Art Appreciation

Oct 3, 2021
Human artistic expression tells us a lot about the lives of the people who create it.

Art is a diverse range or product of human activity involving creative imagination to

express technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
Art appreciation, however, refers to the exploration and analysis of the art forms
that we are exposed to.
To fully appreciate the cultural, social, and historical significance of different
artworks, you need to be aware of the broad art history timeline.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art

https://www.educationworld.in/the-importance-of-art-appreciation/
Source: http://mirandahenderson.blogspot.com/2011/10/art-
history-timeline.html
• These prehistoric rock
paintings are in Manda Guéli
Cave in the Ennedi
Mountains, Chad, Central
Africa. Camels have been
painted over earlier images
of cattle, perhaps reflecting
climatic changes; David
Stanley from Nanaimo,
Canada, CC BY 2.0.
• Why is it that the animals
depicted in cave paintings
are so much more realistic
and vivid than the animals
represented in later eras?

https://artincontext.org/art-periods/
The Ancient Greece

Democracy trickled down from politics to art.

art on every level, from theatrical works to sculpture to vases

a greater ability to portray the human body, clothed or naked, at rest or in motion

archaic figures of early Greek sculpture transitioned into more naturalistic statues,
revealing movement, grace and the female form
Ancient Greek
Sculpture

• The Parthenon is a
resplendent marble temple
built between 447 and 432
B.C. during the height of
the ancient Greek Empire.
Dedicated to the Greek
goddess Athena, the
Parthenon sits high atop a
compound of temples
known as the Acropolis of
Athens.
• Source:
https://www.history.com/topics/ancie
nt-greece/parthenon
 Ancient Greek Sculptures

• The Artemision Bronze

is thought to be either
Poseidon or Zeus. It was
found in the Cape
Artemisium in 1928. It
is certainly the work of
a great sculptor of the
early Classical period,
notable for the
exquisite rendering of
motion and anatomy.
Romanesque Art – The Art and Architecture of the Romanesque Period
(100 to 1150 AD)
The Romanesque period in Europe’s history started around the mid-
10th century CE until the 12th Century CE.
As an art movement, it occurred throughout Europe and had different
regional styles.
It was primarily a large-scale architectural style that emulated the
Classical Roman styles from the Antiquity and Byzantine periods.
Other art forms like metalwork, sculpture, painting, embroidery, and
stained glass would act as adornments and decorations for churches.
• The word “Romanesque” relates
to the Romans, having
“descended from [the] Romans
• The suffix esque originates as a
French term that refers to
something else.
• When it is placed behind
“Roman”, it means it resembles
the Roman style.
Out of the Dark Ages: A Brief Historical Overview

• The Romanesque period took place during a time in Europe’s history

called the Medieval period, or Middle Ages.
• The Medieval period started with the fall of the Roman Empire
around 476 CE and lasted to around the late 1400s.
• After the Medieval period came the Renaissance period brought
new light to a darkened Western world.
Medieval Art:
Characteristics and
Influences
• Built in 537 AD at the beginning
of the medieval period under the
direction of Byzantine emperor
Justinian I, the Hagia Sophia
epitomizes Byzantine
architecture.
• Source:
https://www.invaluable.com/blog/
medieval-art/
• The Gothic Art
• The word and idea behind the Gothic Era was anything but “black”.
The main intention was to allow more light in, which can primarily be
seen in Gothic architecture.
• The light was symbolically utilized within and magically transported
through the numerous stained-glass windows surrounding the people
who would be inside.
Perhaps the most famous of
Gothic cathedrals, the Notre-
Dame’s construction began in
1160 under the Bishop Marice
de Sully and has undergone
many changes since. With its
use of the ribbed vault and
flying buttress, complete with
stained glass windows and
iconic sculptural elements.
Source:
https://www.invaluable.com/bl
og/medieval-art/
Basilica of Saint Denis, France
Noted as the first Gothic cathedral (it was
completed in 1144), this church holds the
graves for all but three of the French
monarchs.

Source:
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/
best-gothic-cathedrals
• Milan Cathedral
• The largest church in Italy
took nearly 600 years to
complete. Unlike most
Gothic cathedrals, which
have two towers in front,
Milan'sl has quite a different
silhouette, being covered in
many small pinnacles.
• During medieval times,
stained glass windows were
made from a combination
of sand and potash (wood
ash). These two ingredients
were heated to the point
where they'd liquify and
become glass when cooled.
In order to color the glass,
powdered metals were
added into the molten
(heated) mixture before it
cooled.
• The legend tells of seven brothers
condemned to death because of
their Christian faith. They took
refuge in a cave, where they fell
into a sleep that lasted several
centuries. When the cave was
inadvertently opened, the
brothers were awakened, and the
miracle was recognized by the
local bishop. In this panel, one of
eleven from the lost window, the
Christian emperor Theodosius
with two companions' rides to
Ephesus to see the brothers.
• Source:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/
collection/search/469857
Taj Mahal
In 1631 Mumtaz Mahal,
the third and favorite
wife of the Mughal
emperor Shah Jahan
(reigned 1628–58), died
while giving birth to the
couple’s fourteenth
child. The Taj Mahal is
the most famous piece
of Islamic architecture
in the world.
Source:
https://www.britannica.com/list/8
-masterpieces-of-islamic-
architecture
• The Friday Mosque,
Esfahan

