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Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, the students are expected to:

• Share their insights about art and the artist and what art can do
• Create color, symbols and images from the video presentation
• Describe the different theories of art
• Focus on the theory of Immitationalism as an idealist theory of art
• Retell Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” in a creative and interesting manner

MaARTe ka ba?
While watching this YouTube video, What is Art? maARTe ako (2011) [Video] YouTube in https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjuV7SA6fj4&t=28s , write down things/ideas that you find interesting, important,
or insightful. After watching the video, go over your notes and choose three(3) ideas that most stand out for you.
Write these ideas and explain them briefly on the space provided below.
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 CSI: Color, Symbol, Image
Go back to the previous activity and choose one (1) strong idea that you agree with. Then work on this CSI (Color,
symbol and Image) Activity below.

Theories of Art
What is the purpose of art? Art Historians have looked at the whole history of art and noticed that
all artistic productions can be justified by theories. Works of art can either be justified by one
theory or a combination of theories. The Aesthetic Theories of Art are as follows:
1. Imitationism
2. Representationism
3. Formalism
4. Expressionism
5. Action Theory
6. Institutional Theory

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 Imitationalism Theory of Art
Imitationalism is a theory of art that give prominence on judging artworks to see how it really looks. Imitationalism is an art of
imitating or recreating an already established art. It is done to improve the efficiency of art while it is recreated and to make it
real and exact as the original image. Imitationalism is based on the belief that, an artwork is not worth if it does not look real.
This method of painting is known as “trompe l’oeil” in French which means to fool the eye. Imitationalism is a theory of arts'
practice where the artist strives to create a replica of the world; an attempt at verisimilitude.

So art is imitation. But what does it imitate? Here is where Plato's two theories come in. In the Republic, Plato says that art
imitates the objects and events of ordinary life. In other words, a work of art is a copy of a copy of a Form. It is even more of
an illusion than is ordinary experience. On this theory, works of art are at best entertainment, and at worst a dangerous
delusion.

Yundle: Imitationalism Definition (N.D.) Retrieved from https://www.yundle.com/terms-definitions/i/imitationalism

Raphael, The School of Athens

Leonardo
as Plato

Michelangelo
as Aristotle

Plato’s Theory of Imitationalism tries to explain and judge art using two(2) philosophies
PHILOSOPHY OF BEAUTY PHILOSOPHY OF ART
What is beauty? What is art?
What is the essence of beautiful things? What is the essence of art?

Two Ways of Considering Beauty

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 AESTHETICS BEAUTY UGLY

is is is
Logic Truth Falsity
Metaphysics Reality Illusion
Epistemology Knowledge Ignorance
Ethics Good Evil

Imitationalism by Plato

IGNORANCE ART STUDIES PHILOSOPHY KNOWLEDGE

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 Imitationalism

IDEA
Contemplated by
Beauty of Forms
Philosopher
REALITY

Metaphysical chair: IDEA

MATTER
Made by a
Beauty of Things
Carpenter
APPEARANCE

Physical chair: THING

ART Made by a
Beauty of Immitation Painter
ILLUSION

Copy of Physical Chair: ART

World of Art World of Becoming World of Being

IMMITATION APPEARANCE REALITY

IDEA OF
BEAUTY

ROSE DAWSON KATE WINSLET IDEA

In the Film Titanic In This World In the World of Ideas
“Artistic Beauty” “Physical Beauty” “Real Beauty”
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Discuss the Theory of Imitationalism by Plato. What is his philosophy of beauty? What is his philosophy of art?
What are your personal thoughts about this?
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 Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”
The “Allegory of the Cave” is a theory put forward
by Plato, concerning human perception. Plato
claimed that knowledge gained through the sens-
es is no more than opinion and that, in order to
have real knowledge, we must gain it through phil-
osophical reasoning.
In Plato’s Theory, the cave represents people who
believe that knowledge comes from what we see
Watch on YouTube the complete story and hear from the world—empirical evidence. The
Gendler, A. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave (2015) [video] YouTube in cave shows that believers in empirical knowledge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RWOpQXTltA&t=16s are trapped in a “cave” of misunderstanding.

 Things in this world are beautiful as appearances of the reality or

idea of beauty or the universal form of beauty existing in the world of
being.
 Art is beautiful as imitations of things in this world.
 Art is the imitation of the appearance of reality

REFERENCES:
Orate, Allan C. (2010). “Lecture Notes on Aesthetics: Theories of Art and Beauty,” from Blended Learning Modules.

Shimamura, A. P (2012). “Towards a Science of Aesthetics.” In A. Shimamura & S. Palmer, Aesthetic Science:
Connecting Minds, Brains and Experiences, Oxford, University Press, 2012. pp. 3-28.

Plato, “Allegory of the Cave” in Republic, VII 514 a, 2 to 517 a, 7. Translation by Thomas Sheehan.
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 Imitationalism in Art

Van Gogh, Chair with a Pipe Leonardo, Portrait of Ginebra d’Benci Van Gogh, Sunflower
IMITATION OF THE APPEARANCE IMITATION OF A PHYSICAL
OF THE REAL CHAIR WOMAN

CLASSICAL
GREEK SCULPTURE
Imitation of the
Idea of Beauty

Cezanne, Still Life with Apples Polycritus, Doryphorus Venus de Milo,

(Spear Bearer) 450 BC 150 BC

PERFECT POSITION OF
THE HUMAN BODY
Position of rest
between two
movements

Myron Discobolus Kouros Ancient Praxiteles, Hermis

(Disk Thrower) Greek Sculpture 340 BC
340 BC 600 BC
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 DEFINITION OF ART BASED ON IMITATIONISM
PAINTING & SCULPTURE Imitation of the appearances of people, things or events
MUSIC Imitation of the sound of the universe
DANCE Imitation of movements of animals, nature or things
Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky - Dance of the Little Swans(2016) [Video] YouTube in https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd2nTXsivHs
LITERATURE Imitation of life through language
DRAMA Imitation of life through action and dialogue

Self-Portrait
Draw a sketch of yourself on oslo paper. You can use colored pencil, charcoal
pencil or ballpoint pen. Your sketch must show your most endearing qualities.
Take a picture of your artwork and TURN IN the JPEG file in the Assignment
page.

Answer the quiz.

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