Art Appreciation Syllabus/Course Outline

“Amor fati: let that be my love henceforth!
I do not want to
wage war against what is ugly. I do not want to accuse; I do
not even want to accuse those who accuse. Looking away
shall be my only negation. And all in all, and on the whole:
some day I want only to be a Yes-sayer.”
“Only great pain is the ultimate liberator of the spirit… I
doubt that such pain makes us ‘better’; but I know that it
makes us more profound.”
– The Gay Science, Friedrich Nietzsche

3 |B A J O Z A L D U A
MuP 252 & 253 | Dr. Hiroko Nagai
Art Appreciation Syllabus and Course Outline

The History, Psychology, and Philosophy of Art
by Ernesto “Bajo” C. Zaldua, Jr.
ABSTRACT. There is yet the impression that the Sciences, Technology,
Engineering, Mathematics, and the like are of more vital disciplines than
Art because they are fields of “critical pursuits.” So why is Art often
perceived as a less essential domain? Does that mean that Art does not
motivate “critical pursuits”? What is the function of Art? How important
is one’s cultural background in the dynamics between artist/creator and
audience/perceiver? Who among us get to be the arbitrators of what
should and what should not be evinced more valued? Who decides what
Art should be? Should it be the writers, the poets, the artists themselves
who made it? Should it be us, the spectators, the market (not necessarily
accommodating the ideas and standards set by the academe)? This course
will combine the history of a People, the psychology of Man, and the
philosophy of Art to question its existence in its many different guises.
The areas of analysis will be visual arts, film & television, literature, and
philosophical allegories as well as other facets of popular and national
cultures. Centering on the context of the critical history of the
Philippines, this course will place emphasis on drawing into a new and
expanded awareness on Art – through its creator, production, criticism,

history, and aesthetics. This will conclude with the students crucially
questioning and scrutinizing a work of art’s relevance not only to the
Filipino culture, but to and of the self.
Semester: A.Y. 2017-2018
Location: College of Arts and Social Sciences,

Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology
Subject Code & Credits. GEC106 – 3.00 Credits
LECTURER. Ernesto “Bajo” C. Zaldua, Jr., CE, BM
NOTE. Music, apart from Philosophy and Philosophers, will predominantly be discussed
during the course of the subject since it is my main line of work. I graduated from the
College of Music at the University of the Philippines, with a major in Band Conducting,
and a minor in Tuba. I am presently a Master of Music student of the same university,
and simultaneously an Instructor in the Philosophy and Humanities Department of the
College of Arts and Social Sciences at the Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of
Technology, and the Artistic Director of the university’s resident choir, the Octava
Choral Society.
COURSE PURPOSE & OBJECTIVE
The essential intent of this course is to shape a context for understanding the Arts;
structurally, socially, culturally, historically and, more outstandingly, philosophically.
The intention is to significantly affect the students’ analytical thought processes. Students
will study Art against the backdrop of history to acquire an understanding of the role that
the Arts played, and will remain to play, in reflecting and representing Man’s thinking
throughout time; they will learn the philosophies of Art and its perceived “standards”,
and acknowledge the variety of norms imposed by the culture and society of an era.
A performance or concert review is a required component of this class. By
midterm, assigned groups will teach one session of the class with designated reports on
the types, history, philosophy, psychology and functions of Art, taking into account how
these came to be, whether in film, television, literature, popular culture, and other media.
EVALUATION
The students will be given three (3) tasks to complete over the course of the
semester. The grade breakdown is as follows:
20% Task 1 : Group presentation with a written report based on a prescribed text
20% Task 2 : Review or Journal: Critical analyses of performances or concerts
35% Task 3 : Oral examination: Summary or narrative on Art Appreciation
Written examination: Essay with two (2) questions to be drawn by lot
25% Participation : Participation only requires joining thoughtfully in class
discussions
PRESENTATIONS, SCREENINGS, & PERFORMANCE OR CONCERT
REVIEWS
This course includes PowerPoint presentations and video screenings which will be
referred to in class discussions. These activities are engaged as a class and are
particularly done to encourage informal discussions afterwards. Performance or concert
reviews, as said, are planned for this course thus it is ensured that there is allocated time
for these matters.

COURSE SUMMARY
SESSION 01 INTRODUCTION
Introductory Activity: Getting to know each other
The Fundamental Terms: Art Appreciation, Aesthetics, Art Criticism, Art History
SESSION 02 MAN (I)
Nature of Man, Evolution of Man, Questioning Identity and Purpose
SESSION 03 MAN (II)
Micro: Sexuality and Gender, Finding Identity and Purpose, Submission and
Dominance
SESSION 04 MAN (III)
Macro: Gods & Belief Systems, Tradition and Culture, Politics, Society,
Consequences
SESSION 05 THE ARTS (I): as a Means for Man to Survive
SESSION 06 THE ARTS (II): Recognizing the Concept of a Creation
SESSION 07 PERSPECTIVE
Standards, Socioeconomic status, Morality, Social Conformity & Deviances
SESSION 08 BRANCHES OF ART CRITICISM, ANALYTICAL APPROACHES
SESSION 09 HISTORY OF ARTS IN THE PHILIPPINES

GROUP REPORTING
THE PHILIPPINE PERIODS: Pre-colonial, Islam, Spanish, American, Japanese,
Liberty to present
 Function, Influence, Discipline, Norms, Standards, Colors, Style,

Alteration, Progression
SESSION 10 MUSIC (Group Report or Presentation)
SESSION 11 VISUAL ARTS (I) (Group Report or Presentation)
SESSION 12 VISUAL ARTS (II) (Group Report or Presentation)
SESSION 13 LITERATURE (Group Report or Presentation)
SESSION 14 PERFORMANCE (Theatre or Drama) (Group Report or Presentation)
SESSION 15 FILM/PHOTOGRAPHY (Group Report or Presentation)
SESSION 16 DANCE (Group Report or Presentation)
SESSION 17 ARCHITECTURE (Group Report or Presentation)
SESSION 18 FINAL EXAMINATIONS (Oral, Written)

INTRODUCTION
There is this story of one statue of a majestic cat put on a pedestal in front of a
university. As years passed, authorities placed a golden chain around its neck to secure it
to the podium, to keep it from being toyed around by students. Eventually, this was
coined as “the chained cat” by the students who came to appreciate the statue, even when
the sculptor who had created this cat did not intend to have this chain part of his artwork.
Now the question is: how is the artwork supposed to be appreciated? With or without the
chain? That then leaves us with another question: is it up to the perception of the
audience? Or the intention of the artist? Is this the part where you consider the approach
“The author is dead”?
One would argue that since it has been said that it is a bronze statue of a cat where
the chain was later added for security, therefore, knowing its historical context, the
theoretical question is moot and useless. Whereas others would disagree and consider the
fact that newer generations did not know of the history, so one would have to discard the
history information while standing from their point of view.
So, what is the right answer? You will know by the end of this course.
Art Appreciation
Students are introduced to the study of art in a course called Art Appreciation, but
there is little agreement on what Art Appreciation is or what the goals of such a course
should be. Is it a chronological study of masterpieces or the ability to know the difference
between good and bad art? Is it a skill or a state of mind? Is it cognitive knowledge, or
affective involvement, or both? Is the goal to produce student connoisseurs of great
works of art or to teach cultured conversational skills? There is much confusion of art
appreciation with art history, art aesthetics, and art criticism, but each of these areas is
distinctly different, and each has different goals (Seabolt, B.O., 2001).
Understanding and Enjoying Art
Appreciation of art is both an act and a state of understanding and enjoying art,
according to Harold Osborne (1970), who borrows the definition from Thomas Munro.
Art appreciation, both affective and cognitive, engages emotions and feelings about art
while knowing and understanding develop. Appreciation, according to the Oxford
English Dictionary (1989), is “perception; recognition; intelligent notice... perception of
delicate impressions or distinctions.” Johnson (1989) cites several other definitions: Clive
Bell’s (1913) definition as “sensitive and emotionally-tinged percipience,” John Dewey’s
(1934) definition as “aesthetic perception,” and Thomas Munro’s (1941) as
“understanding and enjoying” (Johnson, 1989). This simple and direct description of
Munro seems most appropriate for defining the activity of appreciation.
However historically, art appreciation has not always been defined as
understanding and enjoying art and consequently has not been taught with those goals in
mind. Michael (1991) describes the history of art in public school education as alternating
between a student-centered nature approach, emphasizing the student’s participation in
creative experiences, and a subject-centered nurture approach, highlighting the teacher’s

