Art Appreciation

• Representationism


  The philosophy that art is a representation or reproduction of things, people, objects, or events that are known to man
• Voltaire: 'Originality is nothing but judicious imitation'
• Plato


  A philosopher of Ancient Greece known for his Dialogues that include his teacher, Socrates
• Plato loved and hated the arts at the same time
• Plato's view on the arts

  The arts can be used to train citizens to have an ideal society, but using arts to accomplish this should be strictly controlled
• Plato's two ideas of art


  • Art is imitation
  • Art is dangerous
• Plato's philosophy of reality


  Reality exists in the world of being, which is illustrated in his Allegory of the Cave
• Plato's view on art

  Art is a copy of a copy which leads people farther from the truth (or the forms), and works of art are great for entertainment
• Imitationism of Plato


  Things in this world are beautiful as appearances of the reality or idea of beauty or the universal form of beauty existing in the world of being, and art is beautiful as imitations of things in this world and art is the imitation of the appearance of reality

  
• For Plato and Aristotle, to be an artwork requires that the piece in question be an imitation of something
• Under imitation theories of art, artists are said to attend foremost to mirroring the objective world
• Batteux's definition of painting, sculpture, and dance


  The imitation of beautiful nature conveyed through colors, through relief and through attitudes
• Batteux's definition of music and poetry


  The imitation of beautiful nature conveyed through sounds, or through measured discourse
• The imitation theory claims that all art is imitative

  
• Art as representation


  An image, an appearance, a copy, and reproduction of things, people, objects, or events
• Ways to represent nature

  • Physical alteration
  • Selective modification
  • Perceptual interpretation
• Physical alteration


  Changing the physical appearance of nature, like a natural marble that turns into a sculpture by carving and cutting

  
• Selective modification


  Enhancing the appearance of nature, like a forest that becomes a garden by arranging and trimming the plants, or a woman beautifying herself by putting cosmetics on her face
• Trompe l'oeil


  A painting that looks so realistic that it fools the eye as if it sees the real thing
• Representation in Chinese art


  The drawing of forms which answer to natural form, where humanity did not become the conqueror of nature, but rather took its rightful place in it
• Romantic realism in Philippine art


  The depiction of subjects as they appear in everyday life without embellishment or interpretation, combined with the emphasis on emotion and glorification of the past and of nature
• Artists of romantic realism in Philippine art

  • Fabian de la Rosa
  • Fernando Amorsolo
• Amorsolo's paintings pleased patron-customers, many of whom were Americans, by painting rural scenes where farmers and barrio lasses are shown joyously doing their tasks amid clean bright, and idyllic surroundings
• Critics have pointed out the vast difference between Amorsolo's happy peasants and the poverty-stricken farmers who are the constant losers in the continuing struggle between landlords and tenants
• Amorsolo did paint pictures where the sun did not always shine, like war scenes showing dead soldiers and burning buildings, products of his actual experience during the Japanese bombing and looting of Manila
• Amorsolo's paintings are a "true reflection of the Filipino soul", but are highly commercialized and meant for political propaganda by hiding the social reality under the appearance of order and beauty