Dr. Filemon C.

Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas

Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

Week 1-2
The Importance, Meaning, and Assumptions of Art 
What is Art?

Art is a highly diverse range of human

activities engaged in creating visual,
auditory, or performed artifacts— artworks
—that express the author’s imaginative or
technical skill, and are intended to be
appreciated for their beauty or emotional
power.

The oldest documented forms of art are

visual arts, which include images or objects
in fields like painting, sculpture,
printmaking, photography, and other visual
media.

Other definitions for Art:

 13th Century French word – skill as a result of learning or practice

 Latin word ars – ability or practical skills
 (Plato) – brings life in harmony with the beauty of the world
 (Dewey) – an attitude of spirit; a state of mind
 (Oscar Wilde) – most intense mode of individualism that the world has known
 (Elbert Hubbard) – not a thing – it is a way

There are many common definitions of art. Few to quote:

 any creative work of a human being

 a form of expressing oneself
 resides in the quality of doing; the process is not magic

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

 an act of making something visually entertaining

 an activity that manifests the beauty
 the mastery, an ideal way of doing things
 not a thing — it is a way (Elbert Hubbard)
 the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known
 discovery and development of elementary principles of nature into beautiful forms
suitable for human use (Frank Lloyd Wright)

Why is Art Important?

Helen Frankenthaler, 1956: A

photograph of the American artist
Helen Frankenthaler in her studio in
1956.

Art is important because it’s part of all of us. 

 “I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say ‘he feels deeply, he feels
tenderly.’”  Vincent Van Gogh

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

Here are 10 reasons why art is important to our world and why you
should never stop being creative.

1. It’s natural human behavior

Art is important because it’s no different than why you need food to live, why we laugh,
or why it feels so good to be loved.
2. It’s a language
“A picture is worth a thousand words”
Art speaks its own language whether it’s a painting, sculpture, dance routine or your
favorite song. Art is able to say things that words sometimes can’t.
It’s an international language that anyone from anywhere can understand and be
inspired by. 
3. Art tells a story
Art is important because it’s a way of documenting and preserving our history.
Historic art tells a story about society and how our cultures were. Giving us insight and
different perspectives.  
4. Therapeutic
Art is a great way to calm yourself and decrease stress levels.
5. Evoke emotions from people 
Art is important because it has the power to move people and sometimes an entire
nation.
6. Increases creativity
Art and creativity go hand in hand with one another.
The more you work on your art the more creative you’ll get. 
Also, looking at art and exposing yourself to other creative mediums will inspire more
ideas, and have you thinking differently. 

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

7. It makes people happy when they create

8. Vital to human development 
Art is important because creativity is the foundation of a child’s education.
It helps to develop motor skills, eye-hand coordination and has a large impact on their
social and emotional growth. 
It also enhances their cognitive development which can have a positive effect on math
skills and other related subjects. 
9. It makes drab places look amazing.
Art can take to the most unpleasant-looking places and turn it into an awe-inspiring work
of creativity. 
10. It’s good for the economy
When artists make money from their hard work, it all comes full circle.
Four Common Essentials of Art

 Art has to be human-made

 Art must be creative, not imitative
 Art must benefit and satisfy the man
 Art is expressed through an individual medium or material by which the artist
communicates himself to his audiences.

What are the assumption of Arts?

Three assumptions on art are its universality, its not being nature, and its need for
experience. Without experience, there is no art. The artist has to be foremost, a
perceiver who is directly in touch with art.

What are the four assumptions of Arts?

 Art is everywhere.
 Art is not nature.
 Art is imitating and creating.
 Art perfects nature.
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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

 Art message is
universal.

What Is Art Appreciation?

Appreciation of the visual arts goes beyond

staring at a painting hanging on the wall of a
museum—art is in everything and everywhere
you look.

Opening your eyes to the world of art is

essential in understanding the world around you. Art is more than pretentious museums;
only a few enter and comprehend. Instead, art appreciation is:

 Gaining the knowledge to understand the art.

 Acquire the art methods and materials to discuss art verbally or by the written
word.
 Ability to identify the movements from ancient cultures to today's contemporary
art.

Learning how to appreciate art is a necessary cultural foundation enabling people to

critically analyze art, art forms, and how cultures used art. All it takes to understand the
art is just to look!

Art appreciation centers on the ability to view art throughout history, focusing on the
cultures and the people, and how art developed in the specific periods. It is difficult to
understand art without understanding the culture, their use of materials, and a sense of
beauty. Art is conveyed by the simple act of creating art for art's sake. Every person is
born with the innate desire to create art, and similar to other professions, training is
essential in honing skills to produce art. Art education broadens a person's
comprehension, development, and visions of art. Art brings an understanding of

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

diversity, how people lived in the past, and connects the issues
concerning contemporary life and art today.

The history of the world is similarly the history of art, continually intertwined. For millions
of years, as humans roamed the earth, evolution, and environment shaped many
different cultures depending on location, weather, natural resources, and food. These
cultures formed the foundation of all art today. Art appreciation analyzes art using the
methods and materials, allowing people to make connections to the context of art and
the interactions of societies.