role in imparting certain information. These nature and nurture categories offer a useful
means of comparing and contrasting early methods of teaching art appreciation with
current methodology while exploring the changing roles of teacher and student.
At certain times, the changes in both the definition of art appreciation and the
skills associated with it have taken the student’s needs into consideration, at other times,
subject content. To achieve both understanding and enjoyment of art, the student’s needs
and subject content must share importance. Through the study of art history, aesthetics,
and art criticism, Smith (1993) says a student can develop “a well-developed sense of
art... [and a] conceptual framework for responding to art” as well as “a knack for
knowing one’s way around works of art and their various contexts.” In Beyond Creating:
The Place for Art in America's Schools, the Getty Center for Education in the Arts (1985)
suggests that art be thought of as an academic subject including several disciplines, with
the goal of teaching art as enriched encounters with art as well as increased knowledge of
styles and great works of art. The disciplines included are aesthetics, art criticism, art
history, and studio art (Getty, 1985).
Chalmers (1978) asks: “How much of our own everyday subcultural visual
experience, that we actually see, is used effectively as a basis for curriculum development
in visual arts education?” Neperud (1995) asserts that content is historically and
culturally situated in particular times and places. The implication, he says, is that constant
updating of teacher education is necessary to retain a vital connection between art and
students’ lives. McFee (1995) reinforces this concern: “Teachers experienced in only one
culture are ill-prepared for teaching in multicultural classrooms, as most classrooms are
today.” Perhaps the pendulum rests at mid-swing, while art educators entertain the
possibility of concentrating on both subject content and student needs on both nurture and
nature. After all, as Michael concludes, “We always must take into consideration [both]
those we teach [nature], and what we teach [nurture].” When the nature of the student is
nurtured, when both cognitive and affective goals are met, then the outcome is
appreciation – understanding and enjoying art.
Aesthetics
The National Committee for Standards in the Arts (1994) defines aesthetics as “a
branch of philosophy that focuses on the nature of beauty, the nature and value of art, and
the inquiry processes and human responses associated with those topics.” Lankford
(1992) describes aesthetics as “concepts and methods in the philosophy of art, including
inquiry aimed at describing and comprehending aesthetic experience as it is related to
artistic processes and products.” More simply, aesthetics is a general body of knowledge
and inquiry about the nature of art.
Through aesthetics, the student acquires an art vocabulary and foundation of
concepts about the nature of art. Learning critical skills builds confidence to talk about
specific works, both familiar and unfamiliar.
Over time, the definition of the term has gradually become so esoteric that the
considering factors in viewing aesthetics have scattered all over by “art elitists” and “art
populists”, not having a definitive technicality to the process.

Art Criticism
Art criticism is the activity of talking about art. It is a skill that can be learned and
must be practiced, states Tom Anderson (1991). Criticism prepares a student to have
what Anderson calls “a direct, personal encounter with a specific work of art [resulting
in] analysis and/or interpretation, [and] informed opinion.” Not only exemplary works of
art from the history of art but also examples of popular art from the student's world can
be experienced through this approach. An observer enters into a direct personal encounter
with a work of art to seek its meaning, resulting in an interpretation and possibly an
evaluation and judgment of the work (Anderson). Feldman’s (1994) definition is “spoken
or written ‘talk’ about art.” Which brings us to say that aesthetics is defined as a body of
knowledge and inquiry about the nature of art.
Art History
Art history is a body of knowledge and study of specific works of arts and their
relationship to other works and to the chronological period and cultural milieu in which
they were created.
As defined by the National Committee for Standards in the Arts (1994), it is “a
record of the visual arts, incorporating information, interpretations, and judgments about
art objects, artists, and conceptual influences on developments in the visual arts.”
According to Ralph Smith (1993), art history is the study of the continuity and changes of
art from caves to present.

In this course, it is a requirement for the students to have one session of creative
presentations of the historical development and stylistic contexts of the Philippine
periods: from Pre-colonial times, Islamic period, Spanish period, American period,
Japanese period, to present. They are to delve themselves into meticulous, factual details
of these historical eras and carefully impart to the others about the functions, influences,
discipline, norms and standards, colors, style, and the alterations and progressions during
these phases of the Philippine history.
We need to acknowledge the fact that all these historical records and documents
have been kept and put out there only by Man, and therefore implies that it may be
flawed, may have been tarnished and may not be one hundred percent accurate and
corresponds with what actually happened. But we will try to stick to whichever we
evaluate most untarnished, with covered bases and evidence.

