PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ARTS AND FUNCTIONS OF ARTS

. ART AS AN IMITATION
• In Plato’s The Republic, paints a picture of artists as imitators and art as mere imitation.
• In his description of the ideal republic, Plato advises against the inclusion of art as a subject in the
curriculum and the banning of artists in the Republic.
. ART AS AN IMITATION
• In Plato’s metaphysics or view of reality, the things in this world are only copies of the original, the
eternal, and the true entities that can only be found in the World of Forms.
• For example, the chair that one sits on is not a real chair. It is an imperfect copy of the perfect “chair”
in the World of Forms.
. ART AS AN IMITATION
•Plato was convinced that artists merely reinforce the belief in copies and discourage men to reach for
the real entities in the World of Forms.
.  ART AS AN IMITATION
• Plato was deeply suspicious of arts and artists for two reasons:
1. They appeal to the emotion rather to the rational faculty of men
2. They imitate rather than lead one to reality
.  ART AS AN IMITATION
• Poetry rouses emotions and feelings and thus, clouds rationality of people.
• Art is just an imitation of imitation. A painting is just an imitation of nature, which is also just an
imitation of reality in the World of Forms.
.  ART AS AN IMITATION
• Art then is to be banished, alongside the practitioners, so that the attitudes and actions of the
members of the Republic will not be corrupted by the influence of the arts.
• For Plato, art is dangerous because it provides a petty replacement for the real entities than can only
be attained through reason.
. ART AS A REPRESENTATION
• Aristotle, agreed with Plato that art is a form of imitation.
• However, Aristotle considered art as an aid to philosophy in revealing the truth. • The kind of imitation
that art does is not antithetical to the reaching of fundamental truths in the world.

.  ART AS A REPRESENTATION
• Unlike Plato who thought that art is an imitation of another imitation, Aristotle conceived of art as
representing possible versions of reality.
• For Aristotle, all kinds of art do not aim to represent reality as it is, it endeavors to provide a version of
what might be or the myriad possibilities of reality.
. ART AS A REPRESENTATION
•In Aristotelian worldview, art serves two particular purposes:
• Art allows for the experience of pleasure (horrible experience can be made an object of humor)
• Art also has an ability to be instructive and teach its audience things about life (cognitive)
. ART AS A DISINTERESTED JUDGMENT
• Immanuel Kant, in his Critique of Judgment, considered the judgment of beauty, the cornerstone of
art, as something that can be universal despite its subjectivity. • Kant recognized that judgment of
beauty is subjective.
• However, even subjective judgments are based on some universal criterion for the said judgment.
. ART AS A DISINTERESTED JUDGMENT HOW AND IN WHAT SENSE CAN A JUDGMENT OF
BEAUTY, WHICH ORDINARILY IS CONSIDERED TO BE A SUBJECTIVE FEELING, BE
CONSIDERED OBJECTIVE OR UNIVERSAL?
. HOW ARE THESE TWO STATEMENTS DIFFERENT?
1. “I like this painting.”
2. “This painting is beautiful.”
. The first is clearly a judgment of taste (subjective), while the second is an aesthetic judgment
(objective).
• Making an aesthetic judgment requires us to be disinterested. In other words, we should try to go
beyond our individual tastes and preferences so that we can appreciate art from a universal standpoint.

. ART AS A COMMUNICATION OF EMOTION

• According to Leo Tolstoy, art plays a huge role in communication to its audience’s emotions that the
artist previously experienced.
• In the same that language communicates information to other people, art communicates emotions.
. ART AS A COMMUNICATION OF EMOTION
• As a purveyor of man’s innermost feelings and thoughts, art is given a unique opportunity to serve as
a mechanism for social unity.
• Art is central to man’s existence because it makes accessible feelings and emotions of people from
the past and present.

