SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
National Highway, Crossing Rubber, Tupi, South Cotabato
GENERAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
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LEARNING MODULE
FOR
GE 116: ART APPRECIATION
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WEEK 1
GE 116: Art Appreciation
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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COURSE OUTLINE
COURSE CODE
TITLE
TARGET POPULATION
INSTRUCTOR
:
:
:
:
GE 116
Art Appreciation
All students
MS. ELDEN ROSE B. BARRIOS
Overview:
In this world we see a lot of things that we can associate with art. These arts of all kinds provide
beauty and pleasure in our lives. By creating art, it expands our ability to interact with the world and
provides us with a new set of skills for self-expression and communication. Thus, we always need
beautiful things to look at, experience, and enjoy.
Finally, this book also intends to stimulate critical thinking among the students in the Humanities
as it allows them to have the freedom to express and articulate concepts through their work of art
especially in visual, performing, and literary. Hopefully, this will encourage them to perform well on
the subject as they use their God-given faculties to promote arts for the betterment of themselves
and of humanity.
Objective:
The learner will appreciate the universality and diversity of the aesthetic value of
masterpieces among our artists and their art works.
The following are the topics to be discussed
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
INTRODUCTION OF THE CLASS
HUMANITIES AND ARTS
FUNCTIONS OF ARTS
AESTHETIC ARTS AND CRAFTS
PAINTINGS
PRELIM EXAMINATION
Instruction to the Learners
Each chapter in this module contains a major lesson involving the Humanities and Arts, Function of Arts,
Aesthetic Art and Crafts, and Paintings. The lesson are characterized by continuity, and are arranged in such
a manner that the present unit is related to the next unit. For this reason, you are advised to read this module.
After each unit, there are exercises to be given. Submission of task will be given during your scheduled class
hour.
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GETTING STARTED:
Do you love arts? Do you want to know more about arts?
Then this Art Appreciation Module is for you!
Answer the following questions as precisely as you can.
1. For you, what is Art?
2. How is art important to you?
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3. What is your talent? Why?
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4. How can you say that you are an artist?
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5. Describe the world 5-10 years from now, and how art will develop and improve modernly.
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GE 116: Art Appreciation
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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WEEK 1
HUMANITIES AND ARTS
Humanities is the study of arts. It is a branch of learning which concerns with the human
thought, feelings and relations. The study of arts is the study of mankind. Humanities has always
been concerned with the importance of human being, his feelings, and how he expresses those
feelings. However, it should be stressed that the humanities emphasize analysis and exchange of
ideas rather than the creative expression of the arts or the quantitative explanation of the sciences.
Meaning and Significance
The term “Humanities” comes from a Latin word humanus, which means human, cultured
and refined. It generally refers to art, literature, music, architecture, dance and the theatre in which
human subjectivity is emphasized and individual expressiveness is dramatized. Generally, human
beings possess and show qualities like rationality, kindness and tenderness. These qualities of
humans gain different meanings based on one’s environment, values, beliefs and experiences
(Marcos, et al., 2010 and Menoy, 2009).
Humanities is an academic discipline that studies the human condition, using methods that
are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical
approaches of the natural sciences. These fields are the stories, the ideas, and the words that help
us decide what is important in our own lives and our world. By showing how others have lived and
thought about life, the Humanities help us decide what is important in our own lives and what we
can do to make them better.
By connecting us with other people, they point the way to answers about what is right or
wrong, or what is true to our heritage and our history. It also helps us address the challenges we
face together in our families, our communities, and as a nation.
The teaching of the humanities is intended to make the students realize that the mere
possession of knowledge is useless unless put to useful ends. It can regulate the type of behavior
that is considered appropriate to an individual (Marcos, et al., 2010). Moreover, the students become
aware that knowledge alone is meaningless unless it is accompanied by values, sentiments,
priorities, insights, inter-relationships and other transcendent realities (ibid.)
The Creation of Arts
The word “art” is derived from the Latin arti, which means “craftsmanship”, “skill”, “mastery
of form”, “inventiveness”. Art serves as a technical and creative record of human needs and
achievements. It usually refers to the so-called “fine arts” (e.g. pictorial, plastic, and building) and to
the so-called “minor arts” (everyday, useful, applied, and decorative arts). It is the process of
arranging elements in a way for you to use your senses and your emotions. It encompasses a
diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression. It includes music, literature,
film, photography, sculpture, and paintings. Art can be considered as a distinct character and a
reflection of a society.
As ability, art is the human capacity to make things of beauty and things that stir the human
spirit. As a process, art encompasses acts, such as drawing, painting, sculpture, designing buildings
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and using the camera to create memorable words. As products, art is the complete work like an
etching, a sculpture, a tapestry, a portrait, a song (Marcos, et al., 2010). The work of art is the
product of imagination of the artist dependent on the materials or medium, subject, theme, values,
influences, period, beliefs, inspiration, and preparation (ibid).
On the other hand, the word “artist” comes from a French word artiste and Spanish artista,
which means “performer”. It refers to a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum
of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and / or demonstrating an art. The term is often
used in the entertainment business, especially in a business context, for musicians and other
performers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist).
Artist is a descriptive term applied to a person who engages in an activity deemed to be an
art. An artist also may be defined unofficially as a person who expresses him or herself through a
medium. The word is also used in a qualitative sense of, a person creative in, innovative in, or adept
at, an artistic practice (ibid.)