• A mosque has stood on

the site since the 8th
century, but the oldest
elements of the current
structure are two
domes built during the
Seljuk dynasty, which
ruled parts of Iran in
the 11th century
• https://www.britannica.com/list/8-
masterpieces-of-islamic-architecture
• The Dome of the Rock

• Built in 691–692, about

55 years after the Arab
conquest of Jerusalem,
the design and
ornamentation are
rooted in the Byzantine
architectural tradition
but also display traits
that would later come
to be associated with a
distinctly Islamic
architectural style
• https://www.britannica.com/list/8-
masterpieces-of-islamic-architecture
Renaissance Art – An Artistic Exploration of the Renaissance Time Period (1300-1527 : 14th
Century)

Renaissance is a French word, deriving its origins from the Italian word rinascita, which means
“rebirth”.

The Renaissance era was a period of rebirth in almost all the cultural and societal faculties and
institutions throughout Europe, including art, science, mathematics, technology, philosophy,
religion, and politics, to name a few.

Humanism philosophy placed man at the center of the universe, so to say. It believed in the inherent
capabilities of man as a creative force.
Much of the art produced during the early Renaissance was commissioned by the wealthy merchant
families of Florence, most notably the Medici Family.
• Michelangelo’s David (1501-1504); via
Wikimedia Commons
• The painting Mona Lisa
by Leonardo Da Vinci is
one of the most famous
and recognized paintings
in history. Unarguably it
is the most discussed
painting because of the
enigmatic smile.
• https://www.parblo.com/blogs/gu
ides/10-most-famous-paintings-
of-the-renaissance
• Created in 1512, this is one of the
iconic paintings of Michelangelo. The
creation of Adam is the painting on
the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Even though this is one of the most
replicated paintings of all time, it is
only second in popularity to Mona
Lisa. The painting has become a
symbol of humanity as the image
depicts the hand of both God and
Adam on the verge of touching.
• https://www.parblo.com/blogs/guides/10-most-
famous-paintings-of-the-renaissance
• Painted in 1511, it stands one
among the four main frescos on
the walls of Apostolic Palace in the
Vatican. The four frescos
symbolize Philosophy, Poetry,
Theology, and Law. The painting
symbolizes philosophy because it
is said the painting is a
representation of the finest period
of Greek Philosophy as one can
find Aristotle and Plato in the
center of the painting. This
painting has perfectly captured
the classical spirit of the
Renaissance.
• Source: https://www.parblo.com/blogs/guides/10-most-
famous-paintings-of-the-renaissance
• The family of
Ferdinando II de’
Medici, Grand Duke of
Tuscany, circa 1621,
Public domain, via
Wikimedi.a Commons
• Baroque Art (1500s until the early 1700)
• Its principles of extravagance, ornateness, and decorated
details were portrayed in a range of cultural mediums like
paintings, architecture, sculpture, literature, and music.
• It was a period of revival in art and culture with deep roots in
the religious structures and powers of Western Europe.
• The Catholic Church backed the Baroque style because it
needed a new and enlivened approach to inspire and uplift the
common people again.
• The Creation of Man, fresco by
Giordano in the Palazzo Medici-
Riccardi in Florence, 1684–
1686.: Giordano was an
extremely prolific Italian
Baroque painter.
• Source:
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundles
s-arthistory/chapter/painting-of-the-
baroque-period/
• Ecce Homoc by
Caravaggio, 1605:
Example of a Baroque
painting by Caravaggio
• Source:https://courses.lumenlearning.c
om/boundless-
arthistory/chapter/painting-of-the-
baroque-period/
• The Return of the Prodigal Son in
1669 is regarded by many critics
as Rembrandt’s greatest
masterpiece and it is a monumental
achievement in Baroque art.
Source: https://learnodo-
newtonic.com/famous-baroque-paintings
Realism (Naturalism) (1850-1925): Objectivity over
Subjectivity
• Realist artists presented both the good and beautiful,
the ugly and evil. The reality of the world is presented
in an unembellished way.
• Artists attempt to show the world, people, nature,
and animals, as they truly are. There is a focus on the
“obligation of art into truth.
• Proudhon and His
Children (1865) by
Gustave
Courbet; Public
domain, via
Wikimedia
Commons
• Jules Bastien-Lepage,
1878, National Gallery of
Victoria
•Impressionism (1850-1895)
•Impressionism is beginning of the modern age
• Featuring artists like Claude Monet and Vincent
van Gough, Impressionism broke away from the
smooth brush strokes and areas of solid color
that characterized many art periods before it.
• View of Vetheuil sur
Seine (1880) by
Claude MonetPublic
domain, via
Wikimedia
Commons
• Vincent van Gogh
painted Starry Night in
1889 during his stay at
the asylum of Saint-
Paul-de-Mausole near
Saint-Rémy-de-
Provence.
• Source:
https://www.vangoghgallery.c
om/painting/starry-night.html
• https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=oxHnRfhDmrk
• Expressionism (1890-1914)
• Expressionism originated in Germany and is intended to contrast
Impressionism.
• Towards the beginning of the First World War, Expressionist paintings
had a disturbing intensity about them.
• Intended to criticize power and the standing social order,
Expressionism spread these political ideas through the medium of
paint. Art was beginning to become political.
• Ernst Ludwig
Kirchner
• RED NUDES, 1912
• Leopold Museum
• On loan