 • Aristotle claimed that every particular substance in the world has an end, or telos in Greek, which
translates into “purpose.”
• Every substance, defined as formed matter, moves according to a fixed path towards its aim.
. This telos, according to Aristotle, is intricately linked with function.
•For a thing to reach its purpose, it also has to fulfill its function.
.  FUNCTIONS OF ART
. An inquiry on the function of art is an inquiry on what art is for.
• Example: What is the Rizal monument for?
. When it comes to function, different art forms come with distinctive functions. • Some art forms are
more functional than others.
. Architecture and Applied Arts
• The value of the art in question lies in the practical benefits one gains from it
• Obviously made for a specific purpose Painting and Literature
• One can look at the value of the product of art in and for itself
. DOES IT MEAN THAT PAINTINGS AND LITERARY WORKS CAN NEVER HAVE ANY
FUNCTION?
• Dr. Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibustirismo
• The novels accrued value and as a consequence, function.
• They are functional in so far as they are designed to accomplish some definite end.
. PERSONAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
• The personal functions of art are varied and highly subjective.
• Functions depends on the artist who created the art.
• An artist may create an art out of self- expression, entertainment, or therapeutic purpose.
. SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
• Art is considered to have a social function if and when it addresses a particular collective interest as
opposed to a personal interest.
• Art may convey message of protest, contestation, or whatever message the artist intends his work to
carry.
. SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
• Political art is a very common example of an art with a social function.
• Art can also depict social conditions such as photography (pictures of poverty)
• Performance art like plays or satires can also rouse emotions and rally people toward a particular end.
. PHYSICAL FUNCTION OF ART
• The physical functions of art can be found in artworks that are crafted in order to serve some physical
purpose.
• Architecture, jewelry-making, interior design all serves physical functions.
. OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART
• Music was principally used for dance and religion.
• The ancient world saw music as an instrument to facilitate worship and invocation to gods. • Music
was essential for synchronicity of dancers.
• Music guarantees that warriors were simultaneous.
. OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART
• Today, music has expanded its functions and coverage.
• There is a lot of music that has no connection to dance or religion.
• Example: Serenade – People compose hymns to express feelings and emotions.
• Music is also used as accompaniment to stage plays and motion pictures
. OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART
• Sculptures have been made by man most particularly for religion.
• In the Roman Catholic world, the employment of sculptures for religious purposes has remained vital,
relevant, and symbolic
• Rizal and Bonifacio’s monument and commemorative coins (Pope Francis)
. OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART
• Architecture may be the most prominent functional art.
• Unlike other forms of art, buildings take so much time to erect and destroy.
• One cannot dismiss taking into consideration the function of a building before construction.
. OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART
• It is also in architecture where one can find the intimate connection of function and form.
 SUBJECT AND CONTENT OF ARTS

□ In viewing art, there are clues that mediate between the artwork and the viewer, allowing the viewer to
more easily comprehend what he is seeing.
□ These clues are the three basic components of a work of art:
□ Subject – the visual focus or the image that may be extracted from examining the artwork; the “what”
□ Content – the meaning that is communicated by the artist or the artwork; the “why”
□ Form – the development and configuration of the art work – how the elements and the medium or
material are put together; the “how”
□ In the sciences, experimentation is the key to proving a hypothesis or a larger theory. 
□  In the arts, there are observable qualities that the artwork holds that will point to its subject, and
sometimes even to its content. (look at the constituent figures that are perceptible, the manner in which
the

TYPES OF SUBJECT
REPRESENTATIONAL ART 
□  These types of art have subjects that refer to objects that refer to objects or events occurring in the
real world.
□ Also termed figurative art because the figures depicted are easy to make out and decipher.
 Mona Lisa Leonardo da Vinci (1503)

□ Despite not knowing who Mona Lisa is, it is clear that the painting is of a woman that is realistically-
proportioned;  only the upper torso is shown;  a beguiling and mysterious smile is flashed;  the
background is a landscape
NON-REPRESENTATIONAL ART
□ Art forms that do not make a reference to the real world, whether it is a person, place, thing, or even a
particular event.
□ It is stripped down to visual elements, such as shapes, lines, and colors that are employed to translate
a particular feeling, emotion, and even concept.
 Number 1A Jackson Pollock (1948)

NON-REPRESENTATIONAL ART AND ABSTRACT ART

□ Is non-representational art the same with abstract art?
□ There is no clear-cut divide, rather, they exist in a spectrum.

Non- representational art Abstract art Representational art

  Head of a Woman, Mougins Pablo Picasso (1962)

□ Looking at the combination of lines, shapes, and colors of the sculpture will point to a head of a woman
□ Even with the abstraction of the image, this work is arguably representational art.
SOURCES AND KINDS OF SUBJECT
□ For non-representational art, a higher, level of perceptiveness and insight might be required to fully
grasped the feeling, emotion, or concept behind the work.
□ For representational art, it is easier to infer the subject matter because from the figures depicted in the
artwork, there is already a suggestion as to its implication.
Sources of Subject
□ Nature
□ History
□ Greek and Roman mythology
□ Judeo-Christian tradition
□ Sacred oriental texts
□ Other works of art
Kinds of Subject 
□ History
□ Still life 
□ Animals 
□ Figures 
□ Nature 
□ Landscape 
□ Seascape 
□ Cityscape 
□ Mythology 
□ Myth 
□ Dreams 
□ Fantasies