It is difficult to understand the art without understanding the culture.

The Importance of Art Appreciation

Art appreciation is extremely relevant

for multiple reasons. It is a good way
to understand the history behind the
work, and the period from which the
piece originated. Artists often reflect
the problems that they face, and the
issues of the society in their work. By
analyzing and putting ourselves in the
mind of the artist, we can better study
how differently society functioned
then, compared to now. We can
empathize and relate to the problems
they faced on a personal level.

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

Art is meant to stimulate thought and conversation between its viewers.

By reflecting on a piece of art, we delve into our own experiences and nostalgia, thus a
piece of art means something different to every person

that comes across it. Art appreciation helps open up the mindset of the people, by
listening to different perspectives and views as well as interpretations of the art, it
encourages thoughtful conversation and the understanding that there is more than one
approach to everything.

For many people, art is meant to express something that we ourselves feel unable to
express or convey. Through its visual medium it evokes feelings of joy, sadness, anger
and pain. That is why art appreciation is so important in bringing that one final element
to complete the work, and that is our interpretation. Our perspective brings the artwork
to life as it changes for every person around it.

Functions of Art
1. Personal
2. Social
     3. Cultural function
4. Aesthetic Function
5. Spiritual function
            
Essential Philosophical Perspectives of Art

1. (Plato) Art is nemesis – Art is an imitation of an imitation

2. (Aristotle) Art as representation – the aim of art is not to represent the outward
appearance of things but their inward significance
3. (Kant) Art for art's sake – that art has its reason for being. It is an autonomous
creation

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

4. Art as an escape – the sacred level of art not only transforms

something into art but also transforms the artist at the very core of his or her
being
5. Art as functional – meant to be used, enrich lives, be spiritually potent, educate,
support or protest existing power structures, entertain, and so on.

CATEGORIES / CLASSIFICATIONS OF ART

Visual Arts (2D; 3D)

1. Painting – the application of pigment (color) on
any flat two-dimensional surfaces

2. Sculpture – the carving, modeling, casting, constructing, and assembling of

materials and object into primarily three-dimensional works of art

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

The thinker, thinking about the gates of hell

3. Architecture – Architecture, the art and technique of designing and building, as

distinguished from the skills
associated with construction. The
practice of architecture is employed
to fulfill both practical and expressive
requirements, and thus it serves both
utilitarian and aesthetic ends.

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

Performing/Combined Arts
1. Music 
2. Dance
3. Film
4. Theater
5. Literary
6. Performance Poetry

CATEGORIES / CLASSIFICATIONS OF ART

Digital Arts – art made with the assistance of electronic devices, or intended to be
displayed on a computer, is the most important element in digital art.

This digital painting was created

with the use of MS paint and
Photoshop, among other software.

1. Digital painting appeared in the 1990s and embrace traditional painting techniques
like watercolors, oil painting, and impastos.

2. Digital photography includes the use of

images taken from reality through
photographs, scans, satellite-imaging, and
other possible records of what exists. This
segment often mixes what is and what is not,
blurring boundaries and distorting our
understanding of truth.

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

What is The Purpose of Digital Photography?

Digital photography has pretty much the same purpose as film photography.
For many people, the ability to capture life’s important moments is the primary reason
for taking photographs.
The invention of photography also makes it possible for people to see public figures as
realistically as they can be, far better than paintings.

Types of Digital Photography

a. Commercial Photography
Commercial photography is often
taken to be used as advertising
material.

Commercial photography is
usually used to promote or sell
products.

Professional photographers are

hired to take photos of the
products.

Later, the photos are used as

campaign materials such as
brochures, pamphlets, billboards, and other types of advertising campaigns.

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

b. Documentary Photography
Just as it sounds, documentary photography is
primarily focused on documenting life moments
and events.

The moments captured may vary from personal

events like weddings and birthdays to moments
such as political events or festivals.

c. Journalism Photography

Journalism photography has almost

the same purpose as documentary
photography.

The difference between the two is

documentary photography is usually
taken to document moments, while
journalism photography has another
purpose, which is to deliver the news.

That’s why journalism photography

must answer the what, when, where,
who, why, and how’s.

The goal of journalism photography is to make people understand what happened at

that moment in relation to the news.
Journalism photography can complete a story or article, but it should be able to stand
on its own too.

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

d. Editorial Photography

Editorial photography is usually used for

publications such as magazines.

It may include fashion and products and events,

but it focuses on the story.

It’s the difference between editorial photography

and product photography or commercial
photography.

Editorial photography is not created to just sell products, but more to tell stories and for
more educational and informative purposes.

e. Art Photography

Art photography is a form of photography used by

artists to show ideas, concepts, messages, and
emotions through a picture.

It’s the same as other forms of art, but the artist

uses photographs as their media.

Art photography can vary significantly depending

on the artist. As a form of art, this kind of
photography can also have genres such as
abstract, conceptual, portraits, black and white,
and many more.

