleteismo at an
exhibit titled Kulo or boil at the CCP. His installation which featured a
sculpture of Christ with a phallus on his nose, among other
provocative elements, shocked a vocal segment of the Filipino public.
This reaction was not only incited by the imagery, but circumstances
surrounding the work also fueled the controversy.
 The artists age, gender, culture, economic conditions, social environment, and
disposition affect production as well as reception.
There are varied contexts or conditions that affect the way art is produced, received,
and exchanged. The artists personal contexts like age, gender, and cultural
background may strongly influence the form and content of their works. Larger
milieus such as nature and the social environment shape the artists disposition and
access to resources.
lastly, the mode of reception is an important context which considers the moment
(time and space) by which we encountered the artwork and how we might respond or
engage with it in relation to our personal experiences and that of the wider publics.
 OUTPUT
Create a comic strip or a storybook. You can draw and color by hand.
The strip should relate to your everyday life. Consider the different
context in your work.

This is for your pre-final output