 Die Ebene von Auvers (Wheat Fields Near Auvers Vincent van Gogh (1890)

 A Cockchafer, Beetle, Woodlice and Other Insect, with a Sprig of Auricula Jan van Kessel (early
1960s)
 Young Women in the Ricefield Fabian de la Rosa (1902)

 Fruit Pickers Under the Mango Tree Fernando Amorsolo (1937)

 Discobolus Myron (Roman, 2nd Century AD)

 Sistine Chapel Michelangelo (1508-1512)

 Shah Jahan Receiving Dara Shikoh Folio from the Late Shah Jahan Album (circa 1650)

 El Tres de Mayo Francisco de Goya (1814)

CONTENT IN ART
□ The meaning or message that is expressed or communicated by the artwork.
□ In understanding the content of art, it is important to note that there are various levels of meaning:
Factual meaning 
□ The most rudimentary level of meaning for it may be extracted from the identifiable or recognizable
forms in the artwork and understanding how these elements relate to one another.
Conventional meaning 
□ Pertains to the acknowledged interpretation of the artwork using motifs, signs, and symbols and other
cyphers as bases of its meaning. 
□ These conventions are established through time, strengthened by recurrent use and wide acceptance
by its viewers or audience and scholars who study them.

Subjective meaning 
□ When subjectivities are consulted, a variety of meanings may arise when a particular work of art is
read. 
□ These meanings stem from the viewer’s or audience’s circumstances that come into play when
engaging with art (what we know, what we learned, what we experienced; what values we stand for) 
□ Meaning may not be singular, rather, multiple and varied

 Creation of Adam (from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel) Michelangelo (1814)

Analysis
□ Subject: biblical art 
□ Factual meaning: Creation Story (creation of man) 
□ Conventional meaning: man was created in the image and likeness of God 
□ Subjective meaning: endowment of intellect to man from God
 ARTISTS AND ARTISANS
Artist
□ an art practitioner such as painter, sculptor, choreographer dancer, musician, a poet who produces or
creates indirectly functional arts with aesthetic value using imagination.
Artisan
□ a craftsman, such as carpenter, carver, plumber, blacksmith, weaver embroider and etc. who produces
directly functional and/or decorative arts.

Artists focus on creating aesthetically pleasing works, while artisans' work focuses on accessorizing
and functionality more than aesthetics. The work of artists tends to be shown in museums or galleries,
while artisans sell their crafts at fairs and shops.

Famous Personalities of Art and their Works

 Leonardo da Vinci

□ Leonardo da Vinci was born more than 500 years ago (1452) in a town called Vinci in Italy.
He was a scientist, an inventor, an architect, a musician, a sculptor, a mathematician and also a fantastic
artist. He was curious about everything!
□ Mona Lisa
Painted in 1962 it was valued 100 million dollars! Imagine what it is worth now! It now hangs in the Louvre
in Paris.
□ The Last Supper
This famous painting by Leonardo Da Vinci was used for target practice by Napoleon’s soldiers.
□ Da Vinci's paintings were done in the Realist Style.
Born: 04-15-1452, Vinci, Italy
• Profile: Painter, Architect, Sculptor, Inventor, Military Engineer and Draftsman.
• Died: 05-2-1519 ,Amboise, France
• Quotes: “He who thinks little, errs much”

Famous Works The Last Supper, Mona Lisa, Vitruvian Man

VINCENT VAN GOGH

□ Vincent van Gogh was born more than 150 years (1853) ago in Zundert, Netherlands (Dutch)
□ He worked at many jobs, such as in an art gallery, a school, a bookstore, as a preacher, and at last, he
became an artist.
□ He didn't have a very happy life. He painted sad paintings with poor people in them. His paintings were
always very dark until he saw some colorful Japanese paintings.
□ Most of his work was in the Postimpressionist style.
• Born: 03-30-1853 Zundert, Italy
• Profile: Painter
• Died: 07-29-1890 Amboise, France
• Quotes: “I dream of painting and then I paint my dream.”
Famous Works The Starry Night, Sunflowers, Irises

MICHAELANGELO

• Born: 4-6-1475, Michaelangelo, Italy

• Profile: Painter, Architect, Poet
• Died: 2-18-1564, Rome, Italy
• Quotes: “Genius is eternal patience.”
Famous Works David, Creation of Adam, St. Peter’s Basilica
CLAUDE MONET

