ART APPRECIATION: CREATIVITY, IMAGINATION AND EXPRESSION

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to
differentiate art from nature,
characterize artistic expression based on personal experiences with art
discuss the nature of arts preliminary expression, and
categorize works of art by citing personal experiences.

It takes an artist to make art One may perceive beauty on a daily basis However not every
beautiful thing that can be seen or experienced may truly be called a work of art. Art is a product
of man's creativity, imagination, and expression No matter how perfectly blended the colors of a
sunset are and no matter how extraordinarily formed mountains are nature is not considered art simply
because it is not made by man. Not even photographs or sketches of nature, though captured or drawn by
man are works of art, but mere recordings of the beauty in nature Collins & Riley, 1931). An artwork may
be inspired by nature or other works of art, but an artist invents his own forms and patterns due to what he
perceives as beautiful and incorporates them in creating his masterpiece.
Perhaps not everyone can be considered an artist, but surely, all are spectators of art. In deciding
what pair of shoes to buy, we carefully examine all possible choices within our budget and purchase the
one that satisfies our beauty and practical standards. We are able to distinguish what is fine and beautiful
from what is not and what is good quality from poor. This gives us a role in the field of art appreciation.

Let's Get Started

In one of your encounters with art through museum visits, musicals, and plays, among others,
have you ever felt disconnected from an artwork? Was there a point in time when you did not understand
what message the art was trying to convey? If yes, write the name of the artwork in the box and attach an
image of the artwork, if possible. Explain why you think you did or did not understand the art using the
space provided on the next page.

Let's Get Down to Business

Art Appreciation as a Way of Life
Jean-Paul Sartre, a famous French philosopher of the twentieth century, described the role of art
as a creative work that depicts the world in a completely different light and perspective, and the source is
due to human freedom (Greene, 1995). Each artwork beholds beauty of its own kind, the kind that the
artist sees and wants the viewers to perceive. More often than not, people are blind to this beauty and only
those who have developed a fine sense of appreciation can experience and see the art the same way the
artist did. Because of this, numerous artworks go unnoticed, artists are not given enough credit, and they
miss opportunities. It sometimes takes a lifetime before their contribution to the development of art is
recognized. Hence, refining one's ability to appreciate art allows him to deeply understand the purpose of
and artwork and recognize the beauty it possesses (Collins & Riley, 1931).
In cultivating an appreciation of art, one should also exercise and develop his taste for things that
are fine and beautiful. This allows individuals to make intelligent choices and decisions in acquiring
necessities and luxuries. Knowing what gives better value for time or money while taking into
consideration the aesthetic and practical value (Collins & Riley, 1931). This continuous demand for
aesthetically valuable things influences the development and evolution of art and its forms.
Frequenting museums, art galleries, performing arts theaters, concert halls, or even malls that
display art exhibitions that are free in admission during leisure time will not only develop an
understanding of the art, but will also serve as a rewarding experience. Learning to appreciate art, no
matter what vocation or profession you have, will lead to a fuiler and more meaningful life (Collins &
Riley, 1931).

The Role of Creativity in Art Making

 Creativity requires thinking outside the box. It is often used to solve problems that have never
occurred before, conflate function and style, and simply make life a more unique and enjoyable
experience. In art, creativity is what sets apart one artwork from another. We say something is done
creatively when we have not yet seen anything like it or when it is out of the ordinary. A creative artist
does not simply copy or imitate another artist's work. He does not imitate the lines, flaws, colors, and
patterns in recreating nature. He embraces originality, puts his own flavor into his work, and calls it his
own creative piece.
Yet, being creative nowadays can be quite challenging. What you thought was your own unique
and creative idea may not what it seems to be after extensive. research and that someone else has
coincidentally devised before the idea in another part of the world. For instance, the campaign ad "It's
More Fun in the Philippines" used by the Department of Tourism (DOT) boomed popularity in 2011, but
later on it was found out that it was allegedly plagiarized from Switzerland's tourism slogan "It's More
Fun in Switzerland," back in 1951. In DOT's defense, former DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. claimed
that it was "purely coincidental”. Thus, creativity should be backed with careful research. on related art to
avoid such conflicts.

