Introduction to Humanities
Humanities Through The Arts
By
F. David Martin and Lee A. Jacobus
Chapter One
The Humanities A Study Of Values
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What is humanities?
 The humanities are those studies that are
directly concerned with human values.
 Unlike the sciences, which are expressed
through numbers and symbols, human values
can be perceived, felt, and expressed in subtle
and enduring ways.
 In the medieval period the word “Humanities”
distinguished that which pertained to humans
from that which pertained to God.
Humanities a Study in Values
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Humanities covers a broad area of human creativity but are distinct
from mathematics and the “hard” sciences.
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The separation between the humanities and the sciences is illustrated
in the way values work differently in the two areas.
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Both the scientist and the humanist must make value judgments. The
development of powerful weapons is seen as a positive development
for the scientist - because of the many possibilities the development of
the weapon might bring.
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On the other hand the humanist might see the development of powerful
weapons as a bad thing that will eventually affect or even destroy a
culture, people and or an entire life style.
A Humanist Approach
The humanists say, “what we need is a
study that will get us closer to ourselves.
 Of the many ways to study an approach
to the humanities is through art and the
subtle & enduring ways values are
expressed in the arts.
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Taste: is an exercise values!
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People are often quick to say they like or
dislike a piece of work because of taste.
 An there is no accounting for taste.
 The taste of the mass public shifts constantly.
It does not matter if it is in; fashion, programs,
slang words or terms, etc., it will one day go
out of style. Examples: the cabbage patch
doll, the pet rock, the eight ball, gold teeth,
mini skirts, the thong, etc.
Regardless-Everyone can and should be educated
about the arts and should learn to
respond to as wide a variety of the arts
as possible
 Because when we do there is a change
within us - something has been added.
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Many facts are involved in the study
of the arts
We can verify the dates of Beethoven’s birth
and death; the dates of his important
compositions, as well as, their key signature
and numbers.
 We can investigate the history of jazz and the
claims of Jelly Roll Morton for having been its
“inventor.”
 We can make lists of the Impressionist
painters and those they influenced.
 There are oceans of facts attached to every
art form. But our interest is not in fact alone.

What we mean by a study of the arts
penetrates beyond facts
to the values that evoke our feelings
 In other words we go beyond the facts
about a work of art and get to the values
implied in the work.
 We learn to recognize the values
expressed in such works as well as to
understand the ways in which they are
expressed.
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Responses to Art
Our responses to art are complex
 Education in the arts permits us to
observe more closely and thereby
respond more intensely to the content.
 Consider Eternal City 1934 – 1937 by
Peter Blume (p.7 - 5th ed/p.9 - 6th edition)

Knowledge about” a work of art can lead
to your “knowledge of” the work of art,
which implies a richer experience.
 THIS IS IMPORTANT as a basic
principle since it means that we can be
educated about what is in a work of art,
such as its form, shapes, and objects, as
well as what is external to a work, SUCH
AS its political references.

Artistic Form:
Form is the interrelationships of lines,
color, light, textures and shapes.
 Form of any painting can be analyzed
because any painting has to be
organized

Perception
Frequently, we need to know something
about the background of a work of art
that would aid our perception.
 Composition is basic to all the arts
 To perceive any work of art adequately,
we must perceive its structure.

Abstract Ideas and Concrete Images:
Examine the following poem “l(a”- by e. e.
Cummings.
 Cummings’ poem presents an abstract idea
fused with a concrete image or word picture.
 It is concrete because what is described is a
physical event; a falling leaf.
 Abstract idea on the other hand deal with
words or terms such as; love, hate, indecision,
arrogance, jealousy, ambition, justice, civil
rights, etc.
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What is a work of art?
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A work of art is often said to be something made by a
person. Not natural beauties. Instead it is of human
creation!
Identifying Art Conceptually:
Criteria for determining whether or not something is a
work of art:
1. That the object or event is made by an artist,
2. That the object or event is intended to be a work
of art by its maker
3. that important or recognized experts agree that it
is a work of art.
mass produced works do not qualify as works of art.
Identifying Art Perceptually:
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Perception, what we can observe and
conception, what we know or think we
know, are closely related. Do they
possess artistically perceivable
qualities?
Four Factors for Identifying Art
Perceptually
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1. Artistic form: All objects and events have form. Form is the
interrelationships of part to part and part to whole. Perceptible unity!
Artistic form distinguishes art from objects or events that are not works
of art.
2. Content: Content is the meaning of artistic form. The meaning!
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3. Subject Matter: is the content or meaning of the work of art; is
never directly presented in a work of art;
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4. Participation: We must not only give but also sustain our
undivided attention. Only by participation can we come close to a full
awareness of what the painting is all about. Good Analysis
Being a Critic of the Arts
Chapter 3
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There are methods and means for becoming a
good critic and understanding the goals of
responsible criticism.
 The act of responsible criticism aims for the
fullest understanding and the fullest
participation possible.
 It requires being at the height of awareness
while examining a work of art in detail,
establishing its context, and clarifying its
achievement.
Being A Critic Of The Arts
continued
You are already an art critic - when you;
choose a film or change the channel
looking for something better, turn a radio
dial looking for good music, when you
stop to admire a building or a sculpture.
 Our experience is one factor which
qualifies us to make such critical
judgments. It helps us make critical
judgments without hesitation.
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Critics of the arts
Everyone has limitations as a critic.
 Without some specific critical training
ourselves we are capable of going only
so far.
 By learning some principles about
criticism and how to put them to work,
we can develop our capacities as critics.
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Being a Critic of the Arts
Our basic critical purpose is to learn, by
reflecting on works of art,
 how to participate with these works more
intensely and enjoyably;
 good criticism will sharpen our
perception of the form of a work of art
and increase our understanding of its
content.
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Kinds of Criticism:
Descriptive Criticism

Descriptive criticism concentrates on the form
of a work of art,
 Describing the important characteristics of that
form in order to improve our understanding of
the part-to-part and part-to-whole
interrelationships.
 Still, we miss things and oftentimes we miss
things that are right there for us to observe.
 Good descriptive critics call our attention to
what we might otherwise miss in an artistic
form.
Kinds of Criticism:
Interpretive Criticism
Interpretive criticism gives detailed
explanation of the content of a work of
art.
 It helps us understand how form
transforms subject matter into content:
what has been revealed about some
subject matter and how that has been
accomplished.
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Kinds of Criticism:
Evaluative Criticism
Evaluative criticism – to evaluate a work
of art is to judge its merits (praiseworthy
quality).
 At first glance, this seems to suggest that
it is prescriptive criticism, which
prescribes what is good as if it were a
medicine and tell us that this work is
superior to that work.
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Kinds of Criticism:
Evaluative Criticism continued
If evaluative criticism makes you
uncomfortable, your reaction is based on
good instincts.
 Nevertheless, evaluative criticism of
some kind is generally necessary.
 Evaluative criticism’s three fundamental
standards: perfection, insight, and
inexhaustibility.
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