An artist possess to an unusual degree of talents for interpreting ideas in artistic form through
the use of words, pigments, stone, notes, or in any other materials. When he sees or learns
something that impresses him, he expresses himself in one medium or another so that others nay
understand it, too.
Most often, the term describes those who create within a context of the fine arts or high
culture, activities such as drawing, painting, sculpture, acting, dancing, writing, filmmaking,
photography, and music- people who used imagination, talent, or skill to create works that may be
judged to have an aesthetic value.
Creativity is an artist’s trait developed in the course of his life to express his feelings. His
continuing reaction to the emerging conditions of the nature and social life gives birth to new ideas
and methods. The creation of arts by an artist is processed in three major phases (Sanchez, 2011)
namely: Creation of Ideas; Creation of the Materials; and Creation of Forms.
a. The Creations of Ideas- Artists are usually impressionable persons. A particular experience may
impress an artist so much that he decides to muse it as basis for a picture, a poem, a song, a play
or a dance. A painter for example, paints a picture from a scene where most people do not think
beauty existed or a between a man and a woman, or on the pains of a brokenhearted.
b. The Creation of the Materials- The artist uses different medium to give form to an idea. A painter,
for example, uses words; and a composer who uses musical sounds which he sets down as notes.
c. The Creation of Forms- Artists have developed different forms to express the ideas they work
on. In this phase, the artist must decide whether the form grows out of the idea or the problem which
prompted it; whether it has been given is individualized and unique; whether the work has unity; and
whether the organization in itself calls forth an aesthetic response from us.
The History of Art
The history of art covers the entire history of mankind since prehistoric times. Art has always
been a result of man’s intellectual and emotional connection with the world. It aimed to produce a
message which will either provoke an unexplainable consciousness within the hearts of its viewers
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or incite wisdom among the minds of the curious. Due to its extensive role for man, art has long
been studied in a variety of ways, with some scholars adapting the vantage point of mere aesthetics
while some venture into comparative analyses.
During ancient times, different forms of art were created and performed as a sign of
communication to the unknown being. Adoration, may it be of a deity, a ruler, or an event, played a
part in each society’s formation of artistry. It shows how cultural and religious factors played little to
the development of the art forms that have made the ancient society so famous until now. By
portraying events through the means of pottery and painting, such were immortalized without the
need to be written down as literature (Adams, 2007).
Prehistoric people often represented their world and perhaps their beliefs through visual
images. Art emerged with the appearance and dispersion of fully modern people through Africa,
Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americans. Paintings, sculptures, engravings, and later, pottery
reveal not only a quest for beauty but also complex social systems and spiritual concepts.
Animals are to be found everywhere in prehistoric art being the favorite subjects of hunters,
herdsmen, and breeders. We can recognize species and breeds that still exist today. These pictures
also furnish us with precious contemporary documents of animals now extinct from the region of the
paintings, such as the cave lion, bear, sabre-toothed tiger, mammoth, Ilomoicerus (large-horned
buffalo) and giant deer.
There are elaborate paintings of animals most often depicted were horses, bison, mammoth,
reindeer, aurochs, wild boar, fish, eels, birds, and other animals valued for food and raw materials
such as fur, leather, antlers, and ivory.
Prehistoric art, in general, can be seen as the representation of a symbolic system that is an
integral part of the culture that creates it. It is therefore not readily intelligible or accessible to other
cultures. The symbols often appear ambiguous, and it is likely that they have also changed in
meaning within the same culture that originally produced them (Honour, et al., 2005). Many
archeologists have identified Stone Age art, namely: petroglyphs (rock carvings and engravings);
pictographs (pictorial imagery, symbols); prehistoric sculpture (totemic statutes, ivory carvings); and
megalithic arts (petroforms or any other works associated with the formation of stones).
In modern times, art history has emerged as a discipline that specializes in teaching people
how to evaluate and interpret works of art based on their own perspective. It is only during this era
when all the various schools of artistic thoughts have emerged to detach the wholeness of art.
Cubism, Realism, Dadaism, Surrealism, and many more allowed for artistic freedom to take center
stage. Here, the personal began to turn into a collaborative effort as artists joined forces to take a
stand for their favored style.
At present, art has emerged as a discipline that specializes in teaching people how to
evaluate and interpret creative works based on their own perspective. However, art has also
frequently been criticized for its subjectivity because the definition of what is beautiful varies from
individual to individual. Learning to evaluate what you see by building on the art forms you already
know can develop your aesthetic understanding.
GE 116: Art Appreciation
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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Stone Tools: A Key to Arts
Stone is composed of minerals and can be classified into material types according to how
they formed: Mineral growth, Sedimentary, Metamorphic and Volcanic. Sedimentary rocks are
formed through the deposition and compression of particulate matter. Metamorphic rocks are
changed from the effects of extreme temperature and pressure. Volcanic rocks are cooled from
molten igneous magma (Prindle, 1994).
Stone tools were the instruments by which early man developed and progressed. All human
culture is based on the ingenuity and brainpower of our early ancestors in creating sophisticated
tools that enable them to survive. The first stone tools (eoliths- which are now believed to be
naturally produced by geological processes such as glaciation) and other types of organic materials
(wood, bone, ivory, and antler). Were made about two million years. The oldest human tools were
simple stone chopper, such as those unearth at Olduvai George in Tanzania.
According to Paleoanthropologists (people who study the origins and predecessors of the
present human species, using fossils and other remains), Paleolithic Man produced four types of
tools in producing an art namely: pebble tools (with a single sharpened edge for cutting or chopping);
Bifacial tools (hand axes); Flakes tools; and Blade tools.