MAN (I): Understanding the Knowing Man
The process of understanding and enjoying art is crucial, we know that much
already. But before elaborating on that chapter, we must first come to know the backdrop
of history of how all these standards were acquired, how they came to be – and how they
eventually changed, altered, progressed, and/or opposed over time because of Man’s
intrinsic character to be self-interested and self-surviving. The very name for our species
tells this story already: homo sapiens – homo meaning man, and sapiens meaning
knowing – directly translated as “knowing man,”1 which makes perfect sense because we
are ceaselessly curious and inquisitive beings, searching and discovering how to do
things better, no matter how fundamental.
DISCLAIMER: considering there are freshmen students, this discussion may appear
vulgar for some, as I should have to be straightforward to the class regarding this
narrative, given that this is far too complex a history to review in just a semester. I will,
however, communicate in layman’s terms and introduce these ideas with the presumption
that these are topics which may be firsts for students.
Nature of Man
Like most cliché introductions, I begin the beguine from the beginning: Sex.
I do not suppose I would horrify students with this matter, as it should not, no
matter how scandalous a ring it has to it, because the reality of the matter is the truest of
True in life: it all starts with sex and it will all still end in sex.
1a
homo in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879). A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
1b sapiens in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879). A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
It is a known fact that it is Man’s innate purpose for humanity to survive, thereby
Man reproduces, with or without the intention per se. All achievement, all hard work,
Man has done in preparation for humanity’s next generation, or as I’d like to call them,
the successors. And it is no wonder that sex is inherently pleasurable and sensational 2 –
these are qualities meant to assure us that intercourse, in due course, needs to be done.
We do not remember the first time we literally and figuratively ran for our lives in
the human race, because we were only unconscious (however instinctive) sperms back in
the day. But we did win the competition, so for some reason, we made an intrinsic
decision to run for our lives and survive the phase we were in, to proceed to the next one,
without actually being aware of it the entire time. We were not aware of our actual
destination, just that we had to run because we had to live. It was innate to be self-
surviving, given also that the lifespan of our sperm-selves was only a couple of days at
the maximum. And in those two days, we had to achieve the goal of getting into that egg
cell and becoming a part of that particular generation of people.
Evolution of Man
The sperm, without its consciousness of the endpoint and knowledge of having to
live, has the natural purpose to create life even when the Man who holds the sperm does
not necessarily have the deliberate decision to reproduce; it is intuitive for the sperm to
survive. The sperm proceeds to the egg, generates a human fetus, which advances to the
uterus and resides in that position for 9 months. The fetus will turn out to be a parasite,
technically, as this would do its best to extract the nutrition that the body of the mother
2
Sexual Intercourse. Discovery.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
has, and struggle to escape attack by its immune system. The instant the water breaks,
that particular phase of the fetus’ life stops, and progresses to another phase: life outside
the womb.
The fetus, which was once but a sperm, now turns into a baby. The baby cries to
be provided of his or her needs: to be fed, to be cleaned, to be clothed, to be cooled, etc.
Gradually and surely, the baby’s instinct is to be cared for until he grows up and starts to
walk and talk. Sooner or later, the baby will develop to be a toddler. Now, he is able to
demand whatever he believes he needs to be provided for. Eventually, the child grows up
and becomes a full adult, which means the demands also increase, and therefore the need
for provision and catering of self-interests proliferates. The adult then realizes maturity,
and then finally comes to terms with the idea of wanting and having to reproduce his own
kin in preparation for the next generation.
It starts with sex and it ends in sex. Such is the cycle of life.
Questioning Identity & Purpose
Now the problem here is once Man has awareness, and because he is borne
naturally curious and inquisitive, he will begin to question his existence and life’s
essential purpose, and therefore have his first glimpse of uncertainty.
“When and where did it all begin? Who am I? Why am I here?”
These are the basic questions we ask ourselves (especially during those out-of-
body experiences) that no one ever has ever come to completely give the right answer to.
In Steven Fernandez’s The Human Image in the Arts (2009), he accounts that
“Early Man may have been so insecure, with the hostile occurrences around him. There
were natural events which he could not explain nor could he control. He needed to
provide food for himself and his family to survive. He took meat from wild animals like
boars and bulls because he had not yet discovered gathering and keeping grain.”
Primitive man, says Fernandez, had little solutions to the problems that plagued
him. He was beset with disease, famine, drought and the dangers of the environment.
One can only imagine what exactly went on in Man’s mind. But this was a time
when religion had not existed, therefore we can only give the presumption that Man who
fundamentally, constantly longs for a higher state of living, decided to create his own
god, or a belief system, in order to have security and certainty in life. Ironically, when
religions and denominations started to be a system existing in different parts of the world,
Man had been given the notion that he is supposed to conform to all sorts of ideas and
beliefs3; he then questioned its concept, and still to this day continues to question its
concept, until he is given the perfect, definitive proof to the whole belief.
Grow a child in an environment where religion does not exist, will he manage to
keep his sanity without the formation of a higher purpose, if not a Higher Being, in his
head?
This takes me back to when I was three years old, sitting on the floor full-
commando, with a plate placed between my thighs. I remember staring at my ballooned
3
Facchini, F. 2002. Man, Origin, and Nature. Interdisciplinary Encyclopedia of Science and Nature.
stomach, wondering why I was able to stare at it, why it was moving as I breathed, and
why it was placed in the way it was placed. I took a leak at the plate, wondering yet again
at why I was able to do that, unknowing of how unhygienic that was.
When I was taken to church for the first time, and I asked my parents why God
thought this whole thing was a good idea. “Why did God have to move? Why did God
have to create the universe? What was there before God?” My parents were not able to
provide answers of course, they just told me I should not question the Lord, leaving my
head’s questions to breed a sort of unhealthy species of existentialist ones. I became
uncertain and blamed my parents for becoming uncertain, so I had to create my own
belief, which I always thought was something I was forced to do because I needed
something to hold on to. I drowned in this sort of infinite space of nothingness. I hated
the idea of infinite infinities.

MAN (II)
Sexuality & Gender Identity
Because of the fact that, biologically, it is only through a man and a woman’s
sexual intercourse one is able to reproduce, the rather backward notion that there are only
two “legitimate” genders exists - the male and the female.
Consequently, this resulted to the construction of the characteristic descriptions
which we now know as masculine or manliness and feminine or effeminate. To give an
example, traditionally, a straight male is designated to show masculine traits, such as
body strength and facial hair in the physical aspect, assertiveness, courage, independence,
and protectiveness in the personality aspect. Back then, this gave off the expectation that,
for the survival of a clan, the men of the family were the protectors since they had the
strength to fight and fend off enemies and life-threatening attackers, and the provider.
The women were assumed to be the home caregivers and the men as the ones who work
outside home for household sustenance.
Finding Identity & Purpose
This “biological fact” about Man’s reproductive nature further brought about the
still-existing bias about sexes and gender preferences, becoming a moral description by
the backwards and the fanatic religious who profess they are merely “protecting
procreation, since this is the only natural explanation as to why there can only be two
genders considered,” attacking the existence of homosexuality and the like. Initially, at a
period when homosexuality had still not been recognized, this caused those who did not
understand the concept of homosexuality question their identities, identifying themselves
as mentally ill or a part of an unfortunate genetic pool with abnormalities.
Fortuitously, this gender-identity acceptance issue gradually progressed and has
finally started to be understood in most parts of the world, helping millions of individuals
identify with themselves and accept their identities. Hence the creation of the LGBTQ+
community.
After answering to oneself the question “Who am I?” and ultimately, after finding
the self, one would expect to proceed to a more difficult question: “What is my purpose?”
Once this has been figured out, and once an individual has found himself the drive and
motivation for life, he continues, because now, there is more, if not complete, certainty in
his life, and this is that, at long last, he realizes an Awareness of the paradox: the only
thing that is certain in this universe is the uncertainty it constantly brings to Man.
Submission & Dominance
By and by, I then believed that the human psyche had this necessitated binary
structure: submission and dominance. As part of our survival, we submit to a Dominant
One in order to have ourselves a controlled, constituted behavior, be it spiritually,
emotionally, and politically. Some deliberately choose to believe in Christ for us to be
saved, some of us purposefully obey our parents’ demands for us to either make them
proud or simply for us to not get scolded, others carefully vote for the best presidential
candidate there is for us to have a more progressive, more advanced country.

Inversely, in this world of ranks and class, we seek to dominate, to have someone
subject to us so as to fulfill the standards we have set for ourselves, hence the existence of
our human desire to constantly improve and increase self-worth. For example, you work
overtime at the office to impress your boss and have the promotion to a position that
everyone had been eyeing. You exert yourself so that you may increase your perceived
value. Or say, you are in a class wherein everyone is meticulous in PowerPoint
presentations. When it is your turn to report for the next week, considering that everyone
in the classroom is expecting that you take it a notch higher than the previous reports, you
spend the entire week making sure that the presentation is aesthetically pleasing and
detailed, in order to amaze your classmates and your professor.
Another illustration would be from the Christian Biblical belief that the
relationship between the Husband and the Wife represents the relationship between God
and the Church. It states that there should be dominance and there should be submission
in the relationship in order to “obtain the New Jerusalem;” further explaining that “the
Church as the Body of Christ, should be subject to the God Head who is Christ, for the
full experience and function of God and Man.” It is manifested even in Faith that one
must conform to the idea that he may have some sort of entity to be dominated with, and
be part of the system for humanity to survive, by having structure and order to prevent
limitlessness of human actions.