3. Digital installations closely relate to the

sculptures for their 3D nature but offer a

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

new typology in their relation to the viewer. Mostly, this type of artworks
can be interactive — that is responding to visitors’ inputs (e.g., body movements,
voices, touch). Alternatively, these art pieces can be immersive, presenting viewers with
a new spatial environment or altering the nature of their surroundings.

Applied Arts – the application of design and decoration to everyday objects to make
them aesthetically pleasing.
The applied arts are all the arts that apply design and decoration to everyday and
essentially practical objects in order to make them aesthetically pleasing.The term is
used in distinction to the fine arts, which are those that produce objects with no practical
use, whose only purpose is to be beautiful or stimulate the intellect in some way. In
practice, the two often overlap. Applied arts largely overlaps with decorative arts, and
the modern making of applied art is usually called design.

Examples of applied arts are:

 Industrial design – mass-produced objects.

 Architecture – also counted as a fine art.
 Ceramic art
 Automotive design
 Fashion design
 Calligraphy
 Interior design
 Graphic design
 Cartographic (map) design

Week 3-4

Subject matter vs. content

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

Subject matter: An artwork’s subject matter is what the images or

object literally represents.

Content: The content is what the artwork means.

Look at these three trees. Each is a tree. Yet

two are conceptual: pencil on paper; lines into
letters that we associate with sounds.

And when we look back at

Magritte’s The Treason of
Images…He’s right. This is
not a pipe. It’s an image of a
pipe.

An image of things are not

the same as the thing.

The Subjects of Art

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

What is a subject of art?

The subject of art is the matter to be described or to be portrayed by the artist. This

may refer to any person, object, scene or event.

Two Kinds of Art as to Subject:

1. Representational Art or Objective Art

They are those arts which depict

(represent) objects that are commonly
recognized by most people. They attempt
to copy, even if in a subjective manner,
something that's real. It uses “form” and is
concerned with “what” is to be depicted in
the artwork.

Representational artwork aims to represent actual objects or subjects from reality.

Subcategories under representational art include Realism, Impressionism, Idealism, and
Stylization. ... Considering that the other two types, abstract and non-objective, are
relatively new types of art, this makes perfect sense.

Examples:

A. Still life is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically
commonplace objects which may be either natural (food, flowers, plants, rocks, or
shells) or man-made (drinking glasses, books, vases, jewelry, coins, pipes, and so on)
in an artificial setting.

B. Portraiture (portrait) is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic

representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant.

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

C. Landscapes, Seascapes, Cityscapes

Methods of Presenting Art Subjects

1. Realism

It often refers to the artistic

movement, which began in France in
the 1850s. The popularity of realism
grew with the introduction of
photography - a new visual source that
created a desire for people to produce
things that look “objectively real”.

Undistorted by personal bias, realism believed in the ideology of objective reality and
revolted against exaggerated emotionalism. Simply speaking, it is a method of
portraying an art subject according to the objective reality.

It depicts what the eyes can see, what the ear can hear, what the sense faculty may
receive. Example was the painting of Zeuxis, 5th century painter. The subject of his
painting was a grape. When he unveiled his painting of grapes, they appeared so real,
luscious and inviting that the birds flew down from the sky to peck at them.

2. Abstraction

Its etymology is derived from Latin “abstractus

"drawn away," or Latin past participle
“abstrahere:” from ab(s)- "away" + trahere
"draw," which means "withdrawn or separated

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

from material objects or practical matters." It is totally the opposite of

realism.

In abstract art, the artist does not show the subject at all as an objectively reality, but
only his idea, or his feeling about it (exaggerated emotionalism). It is all about what the
artists feel and what mood they might want to portray. Abstract art is all shapes, no real-
life images, scenery, or objects

Example is the painting of Constantin Brancusi’s “Bird in Space.” He was so impressed

by the grace of a bird in flight, by the sweep of its body as it flew through the air. His
sculptural work does not look like a bird for it is supposed to convey an impression of a
bird’s grace and speed.

Forms of Abstraction:

A. Distortion

This is clearly manifested when the

subject is in misshapen condition, or the
regular shape is twisted out. It is a form
os emphasizing detail to the point that
something is no longer “correctly”
depicted.

Example is Pablo Picasso’s The Old

Guitarist. See how the left shoulder is
hitched up so high and the other
shoulder barely exists; how spidery his
hands are; and how his head is twisted
around unnaturally.

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

Another is Henry Moore’s sculptural works and the ancient Egyptian paintings and
sculptural works are good examples of this kind.

B. Elongation.

It refers to that which is being lengthened, a

protraction or an extension. El Greco "Christ
Crucified," a sculpture by Giambologna from
around 1588, an elegant but somewhat formulaic
work in which the elongated body of Christ seems
to float almost birdlike off the cross, is an example
of this.

C. Mangling

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

This may not be a commonly used way of presenting an abstract

subject, but there are few artists who show subject or objects which are cut, lacerated,
mutilated, torn, hacked or disfigured.

