What are the Arts and
Humanities?
Humanities
Is the name for studies about
people, about being human.
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.
The four areas of the arts
we study.
What is a work of art?
A work of art is often said
to be something made by
a person. Not natural
beauties. Instead it is of
human creation!
Art is the use of skill and creativity to
make things that are beautiful or that
involve your emotions in some other
way.
If something is truly art, then a human
being has thought about it and created
it with as much care and attention as
possible.
We Will Study the Facts
We will study the dates of Beethoven’s birth
and death; the dates of his important
compositions, as well as, their key signature
and numbers.
We will investigate the history of jazz and the
claims of Jelly Roll Morton for having been its
“inventor.”
We will 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.
Beyond the Facts
to the values that evoke our feelings
In other words we will go beyond the
facts about a work of art and get to the
values implied in the work.
We will learn to recognize the values
expressed in works as well as to
understand the ways in which they are
expressed.
Culture
Simply means the “way of
life” of people in a
particular place and time.
How would you describe our culture?
Period
Is different than a culture because it
is defined by time.
For Example: the colonial period began
with the first permanent settlement in
what is now the United States in 1607.
Perception
We need to know the background of
a work of art before we can gain
perception.
Composition is basic to all the arts
To perceive any work of art
adequately, we must perceive its
structure.
Four Factors for Identifying Art
1.
Artistic form: All objects and events have form. Form is the interrelationships of
part to part and part to whole. Artistic form distinguishes art from objects or events
that are not works of art.
2.
Content: Content is the meaning of artistic form.
3.
Subject Matter: is the content or meaning of the work of art; is never directly
presented in a work of art;
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 artistic is all
about. Good Analysis
Being a Critic of the Arts
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
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.
Types of 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.
Intro to humanities quiz
1. How was art described in the PowerPoint presentation?
2. List the four areas of art we are going to study.
3. What is the name for studies about people being human?
4. Another word for “way of life.”
5. This term is defined by time.
6. True or False. A work of art can be a natural beauty.
7. List the four factors for identifying art.
8. True or false. You are already an art critic.
9. What type of criticism concentrates on the form of a work of art?