The Arts Nature and Meaning of Arts: Fig. 1 Cave Paintings
The Arts Nature and Meaning of Arts: Fig. 1 Cave Paintings
The Arts Nature and Meaning of Arts: Fig. 1 Cave Paintings
THE ARTS
The popular perception about arts is that it exists only in concert halls, museums,
and art galleries in which accessible to only those who can afford. But on the contrary,
art is found everywhere. It is very much part of our lives – everyday of our life!
We find arts in the clothes and accessories we wear, in the design of our furniture
and furnishings, in the style of the hose we build and the vehicles we use. We find art
objects in the home and in the community, in religion, in trade and in industry. The
coins we use to pay, as well as the religious medal and pendants – are examples of relief
sculpture. Our paper bills and postage stamps are examples of engraving. The statues of
angels and saints in our churches and cemeteries are free-standing sculpture. The
advertisements on billboards and tarpaulins along and beside the streets and major
highway are examples of printmaking, an art related to painting. In every town plaza,
there is a monument of a hero, a water fountain, or a landscape garden are examples of
architecture (Ortiz, 1988).
We find art at all times. It has been in existence since the prehistoric era. For the
cave dwellers, art has been an integral part of their communal lives. Evidences of early
man’s attempt to objectify his ideas and beliefs are found in the cave paintings of
animals in the walls of caves in Southwestern France and Northern Spain, (Lascaux,
France, and Altamira, Spain).
Archaeological diggings in various
part of the world have unearthed
clay statuettes of fertility goddess
like Venus of Willendorf and pieces
of bone, ivory, and horn incised
with images of animal.
Art is derived from the Latin word “ars”, meaning ability or skill. It is a product of
man’s skill or craft. In a more specialized sense, art applies to such activities that express
aesthetic ideas by the use of skill and imagination in the creation of objects,
environment and experiences which can be shared by others.
We can say we are involved in art works when we plan, design, and construct our
houses artistically. When we paint and decorate them beautifully, when we write
poems, essays, biographies, short stories, and plays; and when we sing songs beautifully
and dance gracefully. All these imply that anything accomplished with great skill is art.
Classification of Arts
A. Visual Arts. These are artworks perceived by our eyes which may be classified
into graphic arts and plastic arts. The motto of a visual artist is “I think, I see”.
Graphic Arts. These are artworks that have a flat two-dimensional surface
such as painting, drawing, photography, tarpaulin, and other products of
the printing industry. It covers the commercial arts like design of books,
advertisements, signs, posters, and other displays for advertisement
Plastic Arts. These are visual arts which have three-dimensional forms.
Under this groupings are architectural designs and construction of
buildings and other structures: landscape of gardens, parks, playgrounds
and golf courses; interior design; sculpture, designing and making of
objects such as jewelry, ceramics, leather-works, and weaving; industrial
arts which involve a specialized skill in making industrial designs of
automobiles and household appliances; the design of clothing apparel
such as dresses, coats, suits, ties, shoes, bags; and design for stage
production.
Fig. 4 Sensory Garden Playground
https://www.google.com/search?q=playground+art&tbm
B. Performing Arts. These include the theater, play, dance, and music. They involve
movement, speaking, and gestures. The motto of the performing artist is, “I
think, I hear.”
C. Literary Arts. These includes the essay, short stories, novels, poetry and dramas.
They usually say, “This is the best way I can best express my inner thoughts and
feelings.” The motto of a literary artist is , “I think, I write.”
Fig. 6 Literary Arts and Heritage
https://www.google.com/search?q=literary+arts
D. Popular Arts. These include the film, newspaper, magazine, radio, and television.
This group is characterized by technologically advanced society dominated by
urban culture.
E. Gustatory Art of the Cuisine. The gustatory art of the cuisine would be tasting
concoctions and creations for quality. This is an adjective that implies tasting and
the sense of taste. This involves skill in food preparation.
Fig 8 Fruit Art
https://www.google.com/search?q=fruit+art
F. Decorative Arts. Any arts of those that are concerned with the design and
decoration of objects that are chiefly prized for their utility, rather than for their
purely aesthetic qualities. Ceramics, glassware, basketry, jewelry, metalware,
furniture, textiles, clothing, and other such goods are the objects most commonly
associated with the decorative arts. Many decorative arts, such as basketry or
pottery, are also commonly considered to be craft, but the definitions of both
terms are arbitrary. The are also called applied arts.
Importance of Arts
Arts have a particular significance in our lives. They become much a part of our
daily living as we surround ourselves with beautiful things we like. Arts are involved in
most of the objects we see and use and the music we hear everyday. The interest in
appreciation and beauty is one of the main concerns of the arts. All the arts that we see
and hear have a purpose as well as expression; they occupy some place in our judgment.