GE 116: Art Appreciation
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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ACTIVITY #1
Discussion Points and Exercise Questions
Direction: Answer the following questions cogently but honestly. Write your answers in the space provided.
Each number answer corresponds 20 points.
1. Do you think of yourself as a creative person? If you do why/ if you don’t, why not?
2. Are you more creative and most productive when you are feeling happy? Do you suffer if you are not?
3. Which is more interesting Painting or Photography? Why?
Assessment Tool: Holistic Rubric
Select from 1-5, wherein 1 is the lowest and 5 would be the highest score.
Score
1. Clarity in Defining the Topic
2. Reasoning
3. Technical Writing Skills
4. Organization
Total Score
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GE 116: Art Appreciation
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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WEEK 2
FUNCTIONS OF ARTS
Arts have been part of us from the very beginning. Since Prehistoric period, people first sang
and danced for their ancestors, hunters first painted their quarry on the walls of caves, parents first
acted out the stories of heroes for their children, the arts have described, defined, and deepened
human experience.
All people everywhere have abiding need for meaning- to connect time and space,
experience and event, body and spirit, intellect and emotion. People create art to make these
connections, to express the otherwise inexpressible. A society and a people without the arts are
unimaginable, as breathing would be without air. Such a society and people could not long survive.
Arts also serve several functions which are outcome to its purpose (Menoy, 2009), namely:
1. Individual Function- The artists perform arts because of their passion of their respective art
forms. A singer performs a concert for free because of his personal advocacy and the love in singing.
2. Social Function- Man associates with others through his art performance that arouses social
consciousness. This association is demonstrated by the choral singing, group dancing, public art
exhibits and other practices.
3. Economic Functions- Arts are emerging as a potent force in the economic life of people and
assume an important role as a direct and indirect contributor to state economies. Influencing human
capital and cultural resources to generate economic vitality through crafts is therefore important.
4. Political Functions- Art provides a forum of ideas that will lead to employment, prestige, status,
and power.
5. Historical Functions- Arts serve to record historical figure and events.
6. Cultural Functions- Art is expression, not of mere things or ideas, but of concrete experience
with its values, and for its own sake. Its value is in the sympathetic mastery and preservation of life
in the mind.
7. Physical Functions- Buildings are artistically designed and constructed to protect their
occupants and make their life inside more meaningful.
8. Aesthetic Functions- Any artwork means beauty. Art is an image of the good, and has value in
so far as through expression it enables us to experience edifying emotions or to contemplate noble
objects.
Purpose of Art
Creativity or imagination is the main basis of an art. Art is created when an artist creates a
beautiful object, or produces a stimulating experience that is considered by his audience to have
artistic merit (Adajian, 2011). A work of art is the visual expression of an idea or experience, formed
with skill, through the use of a medium (Frank, 2011).
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Art allows expression of the individuality of the artist. Through artistic endeavors, people can
share what is important to them with others and can learn about the values of feelings of those
sharing art with them. Some of the purposes of art are the following (Marcos, et al., 2011):
1. Create Beauty- Artist has considered nature as the standard of beauty.
2. Provide Decoration- Works of art have been used to create pleasing environment.
3. Reveal Truth- Artist have pursued truth and attempted to reveal about how the world looks.
4. Immortalize- An artist can defy mortality by creating a work that will keep his talents in the
people’s consciousness.
5. Express Values- Art has been used to express hopes to symbolize great religious event.
6. Commemorate Experience- Art serves to convey the personal experiences of an artist and
record his impression in his work.
7. Create Harmony- An artist makes use of composition to put order in the diverse content of his
work.
Classifications of Arts
a. Visual Arts
These refer to those forms of art that create works which are primarily visual in nature (forms
perceived by the eyes). Examples of these arts include:
1. Painting- It is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface with a
brush or other object.
2. Sculpture- It is a three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials
(typically stone such as marble- or metal, glass or wood).
3. Architecture- It is the art of designing and erecting buildings and other physical structures.
4. Drawing- It is a visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a twodimensional medium.
5. Photography- It is an art of creating portraits by recording radiation on a radiation-sensitive
medium, such as a photographic film, or electronic image sensors.
b. Performing Arts
These refer to those forms of art that use the artists own body, face, and presence as a
medium. Examples of these arts include:
1. Theatre (Drama) - It is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the
experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place.
2. Music- It is an art form the medium of which is sound and silence.
3. Dance- It is an art form of movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form
of expression, social interaction, or presented in a spiritual or performance setting.
4. Film- it is a moving pictures (art form that records performances visually).
5. Installation Art- It is the merging of multiple genres into a coherent three-dimensional, multisensory work.
6. Opera- Art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text (called
a libretto) and musical score.
7. Stagecraft- It is a technical aspect of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes, but is not
limited to, constructing and rigging scenery, hanging and focusing of lighting, design and
procurement of costumes, makeup, and procurement of props, stage management, and recording
and mixing of sound.
GE 116: Art Appreciation
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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c. Literary Arts
These arts are primarily centered on creative writing and the other composition processes
which intended to be read. These include prose and poetry (e.g. novels, short stories, sonnet, ballad,
epic, essay).
The Importance of Arts in Educational Institutions
According to the National Art Education Association (1994), knowing and practicing the arts
disciplines are fundamental to the healthy development of student’s minds and spirits. Arts are
inseparable from the very meaning of the term education. We know from long experience that no
one can claim to be truly educated who lacks basic knowledge and skills in the arts. Listed below
are the reasons for this declaration.