D. Cubism

It began in the early 1900s when artists such

as Georges Braque (French) and Pablo
Picasso (Spanish) began painting in such a
way that was far removed from traditional art
styles. The Cubists tried to create a new way
of seeing things in art. Many of their subjects,
be they people or landscapes, were
represented as combinations of basic
geometric shapes - sometimes showing
multiple viewpoints of a particular image. Cubist pictures are therefore often described
as looking like pieces of fractured glass.

E. Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Expressionism is a modern art

movement that flowered in America
after the Second World War and held

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

sway until the dawn of Pop Art in the 1960's. With this movement New
York replaced Paris as the center of the art world. In a painting, the artists applied paint
rapidly, and with force to their huge canvases in an effort to show feelings and
emotions, painting gesturally, non-geometrically, sometimes applying paint with large
brushes, sometimes dripping or even throwing it into the canvas.

Abstract Expressionism was influenced by the Existentialist philosophy, which

emphasized the importance of the act of creating, not of the finished object. What
matters for the artist are the qualities of the paint itself and the act of painting itself.

3. SYMBOLISM

A symbol is a visible sign of something invisible such as an idea or quality. Symbolism

systematically uses symbols to concentrate or intensify meaning, making the work of art
more subjective (rather than objective) and conventional.

For example, a flag is a symbol of a country and it depicts the value of nationalism; a
lion to represent courage and a
lamb to represent meekness.
The logos and emblems of
business firms and the coat of
arms of bishops are also
examples of symbolism.
Lucerne’s Lion Monument,
a famous masterpiece of the
early 19th century, is
dedicated to the memory of
the heroic fight and final
defeat of the Swiss Guards in
Paris in 1792.

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

In the Philippines, we have the “Spolarium” of Juan Luna. The painting shows fallen
gladiators being dragged to an
unseen pile of corpses in a
chamber beneath the Roman
arena. It expresses his anger over
the abuses and cruelties of the
colonial rule of the Spanish
authorities over the people of his
native country. The 4 sculpture in
the EDSA Shrine depicts the brave-
ness and courage of the Filipinos
against the tyrant dictator, Ferdinand Marcos.

4. FAUVISM

It is derived from the French “les fauves,”

which means “the wild beasts.” It is an
artistic movement of the last part of the
19th century which emphasized
spontaneity and use of extremely bright
colors. To a fauvist, for example, a tree
trunk need not be brown. It could be bright
red, purple or any other color. Henri

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

Matisse, French artist, was known for his use of colour and his fluid,
brilliant and original draughtsman ship. As a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but
principally as a painter, Matisse is one of the best-known artists of the 20th century. He
was initially labeled as a Fauve (wild beast).

5. DADAISM

The term “dada” is a French

word, which means a “hobby-
horse.” A hobby-horse is a
child’s toy consisting of a
wooden horse mounted on a
stick. With this etymology, we
could say that Dadaism is
system of art which is per se
“nonsensical.” Some would say
it is not an art because it strives
to have no meaning at all. It
started as a Post-World War
cultural movement against the
barbarism of the war. It is a reaction to what they believed were outworn traditions in art,
and the evils they saw in society. It tried to shock and provoke the public with
outrageous pieces of writing, poetry recitals and art exhibitions.

6. FUTURISM

Futurism came into being with the

appearance of a manifesto published by the
poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti on the front
page of the February 20, 1909, issue of Le

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

Figaro. It was the very first manifesto of this kind. Marinetti summed up
the major principles of the Futurists. He and others espoused a love of speed,
technology and violence.

Futurism was presented as a modernist movement celebrating the technological, future

era. The car, the plane, the industrial town were representing the motion in modern life
and the technological triumph of man over nature.

7. SURREALISM

It is an offshoot or a child of
dada. It is also known as “super
realism,” which revolves on the
method of making ordinary things
look extraordinary. It focuses on
real things found in the
imagination or fantasy or it has
realistic subjects that are found in
the unconscious mind; depicting
dreamlike images of the inner
mind.

Two Types of Surrealism

1. Veristic Surrealism

It allowed the images of the subconscious to be undisturbed so that the meaning could
be understood through analysis. They follow images of the subconscious until
consciousness could understand the meaning.

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

Rene Magritte would show a

nighttime sky, then a daytime
foreground,

or Salvador Dali would melt clocks to

show how unreal how time and space
were; slice of a cheese with a face on
it.

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

2. Automatism or Abstract Surrealism

Images of the subconscious should not be

burdened by meaning, so they are
represented in an abstract form. It is focused
more on feelings and less analytical.

Surrealistic Techniques:

1. Scale – changing an object’s scale, or relative size.

Example: ordinary small size of glass to a big extraordinary size.

2. Levitation – Floating objects that don’t normally float.

Example: Stone Floating

3. Juxtaposition – Joining two images together in impossible combinations.

Example: Car running and on top of it is a horse running with a man riding.

4. Dislocation – Taking an object form its usual environment and placing it in an

unfamiliar one.

Example: a face wrapped by a piece of cloth; an electric burner inside the car.