MAN (III)
KEYWORDS: Gods & Belief Systems, Tradition & Culture, Politics, Society,
Consequences
Reviewing the prior discussion about gods and belief systems of a people, we go
back to the precariousness of the human condition, and the need for control of Man’s
behavior. Hence the prominence of religion’s influence on the standard of morality and
laws, one of the earliest manifestations of Man’s conception of politics. From small
communities – subgroups and ethnic groups – to larger cities and megalopolises, politics
is an inevitable dictator of a system that is constructed in a society.
Because of our condoning of the idea that we are supposedly governed by these
systems in order to have a structured, systematized process of “doing things” by making
laws and exercising force and power, we are regrettably faced with the consequences and
the danger of losing our identity, in part or in whole.
Consequences
There is this inexact ideology about schools and universities that this is the
avenue which serves as the training ground for every individual in this world.
What some people do not come to realize is that the saying Ang tunay na pag-
aaral ay nasa lansangan. This directly translates to True education comes from the
outside world. This is, in actuality, a fact of life. What is essentially conflicting about this
matter is that in terms of cultural nature, the Filipino originally had not had this Western
idea of educational system prior to the colonization and distortion of our Oral Tradition;
even the ones with great potential take their lives, some cause themselves extreme
inevitable stress, and some simply go insane. Even some of the most prodigal, gifted
individuals fail to survive because of the pressure and the imposed “standards” of society.
Studies have proven time and again that the knowledge you gain from the
education you get from the academe will only account for an average of 25%, with the
remaining percentage coming from the wisdom and learning you acquire from experience
at home, in the streets, or by yourself. Eventually, when one faces another, that is still
even without the assurance that they hold the same education and knowledge that you do,
which, therefore, falls to become practically futile.
Reverting to this inescapable regulation from the West, there is a need to make
some alterations to this educational system. If only we had begun this arrangement with
ample research and studies about the basics of our accustomed educational system, the
implementation of everything in our society would have turned out differently for the
survival of our cultural nature. It is precisely because we were dictated with the direct
notions of “which standard is which” that our very concept of oral tradition is lost. Even
the epics from the Cordillera, from the Panay, Bukidnon, and even the Manobo here, oral
tradition is yet being practiced – through teaching the musical instruments, and in
handcrafted tools, they are passed down through this tradition.4 A teacher would
constantly personally demonstrate – merely as if in a casual conversation – and has that
immediate and direct connection to the one(s) being taught, making sure that the
knowledge is completely and perfectly conveyed, and ends there. Whereas in the western
4
Dulnuan-Bimohya, Maribelle D. 2009. Safeguarding and maintenance of the Ifugao indigenous oral traditions. Paper
presented at the Ifugao Rice Terraces Summit, Banaue Hotel, Banaue, Ifugao, August 13, 2009.
concept of this system, a teacher would have to take records of the performance of each
student, make evaluations and judgments, and have this tainted notion of having to give
punishments and rewards.
Take for example: our learning of fine arts. We are well-read of these outputs and
their technicalities, we hold judgment and we hold criticisms from which we acquired
from the western context, thus making our perception about the Art we Filipinos possess
– unrefined, however raw. Compare the bulul5 to Michaelangelo’s pieta.6 Because of our
predisposed concept of “what art is” from this distinct context that is not from our own, it
is expected that one would think less of himself, and even lesser of where you come
from.
Now, theoretically in the Philippine context, one’s perception about the bulul
compared to the pieta is reversed, with the former deemed as “more beautiful,” naturally,
the Filipino standard for aesthetics would be altered and would be empowered according
to our own history and resources. One can only think wishfully, since our perception
about aesthetics has already been dictated and distorted.
5
The bulul is commonly known as the “Igorot rice god” (Monpaot 1991:10-11). Bulul are usually made in pairs
but there seems to be no rule with regard to sex and posture. Breasts are rarely indicated, although nipples are
visible in both sexes. The bulul are carved as seated or standing human figures, although in some areas figures
of pigs are also carved. Bulul height usually ranges from 30-60 centimeters. The Kiangan “dancing” bulul have
separately carved and pegged arms. Stylistic variations range from the cubist to the realistic. Arts and People of
Northern Philippines: In the People and Art of the Philippines. Museum of Cultural History, University of California at
Los Angeles, 1981. (Ellis, George. 1981: 196-197.)
6
The [theme of the] Pieta, in which Mary holds on her lap the body of the dead Christ, has been one of the
most popular Christian images since its appearance in the west at the beginning of the fourteenth century.
Between 1300 and 1500 the Pieta' was predominantly made as sculpture, although as the centuries progressed it
became part of the repertory of painters. The origins of the theme are obscure, but there are a number of
factors that can account for the sudden and unexpected introduction of new iconographic themes to the
repertory of Christian images in the period, of which the Pietii was one. Sculpture of Compassion: The Pietai and the
Beguines in the Southern Low Countries, c. 1300-c. 1600 (Brussels and Rome, 1992).
THE ARTS (I): as a Means for Man to Survive
As part of Man’s customary pursuit in surviving the day-to-day life, he seeks to
express his ideas and his being. This is where Art comes in, and this is where we discuss
how Art has helped Man throughout the years through its constant demonstration of the
extraordinary, of the extent of the extraordinary, and of the boundlessness of the human
imagination.
It may be a cliché to say that the function of Art is to be a vessel for storytelling
and for depicting mankind’s history,7 if not its entirety, but there is no truer truth to it.
Contrary to popular belief, it does not merely involve skilled craftsmanship, nor does it
have to always be visually captivating – that would be so shallow it belittles and defeats
the whole idea of Art. It is a means for humanity to survive.
The music, the paintings, the performances, and the poetry we like – these are the
sustenance by which we provide ourselves with simply because they make us feel
something or think something, be it on a personal, creative or intellectual level, and be it
on a varied level of intensity. It provokes thought and elicits emotional response; it
reflects society and often is a response to what came before it.
For example, in music: scientifically speaking, a particular song or music may
seem pleasurable to one’s ear because of the molecular vibration that is present, which
then triggers certain parts of one’s brain, and then ultimately arouses a distinct
7
DeMarrais, E. (2013). World Art, Volume 3, Issue 1: Art Makes Society. University of Cambridge, UK.
individual’s mind.8 Through this scenario we can see there is a natural cause in our mind
that motivates us through this medium. It has the ability to communicate the more
profound aspects of life that are beyond the power of words to convey, aspects that are
essential for unfathomable human connections.
Additionally, this is crucial in community cohesion insomuch that expressions in
subgroups or ethnic cultures and practices involve these creative, expressive mediums of
art.
An example would be during a plantation ritual in the community of Cordillera:
Mambayu,9 according to Nilo Alcala (2016), “a popular rice-pounding song in the
community is sung by the Kalinga women while the work is on-going. The syllables
‘hiya’ and ‘hng’ imitate the sound women make as they pound rice using wooden mortar
and pestle. The rhythmic character and tempo of the chant accompanies the task
perfectly, making the chore enjoyable,” as well as showcasing the communality10 of the
native Filipino culture. It gives the community a sense of belongingness because of their
togetherness.
Another manifestation of the Filipino communality are the traditional instruments,
such as the tongatong or bamboo stamping tubes.11 There are six (6) players required to
play these instruments to produce the resultant melody, each producing his or her own
8
Schaefer, H.E. (2017). Music-Evoked Emotions – Current Studies. Front Neurosci.
9
Alcala, Nilo (2016). Three Kalinga Chants (Wiyawi, Salidumay, & Mambayu). See-a-Dot Music Publishing Inc.
10
Communality (n.) the state or condition of being communal; a feeling or spirit of cooperation and belonging
arising from common interests and goals. Web. Dictionary.com
11
Prior, Aaron (2011). Na Suklit: Benicio Sokkong and the Bamboo Musical Instruments of the Kalinga. A thesis
submitted for the Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master
of Musicology. New Zealand School of Music. New Zealand. p. 56.
sound through their distinct pitch, all the while enjoying in answering each other’s rings
and damps. The resultant melody is a clear representation of the oneness of the
community. According to Jose Maceda, this is a definitive character of the culture of the
Filipino.
Likewise, in Europe, there is rather a representation and reflection of how a
community is bonded and unified, which, in their case, although not always, for example,
in orchestral or choral performances, the soloist serves as their sort of head or dominant,
and the rest of the performers give the full, necessary support to fulfill the entirety of
their act. This demonstrates a culture somewhat necessitating a dominant one or one of
authority; one in which the oneness of a culture entails a head to lead them. Although
every single one is a necessary performer be it on a western context, the communality of
our Filipino culture is so blatant and vibrant that it is such an obvious element that
without the very existence of one individual, the completeness of the music is not made –
the resultant melody is not made.
Uyayi, or wiyawi, is a lullaby sung by the child's father. The baby is usually hung
around the back of the father in a weaved cloth and lulled to sleep. The sound of the word
“wiyawi”, repeated in the lullaby, is said to effectively lull a baby to sleep especially on a
hot afternoon.
As a lullaby for children, a uyayi provides comfort through the sound of the voice
of the caregiver. A clearer connection through the vibrations of sound and touch is made.
These vibrations are communicated to the brain, and the repetition makes the child feel
sleepy. This repetitive nature of music is an aspect that identifies its function. In this case,
the function is to make the sure that the child sleeps.
Another example is the repetitive nature of work songs. When farmers
continuously sing these songs, it provides a rhythm conducive to their work. The singing
makes them enjoy the physical labor, making them successfully ignore the tiredness of
their muscles. By enjoying the singing and movements, this releases endorphins, the
happy hormone. Adrenaline is also pushed up. So, indirectly, singing raises their
endorphins and adrenaline, helping the workers enjoy the work.
In religion’s dogma, singing praises while worshiping their God is a usual
practice. This time, what is given importance is not only the melody or tune but more so
the lyrics and text used. This then triggers the brain of the practitioner rousing their
system thru their own interests of a higher being. The repetition of the music increases
this feeling of faith and life. The senses are also enlivened thru this constant singing of
the same melodies and lyrics.
We also have to take into consideration that the function and importance of a
music is limited within the culture that is used to the music. For example, within the
context of the Europeans or Western Music listeners, when they listen to Asian or
Philippine music, many of them will identify it as noise. This is because such music is not
part of their own regular system of listening. But for us Asians who identify with the way
our own music is organized, we accept what we hear as what we define as music. This is
what helps us to also survive as a culture and race.

