I.
Introduction
Most often than not, we create Art based on imagination, experiences,
and skill. It encompasses the consciousness to utilize skill and capacity of the
mind to create aesthetics that traverses forms, it could be on a form of music,
painting, dance, sculpture, and literature among others. Art is bounded to
human thought capability influenced by culture and social structure. The
existence of art as an expressive medium it usually asks who we are, the
values we hold on to, our perception of beauty and our social standing. It
allows us to experience sublime joy, deep sorrow, confusion and clarity. It
tests our strengths, vulnerabilities and resolve. It gives voice to ideas and
feelings, connects us to the past, reflects the present and anticipates the
future. Along these lines, art history, combined with anthropology and
literature, are three main sources in observing, recording and interpreting our
human past. Visual art is a rich and complex subject whose definition is in flux
as the culture around it changes. Because of this, how we define art is in
essence a question of agreement. In this respect, we can look again to the
dictionary’s definition for an understanding of exactly what to look for when
we proclaim something as ‘art’.
A. Form and Content
1. Form - the physical and visible characteristics inherent in works
of art. Formal distinctions include a work’s size, medium
(painting, drawing, sculpture or other kind of work) and
descriptions of compositional elements such as the lines, shapes
and colors involved.
2. Content - the meaning we derive from them. Issues on content
encompasses all the feelings and understandings the art
depicts on the viewer. These distinctions are unique in every
individual going along the lines that no two individuals are the
same. Sometimes an artwork’s content is vague or hidden and
needs more information than is present in the work itself.
B. Aesthetics
Aesthetics touches the philosophical groundings on the nature of
beauty. It’s the central idea of art exploration and what art has to
offer. Subsequently, it deals with the concept of taste, cultural
influences – the general concepts of art being ‘good’ or ‘bad’
along with individual beliefs and judgements based on
perceptions.
II.
History
Before methods of writing was invented to record the deeds of humanity,
art has been the primary medium for communication and expression of lives
and events that encompassed among them. From weaving intricate fabric
designs, painting on cave walls, decorating potteries and ceramic vessels
and other mediums available to ancient civilizations. Art and other forms of
depiction evolved overtime adapting to every stroke and style in every
passing era.
Artistic expression dates back to before recorded history, from the
Prehistoric Art periods of the Stone Age, Paleolithic and Neolithic, through to
the Ancient Art of the great civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece,
Rome, and others. Art was a vehicle for storytelling, often depicting the stories
of current-day rulers or religion. It was also used to decorate everyday utensils
and homes, and would become a symbol of status over time as works of art
became more opulent and valuable.
The fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century marks the beginning of the
“Dark Ages” of Europe, which lasted until the beginning of the Renaissance in
the 15th century and spawned the era of Medieval Art. This period saw a
focus on biblical artworks and the design of extravagant churches with three
main periods: Early Christian, Romanesque and Gothic.
The Italian-centric Renaissance dominated the 15th and 16th century,
beginning with famous early artists like Donatello and Brunelleschi. These
greats were followed by even more prolific artists: Botticelli, Da Vinci,
Michelangelo, and Raphael. Although most of the renowned artworks were
produced by Italians, there were notable Renaissance period artists from
outside of Italy, such as Albrecht Dürer from Germany and Belgian artist Jan
van Eyck.
A series of styles begin to emerge in Western Art in the 17th century with
the Baroque and Neo-Classical periods. These were followed by the
Romanticism and Realism movements of the 18th century, which led to the
birth of Modern Art in 1876 with the beginning of the Impressionist movement.
Many diverse styles would follow over the next century with Symbolism,
Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, and Pop Art to name just a few.
Contemporary Art, our current era, is considered by most to have begun
in the 1970s. Photorealism, Minimalism, Performance, Video and Installation
art are all notable movements from Contemporary Art.
III.
Art History vs. Art Appreciation
Art appreciation is the analysis and evaluation of works of art. More subtly,
art criticism is often tied to theory; it is interpretive, involving the effort to
understand a particular work of art from a theoretical perspective and to
establish its significance in the history of art.
This definition of art criticism is also a good description of art appreciation,
which may have you wondering what the difference is. In theory, not a lot.
They both require a study of art, an understanding of theory and history, and
an ability to examine and interpret artwork. The difference comes when this
knowledge is put into practice. Art appreciation is focused on study in order
to better understand and analyze art, while art criticism involves evaluating
an artwork with a formal assessment.
IV.
Art vs. Nature
Art is, in the general sense, the manifestation or application of human
creativity. This includes some of the most common forms of art such as
painting, music, photography, and sculpture. To most, much of art centers on
the artist’s products that express emotion through imagination and talent. If
you look through the history of human development, however, there are
countless other manifestations of human creativity. Advancements such as
harnessing electricity, the invention of steam-powered engines, or the
creation of solar panels are wonderful examples of human creativity, in the
sense of ‘imaginative’, ‘original’, and ‘innovative’. Though these examples
focus more on utility and human comfort, they are no less representative of
human creativity, imagination, and talent. While the end product might serve
different purposes, the processes of scientific innovation and artistic creation
are surprisingly similar.
While Nature needs the absence of thought to be nature, art is not art
until someone thinks about it and comprehends it. The view from the top of a
mountain is not art until it is being experienced or has been photographed.
That is why natural art is usually not apart nature. Both ways though, Nature
and Art are very unique and special things that might uses aspects of each
other but can never be the same thing.
ACTIVITY 1
On a A4 sized bond paper, write an essay about how can you utilize the
arts to express yourself, your community, and your relation to others and with the
earth? This activity is worth 50 points.
Rubrics:
Cohesion of ideas – 20
Grammar – 10
Formatting – 5
Relevance - 15
Good Luck!