Republic of the Philippines

CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

WEEK 9-11
Functions of Arts

INTRODUCTION

Ideally, one can look at a piece of art and guess with some accuracy where it came from
and when. This best-case scenario also includes identifying the artist because they are in no
small way part of the contextual equation. You might wonder, "What was the artist thinking
when they created this?" when you see a piece of art. You, the viewer, are the other half of this
equation; you might ask yourself how that same piece of art makes you feel as you look at it.

These—in addition to the time period, location of creation, cultural influences, etc.—are
all factors that should be considered before trying to assign functions to art. Taking anything
out of context can lead to misunderstanding art and misinterpreting an artist's intentions,
which is never something you want to do.

The functions of art normally fall into three categories: physical, social, and personal.
These categories can and often do overlap in any given piece of art. When you're ready to start
thinking about these functions, here's how.

OBJECTIVES
At the end of this module, you are expected to:

a. Distinguish between directly functional and indirectly functional art

PRE-COMPETENCY CHECKLIST

Instruction: Write TRUE if the statement is valid and FALSE if otherwise.

1. Physical function is a works of art that are created to perform some services.

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 2. The background and behaviours of an artist helps in interpreting the personal function
of their pieces.
3. “An artist may create a piece out of a need for self-expression or gratification”. The line
stated is one of the social functions of an art.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Chey N. (July 18, 2017). Art is Universal – Society is Local. Retrieved January 28, 2021 from
https://theartsjournal.net/2017/07/18/art-is-universal-society-is-local/#:~:text=Art%20is
%20one%20of%20the,understanding%2C%20unity%2C%20and%20harmony.

The Art History – Performance Art. Retrieved January 28, 2021 from
https://www.theartstory.org/movement/performance-art/

Esaak S. (August 13, 2019). The Most Important Functions of Art. Retrieved February 14, 2021
from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-the-functions-of-art-182414

EXPLORE

FUNCTIONS OF ARTS

1. Personal function
The personal functions of art are often the most difficult to explain. There are many
types of personal functions and these are highly subjective. Personal functions of art are
not likely to be the same from person to person.

An artist may create a piece out of a need for self-expression or gratification. They might
also or instead want to communicate a thought or point to the viewer. Sometimes an
artist is only trying to provide an aesthetic experience, both for self and viewers. A piece
might be meant to entertain, provoke thought, or even have no particular effect at all.

Personal function is vague for a reason. From artist to artist and viewer to viewer, one's
experience with art is different. Knowing the background and behaviors of an artist
helps when interpreting the personal function of their pieces.

Art may also serve the personal function of controlling its viewers, much like social art. It
can also perform religious service or acknowledgment. Art has been used to attempt to
exert magical control, change the seasons, and even acquire food. Some art brings order
and peace, some creates chaos. There is virtually no limit to how art can be used.

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 Finally, sometimes art is used to maintain a species. This can be seen in rituals of the
animal kingdom and in humans themselves. Biological functions obviously include
fertility symbols (in any culture), but there are many ways humans adorn their bodies
with art in order to be attractive to others and eventually mate.

2. Social Function
Art has a social function when it addresses aspects of (collective) life as opposed to one
person's point of view or experience. Viewers can often relate in some way to social art
and are sometimes even influenced by it.

For example, public art in 1930s Germany had an overwhelming symbolic theme. Did
this art exert influence on the German population? Decidedly so, as did political and
patriotic posters in Allied countries during the same time. Political art, often designed to
deliver a certain message, always carries a social function. The fur-covered Dada teacup,
useless for holding tea, carried a social function in that it protested World War I (and
nearly everything else in life).

Art that depicts social conditions performs social functions and often this art comes in
the form of photography. The Realists figured this out early in the 19th century.
American photographer Dorothea Lange (1895–1965) along with many others often
took pictures of people in conditions that are difficult to see and think about.

Additionally, satire performs social functions. Spanish painter Francisco Goya (1746–
1828) and English portrait artist William Hogarth (1697–1764) both went this route with
varying degrees of success at motivating social change with their art. Sometimes the
possession of specific pieces of art in a community can elevate that community's status.
A stabile by American kinetic artist Alexander Calder (1898–1976), for example, can be a
community treasure and point of pride.

3. Physical Function
The physical functions of art are often the easiest to understand. Works of art that are
created to perform some service have physical functions. If you see a Fijian war club,
you may assume that, however wonderful the craftsmanship may be, it was created to
perform the physical function of smashing skulls.

A Japanese raku bowl is a piece of art that performs a physical function in a tea
ceremony. Conversely, a fur-covered teacup from the Dada movement has no physical
function. Architecture, crafts such as welding and woodworking, interior design, and
industrial design are all types of art that serve physical functions.

DISCUSSION BOARD

Answer the following question:

POST-COMPETENCY CHECKLIST

Instruction: Write TRUE if the statement is valid and FALSE if otherwise.

1. Physical function is a works of art that are created to perform some services.
2. The background and behaviours of an artist helps in interpreting the personal function
of their pieces.
3. “An artist may create a piece out of a need for self-expression or gratification”. The line
stated is one of the social functions of an art.

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