5. Transparency – Making objects transparent that are not transparent.

6. Transformation – Changing objects in unusual way.

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

8. IMPRESSIONISM

It is also sometimes referred to as

optical realism due to its interest in
the actual viewing experience,
including such things as the effect
of color, light and movement on the
appearance of the objects depicted
in the artworks.

Impressionism focused on directly

describing the visual sensations
derived from

nature. Devotees of Impressionism

were not concerned with the actual depiction of the objects they painted. Instead they
were concerned with the visual impressions aroused by those objects.

The Impressionists created one of the most important artistic movements of the
nineteenth century and it got its start in France. The theme of the Impressionism
movement teaches, “the human eye is a marvelous instrument”. The worldwide impact
of Impressionism was large and lasting.

2. Non-representational Art or Non-objective Art –

They are those arts without any reference to anything outside itself (without
representation). It is nonobjective because it has no recognizable objects. It is abstract
in the sense that it doesn’t represent real objects in our world. It uses “content” and is
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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

concerned with “how” the artwork is depicted. Non-objective art is

abstract or non-representational art. It tends to be geometric and does not represent
specific objects, people, or other subjects found in the natural world.

One of the best-known non-objective artists is Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), a

pioneer of abstract art. Though paintings like his are most common, non-objective art
can also be expressed in other media as well.

Defining Non-Objective Art

Quite often, non-objective art is used as a synonym for abstract art. However, it is a
style within the category of abstract work and the subcategory of non-representational
art.

Characteristics of Non-Objective Art

Kandinsky's "Composition
VIII" (1923) is a perfect
example of non-objective
painting. The Russian
painter is known as one of
the pioneers of this style,
and this particular piece
has the purity that best
represents it.

You will notice the careful

placement of each
geometrical shape and line, almost as if it were designed by a mathematician. Though
the piece has a sense of movement, no matter how hard you try, you will not find

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

meaning or subject within it. Many of Kandinsky's other works follow this
same distinct style.

Other artists to look for when studying

non-objective art include another
Russian constructivist painter, Kasimir
Malevich (1879–1935), along with the
Swiss abstractionist Josef Albers
(1888–1976). For sculpture, look to the
work of Russian Naum Gabo (1890–
1977) and British Ben Nicholson (1894–
1982).

Within non-objective art, you will notice

some similarities. In paintings, for
instance, artists tend to avoid thick texture techniques like impasto, preferring clean, flat
paint and brushstrokes. They may play with bold colors or, as in the case of Nicholson's
"White Relief" sculptures, be completely devoid of color.

You will also notice a simplicity in perspective. Non-objective artists are not concerned
with vanishing points or other traditional realism techniques that show depth. Many
artists have a very flat plane in their work, with few things to indicate that one shape is
nearer or farther away from the viewer.

The Appeal of Non-Objective Art

What draws us to enjoy a piece of art? It is different for everyone, but non-objective art
tends to have a rather universal and timeless appeal. It does not require the viewer to
have a personal relationship with the subject, so it attracts a broader audience over
many generations.

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There is also something appealing about geometry and the purity of non-
objective art. Since the time of the Greek philosopher Plato (ca 427–347 BCE)—whom
many would say inspired this style—geometry has fascinated people. When talented
artists employ it in their creations, they can give new life to the simplest of forms and
show us the hidden beauty within. The art itself may seem simple, but its impact is
great.

Sources of the Subject of Art

 Nature

 History

 Greek and Roman Mythology

 Religion

 Sacred oriental texts

Content in a work of art - refers to what is being depicted and might be helpful
in deriving a basic meaning. It appears in the visual arts in several forms, all of which
may be figurative (realistic) or abstract (distorted). Among them are portraits,
landscapes, still-life’s, genre art, and narrative art. In addition, Content is the message
given by the piece of art. It involves the subject, the techniques used to make the piece,
the colors used, and anything that was used by the artist to make a statement and give
a message.

Content is inextricably linked with form, which refers to the visual aspects of art. It is
communicated through the following:

1. The art’s imagery

2. The symbolic meaning

3. The environment where it is used

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4. The beliefs, customs, and values of the culture that uses it

5. The writings that explain the work

Context of Art

Context consists of all of the things about the artwork that might have influenced the
artwork or the maker (artist). These would include when the work was made; where it
was made (both culturally and geographically); why it was made; and possibly some
other details or information. Contextualism—looking at the cultural context of an artwork
—can deepen and/or improve our understanding of an artwork, but it may or may not
change our first impressions; and it doesn’t really have an effect on formal analysis.
With some additional contextual information about the time, the culture, and the
maker/artist of an artwork, we can become more informed. All artworks exist in a
context—more accurately, all artworks exist in multiple contexts.

Historical Context

Time is the most basic and first context we consider. When we say, “When in time?” the
question is also related to where in time—and has considerations related to context.

Art and Artist Context

The context for the artist or creator includes:

 Their culture, their worldview (where they grew up; family values; etc.)
 Their place; geography (e.g., city, rural, home, traveling)
 Their “worldview,” religion, beliefs, etc.

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Viewer Context

Context also has to do with the viewer.

