Professional Documents
Culture Documents
SESSION 1
SHORT HISTORY
Medieval humanities ? 12th and 13th century
Centered on theology and philosophy
Interest was in the concept of eternal
Renaissance humanities ? 14th ? 18th century
Focused on the intrinsic value of mans life on earth
Disciplines that would make mans life richer and more meaningful (language
s and literature, fine arts, music, philosophy)
19th Century
Science ruled humanities took a back stage
Today, humanities include/emphasize modern literature, critical and historical s
tudy of fine arts and music with an emphasis on serving man as an individual rat
her than as a social being
DEFINITION OF HUMANITIES
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Humanism ? specific philosophical belief or Humanitarianism ? concern fo
r charitable works
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Latin humanus meaning human, refined and cultured
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The study of humanities strengthens the appreciation for the arts ? bec
thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and values are conveyed.
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In academic discipline, Humanities is the study of the human condition (
may be social, personal or cultural context)
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Academically, humanities is the study of art ? concerns itself with huma
n beings, his feelings and how he expresses his feelings. Analysis and exchange
of ideas rather than the creative expression of the arts
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In the curriculum, humanities covers
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Fine arts ? painting, archi, sculpture
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Literature
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Performing arts ? music, dance, theater, drama
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Liberal arts ? history, philo, theo, and all the languages
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Greek philosopher Protagoras man is the measure of all things - Meaning man
is used as the foundation of value rather than any god or moral law. Implying th
at the humanities emphasizes the dignity and worthiness of man and recognizes cr
eative expressions. So ART as a creative expression of man may be regarded as a
"measuring stick" in looking into a certain period/era or even a specific countr
y or group of people.
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Ultimately, this implies that everything is relative. What one man holds
to be true may be false with another, depending on environment, culture and oth
er aspects that influence him.
DEFINITION and CONNOTATIONS OF ART
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Latin Ars ? ability or skill
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The oldest form of expression developed by man even before writing!
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Form of communication of ideas and feelings through different media. Com
municates beauty primarily through the senses through visual, literary or perfor
ming arts.
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As a result, art is a representation of the times in which the artist li
ves. - example: cave paintings told us that men hunted to survive, that Egypts c
ulture was deeply rooted in the afterlife from their artworks.
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Any activity that expresses aesthetic ideas by the use of skill and imag
ination in the creation of objects, environments and experiences which can be sh
ared with others to help create an aesthetic experience in the viewer. Knowledge
is useless unless put to useful ends. Knowledge alone is meaningless unless acc
ompanied by values, sentiments, priorities, insights, inter-relationships.
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Art is in everyday life ? way we decorate our rooms, the way we dress, c
ooking, and in almost all human activities.
Literary arts
Short stories, novels, poetry, drama
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Popular Arts
Film, newspaper, magazine, radio and television
Main characteristic ? gay and lively
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Decorative Arts
Visual objects produced for beautifying houses, offices
Also called Applied arts
Example: bowls, chandeliers, furniture
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Values and Reason for Art
What is the purpose of art? Why does art exist? ? brief summary, general purpose
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Commemorate occasions and important events
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Historical document ? we see the artists environment, people, culture; ref
lects a society
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Boost the human spirit
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Learn to value beautiful things ? brings out the noble and good in us
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Opportunity for self-transformation
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Source of inspiration because of its aesthetic value
5 BASIC ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE ARTS
1.
Art has been created by various people, at all places and time. Art exis
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What sort of artwork is it? Is it a landscape? A seascape? A portrait? S
till life? Nature? Figures?
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What is the media used? Paint, pastel, ink, wood, marble, bronze?
Step 2:
Analyze
* Use the elements/principles to reflect upon the art form and w
hy the artist used them
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What kind of lines are present? Jagged? Curved? Diagonal? Straight?
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What shapes? Circles? Squares?
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What colors? Bright? Strong? Neutral? Muted?
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How is space used?
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Deep space (looks like you can see for miles, a wide range of light and
dark values)?
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Shallow space (shapes are flattened with limited use of light and dark v
alues)
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Flat space (shapes appear in one value or color, not 3 dimensional)
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For landscapes
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Foreground (objects near the viewer)
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Midground (space between foreground and background)
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Background (objects that appear most distant from the viewer)
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What grabs your attention the most and why?
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Do you see any relationship to the things described in step 1?
Step 3:
Interpretation
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What is the artwork about? Your own perspectives or opinions met with th
e evidences in the artwork.
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What is the purpose of the art work? What is the artist trying to say? W
hy?
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What is its meaning? Strength, mystery, beauty, fear, anger, adventure,
love, war, madness
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What kind of mood is being portrayed?
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Why do you think the artist created this work?
Step 4:
Evaluation
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What do you think about the artwork? Your own conclusions about the artw
ork based on all information gathered.
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What is the value that you find in it? Is it beautiful? Thought-provokin
g? Gives an important social message? Helps us understand the past?
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Does it benefit others? How?
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Why do you like or dislike the artwork? Explain.
Source:
http://www.dl.ket.org/humanities/resources/art/critproc.htm
http://teacher.nicholas.k12.ky.us/ejohnson/art_dept/Four%20Step%20Critique%20of%
20a%20Work%20of%20Art%20Handout.pdf
http://www-bths.stjohns.k12.fl.us/teachers/rizzol/078D56A1-0118C716.8/4%20Steps%
20to%20Critiquing%20Art%20Work.pdf