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-german-
expressionists-shockingly-raw-work-exploded-bourgeois-values-
reinvented-art
Franz
Marc, Yellow
Cow (1911)

• “I am trying to intensify
my feeling for the
organic rhythm of all
things, to achieve
pantheistic empathy
with the throbbing and
flowing of nature’s
bloodstream in trees, in
animals, in the air,”
Marc wrote to his
friend, publisher
Reinhard Piper, in 1908.
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-german-
expressionists-shockingly-raw-work-exploded-bourgeois-values-
reinvented-art
• Surrealism (1920-1930): Things Just Get More Bizzare
• Surrealism is fundamentally psychoanalytical, and many Surrealist
artists would paint directly from their dreams.
• Sometimes dealing with uncomfortable concepts, hidden desires,
and taboos, Surrealism was a direct critique of the ingrained ideas
and beliefs of the bourgeoise.
• As you can imagine, this style of art was not popular when it began,
but it has greatly influenced the world of modern art.
• Space and time (in
homage to L.V.
Beethoven) (1974) by
Italian painter William
Girometti; via Wikimedia
Commons
• Abstract Expressionism (1948-1962): Stepping Away from Europe

• Abstract Expressionism is said to be the first art movement to

originate outside of Europe.
• Emerging from North America, Abstract Expressionism focused on
color-field painting and action paintings.
• Rather than using a canvas and a brush, buckets of paint would be
poured on the ground, and artists used their fingers to create images.
• With well-known artists like Marc Tobey and Jackson Pollock, this art
movement was distinct from any that came before it.
• I believe that painting should come through the avenues of
meditation rather than the canals of action.” - Mark Tobey
• Mark Tobey
• The Watchful Eye, 1975
• Mark Tobey
• Glowing Fall, 1975

Source:http://www.artnet.com/arti
sts/mark-tobey/
• Pop-Art (1955-1969): Art is Everything

• For the artists of Pop-Art, everything in the world was art. From
advertisements, tin cans, toothpaste, and toilets, everything is art.
• Pop-Art developed simultaneously in the United States and England
and is characterized by uniform blocks of color and clear lines and
contours.
• Painting and graphic art became influenced by photorealism and
serial prints.
• One of the most famous English Pop artists is David Hockney,
although only a few of his lifetime paintings were in this movement.
• A detail of Roy
Lichtenstein’s Wall
Explosion II,
1965; via Wikimedia
Commons
• Source:
• https://artincontext.org/a
rt-periods/
• Neo-Expressionism (1980-1989): Modern Art
• Starting in the 1980s, Neo-Expressionism emerged with
large-format representational and life-affirming
paintings.
• Berlin was a central point for this new movement, and
the designs typically featured cities and big-city life.
• The name Neo-Expressionism emerged from Fauvism,
and although the artists in Berlin disbanded in 1989,
some artists continued to paint in this style in New
York.
• Anselm Kiefer -
Berenice, 1989
• The sculpture also
represents the wing
of an airplane, and
Anselm Kiefer’s use
of lead points out
the bitterness left by
World War II
https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/10-late-neo-
expressionism-artworks/anselm-kiefer-berenice-1989-sculpture
• Francesco Clemente -
Untitled Self Portrait, 1993
• Such is his print Untitled Self
Portrait from 1993, where
we see a strong presence of
red, as the color of love, but
also fury and, maybe in this
case, sadness too. Red
presents the extension of
the artist’s body, and among
the twirl we see his
struggling face, in a state of
discomfort and
hopelessness. https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/10-late-neo-
expressionism-artworks/francesco-clemente-untitled-self-
portrait-1993
• Neil
Doloricon, Lockdown
2020. Courtesy the
artist
• https://artreview.com/cen
sorship-pandemic-covid-
art-philippines-doloricon-
green-papaya/
• Tarantadong
Kalbo

Source:
Interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-
spotlights/2021/07/23/196679/artist-
tarantadong-kalbo-bares-one-of-viral-
tumindig-illustrations-was-reported-
removed-on-instagram/
• What does this mean?

• Source:
https://www.rappler.com/
nation/tarantadong-kalbo-
next-goal-convince-more-
filipinos-register-to-vote-
2022-polls
Arts can be a platform or a voice for
artists to express their citizenship.
Activities:
1. Make a timeline of the evolution of Art in the Philippines.
2. Which period do you think is the golden age of Philippine
art, and why?
3. Which type of art is the most appealing to you and why?
4. Create an artwork (based on the presentation) that best
expresses yourself, then, in a short essay, describe why you
created it.
5. Include references in your submission.