For example: When a person in Paris in the 1890s looked at a Van Gogh painting, how
that painting looked and felt and seemed to her was very different from an American
viewer looking at the same painting today. When thinking about a viewer’s context, it’s
useful to think about the following, since all of them can affect how person sees or
responds to an artwork:

 Time
 Culture
 Nationality
 Gender

Week 5-6

Artists and Artisans

An artisan is essentially a manual worker who

makes items with his or her hands, and who
through skill, experience and talent can create
things of great beauty as well as being
functional.

Before the industrial revolution virtually

everything was made by artisans, from smiths
(goldsmiths, blacksmiths, locksmiths,
gunsmiths) to weavers, dyers carpenters,
potters, etc.

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An artist on the other hand is dedicated only to the creative side,

making visually pleasing work only for the enjoyment and appreciation of the viewer, but
with no functional value.

In Bali this distinction is often very blurred

since many farmer’s paint, many sculptors
farm or have other jobs. Most walls are carved;
most houses have decorative motifs. Art is
everywhere. To the Balinese the act of creation
of beautiful things is second nature. All the
ladies of a village will make the amazing
decorations for temples, and the elaborate
offerings, thinking nothing of spending three days making things which will be only used
for a few hours.

Key Components of the Art Market

1. Curator - a manager or overseer, and keeper of a cultural heritage institution.

2. Art Dealer - a person or a company that buys and sells works of art.

3. Art Buyer - refers to a professional who is knowledgeable in art, who may scout

talents for an advertising agency seeking to employ an art director, or who may

look for an art for a collection or a company.

What is the Creative Process in Art?

Simply put, the creative process is the way ideas, art, or creative thinking comes about.
Contrary to popular belief, this creative process does have structure. It always begins by
gathering inspiration and ultimately culminates with the finished product. While the
creative process steps in the middle are apt to change according to the person—we all
have our unique approach and way we process creativity—helpful, guiding structure
exists here, as well.

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The 5 Stages of the Creative Process

The creative process model has traditionally been broken down into the following five
stages of creativity: preparation, incubation, insight, evaluation, and elaboration
(although creatives’ definition of each step, and occasionally the names, can vary).

1. Preparation:

The Inspiration Phase

Preparation. While this might sound a bit

like you’re cramming for an excruciating
exam you’ve got to take in the morning,
the first stage of the creative process is
where your best ideas are born. 

Finding inspiration on Instagram

Think of it as if you’re taking an exciting journey into the creative space that appeals
most to you. In today’s modern world, that might look like exploring a specific hashtag
on Instagram—#gouache, #linedrawing, #classicalmusic, #ontheeasel, or #roughsketch.

2. Incubation: Absorbing and Processing

Now is the time to let all that information and inspiration you just breathed in soak into
your very core. In this stage of the creative process, it may not even feel like you’re
really doing anything since it’s your subconscious that’s actually doing all the work.

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3. Insight: The “Eureka” Moment

This moment is traditionally referred to as the “insight” stage of the creative process, or
what some have playfully dubbed the “Eureka!” moment. (It’s also occasionally called
the illumination stage in the creative process.)

4. Evaluation: Putting Your Idea Through the Wringer

This is the phase where you really dig deep—as tricky and painful as it might be to your
ego—and ask yourself if this is an idea that’s ultimately worth working on.

Questions to Ask Before Starting a Project

 Has this been done before?

 How will I do this in a way that hasn’t been done yet?
 Will I actually enjoy this?
 Why does this idea or project matter to me, specifically?
 Am I challenging myself?

5. Elaboration: Putting Pen to Paper (So to Speak)

Onto the last of the stages of creativity: Once your project idea has passed the scrutiny
test, it’s finally time to “elaborate.” Or in easier-to-understand terminology, it’s officially
time to put pen to paper, ink to canvas, and clay to wheel. This is the phase where
you’re actively creating something and bringing your idea to life.

According to Robert Fritz, the creative process is as follows.

1. Conceive the result one wants to create

2. Know what currently exists.

3. Take actions.

4. Develop one's creativity.

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Three Stages in the Creative Process

1. Germination (Ideas)

This stage is characterized with a burst of energy. A new idea, a new job, the first days
of your diet, when your team sets a new goal, the first weeks of a new relationship. As
Fritz explains it, “During the initial stages excitement, keen interest, and freshness
abound. It is a time for generating action. Great insight, realization, enthusiasm, change,
and a sense of power often occur.”

2. Assimilation

The most crucial stage of the creative process is assimilation. The initial energy that you
got in germination is over and you are now in the stage of growth and development.

3. Completion

The final stage of the creative process is completion, which in its simplest form means
finishing your creation and bringing it to full fruition.

There are people who never finish what they begin.

Completion is also about learning to live with your new creation. Some people will feel
uncomfortable with having what they want.