• Born: 11-14-1840, Paris, France

• Profile: Painter, Philosopher
• Died: 12-5-1926, Giverny, France
• Quotes: “The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration.”
Famous Works Water Lilies Impresion,Sunrise Rouen Cathedral Series

FRIDA KAHLO

• Born: 07-06-1907, Mexico City, Mexico

• Profile: Painter
• Died: 07-13-1954, Mexico City. Mexico
• Quotes:” I never paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality.”
Famous Works The Two Fridas Self-Portrait With Thorn Necklace And Hummingbird The Broken Column

GEORGIA O’KEEFFE
• Born: 11-15-1887, Wisconsin, USA
• Profile: Painter
• Died: 03-06-1986, New Mexico , USA
• Quotes: “The days you work are the best days.”
Famous Works Black Irises III Cow’s Skull: Red, White and Blue Radiator Building Night- New York

EDGAR DEGAS

• Born: 7-19-1834, Paris, France

• Profile: Painter, Sculptor
• Died: 9-27-1917, Paris, France
• Quotes: “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
Famous Works The Absinthe Drinker The Dance Class The Bellelli Family

EDVARD MUNCH
• Born: 12-12-1863, Adalsbruk, Norway
• Profile: Painter
• Died: 1-23-1944, Oslo, Norway
• Quotes: “From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them and that is eternity.“
Famous Works The Scream The Day After The Dance of Life

JACKSON POLLOCK

• Born: 1-28-1912, Wyoming, USA

• Profile: Painter • Died: 8-11-1956, NY, USA
• Quotes: “T he painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through.”
Famous Works The Number 5 The Number 11 The Number 31

PABLO PICASSO

• Born: 10-26-1881, Malaga, Spain

• Profile: Painter, Sculptor,
• Ceramicist, Stage Designer, Poet and a Playwright.
• Died: 4-8-1973, Mougins, France
• Quotes: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

Famous Works Guernica The Young Ladies of Avignon The Weeping Woman
GUSTAV KLIMT

• Born: 7-14-1862, Baumgarten, Austria

• Profile: Painter
• Died: 2-6-1918, Vienna, Austria
• Quotes: “Truth is like fire; to tell the truth means to glow and burn.”
Famous Works The Kiss Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I The Virgin

HENRY MOORE

• Born: 7-30-1898, Castleford, Unite Kingdom

• Profile: Sculptor • Died: 8-31-1986
• Quotes: “One never knows what each day is going to bring. The important thing is to be open and ready
for it.”

Famous Works Reclining Figures King and Queen Bird Basket

SALVADOR DALI

• Born: 5-11-1904, Figueras, Spain

• Profile: Painter, Draftsman
• Died: 1-23-1989,Figuerras, Spain
• Quotes: “Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.”
Famous Works The Persistence of Memory Swans Reflecting Elephants Premonition of Civil War

PAUL CEZANNE

• Born: 1-19-1839, Aix-en, France

• Profile: Painter
• Died: 10-22-1906, Aix-en, France
• Quotes: “We live in a rainbow of chaos.”
Famous Works The Bathers The Card Player Series Jug, Curtain and Fruit Bowl
DIEGO RIVERA

• Born: 12-8-1886, Guanajuato, Mexico

• Profile: Painter
• Died: 11-24-1957, Mexico city, Mexico
• Quotes: “I've never believed in God, but I believe in Picasso. “
Famous Works The Man at the Crossroad The Card Player Series The History of Mexico
 GAMABA AWARDEES

GAWAD SA MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN OR NATIONAL LIVING TREASURES AWARD Is Conferred on

Filipinos who are at the forefront of the practice preservation, and promotion of the nation’s traditional folk
arts.

□ Objectives
to honor and support traditional folk artists and to see to it that their skills and crafts are preserve.

• Formalized in 1992, through Republic Act No. 7355, the Manlilikha ng Bayan Act.
• The National Commission for the Culture and the Arts oversees its implementation.
• The award is tied with a program that ensures the transfer of their skills to new generations and the
promotion of the craft both locally and internationally
• In 2014, the Senate of the Philippines adopted Senate Resolution No. (SRN)765 aimed at recognizing the
accomplishments of the country’s living treasures.
□ EMBLEM
• The award logo is a representation of the human form used in traditional cloth. Below the logo is the
phrase “Manlilikha ng Bayan” written in Baybayin,an ancient Filipino script used in the Philippines in the
16th century.
□ CRITERIA 1.
Should be a Filipino citizen or a group of citizens belonging to an indigenous / traditional cultural community
anywhere in the Philippines, engaged in Filipino traditional art in the following categories: folk architecture,
maritime transport, weaving, carving, performing arts, literature, graphic and plastic arts, ornament, textile
or fiber art, pottery and other artistic expressions of traditional culture;
□ CRITERIA 2.
Should have been engaged in the tradition and craft for a significant period of time with at least 50 years of
existence and documentation;
□ CRITERIA 3.
Should have produced and performed of artistic, distinctive, and superior quality;
□ CRITERIA 4.
Should possess mastery of the tools and materials that are needed for the art and must have a reputation
for being an art master and craft maker in the community where he / she belongs;
□ CRITERIA 5.
Should have passed on and/ or will pass on the traditional crafts and skills to other members of the
community by virtue of teaching;

