ART APPRECIATION – REVIEWER

Module No. 1: ART – THE BASICS

DEFINITION OF ART

 "Art completes what nature cannot bring to a finish.

The artist gives us knowledge of nature's unrealized
ends."
– Aristotle
 "The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine
perfection."
– Michelangelo
 "Art is a mediator of the unspeakable."
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
 "Art is a mad search for individualism."
– Paul Gauguin
 "Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer
with which to shape it."
– Bertolt Brecht
 Art is the expression of man's ideas, imagination,
and emotions through the use of his body
CHARACTERISTICS OF ART

 Man-made
 Unique
 Aesthetics

TYPES OF ART

1. Painting
2. Sculpture
3. Architecture
4. Literature
5. Music
6. Dance
7. Theatre
8. Film

ELEMENTS OF ART
Space

 Refers to the distances or areas around, between, and

within components of a piece
 Painters imply space, photographers capture space,
sculptors rely on space and form, and architects build
space
Two Types of Space:
  Positive space – refers to the subject of the piece
itself
 Negative space – refers to the empty spaces the artist
has created around, between, and within the subjects
Examples of works using Space:
 Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth, 1948
 Rizal Monument by Richard Kissling, 1913

Line

 Indicates direction, orientation, movement, and

energy
 It is considered as the oldest, simplest, universal
element
Types of Line:
 Vertical line – basic framework of all forms, power,
strength, stability, simplicity, and efficiency
 Horizontal line – creates an impression of serenity
and perfect stability, rest, calmness, peace, and
reposed
 Jagged line – shows violence, confusion, and
conflict
 Curved line – shows a gradual change of direction
and fluidity and signifies subtle form
Shape

 An enclosed space, a bounded two-dimensional form

that has both length and width
 Boundaries are defined by other elements of art such
as line and space
Types of Shapes:
 Organic shapes – based on natural or living forms
and can be irregular
 Geometric shapes – based on measured forms
Examples:
 Palm Jebel Ali
 A scene from Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange

Form

 Connotes something that is three-dimensional and

encloses volume, having length, width, and height
Types of Form:
 Geometric forms – mathematical, precise, and can
be named, as in the basic geometric forms: sphere,
cube, pyramid, cone, and cylinder
 Organic forms – free-flowing, curvy, sinewy, and
are not symmetrical or easily measurable or named
Color

 Produced when light, striking an object, is reflected

back to the eye
 A sensation, a human reaction to a hue arising in part
from the optic nerve, and in part from education and
exposure to color, and perhaps in the largest part,
simply from the human senses
Classification of Colors:
 Primary colors – colors that cannot be formed from
mixtures because they are pure colors
(Example: Red, Blue, and Yellow)
 Secondary colors – colors formed out of
combination of two primary colors
(Examples: Blue + Yellow = Green; Red + Blue =
Violet; Red + Yellow = Orange)
 Intermediate colors – colors formed out of mixing
one primary and one secondary
(Examples: Yellow + Green = Yellow green; Red +
Violet = Red violet; Red + Orange = Red orange)
Terms to Remember:
 Hue – refers to the names we assign a color
 Saturation – refers to the vividness of color
 Value – lightness or darkness of the color
Texture

 It is used to describe the way a three-dimensional

work actually feels when touched
 In two-dimensional work, such as painting, it may
refer to the visual "feel" of a piece

PRINCIPLES OF ART
Emphasis

 The composition refers to developing points of

interest to pull the viewer's eye to important parts of
the body of the work
Example:
 Xooang Choi, The Islet of Asperger Type 17, 2009

Balance

 It is a sense of stability in the body of work

 It can be created by repeating same shapes and by
creating a feeling of equal weight
Harmony

 Achieved in a body of work by using similar

elements throughout the work
 Harmony gives an uncomplicated look to your work
Example:
 Georges Seurat, Bathers at Asnières, 1884

Variety

 Refers to the differences in the work

 You can achieve variety by using different shapes,
textures, colors, and values in your work
Example:
 Ang Huling El Bimbo The Musical

Movement

 Adds excitement to your work by showing action and

directing the viewer's eye throughout the picture
plane
Example:
 Hokusai, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, 1829–1833
Unity

 Is seen in a painting or drawing when all the parts

equal a whole
Example:
 Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper, 1495–1498
ANCIENT GREEK ART

Module 2 - Art Appreciation

Frescoes

 the painting of color pigments on wet lime plaster

without a binding agent
 when the paint is absorbed by the plaster, it is fixed
and protected from fading
 depict scenes from everyday life
 frescoes are fragile and often get destroyed when
removed from their original sites
Example:
 Minoan Dolphin Fresco from Knossos, Crete, 1700-
1450 BCE
 Minoan Bull-leaping Fresco from Knossos, Crete,
1450-1400 BCE
 Minoan Griffin Fresco from Knossos, 1700-1450
BCE

Pottery

 achieved prominence from 1000 BCE to 400 BCE

 vases were meant to be used in everyday life
  there were painters partnering with potters in creating
vases
 amphorae - for storing wine
 large kraters - for mixing wine with water
 jugs - for pouring wine
 kylixes or stemmed cups with horizontal handles - for
drinking
 hydra with three handles - for holding water
 skyphoi or deep bowls, and lekythoi jars - for holding
oils and perfumes
Example:
 Terracotta oinochoe, c. 900 BCE
 Geometric style krater, Attica, 800 BCE
 Proto-Corinthian aryballos, 650 BCE