Three Stages in Art Making

1. Pre-production / Subject development

2. Production or Medium Manipulation

3. Post-production (completion) or exhibition

Medium and Technique

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In art, "medium" refers to the substance the artist uses to create a piece
of artwork. For example, the medium Michelangelo used to create "David"(1501-1504)
was marble, Alexander Calder's stabiles employ painted steel plates, and

Marcel Duchamp's infamous "Fountain" (1917)

was made with a porcelain medium.

The word medium can be used in other contexts

within the art world as well. Let's explore this
simple word and its sometimes confusing array
of meanings.

"Medium" as a Type of Art

A broad use of the word medium is used to describe a specific type of art. For instance,
painting is a medium, printmaking is a medium, and sculpture is a medium. Essentially,
every category of artwork is its own medium.

The plural of medium in this sense is media.

"Medium" as an Artistic Material

Building off the type of art, medium can also be used to describe a particular artistic
material. This is how artists describe the specific materials that they work with to create
a piece of art. 

Painting is a perfect example of how this is distinguished. It is very common to see

descriptions of the type of paint used as well as the support it was painted on.

For example, you'll see notations following the titles of paintings that read along the
lines of:

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

 "Gouache on paper" - It
is a type of art that is
executed with opaque
watercolors mixed with
gum.

 "Tempera on board" - a
method of painting with
pigments dispersed in an
emulsion miscible with water,
typically egg yolk. The
method was used in Europe
for fine painting, mainly on
wood panels, from the 12th
or early 13th century until the
15th, when it began to give
way to oils.

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Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

 "Oil on canvas" - Oil painting,

painting in oil colours, a medium
consisting of pigments
suspended in drying oils. The
outstanding facility with which
fusion of tones or colour is
achieved makes it unique among
fluid painting mediums; at the
same time, satisfactory linear
treatment and crisp effects are
easily obtained. Opaque,
transparent, and translucent
painting all lie within its range, and it is unsurpassed for textural variation.

 "Ink on bamboo"

The use of the word medium applies to all types of artwork as well. Sculptors, for
instance, may use metal, wood, clay, bronze, or marble for their medium. Printmakers
may use words like woodcut, linocut, etching, engraving, and lithography to describe
their medium. Artists who use multiple media in a single piece of art typically call it
"mixed media," which is common for techniques like a collage.

The plural for medium in this sense is media.

Technique is the instrument or method used in the application of media, including any
reproductive method. It is the artist’s ability and knowledge or technical know-how in
manipulating the medium (use of lines, shapes points, etc.)

Exploring the World of Art Techniques

 Oil pastels.

 Watercolors.

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Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

 White colored pencil.

 Pointillism with acrylics.

 Drawing with pencils.

 Colored pencils.

 Mosaics with paper.

 3D art with cardboard.

Week 7-8

The Principles of Art

What are the principles of Art?

1) Balance

Balance is concerned with the visual

distribution or weight of the elements in a
work of art. A painting could be balanced if
one half is of the same visual weight as the
other half. Or, you could have a small area
of heightened significance which is
balanced against a much larger area of less
significance, like in the painting below. In
the painting below, notice how the dark
areas used for the boat and foreground appear balanced against the much larger area
of soft, tinted colors.

There are three different types of balance:

1. Symmetrical,

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Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

2. Asymmetrical
3. Radial

In the picture, the human figure in this diagram is symmetrically balanced; the same on
the left and right sides of a central axis. The tree is asymmetrically balanced; its
branches are not distributed equally on each side but their total weight is balanced left
and right. The sun is an example of radial balance; all its rays are equal in length from
the center.

This silver cross is symmetrically balanced: it's right and

left side show the same decoration and cut-outs. The bird
is perfectly centered, each wing extending into an arm of
the cross.

Jhon Goes In Center

Warrior's Cross
1991
German silver
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund

This sculpture is asymmetrically

balanced. The weight of the shape on the
right side is balanced by the number of
smaller objects on the left side, and the
space that they seem to enfold.

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

Two-dimensional works of art such as

paintings, prints and photographs use the
principle of balance to organize objects and
shapes in a composition. This diagram shows
how art elements balance around a center
point just as a see-saw balances. If the art
elements do not balance, the visual scale will
tip and give the viewer the sensation that
parts of the composition are falling out of the
picture.

The mother and child in this painting are

placed at the center of the composition, directly
on the central vertical and horizontal axes. The
symmetrical balance is reinforced by matching
figures on either side of the throne and by the
artist's equally strong emphasis on horizontal
divisions of the composition.

2) Proportion

Proportion concerns the relationship between the sizes of different parts in an artwork.
For example, the width compared to the length, the area of the sky compared to the
land or the area of foreground compared to the background.

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Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

Some proportions are

considered to be visually
pleasing, such as the rule of
thirds and the golden ratio.

In the painting below by

Giovanni Boldini, notice how the
proportions of the female
subject's hands, face, feet and
torso are all accurate. If Boldini
painted the hand too large
compared to the rest of the
subject's body, there would be
an issue of proportion.

3.) Emphasis

Emphasis is a way of using

elements to stress a certain area
in an artwork. Emphasis is really
just another way to describe a
focal point in your artwork. In the
painting below, there is strong
emphasis on the moon through
the use of color contrast.

