LEARNING IN ART

APPRPRECIATION

Seriendiba J. Satul
 Overview:
This module you will learn to connect art with your self first, how ever
and what state you may be. The goal of the chapter is to make art relevant
to you by starting with our humanity. What is art to me, who is an artist,
how do learn art?

Intended Course Outcomes:

• Understand the role of art as a tool to aid human limitations.
• Relate art to yourself: to your context, experiences, and longings as a
person.
• Challenge one’s critical thinking skills through creative ways of
confronting life’s problems.
• Inculcate values and humanistic attitude toward Arts.
 THAT’S ART, SO WHAT?

INTRODUCTION:
What is Art for: Functions, Relevance, and Significance.
“I’m not an Artist, I don’t know how to appreciate art!”

Some of you may have this dilemma in mind. However, for others,
they may have glimpse of what art means to them because they may be
skillful at some techniques; but have you ever had this lingering curiosity
about how and where does one begin to study art? In the age of Instagram
and Facebook, it is very easy to come across a work of art which is made,
remade, or reused to fit a certain purpose or value. You must have pressed
that “like” or “love” button as you deem a graphic post a relatable. YouTube
offers a lots of tutorials and techniques for painting, calligraphy, watercolor
et al; lots of young artist have been exposed to a wide range of art
techniques because of them. Art and information is now within our reach.
There are so many sources available to learn from. The downside of this
quick information is that it is very scattered. We do not know which to
prioritize and are unsure if we are getting the right information. Art
Appreciation on the other hand is discipline offered in an academic setting
but probably less likely to be consumed here in this country. However, it
has one strength: its premise being in the academe. To direct our often-
ambivalent feelings toward art, let us learn and discuss it from which, I
believe, is good starting point: you. The beginning of this chapter is about
understanding the functions of art in relation to your context, your needs,
and your longings as a person in the context of the functions of art in
relation to your context, your needs, and your longings as a person in the
context of the context of the millennial age, the rest is a progress.
 LESSON 1: What Is Art To Me? Understanding
How Art Can Meet Some Human Needs

INTRODUCTION:

Do you agree with the assumption that our generation today is called the
“Anxious Generation”? When you talk to those who are born during the age of “baby-
boomers,” most of them would probably describe a life formed out of simple choices to
make: go to school, study, work, and get married. However, the times today pose stark
contrast to such simplicity. We have never been so detached from the primary values of
our humanity: we are often distracted by illusion and “ideal lives” that the internet age
suggests.
Hence, in this lesson, you will learn and relearn the value of art in our lives. Even
if you are not an artist, hopefully you will understand that the arts are actually meant to
aid some human limitations that we have often ignored or set aside because of so many
distractions in our generation today.
These are some proposed functions of art in our lives but are not supposed to
limit other presumed ideas. There is definitely more, but considering the scope and limit
of our time, we will focus on the following:
1. Beauty 5. Remembering and making

2. Happiness and Hope 6. Raising awareness

3. Identity and Understanding One Self 7. Culture and

Togetherness

4. Grief and Healing

Inspired by the book “Art as Therapy” by Alain de Baton, this version of the seven
function of art are common human experiences with which, I believe, we as Filipinos
can mostly adhere to. Hence, by taking off from these ideas, we can all relate to the role
of art through our shared humanity.

Answer the Activity. Afterward, answer the Analysis portion.

 ACTIVITY:
Observe Francisco Goya’s “The Third of May 1808”. Compare and Contrast the
work with Juan Luna’s “Spoliarium” (research this artwork). Do not mind the historical
context of the work yet. Just try to observe each one. From small groups and discuss
the possible interpretations of the paintings. Try to think of all the factors involved in
creating it and list down the parallelisms you can find

picture of “third of May 180

 ANALYSIS:

Answer these questions in a discussion and write down your answers as a (1

WHOLE SHEET OF PAPER YELLOW PAD)
a. What kind of event is being portrayed in the paintings? What emotion/s are the
artists trying to evoke? For what reason?

b. As mere, frail human beings, why do you think we have such artworks to process the
emotion?

c. How did the artist elicit the emotions of the narratives through the subject
matter?

ABSTRACTION:
The exercises offered us some of the ways that artist addressed human issues.
Read the following elaborations on each of the functions to further aid your
understanding.

1. Beauty
1.Why do you think some people hang artworks on their wall? 2. What is the
most common answer? The connotation of the beauty is debatable topic, but let us talk
about prettiness and the aesthetic value of art. One of the innate qualities that “pretty
art” can give is that it makes our dull, lifeless walls come to life. The contrast of having
something “alive” and dynamic to look at on something ordinary and common, let us say
a pristine white, evokes in us an affinity towards its beauty. Though we have different
notions of beauty, still it is the common denominator when we are talking about appreciating
forms of art. Beauty makes sense to most of us.
2. Happiness and Hope
There is something about the art that mirrors the soul of those willing to confront it. In a
societal tone, artworks tend to echo the hopes and anxieties of an age. There is a wide range of
properties of art why it gives a sense of joy and hope to its audience. These are the Examples.
a. when paintings are placed in a daunting environment such as hospitals;
b. the experience and process of creating art itself;
c. the bliss of looking at a piece of imaginary evoking a happy memory: e.g., the
painting a do;
d. direct words from typography and graphic messages that are so relatable as if
the author has a read your mind and feelings; and
e. identifying oneself with the properties of an artwork: an homage to something;
works addressing diaspora, displacement, and other social issues.