1. Arts are worth studying. Arts have served to connect our imaginations with the deepest questions
of human existence.
2. Arts are used to achieve a multitude of human purposes. Arts help to present issues and ideas,
to teach or persuade, to entertain, to decorate or please. Becoming literate in the arts help students
understand and do these things better.
3. Arts are integral to every person’s daily life. Our personal, social, economic, and cultural
environments are shaped by the arts at every turn.
4. Arts offer unique sources of enjoyment and refreshment. Arts explore relationships between ideas
and objects and serve as links between thought and action. Their continuing gift is to help us see
and grasp life in new ways.
5. Arts help students develop attitudes. Arts teach self-discipline, reinforce self-esteem, and foster
the thinking skills and creativity so valued in the workplace. They teach the importance of teamwork
and cooperation.
GE 116: Art Appreciation
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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ACTIVITY #2
Discussion Points and Exercise Questions
Direction: Answer the following questions cogently but honestly. Write your answers in the space
provided. Each number answer corresponds 20 points.
1. How do you determine whether a certain artwork is a creative work of an artist? Explain.
2. What talent/s would you like to improve as a person? Explain why.
3. Which of the following classification of arts (Visual, Performing, Literary) do you think you
belong? Why?
Assessment Tool: Holistic Rubric
Select from 1-5, wherein 1 is the lowest and 5 would be the highest score.
Score
1. Clarity in Defining the Topic
2. Reasoning
3. Technical Writing Skills
4. Organization
Total Score
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End of second week
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GE 116: Art Appreciation
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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WEEK 3
Aesthetics Arts and Crafts
Aesthetics is derived from the Greek word eisthetis which means “perception”. It is a branch
of philosophy devoted to the study of art and beauty. It is first used during the 18 th century by the
German philosopher Alexander Baumgarten. This term also refers to the principles governing the
nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in visual art (Rader, 1979).
On the other hand, the term “craft” comes from a German word kraft which means “power”
or “ability “. It denotes a skill, usually employed in branches of the decorative arts (e.g. ceramics) or
in an associated artistic practice. Craft work is skilled work (meaning: any kind of craft must involve
the application of a technique). Craft implies the application of human skills through the use of a
hand. The concept of craft is historically associated with the production of useful objects and art. It
tends to produce things which are useful for various human purposes, and though they may be
pretty in any number of ways, craft objects tend to exhibit their prettiness around a purpose external
to the object itself.
Arts and crafts started during the 19th century as design reform and social movement. Its
proponent was motivated by the ideals of William Morris, who proposed that in pre-industrial
societies, such as the European Middle Ages, people had achieved fulfillment through the creative
process of handicrafts.
William Morris was born on March 24, 1834 in Walthamstow, England. He was known for his
pattern designs, particularly on fabrics, wallpapers, fantasy fiction and proponent of medievalism
and socialism. His vision in linking art to industry by applying the values of fine art to the production
of commercial design was a key stage in the evolution of design as we know it today. As a champion
of socialist ideals, he believed that a designer should have a working knowledge of any media that
he used. He died on October 3, 1896 at the age of 62 years old in London, England.
Design Principles
The Arts and Crafts style started as a search for aesthetic design and decoration and a
reaction against the styles that were developed by machine-production. These Arts and Crafts
objects were simple in forms which tended to emphasize the qualities of the materials used (patterns
are inspired by British flora and fauna).
The Arts and Crafts style was partly a reaction against the style of many of the items shown
in the Great Exhibition of 1851 in England, which were ornate, artificial and ignored the qualities of
the materials used. An art historian, Nikolaus Pevsner has said that exhibits in the Great Exhibition
showed “ignorance of that basic need om creating patterns, the integrity of the surface.
Categories of Arts and Crafts
The term crafts also refer to the products of artistic production that require a high degree of
tacit knowledge that are highly technical, require specialized equipment and /or facilities to produce
and involve manual labor. These can be categorized as textile craft: wood, metal or clay crafts:
paper or canvas crafts: and plants crafts.
A. Textile Crafts
1. Weaving- It is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or
threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth.
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2. Sewing- It is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a
needle and thread.
3. Cross-Stitch- It is a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped
stitches in a tiled, raster like pattern are used to form a picture.
4. Tatting- It is a technique for handcrafting a particularly durable lace constructed by a
series of knots and loops.
5. Shoemaking- It is the process of making footwear.
6. Crochet- It is a process of creating fabric from yarn, thread, or other material strands
using a crochet hook.
7. Lace- It is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work , made by
machine or by hand.
8. Macrame- It is a form of textile-making using knotting rather than weaving or knitting.
9. Millinery- It is the designing and manufacture of hats.
10. String art- It is characterized by an arrangement of colored thread strung between
points to form abstract geometric patterns.
B. Wood, Metal or Clay Crafts
1. Carpentry- It refers to works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings,
furniture, and other objects. Chip carving.
2. Jewelry- It is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings,
and bracelets.
3. Marquetry- It is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer (thin slices of wood) to a
structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures.
4. Pottery- is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include
earthenware, stoneware and porcelain.
5. Sculpture- It is process which has focused on carving and modeling, generally in stone,
metal, and wood.
6. Wood Turning- It is a form of woodworking that is used to create wooden objects on a
lathe (a machine tool which rotates the workpiece on its axis to perform various operations
such as cutting, sanding, knurling to create an object which has symmetry about an axis of
rotation.