The Philippine music genre called harana is identified with courtship. Aside from
the music, there are other elements that are connected and go together with its function.
The musical mode itself triggers the brain to release certain emotions. Even without lyrics
or texts these emotions create an auditory feeling of ecstasy that is often called eargasm.
These emotions that come from the musical melodies are further heightened with the
addition of the text. Meanings are then translated to the brain, triggering the body’s
system. Parallel to this is the instinct of the body for survival giving valid reason for
procreation and the continuity of the race.
They are ever present, deepening and extending our existences individually and
collectively, for of course, our survival – of imagination, of expression, and of humanity.

THE ARTS (II): [Re]cognizing the Concept of a Creation
Now all of the things we have mentioned so far are natural expressions of Man;
without these experiences and natural occurrences, Man will not survive; these are
expressions not only for him to not cease existing, and not to simply exist, but to live.
Let me be clear on the fact that there is not one perfect definition of what Art is,
and there certainly is not an absolute approach in Art Appreciation. Authors and artists
alike tend to give a sort of distinctiveness to the definition of Art, providing all these
descriptions and classifying Art as though it can be boxed into a single textbook, not
realizing the danger it brings upon the supposed creative, imaginative mind. One should
allow the perpetually extensive sphere of Art to just be. Paradoxical as it may sound –
considering this is somewhat a description of how I think art should be treated; this is the
closest thing I can give a narrative off of how Art should be boundless.
But there is a universal validity to it – a general perception which somehow forms
an agreement that something is considered a work of art. So instead of giving definition,
let us examine what comprises the existence of an art, what makes us acknowledge an
artwork, and try to deconstruct those answers, not focusing on merely the what of the
processes, but think about the how of it.
One, the relationship of a creator and a perceiver. There would not exist a
creation without a creator, and not a perception without a perceiver. A creation of a
painting alone would not mean for it to be an artwork, in the same way that an
interpretation made after a mere verbalized vision of something would automatically
define it to be an artwork. The link that connects the creator and the perceiver is the
artwork itself; inversely, without the artwork, there will not exist a relationship between
the two.
Two, the intent of the creator. Conception of an artwork would foremost require
an intent – a vision. After all, what is there to create without the intention to create? What
is there to communicate without the intention to communicate? However, this certainly
does not mean that the intended message is to be grasped and understood by the perceiver
completely; an interpretation is inevitably relative.
Three, the interpretation of the perceiver. This is where the perceiver’s decision
on what to question comes in: Is the “author” really “dead”? -- which, then, proceeds to
disproving a false dichotomy: “should the author be deemed dead, or should the author
be acknowledged?”
Because is it not our responsibility as critical thinkers to go between and beyond
those spaces?
How should one perceiver examine one’s creation? Will one perceive something
to be of value when the perceiver is aware of the responsibility and the ethics one should
bring when encountering Art? Is awareness of the ethics and the responsibility necessary?
Where does one know what should and what should not be thought when perceiving an
art? So, should the “author” be deemed “dead”? Or is everything a mere replica of what
one perceiver is?
Add to that: should the creation be treated with respect to give it value? But what
is respect? And what is value?