Archaic Period

 Archaic free - standing figures have the solid mass

and frontal stance of Egyptian models, but their
forms are more dynamic
 The three most common statues were the:
o Sanding nude youth (kouros, plural kouroi)

o Standing draped girl (kore, plural korai), and the

seated woman
Example:
  Kleobis and Biton (610-580 BCE)
 The Moschophoros (c. 570)
 The Anavysos Kouros (c. 525)

Classical Period

 Although a time of conflict, the intellectualism and

creativity of the Classical period produced a plethora
of memorable works of art and has even been
considered a 'golden age'
 Classical Greek sculpture incorporated more diverse
figure. types and bodily poses as well as a sharp
increase in technical dexterity, resulting in far more
naturalistic and realistic sculptures
 Some famous sculptors during the period are Phidias,
Praxiteles, Kritios, Lysippos, and Myron
Example:
 Aphrodite of Knidos (c. 350 BCE)
 Aphrodite of Knidos (c. 350 BCE)
 Discobolus (460-50 BCE)
 The Artemision Bronze (c. 460 BCE)
 Zeus at Olympia (c. 435 BCE)
Hellenistic Period

 It has been seen as a continuation, refinement, and

expansion of Greek, or Hellenistic, influence in the
Mediterranean world after Alexander the Great
 Many artistic subjects appear significantly more
dramatized than before and for the first time emotive
facial expressions featured in monumental sculpture
 Embraced adverse themes such as suffering, old age,
and death
Example:
 Winged Victory of Samothrace (220-190 BCE)
 Laocoon and his Sons (42-20 BCE)

Architecture

 Greek architects provided some of the finest and

most distinctive buildings in the entire Ancient World
 Characterized by simplicity, proportion, perspective,
and harmony
Doric Order

 earliest of the three Classical orders of architecture

 transition from wood to stone
  characterized by a plain, unadorned column capital
and a column that rests directly on the stylobate of
the temple without a base
 The Doric entablature includes a frieze composed of
triglyphs (vertical plaques with three divisions) and
metopes (square spaces for either painted or sculpted
decoration). The columns are fluted and are of sturdy,
if not stocky, proportions
Ionic Order

 originated in Ionia, a coastal region of central

Anatolia (present-day Turkey) where a number of
ancient Greek settlements were located
 volutes (scroll-like ornaments) characterize the Ionic
capital and a base supports the column
 notable for its graceful proportions, giving a more
slender and elegant profile than the Doric order
Corinthian Order

 Originated from the Greek city-state of Corinth

where the sculptor Callimachus drew a set of
acanthus leaves surrounding a votive basket
 The defining element of the Corinthian order is its
elaborate, carved capital, which incorporates even
more vegetal elements than the Ionic order does
Example:
  Parthenon
 Recreation of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

Theatre
Dionysus, the god of wine, had a cult
following - the cult of Dionysus

 "Dionysus is associated with darkness, with the loss

of boundaries around the self experienced in a
crowd." - David Wiles
 Athens' democratic government sponsored the cult of
Dionysus and established festivals in tribute
 5th century Greek theatre was integrated to
civic/religious discourse. Festivals included
processions, sacrifices, celebrations, feasting and
choral laments.
 Four Dionysian festivals - Rural Dionysia, Lenaia,
Anthesteria and City Dionysia
 Some say that competitions on tragedies originated in
534 BCE. Thespis was the first winner, who was also
considered the first actor. Others claim that the City
Dionysia was established in 503-501 BCE.
Examples:
 Theatre of Delphi
 Theatre of Epidaurus
Performers, Masks, Costumes and Music

 All performers were male

 Thespis was the first actor. Aeschylus added the
second actor while Sophocles introduced the third
actor.
 Masks were essential part of Greek theatre. Tragic
masks had formalized, expressionless faces. Comic
masks presented caricatures, grotesques, or animal
heads.
 Costumes for tragedy included a tunic or sometimes a
long/short cloak. Costumes for comedy were based
on everyday wear and included a phallus.
 A double pipe, aulos, was integral in the music of
Greek theatre. Another essential instrument was the
harp.

Plays and Playwrights

 Only 44 plays survived from the Greek classical

period. These were written by Aeschylus, Sophocles,
Euripides and Aristophanes.
 Greek tragedies did not end with a terrible event.
Some end on an affirmative note. Many address the
history and character of Athens.
  The only extant comedies were those of Aristophanes
characterized as bawdy, obscene, fantastical, or
absurd
 Criticized politicians, militarists, oracle mongers and
similar figures of power
o In The Clouds, he ridiculed Socrates

o In The Frogs, he ridiculed Euripides and

Dionysus

Aristotle's Poetics

 First systematic treatise on drama developed between

336-331 BCE from the winners of the City Dionysia
Elements of Drama:
 Plot
 Character
 Thought
 Diction
 Music
 Mimesis - imitation or representation of action and
characters
Important Terms:
 Hubris - excessive pride
 Hamartia - tragic flaw
 Anagnorisis - recognition
 Peripeteia - reversal of fate
 Catharsis - purgation of emotions