7. Fretwork- It is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid
background, or cut out with a coping saw, jigsaw or scroll saw.
C. Paper or Canvas Crafts
1. Bookbinding- It is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or
unfolded sheets of paper or other material.
2. Card Making- It is the craft of hand-making greeting cards.
3. collage- It is a technique where the artworkis made from an assemblage of different forms,
thus creating a new whole.
4. Origami- It is traditional Japanes art of paper folding.
5. Papier-maché- It is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes
reinforced with texttiles, bound with an adhesive.
6. Scrapbooking- It refers to a typical memorabilia which include photographs, printed media,
and artwork.
7. Rubber Stamping- It is a craft in which some type of ink made of dye or pigment is applied
to an image or pattern that has been craved, molded, laser engraved or vulcanized, onto a
sheet of rubber.
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D. Plants Crafts
1. Corn Dolly Making- It is a form of straw work made as part of harvest customs ofEurope
before mechanization.
2. Floral Design- It is the art of using plant materials and flowers to create a pleasing and
balanced composition.
3. Pressed flower craft- consists of drying flower petals and leaves in a flower press to flatten
and exclude light and moisture.
Principles in Understanding Artistic Composition
Art principles are created by combining art elements. Artists utilize organizing
principles to create forms that inform. Techniques are the ways artists go about applying the
principles of composition.
a. Principle of Harmony
Visual harmony is achieved when all of the art elements within a work of art interact
well. Many times, this can be accomplished by using similar types of shapes, lines or colors
within a work of art. A harmonious work of art mightuse only organic or only geometric shapes
and lines to create a unified composition. Colors could also be used to create a feel of unity
within the piece. Using all cool or all warm colors would help to produce a harmonious work
of art.
b. Principle of Variety
A strong composition will also demonstrate the principle of variety. Variety is
accomplished by using differing lines, shapes and colors within an artwork to make key areas
stand out. Variety can be used to pull the eye to a focal point within the artwork. Artists can
use this idea to direct a viewers eye to a place within the art that he or she wants to
emphasize.
c. Principle of Balance
It refers to the equilibrium of opposing visual forces. It is created in a work of art when
textures, colors, forms, or shapes are combined harmoniously. It also refers to the way in
which visual weight is distributed throughout a composition. Compositions can displays either
symmetrical or asymmetrical balance. Symmetrical balance refers to a composition in which
the visual weight is perfectly and evenly distributed each side of the artwork. A symmetrical
composition can be divided down the center and each side will be close to a mirror image of
the other.
d. Principle of Movement
Movement refers to the way that an eye moves throughout a work of art. An artist
creates visual movement to drive the eye to the focal point of the artwork. It can be directed
by lines, contrasting shapes, or colors within the artwork. In this work of art, our eye moves
up through the pattern in the rippling surface of the water to the two paddlers.
e. Principles of Emphasis
Emphasis refers to the need of an artist to craete a focal point within a composition.
The focal point is the most important part of a work of art and the viewers eye should be
drawn to that area. Emphasis can be achieved by using a combination of elements to create
visual movement to the focal point. Using contrasting colors can also help to emphasize a
focal point.
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f. Principle of Proportion
It is created when the sizes of elemnts in a work of art are combined harmoniously.
Artists must make sure that the relative sizes of items within a composition make logical
sense. In most cases, artists try to make all of the parts in a composition relate logically to
each other, and artists strive to depict the human form within the proper proportion.
g. Principle of Rhythm
Rhythm refers to the use of visual repetition within a work of art. Repeating visual
elements can create visual energy and interest. Rhythm can also be referred to as pattern.
Patterns within an artwork are created by repeating certain colors, line or shapes in specific
areas. Rhythm can be used to create texture and variety within a work of art.
Motivated Functions of Art
Motivated purposes of art refer to intentional, conscious actions on the part of the artist
or creator. These may be to bring about political change, to comment on an aspect of society,
to convey a specific propaganda, or simply as a form of communication (Holly, 2020).
1. Art for political change. One of the defining functions of early twentieth century art has
been to use visual images to bring about poliyical change.
2. Art for entertainment. Art may seek to bring about a particular emotion or mood, for the
purpose of relaxing or entertaining the viewer. This is often the function of the art industries
of Motion Pictures and Video Games.
3. Art for healing. Art is also used by art therapists, psychotherapists and clinical
psychologists as art theraphy. The end product is not the principal goal in this case, but rather
a process of healing, through creative acts, is sought.
4. Art for propaganda (Commercialism). Art is often utilized as a form of propaganda, and
thus can be used to subtly influence popular conceptions or mood. In a similar way, art thatb
tries to sell a product also influences mood and emotion.
5. Art for communication. Art has intent or goal directed toward another individual, this is a
motivated purpose. An illustrative art, such as scientific illustration, is a form of art as
communication. Emotions, moods and feelings are also communicated through art.
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ACTIVITY #3
Discussion Points and Exercise Questions
Direction: Answer the following questions cogently but honestly. Write your answers in the space provided.
Each number answer corresponds 20 points.
1. Is Art simply a reflection of our personal values? Support your answer.
2. What is the relationship between Art and Crafts?
3. Is artistic skill learned or natural?
4. Why is Art considered as a “distinct character and a reflection of a society”?
5. What do you think are the needed materials in creating a good work of art? Explain.
Assessment Tool: Holistic Rubric
Select from 1-5, wherein 1 is the lowest and 5 would be the highest score.
