HUM031

• Medieval humanities in the 12th and 13th century were centered on theology and philosophy
• Interest in Medieval humanities was focused on the concept of eternal
• Renaissance humanities from the 14th to 18th century focused on the intrinsic value of man's life on earth
• Renaissance humanities included disciplines such as languages and literature, fine arts, music, and philosophy to enrich and give meaning to man's life
• In the 19th century, science took precedence over humanities
• Today, humanities encompass modern literature, critical and historical study of fine arts and music, with an emphasis on serving man as an individual rather than as a social being
• Humanities involve the study of human culture and the human condition, including thoughts, beliefs, values, and feelings of man
• Humanities cover disciplines like philosophy, ethics, jurisprudence, language, linguistics, literary studies, art, and art history
• Art is any human activity that expresses aesthetic ideas through skill and imagination in creating objects, environments, and experiences to be shared with others for an aesthetic experience
• Albert Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge," emphasizing the limitless nature of imagination compared to knowledge
• Telos and function are related to a thing's identity
• For a thing to reach its purpose, it has to also fulfill its function - Aristotle
• What makes a human being a human being is its capacity for thinking, its supposed function
• Without the function of thinking, a human being ceases to be a human being
• In knowing the function of a thing, we know its telos
• Functions of Art:

  • Personal:
  • Varied and highly subjective
  • Created for the artist's own self-expression, entertainment, therapy, or merely as art for art's sake
  • Physical:
  • Created to serve a physical purpose
  • Examples include architecture, jewelry, and interior design
  • Social:
  • Address a particular collective interest as opposed to a personal interest
  • Depicts social conditions
  • Created to rally people toward a particular end
• Philosophical Perspectives:

  1. Art as Mimesis - Plato:

  • Art is essentially an imitation of nature
  • Art is an imitation of life and the world of forms/ "idea" is the ultimate reality
  • Art clouds rationality because it rouses emotions and feelings, leading away from the cultivation of intellect

  2. Art as a Representation - Aristotle:

  • Art aids in revealing the truth
  • Art provides a vision of what might be, a representation of possible versions of reality
  • Art serves the purposes of pleasure and instruction

  3. Art as a Communication of Emotion - Leo Tolstoy:
• • Art serves as a mechanism for social unity
  • Makes accessible feelings and emotions of people from the past and present, from all parts of the world
• Examples:

  • Dangerous Art:
  • When art leads away from the cultivation of intellect, as per Plato
  • Instructive Art:
  • When art provides a vision of what might be, as per Aristotle
  • Artwork Imparting Feelings and Emotions:
  • "The Third of May" by Francisco Goya, still relevant today, depicting the horrors of war and human suffering
• The Bachelor's Drawer includes photographs, paper currency, theater tickets
• These items are considered as art
• The Bachelor's Drawer and the KDLU FRPE are examples of items that are considered art
• The intentions of our distant ancestors included the practice of creating and using art
• Art can be a form of personal expression and a way to meet the community's needs
• Pictorial symbols on bark tell stories, such as the great hunter snake
• Mandalas are symbolic representations that can be considered art
• Art serves the personal need to express ideas and feelings, as well as the community's needs
• Art can include a wide range of ideas and its place in daily life
• Physical processes that influence glaciated upland landscapes include: erosion, transport, deposition, weathering and mass movement
• Physical processes have shaped the UK landscape in the past
• Some physical processes continue to operate on relict (old) glaciated upland landscapes that we see in the UK
• When glaciers and ice sheets cover the land, they cause the erosion, transport and deposition of sediments within the glaciated landscape
• Glacial erosion is the breaking down and removal of rocks and sediment by natural forces
• In glacial environments, the 2 main forms of erosion are abrasion and plucking
• Abrasion:

  • A sandpapering effect caused by small rocks embedded within the glacier rubbing on bedrock
  • Usually leaves a smooth surface with scratches called striations
• Plucking:

  • Meltwater from glaciers freeze around broken or cracked parts of rock, breaking it off from the bedrock or sides as the ice moves down the slope
  • Most prominent when there are many joints in the rock, as water can penetrate the rock and freeze in the cracks
• Communities can remind citizens of public virtues by commemorating individuals in monuments
• Individuals who are glorified in monuments may have statues placed on pedestals or in public spaces
• Architecture, especially of public buildings, can express a community's values and ideals
• Architectural shapes often symbolize strength and community purposes