Art as a Product of Imagination, Imagination as a Product of Art

Where do you think famous writers, painters, and musicians get their ideas? Where do ideas in
making creative solutions begin? It all starts in the human mind. It all begins with imagination.
German physicist Albert Einstein who had made significant and major contributions in science
and humanity demonstrated that knowledge is actually derived from imagination. He emphasized this
idea through his words:
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know
and understand, while imagination. embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and
understand.”
Imagination is not constrained by the walls of the norm, but goes beyond that. That is why people
rely on curiosity and imagination for advancement. Through imagination, one is able to craft something
bold, something new, and something better in the hopes of creating something that will stimulate change.
Imagination allows endless possibilities:
In an artist's mind sits a vast gallery of artworks. An artwork does not need to be a real thing, but
can be something that is imaginary (Collingwood, 1938). Take for example a musician who thinks of a
tune in his head. The making of this tune in his head makes it an imaginary tune, an imaginative creation,
an imaginary art (Collingwood, 1938). It remains imaginary until he hums, sings, or writes down the
notes of the tune on paper. However, something imaginary does not necessarily mean it cannot be called
art. Artists use their imagination that gives birth to reality through creation.
In the same way that imagination produces art, art also inspires imagination, imagine being in an
empty room surrounded by blank, white walls, and floor. Would you be inspired to work in such a place?
Often, you will find coffee shops, restaurants, and libraries with paintings hung or sculptures and other
pieces of art placed around.

the room to add beauty to the surroundings. This craving and desire to be surrounded by beautiful things
dates back to our early ancestors (Collins & Riley, 1931). Cave walls are surrounded by drawings and
paintings of animals they hunted: wild boars, reindeers, and bison (Figure 8). Clays were molded and
stones were carved into forms that resemble men and women; burial jars were created with intricate
designs on them These creative pieces were made not only because they were functional to men, but also
because beauty gave them joy (Collins & Riley, 1931)

Art as Expression
There may have been times when you felt something is going on within you, you try to explain it,
but you do not know how. You may only be conscious about feeling this sort of excitement, fear, or
agitation, but you know that just one word is not enough to describe the nature of what you truly feel.
Finally, you try to release yourself from this tormenting and disabling state by doing something, which is
called expressing oneself (Collingwood, 1938). Suppose this feeling is excitement. It is frustrating to
contain such feeling, so you relieve it by expressing through shouting or leaping in excitement. An
emotion will remain unknown to a man until he expresses it.
Robin George Collingwood, an English philosopher who is best known for his work in aesthetics,
explicated in his publication The Principles of Art (1938) that what an artist does to an emotion is not to
induce it, but express it. Through expression, he is able to explore his own emotions and at the same time,
create something beautiful out of them. Collingwood further illustrated that expressing emotions is
something different from describing emotions. In his example, explicitly say I am angry not an expression
of an emotion, but a mere description. There is no need in relating or referring to a specific emotion, such
as anger, in expressing one's emotion. Description actually destroys the idea of expression, as it classifies
the emotion, making it ordinary and predictable. Expression, on the other hand, individualizes. An artist
has the freedom to express himself the way he wants to. Hence, there is no specific technique in
expression.
This makes people's art not a reflection of what is outside or external to them, but a reflection of their
inner selves. There are countless ways of expressing oneself through art. The following list includes, but
is not limited to, popular art expressions.

Visual Arts
Creations that fall under this category are those that appeal to the sense of sight and are mainly
visual in nature. Artists produce visual arts driven by their desire to reproduce things that they have seen
in the way that they perceived them (Collins & Riley, 1931). We will not be too strict on the definition
since there are other artistic disciplines that also involve a visual aspect, such as performance arts, theater,
and applied arts, that will be discussed in detail later on. Visual arts is the kind of art form that the
population is most likely more exposed to, but its variations are so diverse—they range from sculptures
that you see in art galleries to the last movie you saw. Some mediums of visual arts include paintings,
drawings, lettering, Printing. Sculptures, digital imaging, and more.
Film
Film refers to the art of putting together successions of still images in order to create an
illusion of movement. Filmmaking focuses on its aesthetic, cultural, and social value and is
considered as both an art and an industry. Films can be created by using one or a combination of some
or all of these techniques: motion picture camera (also known as movie camera), animation techniques,
Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI), and more. Filmmaking simulates experiences or creates one that is
beyond the scope of our imagination as it aims to deliver ideas, feelings, or beauty to its viewers.

The art of filmmaking is so complex it has to take into account many important elements such as
lighting, musical score, visual effects, direction, and more. That is why in famous film festivals and
awards such as the Metro Manila Film Festival and Oscars, a long list of categories is considered to
recognize excellence in the art of filmmaking.
Performance Art
Performance art is a live art and the artist's medium is mainly the human body which he or she
uses to perform, but also employs other kind of art such as visual art, props, or sound. It usually consists
of four important elements: time, where the performance took place, the performer's or performer's body,
and a relationship between the audience and the performer(s) (Moma Learning, n.d.). The fact that
performance art is live makes it intangible, which means it cannot be bought or traded as a
commodity, unlike the previously discussed art expressions.