4.) Contrast

Contrast is everything in art. Without it, an artwork would be nothing but a blank surface.
Contrast can come in many forms:

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Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

 Texture contrast:
A contrast between smooth and
textured. Many of Vincent van
Gogh's paintings are great
examples of texture contrast in
action.

 Color contrast:

A contrast between light

and dark, saturated and
dull or complementary
colors (hue contrast). For
example, in the painting
below, the highly
saturated red contrasts
against the relatively dull colors in the rest of the painting.

 Detail contrast:

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Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

A contrast between areas of detail and blander areas, like in the

painting on the side.

 Shape contrast:
A contrast between different
shapes (rectangles and circles).
For example, in the painting
there are the curving shapes
created by the winding paths,
water and trees contrast against
the rectangular shapes of the
buildings.

 Interval contrast:

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Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

A contrast between long and short intervals. In the painting below, notice the
variation in the lengths of the intervals between the trees. The interval contrast
can be used to create a sense of rhythm in your artwork.

5.) Harmony and Unity

Harmony is a bit vague compared to some of the other principles. Generally speaking, it
refers to how well all the visual elements work together in a work of art. Elements which
are in harmony should have some kind of logical progression or relationship.

Monet’s Water Lilies Series

Unity refers to some kind of

connection between all the visual
elements in a work of art. Like
harmony, this is a bit of a vague
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term which is difficult to objectively use to analyze art. The painting

below demonstrates a strong sense of unity through the use of a similar hues used
throughout the painting. Even though there is a strong contrast between the light and
dark areas, there is a sense of unity created through the use of similar hues (dark
yellows, oranges and greens are used in the foreground and light yellows, oranges and
greens are used in the background).

6.) Variety

Variety refers to the use of differing

qualities or instances of the visual
elements. Variety can be used to
break up monotonous or repetitive
areas.

Below is a painting with lots of

variation in color, shape and texture,
yet not so much that it loses any
sense of harmony.

Beside is a painting with

comparatively less variance. The
result is a much calmer painting.

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 Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

7.) Movement

Your paints cannot physically move, but you can arrange the paints in a way which
gives the illusion or suggestion of movement.

8.) Scale

Refers to the size of an object compared

to the rest of the surroundings.

For example, the size of a man compared to

the tree he is sitting under or the size of a
mountain compared to the clouds. Scale is
different to proportion in that scale refers to
the size of an entire object whereas
proportion refers to the relative size of parts
of an object. For example, the scale of a man
relative to the rest of the painting may be
correct, but the proportion might be wrong because his hands are too large.

9.) Rhythm

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In art and design refers to

a relationship between
elements that creates a
sense of harmony.
Rhythm can be seen in
patterns, in relationships
between colors and
shapes, and in repetitions
of lines and forms.

Kinds of Rhythm

1.Repetition

Repetition is simply repeating a single

element many times in a design.

2. Pattern

Patterns are simply a repetition of

more than one design element

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Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

working in concert with each other. A seamless pattern is one where

every element within a design (no matter how often it’s repeated) combines to form a
whole. This is most common in backgrounds on web and app pages. It’s also popular in
carpet and wallpaper design.

3. Rhythm

When you repeat elements, the intervals

between those repetitions can create a
sense of rhythm in the viewer and a sense
of movement. Musicians create rhythm in
the spacing between notes, effectively
making these “silent” gaps play off the
notes. Designers insert spacing between
elements to make rhythm. There are,
broadly speaking, five types of visual
rhythm

5 Types of Rhythm

1. Random rhythm

Repeating elements with no specific regular interval creates random rhythms. The
spacing could be a millimeter here, a centimeter there, while the elements could be all
over the place. Think of falling snow, pebbles on a beach, traffic movements: they are
all examples of random rhythms in action.

2. Regular rhythm

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Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

Like the beating of a heart, the regular rhythm follows the same intervals
over and over again. You can easily make a regular rhythm just by creating a grid or a
series of vertical lines. The user’s eye will instantly recognize a regular rhythm,
scanning it for any irregularities in the process. Remember, the eye “likes” to be drawn
to outstanding elements. Therefore, there is a risk that when you’re using a regular
rhythm in a design that it can become monotonous (like the dripping of a tap).

3. Alternating rhythm

You can repeat more than one element in a design. In an alternating design, you use a
1-2-1-2-1-2 pattern. Think of the black and white squares on a chessboard: that’s an
alternating rhythm in play.

4. Flowing rhythm

A flowing rhythm shows the repeated elements following bends, curves, and
undulations. In nature, you can see this in the waves on a beach or sand dunes.

a. Regular rhythm - a repetition of elements that are evenly spaced.

b. Irregular rhythm - elements are repeated, but not exactly the same.

c. Progressive rhythm - as elements repeat, they increase or decrease in size.

5. Progressive rhythm

We can make a progressive rhythm simply by changing one characteristic of a motif as

we repeat it. We could draw a series of circles, one above the other, making each lower
one larger.

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Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas
Golden Gate Subdivision, Talon III, Las Piñas City

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