Leonel Ventura sums up the value and importance of arts by saying that “it is not the
canvass, the hue, the oil or tempera, but the contribution of the arts to our life, its
suggestions to our sensations, feelings, and imagination.” Lastly, as Pope John Paul II in
his letter to the artists, articulates:
“Every genuine art in its own way is a path to the innermost reality of man and
of the world. It is therefore, a wholly valid approach to the realm of faith, which
gives human experience its ultimate meaning.”
1. Art has been created by various people, at all places and time. Art does not
grow old. It exists because it is liked and enjoyed.
2. Art is personal. It is a product of man’s imagination, good taste, and skills in
doing things.
3. Art is not Nature. Nature is the subject of art.
Subject of Art
The subject of art refers to any person, object, scene or event described or
represented in work of art. Some arts have subjects, others do not. The arts hat have
subject are called Representational or Objective Art. Those that do not have subject are
known as Non-Representational or Non-Objective arts. Painting, sculpture, the graphic
arts, literature and the theater arts are generally classified as representational. Though,
there are a great deal of paintings, prints, and sculptures are without a subject. Music
architecture, and majority of the functional arts are non-representational. Bridges,
houses, roads, buildings, transportation and any infrastructures are examples of
functional art.
Kinds of Subjects
The subjects depicted in works of art can be grouped into the following. Examples
are shown on the right column.
1. Landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes. Artists have always been fascinated with
their physical environment. Filipino painters have captured on canvas the
Philippine countryside. National artist, Fernando Amorsolo romanticized
Philippine landscapes, turning rural areas into idyllic places.
2. Still Life. These are group of inanimate objects arranged in an indoor setting.
Flowers and fruit arrangements are among the favorites, dishes for food, kitchen
arrangements or musical instruments are portrayed. They usually arrange the
objects to show particular human interests and activities.
3. Animals. One of the most popular subjects. They have been represented by artist
from almost every age and place.
5. Figures. The sculptor’s chief subject has traditionally the human body either
clothed or naked. Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus is an example.
6. Everyday Life. Artists have always shown a deep concern about life around them.
Most of their subjects are their observation of people going about their usual
ways, performing their usual task, their day-to-day life. Fernando Amorsolo’s
Planting Rice is a good example of typical life in the country side.
7. History and Legend. History consists of verifiable facts while legends are of
unverifiable ones, although many of them are often accepted as true because
tradition has held them so. Furthermore, legends are used secondary sources in
study of history. History and legend are popular subjects of art. Juan Luna’s Blood
Compact displayed in Malacañang Palace, commemorates the agreement
between Sikatuna and Legaspi’s contract of Friendship. The Story of Urduja, for
instance is a popular legend.
8. Religion and Mythology. Art has always been a handmaiden of religion. Most of
the world’s religions have used the arts to aid in worship to instruct, to inspire
feelings of devotion, and to impress and convert non-believers.
9. Dreams and Fantasies. Dreams are usually vague and illogical. Artists, especially
surrealist, tried to depict dreams, the grotesque terrors and apprehensions that
lurk in the depths of the subconscious. A dream maybe of a lifelike situation, so it
ca be realistically depicted. But if the picture suggests the strange, the irrational
and the absurd then it is a fantasy or a dream.
Fig 20 The Creation
https://www.google.com/search?q=religion+and+mythology
The Functions of Art (What is the artwork for?; What did the artist want to show in his work?)
Medium in art refers to the material or means which the artist uses to objectify
his feeling or thought: pigment in painting; stone, wood, and metal in sculpture: various
building materials in architecture; sound in music; words in literature and body
movements in the dance.
According to medium, the arts are classified into:
1. The visual or space arts – those whose mediums can be seen and which occupy
space. These in turn are grouped into two categories:
a. Two-dimensional arts – these are painting, drawing, printmaking, and
photography
b. three-dimensional arts – these are sculptures, architecture, landscape,
community planning, industrial design, and the craft like pottery-making and
furniture-making.
2. The auditory or time arts – those whose mediums can be heard and which are
expressed in time. These are music and literature.
3. The combined arts -- those whose mediums can be both seen and heard, and
which exist in both and space and time. These include the dance, drama, opera,
and movies.
Organization is the way the parts or elements are combined and arranged to
make a whole.
It is the bias resulting form the artist’s personal outlook, training, exposure,
temperament. It is a reflection of the artist personality. It may be the result of the
various forces of art work at a particular age.
There are four over-all criteria in judging whether a work of art is great or not:
1. Sincerity – it refers to the honesty of an artist’s work. A work that is a serious
expression of the artist’s thought and ideas.
2. Universality – it refers to the universal truths which are permanent embodied by
the work.
3. Magnitude – it is concerned with the impact or effectiveness of a work of art as a
whole, whether it sis shallow or deep, important or unimportant, great or trivial.
4. Craftsmanship – it is concerned with the artist’s workmanship and taste.