□ CRITERIA 6.
In case when a Manlilikha ng Bayan candidate is incapable of teaching further his/ her craft and skill due to
age or infirmity;
A. He / she should have created a significant body of work and has contributed to the development of the
tradition and craft
B. He / she should have played a role in the preservation and revitalization of the artistic tradition in the
community.
C. He/ she has been recognized as a master of his / her craft and admired for his character and integrity in
his / her community.

□ GINAWBILOG
Poet, Hanunuo Mangyan Panaytayan,Oriental Mindoro (1993)
• Ambahan – is a kind of poem consisting of seven syllable lines which most of the time contains messages
of love and friendship.
□ MASINOINTARAY
• Musician and Storyteller, Pala’wan Brookes Point, Palawan (1993)
• A musician and a poet whose Expertise were the Basal, Kulilal, and Bagit.
• Basal – is kind of musical ensemble Played during the “tambilaw”, a ritual Of rice sharing among the
Palawan People as an offering to the Lord of rice and during the “tinapay”, a rice wine drinking.
□ SAMAONSULAIMAN
• Musician, Mamasa Pano, Magundanao (1993)
• Master in playing the kutyapi, a 2-stringed plucked lute. The Kutyapi Is one of the most difficult to master
indi- genous Filipino instrument.
□ LANG DULAY
• Textile weaver, T’boli, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato Tnalak – a kind of fabric made up of fine abaca fibers
weaved with different designs which reflect the traditions of the Tboli.
□ SALINTA MONON
• Textile Weaver, Tagabawa Bagobo, Bansalan, Davao del Sur
• Start weaving at the of 12 through the Guidance of her mother. • She used to wear the traditional hand
Woven tube skirt of the Bagobo. (sinukla and bandura)
□ ALONZOSACLAG
• Musician and Dancer, Lubugan, Kalinga A master of dance and performing arts. he has also mastered the
dance patterns and movements associated with his people’s ritual. He is the founder of the Kalinga Budong
Dance Troupe to ensure that the music and dance of his ancestor are passed to the younger generations.
□ FEDERICOCABALLERO
• Epic Chanter, Sulod-Bukidnon, Calinog, Iloilo Work for the documentation of the oral literature, Particularly
the epics of his People. Labaw Dunggon and Humadapnon. One epic could take as much as 162 hours to
recite and Humadapnon is the longest epic to recite. 2 months of daily performances are required for it to
be completely chanted
□ UWANG AHADAS
• Musician, Yakan Lamitan, Basailan
• Is a Yakan, a people to whom instrumental music Is closely connected to the spiritual realm. Kwintangan
kayu – consisting of five wooden logs Hung horizontally, from the shortest to the longest. Played to
serenade the palay , as lover woos his beloved.
□ DARHATA SAWABI
• Textile Weaver, Tausug, Parang, Sulu
• Weaving the Pis Syabit, the traditional cloth tapestry worn as a head covering by the Tausug of Jolo.
□ EDUARDO MUTUC
• Metal smith, Kapampangan, Apalit, Pampanga
• Creating religious and secular art in silver, bronze and wood.
□ HAJA AMINAAPPI
• Mat Weaver, Sama Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi
• The mat weaving is one of the treasured traditions of the Sama People. Their mat is made up of Pandan
Leaves w/c undergo tedious processes from Stripping, to sun dying, to dyeing up to weaving.
□ TEOFILO GARCIA
• Casque maker, Ilokano, San Quintin, Abra
• He make to wear Tabungaw, the gourd hat he makes and wears, is uniquely distinct in craftsmanship.
□ MAGDALENA GAMAYO
• Textile weaver, Ilokano, Pinili, Ilocos Norte
• Abel – the textile weaving of Ilokano from local Cotton and other fibers.
Traditional Patterns:
Binakol and Inuritan (geometric design) Kusikos (spiral forms similar to orange) Sinan-sabong (Flowers)