Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN PHILIPPINES

University Town, Catarman, Northern Samar
Web:http://uep.edu.ph, Email: uepnsofficial@gmail.com
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND COMMUNICATION
Social Science Department

ART APPRECIATION
MODULE 2: FUNCTIONS, PHILOSOPHY AND SUBJECT OF ART

Jan Niño U. Acebuche

MODULE 2
FUNCTIONS, PHILOSOPHY AND SUBJECT OF ART

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

✓ Describes the functions and philosophy of art

✓ Differentiate content from subject

✓ Clarify artworks according to subject

✓ Analyze how artists represent their subject in relation to the real subject

FUNCTIONS AND PHILOSOPHY OF ART

The Function of Art

Every art form has a definite function since it satisfies a particular need. To the layman,
art may have little function. Some find meaning in art in its ability to serve the purpose for which
it was designed. Obviously, architecture is directly and almost entirely functional because
buildings and other structures are always built for some special purpose. Music and dance were
used in ancient rituals and worship of gods, for social and folk entertainment, as well dance were
used in ancient rituals and as in worship of the gods, the military. Paintings and sculpture may be
used to narrate events, portray people or events, to instruct (as in the case of Christian art), to
commemorate individuals or historical events and to serve as vehicles of personal expression.
Metal works such as gates, grills, lamps, Christian religious objects, armor, weapons, and tools,
ceramics, glassware, stained glass, mosaic, tilework, textile, and furniture are among the many
types of arts or crafts. Each of these examples is made for some definite and specific use.

The seven (7) functions of art are:

1. Aesthetic functions - Through art, man becomes conscious of the beauty of nature.
He benefits from his own work and from those done by his fellowmen. He learns to use, love, and
preserve them for his enjoyment and appreciation.
2. Utilitarian function - With the creation of the various forms of art, man now lives in
comfort and happiness. Through art, man is provided with shelter, clothing, food, light, medicine,
beautiful surroundings, personal ornament, entertainment, language, transportation, and other
necessities and conveniences of life. Art does not only enrich man’s life. It also improves nature
through landscape gardening creation of super highways, and through propagation and
conservation -- of natural resources.

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 3. Cultural function - Through the printed matter, art transmits and preserves skills and
knowledge from one generation to another. It makes man aware of his cultural background, him
more knowledgeable making his life more enduring and satisfying.
4. Social function - Through civic and graphic arts, man learns to love and help each
other. International understanding and cooperation are fostered and nations become more
unified, friendly, cooperative, helpful, and sympathetic.
5. Political function - Art reinforces and enhance sense of identity and ideological
connection to specific political views, political parties and politicians.
6. Educational function - There are art symbols and signs to illustrate knowledge and
attitudes that are not expressed in words.
7. Spiritual function - Some art works express spiritual beliefs, customs, ceremonies,
and rituals about the meaning and destiny of life. These artworks may have religious significance.

Philosophy of Art
Philosophy of art refers to the study of the nature of arts, its concept, interpretation,
representation, expression and form. Philosophy of art is closely related to aesthetics, which is
the study of beauty and taste.
There are five (5) philosophical perspectives of art. These are:
1. Art as Mimesis
The word mimesis is a Greek word which means "imitation" or "copying", although it
may also mean representation. The philosophers Plato and Aristotle spoke of mimesis as the
representation of nature.
Plato believed that all artistic creation is a mimesis. It exists in the "world of ideas"
and is created by God. The concrete things that man created are just shadows created by
man's mind. All artists are imitators of nature.
Aristotle speaks of tragedy as an "imitation of an action" that of a man' falling from a
higher to a lower estate. Thus, when an artist skillfully select and present a material, that artist
is purposely seeking to imitate or copy the action of life.
2. Art as Representation (Aristotle)
Art represents something. When an artist uses signs and symbols to take the place
of something else, he is using art as a representation of such signs and symbols. It is through
representation that people organize the world and reality through the act of naming its
elements. Signs and symbols are arranged in order to form semantic constructions and
express relations with the other things.
3. \Art for Art's Sake (Kant)
It was Victor Cousin, a French philosopher who translated this slogan which means
"l'art pour l'art". Artists associated with aestheticism believes that art needs no justification.
Art does not serve political didactic or other hand.