3. Identity and Understanding the Self

Today’s generation, being the “me” generation, is also sometimes tagged as the
“anxious generation”. A lot of social issues evidently reflect this struggle for identity:
gender issues, disconnectedness brought on by the social media, regionalism, and
even mental health issues. How do you think art can be a tool to address such
challenges? Do you agree that we need something outside of us and tangible enough to
define what are we feeling and struggling against? Sometimes we see ourselves in an
artwork. Sometimes we see ourselves in the process. Art can serve as a powerful tool
to help us communicate and relay our confusion. Even psychological interventions use
art as therapy to aid processing some sensitive experiences.
4. Grief and Healing
Many of the most poignant and humanistic products of art were made after the
world war II. Twentieth-Century art mostly expressed human suffering and darkness in
its themes. Artist such as Rachel Whiteread talked about this haunting remembrance of
holocaust victims in her work “Ghost Library”. Here, she used and experiential type of
artistic expression, exploring the themes of place and memory in an architectural
setting.
Throughout the years, artists have interpreted these shared human experiences
in different ways, which also helps us process our grief. Some may use art as a tool to
express pain and process it in therapy. Nonetheless, it plays an important role in making
grieving somehow dignified.
5. Remembering and mark-making
How do you think has art helped us remember? How has artist shaped our
landscapes? The monument of Rizal in Lunate Park is one example of a type of art that
helps us remember. Without the tangible characteristics of art, we will not be able to
sustain our nationalistic values well enough. We have pictures, films, and paintings that
depict heroism and nationalism. Try to look upthese artists: “Angel of the North” by
British sculptor Antony Gormley and Anish Kapoor’s “Cloud Gate” in Chicago.
Gormley’s work has been considered as the largest sculpture in the world and one of
the most popular. The humongous figure of a person with airplane-like wings in situated
in Gateshead, England, and was commissioned to become an identifying landmark of
the region. On the other hand, Kapoor had his humongous, bean-shaped metallic
sculpture placed at that certainly builds a sense of mark and identity to that place where
the traffic of pedestrians is usually heavy.
6. Raising Awareness
Have you seen large sculptural effigies (those papier-Mache-made-to-be-burned
protest art) during rallies in manila? Some art can be categorized as activist art. But not
all are as loud and garish. Some are subtle paintings which might use satire. In the
Philippines, many socially-concerned artist have emerged in the age of modernism
portraying politicians and the government systems in their most hateful actions. A
subtler type of inducing awareness can be observed in architecture such as stained
glass windows of gothic churches and even their illuminated manuscripts. Such is also
the case of our local churches with large domes at the altar part and huge stained-glass
windows.
7. Culture and Togetherness
Lastly, forms of art are often localized so that they can bring identity also to
certain regions. This is very evident here in the Philippines, which is geographically
separated by thousands of islands, we are very regionalized. In a way, there is a sense
of redemption for the past weakness of the Philippines when the Spaniards strategized
the divide method. Do you remember the national costume miss Universe 2019? Here,
we see how reigning queen Catriona Gray wore the “whole Philippines” symbolically
uniting us through her Luzon-Visayas-Mindanao-Inspired national costume. Indeed, it is
an attempt to represent our unity and national identity.
APPLICATION:
As an individual who has gone through a specific set of experience,
1. what kind of art would you make?
2. What do you want to share with others?
3. What do you want to waken them?
4.Is there something you want to remember? Or would you like your audience to just
take pleasure in the aesthetics of what have you created?
5. Remember, there is neither
right or wrong for artistic interpretation (can be made or captured e.g., photo). The is to
express something of relevance to you as a person (even to your artistic taste) in visual
form.
You do not

Artwork: Paste here your simple drawing, an artwork of any

medium, that best represents yourself or your reflection, answer to the guide questions
above.
 ASSESSMENT: ANS: (1 WHOLE SHEET OF PAPER YELLOW PAD)
The students will be taking part in criticizing the functions through group discussion. Upon
analyzing the functions of art, let us now try to see how effective these are in meeting objectives of the
lesson.

1. Were the function presented effective? In what other ways can they relate to art?

2. Explore other artworks that also reflect the function discussed.

3. If you were to add to the functions, what would they be? Create new knowledge and share it in
a discussion.

GOOD BLESS YOU!!!

JIKM

GGG