Chapter 1

• according to protagoras "man is the measure off all things"
• Etymologically, humanites came from the Latin word "humanus" which means human, culture and refined
• FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF THE HUMANITIES:

  • Human nature is inherently good.

  • Individuals are free and are capable of making choices.

  • Human potential for growth and development is virtually unlimited.

  • Self-concept plays an important role in growth and development.

  • Individuals have an urge for self-actualization.

  • Reality is defined by each person. Individuals have a responsibility to both themselves and to others.
• Art particularly refers to the skillful arrangement of qualities of nature such as sound, colors, movement, words, etc...
• Art is subjective
• Forms of arts like architecture, weaving, and furniture-making serve functions that makes man's life better
• Painting, sculpture, literature, music, dance, and theatre are non functional
• FUNCTIONS OF ARTS:

  • the human need for expression

  • The social need for display, celebration and communication

  • The physical needs for functional objects
• The human need for expression- This seems to be built-in the human psyche: this need to express, to show, to exhibit what is hidden in man’s inner world.
• The social need for display, celebration and communication- It is not enough for man to express his inner world through his art, he needs to share and convey it to others too
• The physical needs for functional objects - All art is man made. In the effort to make human life better, objects are created (like the wheel) which is also classified as art.
• Aesthetics is the the philosophical study of beauty and taste
• Plato (428 - 347 BCE)

  • Plato was a philosopher of Ancient Greece. He is known for his famous Dialogues that includes his equally famous teacher, Socrates.
  • was said to have loved and hated the arts at the same time.
• According to Plato, art is imitation and art Is dangerous
• Art is imitation- of physical things which in turn are imitations of the forms

  Art is dangerous- art has power to stir emotions
• Aristotle (384 - 322 BCE)

  • He was also a famous philosopher of Ancient Greece. He was a student of Plato.
  • Regarding the arts, Aristotle first distinguished between what is good and what is beautiful.
• Aristotle stated that poetry was more philosophic and serious than philosophy itself.
• Poets, according to Aristotle, imitated three things:

  1) Things and events which have been or still are;

  2) Things which are said to be seen and are probable 

  3) Things which essentially are.
• Paintings and sculptures were seen by Aristotle as representation/imitation
• Immanuel Kant (1724 -1804)

  • a German, Enlightenment Philosopher. In 1763, he wrote a treatise on Aesthetics entitled, Observations on the Feelings of the Beautiful and the Sublime.
• Immanuel Kant

  • His main interest was not in art itself but on beauty
  • For him, color is not important but the design and the composition rather
• ARTIST

  • A person who exhibits exceptional skills in the visual or performing arts. They are more sensitive, perceptive and more creative.
• 2 important component of work for artist: form and substance 
• ARTISAN

  • A person who is skilled trade that involves making things by hand. Craft worker who makes or creates objects of great beauty by just using his hands.
  • His creation may be functional or decorative like palayok or vase
• THE ART FORMS:

  • Painting - This is best described as the application of pigment to a surface.
  • Sculpture - This is an art form that is best described as three-dimensional.
  • Architecture - is the most functional of all the art forms. It involves creating designs for buildings and infrastructures.
  • Music - This is the art of sound expressed through a song, through the use of instruments or a combination of both.
  • Dance - The art of body movements that is attuned to a musical piece.
  • Literature- the art of using words to express thoughts, ideas, and feelings
  • Theatre- the performance of drama
• Art came from the word Aryan root ar, which means to join or put together
• Latin word Sars, artis means artificially made or composed by man