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 Immanuel Kant's main interest was not in art per se, but in Beauty in the Sublime.
Kant being an Enlightenment writer thought that beauty or sublimity were not really properties
of objects, but ways in which We respond to objects. Kant pointed out that what he meant by
Beauty is not the Form of the Beautiful but about Taste. Kant's concern is not on the
subjective aesthetic response but on the function of individual or personal taste. He claimed
that judgment of taste are both, subjective and universal.
He said that aesthetic universals are subjective because they are responses of
pleasure and do not essentially involve any claim about the properties of the object itself. On
the other hand, aesthetic judgment, is universal because it is not merely personal but also, it
is disinterested. ‘

4. Art as an Escape
According to Allen Weinstein, without mental escape, we build up lot of anxiety within
ourselves. Artists have to get rid of this anxiety and pressure because if we keep these
worries and anxieties within our mind, they will come out in the form 'of anger and even
hatred. Unfortunately, such anger and hatred are often taken out on the wrong people.
According to Señeres and others (2008), the artists works of art reveal the emotional
outburst that has been kept for many years in their mind. The only way to take out such
tension is through painting, dancing, music, and other art forms. They are a cathartic solutions
to one's anxiety and life's difficulties. Likewise, the awareness that these works of art created
among the viewers may also lead to a positive or negative emotional reaction.

5. Art as Functional
The artist intent in creating a functional piece of art is to bring creativity, beauty, and
usefulness into people's everyday lives. Whether it's a curvy chair made of cardboard, a
banca made of paper, functional art makes us rethink and re-assess the way we look at
ordinary things, sometimes by using unusual materials in their construction.

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 SUBJECT OF ART

Meaning of Subject of Art

In any art from - painting, music, sculpture, architecture, or dance - there is always a
subject that serves as the foundation of the creation of the work of art. A subject of art is usually
anything that is represented in the artwork. It is varied - it may a be a person, object, scene, or
event.

Sources of Subjects
Subjects of art may be found in primary sources such as:
• artwork • documents

• autobiographies • nature

• film of the artist • history

• interviews • mythology

• diaries • Christian tradition

• speeches • sacred oriental text

• letters • others not mentioned above

• photographs

Where to Find the Primary Sources:

• archives • sketchbooks

• catalogues • art galleries

• exhibits • art museums

• notebooks • art and cultural centers

Types of Subjects
1. Representational or Objective Arts
There are artworks that depict something easily recognized by most people Painting,
sculpture, graphic arts, literature, and theatre arts are generaly classified as representational arts,
although some paintings and sculptures an without subjects. Music and dance may or may not
have subjects. Traditional sculptures and paintings have subjects. When looking ati traditional
painting or a statue, one expects to recognize the subject - a man animals, a landscape, a
waterfall, figures, dreams, fantasies, seascape, still lie etc.

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2. Non-Representational or Non-Objective Arts
There are artworks that have no resemblance to any real subject. they do not represent
anything and they are what they are. They rather appeal directly to the senses primarily because
of the satisfying organization of their elements.
Some contemporary painters have shifted their interest to the work of art as an object in
itself, an exciting combination of shapes and colors that fulfill the aesthetic need without having
to represent image or tell a story. Many modern paintings have a purely visual appeal, so difficult
that literal-oriented spectators cannot appreciate them.

Content in Art
Content in art refers to the meaning or significance, and/or feeling imparted by a work of
art. This is not the same thing depicts. Content of art as the subject matter the work is inextricably
linked with form, Form refers to the pictorial aspects of art such as word, design, and choice,
about shapes, sizes, colors, contrast, medium, soft, or hard edges, and many other decisions.
Content in art may be classified as factual, conventional, and subjective.

ACTIVITY

ACTIVITY 2
1. Still using the artworks that you have collected and presented from Activity 1.2
(Performance Task), describe the artworks by selecting any two (2) of the
FUNCTIONS OF ART.
First artwork
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Second artwork
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 2. Does art always have a function? If an artwork did not have any function, will it
still be called an art? Explain your stance.
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3. Which do you prefer as an artwork, with a subject or no subject? Explain your

answer.
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