It is with no doubt we will continue to question these, insofar as we remain to be
critical and relevant to our Art, thus I will leave you with this excerpt:
“In so far as the word knowledge has any meaning, the
world is knowable; but it is interpretable otherwise, it has
no meaning behind it, but countless meanings. –
‘Perspectivism.’ It is our needs that interpret the world; our
drives and their ‘For and Against.’ Every drive is a kind of
lust to rule; each one has its perspective that it would like to
compel all the other drives to accept as a norm.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche, The Will to Power
Four, a communication. Whether the intent the creator has thought upon bringing
to an audience is met or not, there is a communication; whether a creation interests or
disinterests the perceiver, again, there is still a communication. There will perpetually be
a reciprocal, interactive (be it verbal or non-verbal) exchange between the creator and the
perceiver, because the instant a creation is acknowledged, seen, or even glimpsed, that
momentary view cannot be undone -- that second of connection and transmission cannot
be rewound.
Five, the time of the creation, and the time it was perceived. Time, perhaps
usually the most perceptively undervalued of all, completes the entire connection
metaphysically, and brings together the philosophy and the science of the art:
The being of an art would not be what it is when the time it is created differs from
the time it was actually created. Not one creation cannot be redone faithfully as it was;
not one artwork cannot come to be as its precise replica, no matter how exactly similar it
physically appears from the previous creation, and no matter how accurately alike the
medium is used from the previous creation. Since Man is ever-changing and constantly
developing and thinking every second, Man cannot be the same man as he was, even just
a day ago. Parallel to that, the intent of a creation as it was made a day ago cannot be
crafted with the same intent from the creator the next day. Similarly, too, the
interpretation of a creation cannot be constructed perfectly equivalent with the same
understanding from one perceiver even just weeks after his previous critique. For
example, some of us may have read a beautiful book or watched a captivating film two or
three years ago – we had such passion and love for it that we still remember the feeling
even years afterward. Then, maybe just a couple of weeks ago or so, we decided to read
the book or watch the film again. Suddenly, we realize we no longer feel the same way
about the characters, or thought about the story as beautifully as we believed it to be. But
that does not change the interpretation we had made years ago, and it certainly cannot be
compared to how you are perceiving the creation now. Because time does that – it
constantly changes.
Six, the physical space. It is necessary for a creation to be on a pedestal, on a
platform – having a physical space to be seen as Art. Say there is an existing abstract
painting, and this is placed conveniently on a wall. It’s hard for one not to see this as a
manifesting work of art; this is automatically valued because of the fact that it had been
put on a wall, flashed with spotlights in its corners. But say this painting had not been
placed on the wall and is merely displayed on the streets beside a pile of garbage about to
be thrown, how would this be perceived? One would automatically assume this was a
failed attempt at art, or merely a colorful doodle done by an 8-year-old.
One thing that also shows the importance of the space is this is where one
assesses the growth of a culture – considering the possibility that the people within the
community have high literacy and high understanding of their own culture and
background. For example, having museums would mean having a created space of
created work, an avenue for individuals to actually see not only the “traditional”, but the
memory of an identity.
Seven, the medium of the creation. Often, the word medium is partially defined as
the physical material or form that is used in the creation, but this is actually sort of the
process of it. This may be the material or technical means/mode of expression, but this
may also be intangible, a surrounding or enveloping substance of a force of the creation.
COMMUNICATION
TIME & SPACE
MEDIUM/MEDIA
CREATOR CREATION PERCEIVER
INTENT INTERPRETATION
“The Author is dead.”
FIGURE 1.0 [Re]cognizing the Concept of a Creation through Art Pluralism Conceptual Framework
As is manifested in Figure 1.0, in recognizing a concept of art, one must note the
absence of the illustration of a box, understanding that, in identifying a certain creation,
one must acknowledge the presence of the unnamed, unknown space, going between and
beyond those spaces wherein lie the signifiers of those which are known and have been
classified.
The creator, the creation, the perceiver, are the main signifiers of this system.
COMMUNICATION
TIME & SPACE
MEDIUM/MEDIA
CREATOR CREATION PERCEIVER
INTENT INTERPRETATION
“The Author is dead.”
FIGURE 2.0 Cognizing the Concept of a Creation through Art Monism Conceptual Framework
Isolation or Alienation Theory is the final part of the cycle. The perceiver makes a
new conceptual framework which then repeats the whole cycle once again. Then, due to
the interpretation of the perceiving, he makes his own creation.

PERSPECTIVISM
KEYWORDS: Standards, Socioeconomic status, Morality, Social Conformity &
Deviances
Is Art a commodity? An entertainment? Isn’t it supposed to be experienced? Or is
it supposed to be experienced?
Aesthetically, however subjective or cultural a response one may have, according
to Immanuel Kant, our notions of beauty are based on a subjective response, but are so
much part of our culture that they can be considered universally valid. He claims there is
a general consensus about the things that are considered beautiful, and those that are
considered repulsive.
The perception of man depends greatly on his own experiences and the influences
from his surrounding environment. This is also shaped by his own history and the history
of his peoples.
As an individual, he experiences the differences between himself and other
people. From here, perceptions of greatness and lowness are experienced. This leads man
to discriminate against himself when he sees that he is not up-to-par with others. His self-
esteem and self-worth may go down as his perception of himself also decreases.
An example would be some of the indigenous peoples from far-flung areas in
Mindanao. Rarely do their younger generation receive the opportunity to study in college
of universities. Many of them, often without finishing basic schooling, go straight to find
menial work. The few who do get further studies are stung by the stigma of the blue color
jobs many from their village do. In order to increase his perception of himself, these
indigenous peoples would rather identify as Bisaya, a generic term used to refer to the
Christianized immigrants. They would also deny coming from their specific group and
try to come off as someone not from the mountains.
Aside from discriminating against himself, he may also discriminate others.
Again, perceptions and cultures differ so when he observes that others are different he
may feel superior to them. This is experienced more often by the outsider of the city
dwellers.
Those who move to Metro Manila from the provinces struggle to assimilate
especially when those they work or study with poke fun at their accent or the specific
characteristics of their way of life. The discrimination is not always from the city-dweller
to the provincial immigrant. This also happens two-way between both individuals.
The ideas of morality also takes center stage as it can also be dependent on the
culture that looks at what is moral and what is not. The standards of society are also
dependent on the society that looks upon an action that can be judged as moral or
immoral.
The newest issue today is the discourse on same-sex unions in the Philippines. As
a culture, the strength of Catholicism and beliefs of religion are highly regarded as the
pinnacle of cultural preservation. This makes the acceptance of same-sex unions very
debatable even if the unions are not technically religious in nature. This is because the
standards of the Philippine society call for unacceptance of same sex relationships and
consider them quite taboo.

From here, we can see that perception is shaped by our cultural upbringing and
our surroundings. Our perception may also change depending on the changes in the
society that we live in.
Living in the Digital Age
Perhaps, in the common modern knowledge of our time in the present, the most
prominent medium of influence is the mass media communication business: print media,
the press, photography, advertising, cinema, and radio and television broadcasting, and
publishing. And it is not helping that by the second, the advancing of science and
technology is proliferating rapidly and globally, with the illusion that we are being united
through social media and what have you.
In the advertising world, we create campaigns that enhance a perception towards a
particular brand or person, a term which we are all probably most familiar of:
propaganda.
Power creates truth. Whoever won the elections probably has the best campaign
advertisement. It’s classic conditioning.
As far as media is concerned, the masses are unconsciously blinded by the
dictates of the large television conglomerates. Part of the capitalistic characteristics of
this business is the promotions of certain aesthetics. Showing these types of what is
“good” and “beautiful” to a large number of people makes the Filipino adapt these type
of aesthetics.
As far as perception is involved, for the Filipino, this is dictated by our history
through our colonizers. Fast forward to today, perception is also dictated by current
technology. Unconsciously, we are dictated by media and we are entirely oblivious to it.
The individual is aware of what is bombarded to him, he is aware of how he feels and
reacts to the media and as though by osmosis, his aesthetics then adapt.
In the 1970s and even earlier, the idea of beauty was seen in Caucasian looking
Filipina as seen on television. When the actress Nora Aunor became popular, she was an
unusual entity. She did become popular because many could relate to her homely
aesthetic. However, there was practically no one who followed after her. The idea of
beauty may have leaned more towards the local Filipina after her rise in popularity but
many still prefer the idea of the Caucasian looking actress. Years of media influence
could not easily be changed from one person only.
In the same way, the idea of a patriarchal society still dominates the psyche of the
Filipino. Genders related to positions of power are still skewed towards the male.
Presidents are still thought of as men. Home statuses are still male while the female are
thought of as needing to stay home. Men are still are main heads of households. Biases on
roles are so strong that gender roles are almost fixed. Today, this is not as effective
anymore. Positions and roles can change or be exchanged.