Score
1. Clarity in Defining the Topic
2. Reasoning
3. Technical Writing Skills
4. Creative and Aesthetic Appeal of the Presentation
Total Score
____________________
_____________________
____________________
_____________________
_____________________
End of third week
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WEEK 4
PAINTINGS
According to the definition of Merriam Webster, painting is the practice of applying colors or
other medium to a flat surface. The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other
objects can be used such as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay, leaf, copper or
concrete, and may incorporate multiple other materials including sand, clay, paper, gold leaf as well
as objects. It is also used outside of art as a common trade among craftsmen and builders.
Painting is a mode of creative expression, and the forms are numerous. Drawing,
composition or abstraction and other aesthetics may serve to manifest the expressive and
conceptual intention of the practitioner (Mayer, 1970).
- Paintings can be naturalistic and representational (as in a still life or landscape painting),
photographic, abstract, can be loaded with narrative content, symbolism, emotion or can be
political in nature.
- Painting is an unspoken and largely unrecognized dialogue, were paint speaks silently in
masses and colors and the artist responds in moods.
- Paint records the most delicate gesture. It tells whether the painter sat or stood or crouched
in front of the canvas.
- Paint is a cast made of the painter’s movements, a portrait of the painter’s body and thoughts
(Elkins, 1998).
Elements of Painting
In every creative medium, be it music, art, dance, poetry, prose, or theatre, the goal is unity.
For the artist, unity results from the selection of appropriate devices peculiar to the medium and the
use of certain principles to relate them. A unique style emerges when an artist recognizes his or her
personal preferences of dominant design elements and consciously or unconsciously emphasizes
these dominant elements (Ocvirk, et al., 2008; Gatto, 2000).
a. Line
It is a continuous marking made by a moving point. It outlines shape and can contour areas
within those outlines. It can suggest movement (vertical, horizontal, diagonal, and curved). Each
line has its own meaning: vertical lines stress action, strength, dynamism; horizontal lines means
serenity, calmness, stability; diagonal line express tension, movement; curved lines appear
softness, flexibility, gentleness.
b. Color
It is the result of wavelengths of light reflecting off objects. Objects absorb certain
wavelengths and reflect others. It is composed of three distinct qualities: hue, saturation, and value.
Hue is simply the name of a color. Red, yellow, and blue are the primary colors. Their mixture
produces the secondary colors: green, orange, and purple. Further mixing produces six more, the
tertiary colors. Saturation refers to the purity, intensity (vividness) of a color. When we speak of the
redness of red, we mean its highest saturation. Value (also known as shading) refers to the lightness
or darkness of a color, the mixture in the color of white and black.
c. Texture
In the visual arts, texture is the perceived surface quality of a work of art. It is an element of
two-dimensional and three-dimensional design and is distinguished by its perceived visual and
physical properties. Use of texture, along with other elements of design, can convey a variety of
messages and emotions.
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d. Perspective
Perspective is an art technique for creating an illusion of three-dimensions (depth and space)
on a two dimensional, flat surface. It is what makes a painting seem to have form, distance, and
look real (Evans, 2002). The real goal of perspective in art is that of creating a viewpoint for your
audience that will best communicate your subject and serve its particular message.
The meaning of perspective used in art involves creating an appearance of depth. This
emphasis on distance stems from it being a difficult and impressive effect to achieve, especially
upon paper that is completely flat. Being three-dimensional, though means that an object has height
and width, and depth.
First understand that our viewpoint is simply that position we see things from. Perspective
basically means the same as “viewpoint” and “position”. There are also three viewpoints to look for
in a painting namely: foreground, middleground, and background. The foreground is the visual plane
that appears closer to the viewer. The middleground is the part between the foreground and the part
which is farthest away is called the background. The scale of these components often correlates to
the dominance in an image. The foreground is often the most dominant due to the larger perceived
scale of the images objects.
e. Shapes
An artist uses shapes to express ideas. They may be circles, triangles, rectangles, ovals, or
squares. It is an area with a defined boundary created by a variation of color, value or texture of the
areas adjacent to it. When arranged close together they help add energy to painting.
f. Symbols
Artists often include symbolic objects in their paintings. A symbol can be defined as
something which has a special meaning or a special message. It is used to express such ideas like
life, death, hope, etc. A painting may have hidden meanings within it as expressed in the symbols
the artist uses.
The Color Wheel and its Categories
Color is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red,
green, blue, and others. It is derived from the spectrum of light (distribution of light power versus
wavelength) interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors. Its categories
and physical specifications are also associated with objects, materials, light sources, etc., based on
their physical properties such as light absorption, reflection, or emission spectra.
A color wheel (also known as color circle) is a visual representation of colors arranged
according to their chromatic relationship. Begin a color wheel by positioning primary hues
equidistant from one another, then create a bridge between primaries using secondary and tertiary
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colors. A color circle, based on red, yellow and blue, is traditional in the field of art. Sir Isaac Newton
developed the first circular diagram of colors in 1666.
Basic colors like red, yellow and blue are known as primary colors. Primary colors at their
basic essence are those colors that cannot be created by mixing others. On the other hand, orange,
green and purple are known as secondary colors. A secondary color is made by mixing two primary
colors. Tertiary colors are those colors achieved by a mixture of primary and secondary hues or
colors. Other colors can also be categorized based on the following.
a. Complementary Colors- These colors sit opposite each other on the color wheel. Because they
are opposites, they tend to look especially lively when used together. When you put complementary
colors together, each color looks more noticeable. Red and green are examples of complementary
colors.
b. Analogous Colors- These colors sit next to each other on the color wheel. They tend to look
pleasant together because they are closely related. Orange, yellow-orange, and yellow are
examples of analogous colors.
c. Neutral Colors- These colors don’t usually show up on the color wheel. Neutral colors include
black, white, gray, and sometimes brown and beige. They are sometimes called “earth tones”.
d. Warm Colors- These colors are made with red, orange, yellow, or some combination of these.