Poetry Performance
Poetry is an art form where the artist expresses his emotions not by using paint, charcoal, or
camera, but expresses them through words. These words are carefully selected to exhibit clarity and
beauty and to stimulate strong emotions of joy, anger, love, sorrow, and the list goes on. It uses a word's
emotional, musical, and spatial values that go beyond its literal meaning to narrate, emphasize, argue, or
convince. These words, combined with movements, tone, volume, and intensity of the delivery, add to the
artistic value of the poem. Some poets even make poems out of their emotions picked up from other
works of art, which in turn produce another work of art through poetry.
Architecture
 As discussed, art is the pursuit and creation of beautiful things while architecture is the making of
beautiful buildings. However, not all buildings are beautiful. Some buildings only embody the
functionality they need, but the structure, lines, forms, and colors are not beautifully expressed. Thus,
not all buildings can be considered architecture. Take, for example, the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
(Figure 11) where the functionality of the theater remains, but the striking balance of the lines, colors, and
shapes completes the masterpiece. Buildings should embody these three important elements-plan,
construction, and design--if they wish to merit the title architecture (Collins & Riley, 1931).

Dance
Dance is a series of movements that follows the rhythm of the music accompaniment. It has been
an age-old debate whether dance can really be considered an art form, but here we primarily describe
dance as a form of expression. Dancing is a creative form that allows people to freely express themselves.
It has no rules. You may say that choreography does not allow this, but in art expression, dancers are not
confined to set steps and rules but are free to create and invent their own movements as long as they deem
them graceful and beautiful.

Literary Art
Artists who practice literary arts use words--not paint, musical instruments, or chisels--to express
themselves and communicate emotions to the readers. However, simply becoming a writer does not make
one a literary artist simply constructing a succession of sentences in a meaningful manner is not literary
art. Literary art goes beyond the usual professional, academic, journalistic, and other technical forms of
writing. It focuses on writing using a unique style, not following a specific format or norm. It may include
both fiction and non-fiction such as novels, biographies, and poems. Examples of famous literary artists
and their works include The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Romeo and Juliet by William
Shakespeare.

Theatre
Theater uses live performers to present accounts or imaginary events before a live audience.
Theater art performances usually follow a script, though they should not be confused with literary
arts. Much like in filmmaking, theater also considers several elements such as acting, gesture, lighting,
sound effects, musical score, scenery, and props. The combination of these elements is what gives the
strongest impression on the audience and the script thus becomes a minor element. Similar to
performance art, since theater is also a live performance, the participation of the viewer is an important
element in theater arts. Some genres of theater include drama, musical, tragedy comedy, and
improvisation.

Applied Arts
Applied arts is incorporating elements of style and design to everyday items with the aim of
increasing their aesthetical value. Artists in this field bring beauty charm and comfort into many things
that are useful in everyday life (Collins & Riley, 1931). Industrial design, interior design, fashion design,
and graphic design are considered applied arts. Applied is often compared to fine arts, where the latter is
chiefly concerned on aesthetic value. Through exploration and expression of ideas, consideration of the
needs, and careful choice of materials and techniques, artists are able to combine functionality and style.
Let's Wrap It Up
Art is a product of a man's creativity, imagination, and expression. An artwork may be inspired
by nature or other works of art, but an artist invents his own forms and patterns due to what he perceives
as beautiful and incorporates them in creating his masterpiece. Perhaps not everyone can be considered an
artist, but surely, all are spectators of art, which gives us all a role in the field of art appreciation. Refining
one's ability to appreciate art allows him to deeply understand the purpose of an artwork and recognize
the beauty it possesses. Creativity is what sets apart one artwork from another. A creative artist does not
simply copy or imitate another artist's work. He does not imitate the lines, flaws, colors, and patterns in
recreating nature. While through imagination, an artist is able to craft something bold, something new,
and something better in the hopes of creating something that will stimulate change. In the same way that
imagination produces art. Art also inspires imagination. Lastly, through expression, an artist is able to
explore his own emotions while at the same time, create something beautiful out of it. Expressing
emotions is something different from describing emotions. Description actually destroys the idea of
expression, as it classifies the emotion, making it ordinary and predictable. Expression, on the other hand,
individualizes the artist. Some forms of art expression include visual arts, film, performance art, poetry
performance, architecture, dance, literary arts, theater arts, and applied arts.