ART:
-From the Aryan word ‘AR’ which means to put together.
- From the Latin word ‘ARS’ which means artificially made or made by man.
- From the word ‘ARTI’ which means craft guild.
- From the word ‘ARTE’ which means craftmanship.
In other words, arts is something that more or less connects everyone regardless of race, gender, color,
or age.
ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT ARTS
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Art is very important in our lives.
Art can be found in all ages and in all countries.
Art does not grow old and die.
Art involves experience.
Art is a product of man’s need to express himself.
Art is interdisciplinary.
Art is universal but has no universal meaning.
Art is everywhere.
Art is imitating and creating.
--- Art is not nature (COMMENT: Adengs, this is a new addition. As mentioned in the word
‘ARS’ art is man made. It cannot be produced by nature alone. Subjectively, however, nature
can somehow create beautiful things such as natural patterns e.g., snowflakes, leaf patters,
etc., that most people would consider ‘beautiful like an artwork’).
--- Art perfects nature (COMMENT: Again, a new addition. On some cases, art may help elevate
the beauty of nature. By adding slight details and artistic elements, a natural scenery may
even become better. An example of this is the use of strategic alignment of cherry blossoms in
Japan and Korea to form an art piece that many people find pleasing to the eyes).
THEORIES OF ARTS
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IMITATIONALISM / IMITATIONISM/ MIMETIC THEORY
Art is the imitation of the appearance of reality. All artistic creation is a form of imitation, a
representation of nature.
REPRESENATIONALISM
Art is a copy, an image, appearance, or reproduction of things, people, objects, nature, and
even events. Art is to portray what is visible. There are 3 ways on which an artist can represent
things through art:
Physical Alteration – A physical change is involved. Art uses something tangible or 4
dimensional. Ex: wood is to wood carving, and marble is to sculptures.
Selective Modification – from the word selective, it means to enhance a selected area
of a canvass that is often fixed in place. Examples are stage design, gardening, and the use of
cosmetics.
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Perceptual Interpretation – copying nature or a subject, turning it into art based on the
artist’s subjective interpretation of his/her subject. Example, Van Goh’s Starry Night and The
Garden.
FORMALISM
To put it simply, this theory asserts that art is something that can be dissected into
parts (e.g., lines, shapes, value, texture, color, etc.). It states that an art’s true value can only
be seen or formed when these parts or elements are seen as one.
EXPRESSIONISM
Art is the artist’s way of expressing his/her emotions. An artist expresses his/her
feelings using colors, lines, brush strokes, and even texture.
ACTION THEORY
Art involves a lot of action and movement. It says that art is an activity, or a work
performed by the artist. These ‘movements’ are evident in the final artwork of an artist.
INSTITUTIONAL THEORY
ART is everywhere. It is integrated in everything in this world from objects, to
business, buildings, and everyday objects. Also called the Artworld Theory.
The artworld includes artists, art critics, art historians/educators, art patrons/curators,
art museums/ galleries, schools/clubs, art awards, recognitions, journals, media.