Arts Appreciation

• J.V. Estolas - Art is derived from the Latin word "ars," meaning ability orskill.
• 1. Tan - Art is taken from the Italian word "artis," which meanscraftsmanship, skill, mastery of form, inventiveness, and theassociations that exist between form and ideas, betweenmaterial and technique.
• F. Zulueta - Art is a product of man's need to express himself.
• C. Sanchez - Art is concerned itself with the communication of certainideas and feelings by means of sensuous medium, color,sound, bronze, marble, words, and film.
• Plato - Art is that which brings life in harmony with the beauty ofthe world.
• John Dewey - Art is an attitude of spirit, a state of mind one which demands for its own satisfaction and fulfilling, a shaping of matter to new and more significant form.
• Panizo and Rustia - Art is the skillful arrangement or composition of some common but significant qualities of nature such as colors, sounds, lines, movements, words, stones, wood, etc., to express human feelings, emotions, or thoughts in a perfect meaningful and enjoyable way.
• Four Common Essentials of Art

  • art must be man-made

  • art must be creative, not imitative

  • art must benefit and satisfy man

  • art is expressed through a certain medium or material
• THE SUBJECT OF ART - It serves as the foundation of the creation of the work of art. It is usually anything that is represented in the artwork. It may be a person, object, scene, or event.
• TWO TYPES OF SUBJECT - Representational or Objective arts and Non-representational or Non-objective arts.
• Representational Arts - Artworks that depict something easily recognized by most people.
• Non-representational arts - Artworks that have no resemblance to any real subject.
• THE FUNCTIONS OF ART

  1.Aesthetic function

  2.Utilitarian function

  3.Cultural function

  4.Social function
• Aesthetic function - Through art, man becomes conscious of the beauty of nature. He benefits from his own work and from those done by his fellowmen. He learns to use, love, and preserve them for his enjoyment and appreciation.
• Utilitarian function - With the creation of the various forms of art, man now lives in comfort and happiness. Through art, man is provided with shelter, clothing, food, light, medicine, beautiful surroundings, personal ornamentals, entertainment, language, transportation, and other necessities and conveniences of life.
• Cultural function - Through the printed matter, art transmits and preserves skills and knowledge from one generation to another.
• Social function - Through civic and graphic arts, man learns to love and help each other. International understanding and cooperation are fostered, and nations become more unified, friendly, cooperative, helpful, and sympathetic.
• Two general dimensions of arts according to Manaois

  1.Fine arts or independent arts

  2.Practical arts or useful or utilitarian arts
• Fine arts or independent arts - made primarily for aesthetic enjoyment through the senses, especially visual and auditory.
• Practical arts - intended for practical use or utility. It is the development of raw materials for utilitarian purposes.
• Custodiosa Sanchez - arts consist of visual arts, literature, drama and theatre, music, and dance.
• Visual arts are those that we perceive with our eyes. They may be classified into two groups, namely


  1.Graphic arts

  2.Plastic arts
• Graphic arts - include painting, drawing, photography, graphic process (printing), commercial art(designing of books, advertisements, signs, posters and other displays), mechanical process, in which portrayals of forms and symbols are recorded on a two-dimensional surface
• Plastic arts - include all fields of visual arts for which materials are organized into three-dimensional forms such as structural architecture, landscape architecture (gardens, parks, playgrounds, golf course beautification), city physical planning.
• Josefina Estolas grouped arts into major and minor arts 


  (1) Major arts include painting, architecture, sculpture, literature, music and dance.

  (2) Minor arts include the decorative arts, popular arts, graphic arts, plastic arts, and industrial arts.
• Josefina Estolas - She also grouped arts into


  • visual arts (graphic arts, plastic arts)

  • performing arts, (theatre, play, dance, music)

  • literary arts (short stories, novels, poetry, dramas)

  • popular arts(film, newspaper, magazine, radio, television)

  • gustatory art of the cuisine (food preparation, beverage preparation)

  • decorative arts or applied arts (beautify houses, offices, cars and other structures)
• Panizo and Rustia (1995) - arts are classified into practical arts or useful arts, liberal arts, fine arts, major arts, and minor arts.
• Practical or useful arts - are directed to produce artifacts and utensils for the satisfaction of human needs. Handicrafts (basket weaving, mat weaving, etc.), embroidery, ceramics, iron and metal crafts, tin can manufacturing, etc., are examples of these arts.
• Liberal arts - are directed toward intellectual growth, such as in the study of philosophy, psychology, literature, mathematics, and sciences.
• Major arts - are characterized by actual and potential expressiveness such as music, poetry, sculpture.
• Minor arts - are concerned on practical uses and purposes, such as interior decoration and porcelain art.
• media and forms arts - arts include plastic arts, phonetic arts, kinetic arts, pure arts, and mixed arts.
• Plastic arts - are developed through space and perceived by the sense of sight. Such arts include sculpture and decorative materials.
• Kinetic arts - involve the element rhythm. Dance is a type of this art.
• Phonetic arts - are directed toward sounds and words as media of expression. Examples are music, drama, and literature.
• Pure arts - take only one medium of expression like sound in music and color in painting.
• Mixed arts - take more than one medium such as the opera which combines music, poetry and drama.
• Art reflects creativity, ingenuity, and inventiveness within a culture, not just in styles but also in functional interaction with human life and culture.
• Art has ancient origins, rooted in primitive times when superstition and beliefs in spirits were prevalent across cultures.
• Primitive art is tribal and indigenous, integrated into rituals and ceremonies through dance, painting, music, and poetry.