STEM v. Arts
We live in a world where perceived value is a medium for setting of standards,
where perceived value is what shapes taste and basis for approval – a perceived value
created by men in their suits and ties with their money and their talk of “awareness of the
future” and the jobs they foresee proliferating. They have the people defined by their
connection, their help, the mark that they will leave in the world. Everything has been fit
and set into a benchmark: the sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics, they have
their critical thinking, problem solving, entrepreneurship, and the Arts? They “entertain.”
They can make good money if their art is “good”. It truly is no surprise that people do not
fully understand what Art is and what it means to do and give. Art is devalued because it
is more often than not regarded as a commodity and an entertainment, not as a means of
one to delve into and help oneself think more critically (so is it then all just a playground
for the rich?). Some people forget the creativity, the innovation, and the communication
that it provides when one knows of literary theories, and of how a text should be read and
analyzed. Art, unlike the disciplines that belong to STEM, remains to this day striving to
maintain its existence as a crucial sphere. It is not enough that we question the “art-ness”
of an art when it is created for financial value. Teachers, lecturers, professors in schools
should also be aware of the false dichotomy (STEM and the Arts) and should teach in
their classes to read, to research, and to study the whys of the Arts. We cannot do much
as to how to change the ways of the people behind the art-should-be-created-to-have-
social-capital scene. For starters, it should just be taught in schools and universities that
Art is not created to have other people appreciate it to have money. It should be imparted
to us that Art is not merely self-expression. And that we should not merely approach it
subjectively, nor should we approach it objectively. We should go into those spaces. It
should be taught to us how to question everything. Our perception relies so much on our
upbringing and the people around us. Art is seen as merely a commodity and an
entertainment in comparison to the value given to STEM because it has always been
taught to us in schools that having a “practical” career was more logical because it gave a
more satisfying salary than those who work for the Arts. We get our shaped standards and
our basis for appreciation from these people – our friends, our parents, and ultimately,
our professors. And we follow them, and we conform to them. If we cannot learn this at
home, it should be taught in our schools, then, to stop minding about the appeal and the
popularity, and to think so much about the constitution of the art itself. We can only hope
that the Arts would be eventually taken as seriously as the Sciences, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics. But for now, we should just always keep in mind to
question the existence and the purpose of a certain thing, be it art or not.
“We don't read and write poetry because it is cute. We read and write poetry
because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion.
And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to
sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” (Tom
Schulman, Dead Poets Society, 1989)

HISTORY OF ARTS IN THE PHILIPPINES
As said briefly in the partial introduction of this syllabus, my discussion will
prominently involve the field of my expertise: music. In the following, the account I will
take on about Arts will constitute predominantly a general idea of it, and focus solely on
music and music culture in the Philippine context.
The Spaniards used the religion they brought to inculturate the Filipinos in the
span of three hundred and thirty-three (333) years. The impact of this new belief system
was far-reaching in that it changed the New Filipinos’ paradigms. After years of
effectively subjugating many of the islands in this archipelago, the time came when the
peoples started revolting successfully.
During the turn of the century, there also was a turn of colonizers as the
Americans came to the Philippines. This time around, education from the New World
was used as a weapon of choice for subjugation. Along with education as we know it, the
Americans also institutionalized capitalism. This was easily assimilated as many of the
early Filipinos saw it as an upgrade or replacement of the existing barter-trade system.
Together with this education was a way of thinking that was ingrained in these
American-educated minds. The idea of freedom and liberty, as heard so many times from
the American Constitution, was sought. This led back the Filipinos to their original roots.
Just like a river that had dried, reclaimed and built upon, with enough rain, the old river-
path will be traversed by the waters once again. There will be no way to stop this strong
current that insists on its original path.

TRANSLATION
Many studies have argued about the various approaches and theories when it
comes to “criticizing” art, with Synchronic and Diachronic approaches being at the top of
the list. But as has been said previously, evaluating these concepts by methods factoring
only a certain period of time boxes this evaluation, and therefore provides a limited
process by which we can only perceive something superficially and/or only through its
surface. One should delve into and between the gaps of these boxed notions, black and
white, thereby colorizing the grey area.
Do not entertain the idea of having to approach these things through “synchronic
and diachronic” concepts, rather attack these concepts of having to evaluate Art through
such limited processes. One should delve into and between the spaces of these boxed
notions, black and white, colorizing the grey-area.
The cultural construct of “bayanihan” gives an idea that many aspects of Filipino
life is communal. This argues for a diachronic approach in the evaluation of who or what
is a Filipino.
But even with the synchronic and diachronic being an analytical framework we
can use, we should not be limited with only this. There should still be a culturally
relevant approach to be considered as this would make our study effective to us and for
us.
An overview of our art history will give us a sampling of how diachronic it is.
There can not be a separation of art from the society and community. Art can never be
individualistic. The author of the art will always be influenced by society and this is
translated into the artistic product.
In the contrary, when talking about a ritual in the Philippines using western music
terms and concepts, the deconstruction already starts when talking about the literature of
the ritual or what is it that is musical or non-musical. In truth, the ritual itself should be
looked upon holistically. Terms like music or visual arts does not have a direct translation
in many Philippines languages because they do not exist conceptually.
Upon the mis-education of the Philippines by western teachers, the classification
of arts into separate activities like music, literature, visual arts, and others was
institutionalized. Unfortunately, this kind of divide in looking into our arts exists until
today. This prompted many to believe that our arts in synchronic.
But like the river metaphor earlier mentioned, the diachronicity of our arts
prevails. In the course of colonizing the Philippines, Spanish friars introduced the Pabasa
to wean the Filipino from their epic chants. However, this kept alive the notion of epic
chanting as a way of praising elders or people in the community. During patron saint
festivals in our cities, it is not enough for it to be merely a way of showing one’s faith but
also as a function of entertainment and bringing about a sense of community to everyone.
Even as an uprising during the many revolutions in the Philippines, the arts was used to
the fullest in order to gain the most impact.
As the Americans shared their way of education, how one must be an independent
individual, among others, the Filipinos kept their communal ways. The bayanihan spirit
of helping the community, prevailed. Over the years, each revolution taught us the
strength of standing as one community. Even until the recent political administrations
from when Corazon Aquino became president because of People Power; how Joseph
Estrada was toppled down; and how Rodrigo Duterte became President of the republic.
It was during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos that pornography
was used as a catalyst for revolution. The directors used this visualization to show the
poverty abounding in the Philippines. From this need of finances, prostitution became the
endeavour of choice for many women driven to desperation. This accounts for the
existence of rape. The deadly combination of poverty and corruption has brought about
these situations from the time of Spain’s colonization, corruption was one of the
attributes we learned. This is why the Filipino people keep fighting. It is not about the
individual but always communal.
In music, this is manifested in the kundiman. This song genre talks about love for
the motherland. Though the music structure and idiom is western, its far-reaching impact
is still diachronic. It always has connections to the society and is rarely ever about the
individual. It is not often personal.
Like our National Hero, Jose Rizal, who studied abroad and lived as a scholar.
But when his studies were finished, he returned to his natural tendency to be involved in
the community. With the same concept of being communal, he shared knowledge he
gained. Even as a medical doctor, he was greatly involved in the Humanities. This seems
to be the nature of the Filipino.
In comparison, the recognized musical greats like Wolfgang Amadeus Moart,
Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn, or the painter Michaelangelo produced works for
their benefactors and as dictated by their patrons.This was their priority and not the
change or impact they can have to society.
From the artworks of Antonio Luna, Fernando Amorsolo, Guillermo Tolentino, to
name a few, are representations of society during that time. It is in the literary works of
Jose Rizal and Gregorio del Pilar that the reflections of the community, society and
nation are penned. Through the high art music compositions of Nicanor Abelardo,
Antonio Molina, and Francisco Santiago, it is a love of country that is espoused.
Generally speaking, man’s perception of his surroundings is largely based on is
experiences. Through the course of history, the Filipino’s way of living has been trading.
Largely nomadic, they would stay in a place for as long as it was beneficial to them.
When they had reached a saturation point, they would pack up and move to the next town
or village. Even in situations when peace becomes a problem, they easily relinquish their
space. Their non-territorial character made it quite easy for colonizers to come in.
This characteristic can be viewed positively as qualities of being friendly,
accommodating and hospitable. It was bewcause of these same characteristics that made
colonizers take advantage of us as a people. Soon after that, the perception of the Filipino
became that of a culturally adaptive people.
Through many years of similar experiences, the character and personality is
molded differently. This is one of the results of Spanish colonization. But no matter what
the influences over the years may be, the inner core of what the Filipino is returns to the
surface. Similar to a chemical reaction between stone and fungi where a stone may end
up looking differently. Once chlorine is added, the fungi is removed and the stone is
refined once more.
Because of the Filipinos’ adaptation for 300 years that the Spanish subjugated the
Philippines, there were very few and mostly unsuccessful revolts. After so many years,
that was the only time when some kind of aggressive reaction came about thankfully
because of the non-conformists.
Come American Period, the strategy they used was different, the Spanish used
religion. Filipinos then easily assimilated because of their strong faith and beliefs. With
the Spanish influence, their faith and beliefs turned towards the Western influence. The
Filipinos acculturated but either completely adapting or combining this new practice with
their own existing practices. This resulted in highly syncretic practices in certain parts of
the Philippines.
However, after years of this kind of practice, the time came when it was no longer
effective. This added to the need that they felt to rebel against the colonial powers at that
time. But this strategy was different from what the Americans did where they used
education.
Unfortunately, the question here is what kind of education did the Americans give
the Philippines? So, today, what is foremost in the Filipino’s mind is the Capitalistic way
of thinking and doing things. This is the education that was left to us. Capitalism was
easily adapted also because of the trading practices of the Filipino. Unknowingly, this
had become the norm and, again, without noticing it, many of our institutionalized
practices are based on a capitalistic point of view.