Warm colors tend to make some you think of sunlight and warmth. Colors of the sunset give a feeling
of brightness and heat.
e. Cool Colors- These colors are made with blue, green, purple, or some combination of these.
Cool colors might make you think of cool and peaceful things, like winter skies and still ponds.
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ACTIVITY #4
Discussion Points and Exercise Questions
Direction: Answer the following questions cogently but honestly. Write your answers in the space provided.
Each number answer corresponds 20 points.
1. What are the differences between oil and acrylic paints?
2. What are the secondary colors? How are they formed?
3. What is the real goal of perspective in art? Explain.
Assessment Tool: Holistic Rubric
Select from 1-5, wherein 1 is the lowest and 5 would be the highest score.
Score
1. Clarity in Defining the Topic
2. Reasoning
3. Technical Writing Skills
4. Creative and Aesthetic Appeal of the Presentation
Total Score
____________________
_____________________
____________________
_____________________
_____________________
End of fourth week
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WEEK 5
PRIMARY COLORS: SYMBOLISM AND MEANING
Color can influence our emotions, our actions and how we respond to various people, things
and ideas. Much has been studied and written about color and its impact on our daily lives.
Red Color
Red is the warmest of all colors. Red is the color most chosen by extroverts and one of the
top picks of males. On the negative side, red can mean temper or anger. In China, red is the color
of prosperity and joy. Brides wear red and front doors are often painted red. Red is Tuesday’s color.
Red roses symbolize passionate love. Ruby rings should be worn on the left hand. Red is the color
of Mars. This planet is known as the “God of war”.
Red is associated with fiery heat and warmth. It can also mean danger (burning). It is the
color of blood, and as such has strong symbolism as life and vitality. It brings focus to the essence
of life and living with emphasis on survival. Red is also the color of passion and lust. Red color is
important to human life because it is believed that:
a. It increases enthusiasm and interest;
b. It gives more energy;
c. It reinforce action and confidence; and
d. it protects us from fears and anxieties.
Blue Color
Blue is the coolest color- the color of the sky, ocean, sleep, twilight. A pure blue is the color
of inspiration, sincerity and spiritually. Blue is often the chosen color by conservative people. Blue
is the calming color. That makes it a wonderful color to use in the home, especially for babies. Blue
is so soothing that is good choice for pajamas. Dark blue is the color of truth and moderation.
Blue gives a feeling of distance. Artists use it to show perspective. This is a good way to
understand the energy of the color blue- it allows us to look beyond and increase our perspective
outward. It contains a cool vibration that is helpful to communication. Blue color is important to
human life because it is believed that:
a. It is a sign of calmness and relaxation;
b. It opens the flow of communication;
c. It broadens our perspective in learning new information; and
d. It implies solitude and peace.
Yellow Color
Pure, bright and sunny yellow is the easiest color to see. People who are blind to other colors
can usually see yellow. Yellow is full of creative and intellectual energy. It symbolizes wisdom. Yellow
means joy and happiness. People of high intellect favor yellow.
Like the energy of a bright sunny day, yellow brings clarity and awareness. The shade of
yellow determines its effect: Yellow-green can mean deceit, and creates a disoriented feeling.
Orange-yellow imparts a sense of establishment. Clean light yellow clears the mind, making it active
and alert. Yellow color is important to human life because it is believed that:
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a. It helps us in making decisions;
b. It relieves us from burnout, panic, nervousness, exhaustion;
c. It sharpens our memory and concentration skills; and
d. It protects us from depression.
Color symbolism can vary dramatically between cultures. Research has also shown that most
colors have more positive associations with them than negative (Courtright, 2001). Color also
means many different things to different people and cultures. It could represent feelings, people,
countries, cultures, and color symbolism. Color symbolism can vary dramatically between cultures
(Dreyfuss, 1984).
Basic Color Symbolism Chart
(Based from the Western Culture)
Color
Red
Cultural Symbolism
Excitement, energy, passion, love, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, aggression,
danger, fire, blood, war, violence, intense, and passionate.
Brown
Yellow
Earth, hearth, home, comfort, endurance, simplicity, and comfort.
Joy, happiness, betrayal, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer,
gold, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness,
hazard, and friendship.
Green
Eternity, family, harmony, health, peace, posterity, nature, environment, good luck,
youth, vigor, jealousy, envy, and misfortune.
Pink
Love and romance, caring, tenderness, acceptance and calm.
Beige and Quiet, pleasantness, calmness and simplicity.
ivory
Blue
Peace, tranquility, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence,
conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, technology,
depression, appetite suppressant.
Purple
Royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom,
enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning.
Lavender
Femininity, grace and elegance.
Orange
Energy, balance, enthusiasm, warmth, vibrant, expansive, demanding of attention.
Grey
Security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative,
practical, old age, sadness, bring, silver symbolize calm.
White
Reverence, purity, birth, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision,
innocence, youth, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage (Western cultures), death
(Eastern culture), cold, clinical
Black
Power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil,
unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger, anonymity, underground,
good technical color, mourning, death (Western culture).