After years of learning this from the Americans, time came again when it was no
longer effective for the Philippines as a whole and freedom was sought. Yes, they
liberated us but with our way of life changed and skewed towards capitalism, we were
still held by the neck. Metaphorically, we were like dogs who are free to run in a field
that is held in by a fence. We were free, but had limits in terms of financial decisions and
were still highly dependent on our “owners”.
Today, though we have tried to wean ourselves from the economic superpowers,
years of dependency have made it difficult for many to imagine an independent economy.
In mind, we are free, we have liberty. However, psychologically, we are bound. In terms
of identity, we are also confused. We may be free, but indigenous peoples are still bound
and in conflict with each other. This may be a sub-culture but it still is related to what has
happened in the macro scale to the Philippines.
As we try to gain real independence through the uphill climb of a paradigm shift,
we are shoved with the reality and effects of globalization. Technology served as a
catalyst towards further confusion of the self and the Filipino identity.
These many layers or strata make up the mold of who the Filipino is. However,
when the time comes when the Filipino psyche is saturated, a reaction is expected that
will somehow coerce the original core of who the Filipino is, to come out. Grievances
that have been closed up for years will come to the front. When questions of morality
abound, there is a tendency for this original Filipino to come out. Just like the metaphor
of a dried up river that will come again to life with the right amount of rain.
This theory may be debatable but it definitely is feasible.

For example, in the drone and melody theory of Jose Maceda, this whole exercise
is a replica of culture in Southeast Asia. The drone represents the communal lifestyle. In
contrast, the melody is the voice of the culture, the expression. So in general, the drone is
the community and the melody is the expression. In the end it becomes communal
representing one voice of the people. This is a broad explanation of the Philosophy in
Filipino culture and Southeast Asia.

CONCLUSION
Within the Filipino context, as far as music is concerned, what is chosen to be
sung or played in an instrument is not chosen on a whim. This is somehow also a
representation of their lifestyle. All things equal, the idea or concept of music does not
exist in many local groups. Music does not have a local term. But the playing of the
instruments or performing of some songs is looked upon as part of their lives.
However, if this practice is defined within the Western ideologies that comprises
music then compositions and performances can be termed as music. However, we are in
the country of the Philippines and not in other foreign lands. This then makes our music a
way of life with a functional reason for its existence.

Art Appreciation Syllabus/Course Outline

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“Amor fati: let that be my love henceforth!

wage war against what is ugly. I do not want to accuse; I do

not even want to accuse those who accuse. Looking away

shall be my only negation. And all in all, and on the whole:

some day I want only to be a Yes-sayer.”

“Only great pain is the ultimate liberator of the spirit… I

doubt that such pain makes us ‘better’; but I know that it

makes us more profound.”

– The Gay Science, Friedrich Nietzsche

MuP 252 & 253 | Dr. Hiroko Nagai

Art Appreciation Syllabus and Course Outline

ABSTRACT. There is yet the impression that the Sciences, Technology,

motivate “critical pursuits”? What is the function of Art? How important

is one’s cultural background in the dynamics between artist/creator and

audience/perceiver? Who among us get to be the arbitrators of what

philosophy of Art to question its existence in its many different guises.

philosophical allegories as well as other facets of popular and national

cultures. Centering on the context of the critical history of the

expanded awareness on Art – through its creator, production, criticism,

questioning and scrutinizing a work of art’s relevance not only to the

Filipino culture, but to and of the self.

Semester: A.Y. 2017-2018

Location: College of Arts and Social Sciences,

Subject Code & Credits. GEC106 – 3.00 Credits

LECTURER. Ernesto “Bajo” C. Zaldua, Jr., CE, BM

and simultaneously an Instructor in the Philosophy and Humanities Department of the

COURSE PURPOSE & OBJECTIVE

structurally, socially, culturally, historically and, more outstandingly, philosophically.

A performance or concert review is a required component of this class. By

semester. The grade breakdown is as follows:

20% Task 2 : Review or Journal: Critical analyses of performances or concerts

35% Task 3 : Oral examination: Summary or narrative on Art Appreciation

Written examination: Essay with two (2) questions to be drawn by lot

25% Participation : Participation only requires joining thoughtfully in class

PRESENTATIONS, SCREENINGS, & PERFORMANCE OR CONCERT

particularly done to encourage informal discussions afterwards. Performance or concert

for these matters.

Introductory Activity: Getting to know each other

SESSION 02 MAN (I)

Nature of Man, Evolution of Man, Questioning Identity and Purpose

SESSION 03 MAN (II)

SESSION 04 MAN (III)

SESSION 05 THE ARTS (I): as a Means for Man to Survive

SESSION 06 THE ARTS (II): Recognizing the Concept of a Creation

Standards, Socioeconomic status, Morality, Social Conformity & Deviances

SESSION 08 BRANCHES OF ART CRITICISM, ANALYTICAL APPROACHES

SESSION 09 HISTORY OF ARTS IN THE PHILIPPINES

THE PHILIPPINE PERIODS: Pre-colonial, Islam, Spanish, American, Japanese,

 Function, Influence, Discipline, Norms, Standards, Colors, Style,

SESSION 10 MUSIC (Group Report or Presentation)

SESSION 11 VISUAL ARTS (I) (Group Report or Presentation)

SESSION 12 VISUAL ARTS (II) (Group Report or Presentation)

SESSION 13 LITERATURE (Group Report or Presentation)

SESSION 14 PERFORMANCE (Theatre or Drama) (Group Report or Presentation)

SESSION 15 FILM/PHOTOGRAPHY (Group Report or Presentation)

SESSION 16 DANCE (Group Report or Presentation)

SESSION 17 ARCHITECTURE (Group Report or Presentation)

SESSION 18 FINAL EXAMINATIONS (Oral, Written)

“The author is dead”?

history information while standing from their point of view.

affective involvement, or both? Is the goal to produce student connoisseurs of great

Understanding and Enjoying Art

while knowing and understanding develop. Appreciation, according to the Oxford

English Dictionary (1989), is “perception; recognition; intelligent notice... perception of