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Mediums in Painting
Different types of paint are usually identified by the medium that pigment is suspended or
embedded in, which determines the general working characteristics of the paint, such as viscosity,
miscibility, solubility, drying time, and others (Martin, 2004).
1. Oil- It is a type of slow drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying
oil, commonly linseed oil.
2. Pastel- It is an art medium i the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a
binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art
media, including oil paints; the binder is of a nuetral hue and low saturation.
3. Acrylic- It is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. It
can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry.
4. Watercolor- is the medium or the resulting artwork in which the paints are made of pigments
suspended in water-suloble vehicle. It is usually transparent, and appears luminous because
the pigments are laid down in a relatively pure form with few types of filter obscuring the
pigment colors.
5. Ink- It is a liquid that contains pigments and/ or dyes and is used to color a surface to produce
an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing with a pen, brush, or quill.
6. Encaustic- It is heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added. The liquid/ paste is
then applied to a surface- usually prepared wood, though canvas and other materials are
often used.
7. Fresco- Is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls, ceilings
or any other type of flat surface. The word fresco comes from the Italian word äffresco’which
derives from the Latin word for “”fresh”.
8. Gouache- It is a water based paint consisting of pigment and other materials designed to be
used in a opaque painting method.
9. Enamel- It is a paint that air dries to a hard, usually glossy, finish, used for coating surfaces
that are outdoors or otherwise subject to variations in temperature.
10. Spray paint- It is a type of paint that comes in a sealed pressurized container and is released
in a fine spray mist when depressing a valve button.
11. Tempera- It is a pigment bound by yolk. It is a permanent, fast-drying paiting medium
consisting of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium.
Classifications of Painting Styles
Style is used in two senses: It can refer to the distinctive visual elements, techniques and
methods that typify an individual artist’s work. It can also refer to the movement or school that an
artist is associated with. This can stem from an actual group that the artist was consciously involved
with or it can be a category in which art historians have placed the painter. Such classifications
include the following:
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a. Western Styles
Abstraction
Abstraction is a process by which higher concepts are derived from the usage and
classification of literal (“real” or “concrete”) concepts, first principles, or other methods. “An
abstraction” is the product of this process- a concept that acts as a super-categorical noun for all
subordinate concepts, and connects any related concepts as a group, field, or catrgory. Abstraction
may be formed by reducing the information content of a concept or an observable phenomenon,
typically to retain only information which is relevant for a particular purpose.
Expressionism
Expressionism is an emotional realism. Expressionist artists sought to express meaning or
emotional experience rather than physical reality. It was originated in Germany at the beginning of
the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distoring
it radicallyor emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas.
Baroque
Baroque art is characterized by dynamism (a sense of motion), which is augmented by
extravagant effects (e.g. strong curves, rich decoration). Baroque painting is the painting associated
with the baroque cultural movement. The movement is often identified with Absolutism, the Counter
Reformation and Catholic Revival, but the existence of important Baroque art and architecture in
non-absolutist and Protestant states throughout Western Europe underscores its widespread
popularity. Among the greatest painters of the Baroque period are Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Rubens,
Velasquez, Poussin, and Vermeer.
Modernism
Modernism describes both a set of cultural tendencies and an array of associated cultural
movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society in the
late 19th century and early 20th century. The term encompasses the activities and output of those
who felt the “traditional” forms of art, architecture, literature, religious faith, social organization and
daily life were becoming outdated in the new economic, social and political conditions of an
emerging fully industrialized world.
b. Modern styles
Realism
Realism painting was generally practiced before the invention of a camera, where artists
depicted landscapes and humans with as much attention to detail and precision as possible. The
artist’s main goal is to describe as accurate and truthful as possible what is observed through the
senses (Sanches, 2011).
Symbolism
Symbolism is an art that represents the subject symbolically. For instance, the “Spolarium”
painting of Juan Luna depicts the suffering of the Filipino people from the hands of the Spaniards.
Many works of art included by some writers who cover the Symbolist era were actually produced in
the middle of the century, or even before.
Fauvism
Fauvism is described as an art that used brilliant primary colors in favor or color illumination
on subjects like pictures of comfort, joy and leisure. It comes from the French word fauves, meaning
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“wild beasts” (this name refers to a small group of painters who in Paris exhibited works notable for
the bold and expressive use of pure color).
Cubism
Cubism is a form of abstraction wherein the object is first reduced to cubes and then flattened
into two dimensional shapes. It has been considered th most influential art movement of the 20th
century in Paris pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Baroque that revolutionized European
painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture.
Surrealism
Surrealism is a type of art wherein the artist creates dreamlike paintings that is filled with
mysterious objects. It is the oppoite of abstraction that attempts to portray the conscious mind
through unconventional means. Surrealists had their forerunners in italian Metaphysical painters in
early 1910s.
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ACTIVITY #5
Discussion Points and Exercise Questions
Color Symbolism Identification
Direction: Identify one example of cultural symbolism of the colors and explain each symbol. Write your
answers on the boxes provided.
Color
Cultural Symbol
Explanation
Blue
Red
Yellow
Purple
Green
Assessment Tool: Holistic Rubric
Select from 1-5, wherein 1 is the lowest and 5 would be the highest score.
Score
1. Clarity in Defining the Topic
2. Reasoning
3. Technical Writing Skills
4. Creative and Aesthetic Appeal of the Presentation
Total Score
____________________
_____________________
____________________
_____________________
_____________________
End of fifth week
---------------------------------------------Nothing Follows------------------------------------
GE 116: Art Appreciation
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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