ARTIST and ARTISANS

 This chapter focuses on the most important element and creator in any work of art, which is the artist or the artisan. Artist
andartisans are driven by their sense of wonder and curiosity. The stages in the creative process would reflect the notable
works from the different artist and artisans who were given the highest recognition from our country.

THE DEFINITION OF ARTIST AND ARTISAN

 The word “artist” is generally defined as an art practitioner, such as a painter, sculptor, choreographer, dancer, writer, poet,
musicians, and the like who produces or creates indirectly functional arts with aesthetic value using imagination.
 Artist are creative individuals who use their imagination and skills to communicate in an art form. Artists look to many
sources for inspiration. Some look forward to their natural and cultural environment for ideas; others look within themselves
for creative motivation.
 Artist exhibit the courage to take risk. They are willing to work intensely for long period of time to achieve their goals. Some
artist are self-taught (folk-artist) because of they are not educated in traditional artistic methods. Just like the artists, the
artisan learn skills and techniques from some other artist but eventually, both artist and artisans, develop their own unique
styles.

ARTISAN

 An ARTISAN is a craftsman, such carpenter, carver, plumber, blacksmith, weaver, embroiderer, and the like who produces
directly functional and or decorative arts. Artisan help us in meeting our basic needs, such as food, clothing, dwelling,
furniture, and kitchen utensils; they craft everything that makes our life easy. The artisan’s works are useful, relevant, and
essential in our daily life.
 The ARTISAN is basically a physical worker who makes objects with his or her hands, and who through skill, experience,
and ability can produce things of great beauty, as well as usefulness. Artisans are devoted only to the creative part, making
visually pleasant work only for the gratification and appreciation of the viewer.

Robert Henri’s art spirit (1923)

“Art when really understood. It is the province of every human being. It is simply a question of
doing things, anything well. It is not an outside, extra thing. When the artist is alive in any person
whatever his kind of work may be, he becomes an inventive, searching, daring, self-expressing
creature. He becomes interesting to other people. He disturbs, upsets, enlightens, and he opens
ways for a better understanding. Where those who are not artists are trying to close the book he
opens it, shows there are more pages possible.”

The Artisan and the Guilds

 Guilds were a type of social fellowship, an association structured with rules, customs, rights, and responsibilities.
 These guilds were prevalent during the Middle Ages particularly during the 13th to 15th century (1300 – 1500) where towns
had formalized groups of artisans or craftsmen who took on a particular specialization or trade: shoemakers, textile and glass
workers, carpenters, carvers, masons, armorers, and weapon-makers, among others.
 This brought to light various ways of thinking about transferring knowledge and skills by visualizing and articulating the
principles, processes, and tricks of the trade both in words and in print through manuals and publications.

Albrecht Durer

 An artist strongly influenced by visual arts.

 His life was ripe with travels after completing an apprenticeship to gather more experience and
knowledge elsewhere.
 He published books and treatises including those that talked about practical skills as an artist
which would be useful to other artisans and craftsmen who dared to read it.
Spanish Colonial Period

 Artisans became prevalent in the Philippines as well.

 Artisans proved to be of immense use for the case of religious and secular art.
 Friars provided the references that artists could use in mimicking or copying religious images and scenes.
 Spanish friars commissioned a lot of artisans to carve, paint and engrave images for churches and public sites.

Project Kisame

 Is a collective endeavor amongst enthusiasts and advocates who aimed to promote this art form
through documentation, engagement, and appreciation of surviving ceiling paintings in more than
60 churches in the Philippines.
 Technology and heritage conservation occupied a substantial part of this project

The Church of the Most Holy Trinity

 In Loay, Bohol.
 Locally referred to as Santisima Trinidad Parish.
 Built in 1822.
 In 2003 it became a National Historical Landmark.

The Artists and His Studio

 The pivotal role of artists in arts started during the Middle Ages up to the renaissance period.
 Most pivotal developments included the transformation of craftsman to an artist of independent artist; the widespread
patronization of secular arts and the assertion of cognition, the will, and individuality.
 Studio – The site that saw this shift; was a very personal space for the artist himself.
 Work stations were segmented into two: Studiolo and Bottega.

Studiolo (From italian, meaning little studio)

 Is a small room, often lavishly decorated, dedicated to reading, studying

and writing
 Ex. Studiolo Frederico Da Montefalco Stock

Bottega

 The studio or workshop of a major artist in which other artists may participate in the execution
of the projects or commissions of the major artist.
The beginnings of Industrial revolution

 A compendium of events that released the artists from the limitations that affected the way in which they produced their
works.
 A host of styles developed side-by-side, allowing artists to fully grasp the potential of artistic license, with minimal to no
consideration for the prevailing tastes and stylistic preferences
 Artists began to question the merits of stringent artistic trainings and education during the latter part of 1800s.
 Art was truly liberated from the traditions of the past. Artists found freedom to articulate their distinct aesthetic way of
creative production during 1900s.

Howard S. Becker’s Art Worlds (1982)

“Art works are not the creation of isolated individuals but result from cooperation between
different artists, suppliers of materials, art distributors, critics, and audiences, who together
make up the art world”

Art World

 Comprises everyone involved in producing, commissioning, presenting, preserving, promoting, chronicling, criticizing, and
selling fine art.
 The terrain where art is distributed is a global network comprised of individuals, groups, and instructions such as schools,
museums, galleries, art spaces, auction houses, and other commercial market platforms and professions.
 Does not only rely on ideas, sentiments, and aesthetic values, but also on skills that are professionalized, stratified, and more
importantly, monetized.
 Ex. Art Basel in Hong Kong

KEY COMPONENTS OF THE ART MARKET

CURATOR

 A CURATOR, who is manager or overseer and usually a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution (gallery, museum,
library or archive) is a content specialist charged with an institution’s collections, selecting art to be displayed in museum,
organizing art exhibitions in galleries or public places, researching artist and writing catalogs and involved with the
interpretation of heritage.

ART BUYER

 An ART BUYER is a professional who is knowledgeable in art, who may scout talents for an advertising agency seeking to
employ an art director, or who may look for an art for collector or company.
ART DEALER

 An ART DEALER is a person or a company that buys and sells works of art. Art dealers often study the history of art before
starting their careers. They keep up with the trends in the market and are knowledgeable about the style of art that people
want to buy. They figure out how much they should pay for a piece and then estimate the resale price. To determine the
artwork’s value, dealer inspect the objects or paintings closely and compare the fine details with similar pieces.

PRIVATE COLLECTION

 This is personal owned collection of works, usually a collection of art. In museum or art-gallery environment, the term
signifies that a certain work is not owned by the institution, but is on loan from an individual or organization, either for
temporary exhibition or for the long term. The source is usually from an ART COLLECTOR, although it could be from a
school, church organization, from bank or from other private company or any institution.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

 Robert Fritz, enumerated the steps in the creative process, and said that creating is a skill that can be learned and developed.
Like any other skill, we learn by practice and hands-on experience – we can learn to create by creating. Fritz presented three
stages in creative process.

1. Conceive the result you want to create

 Creation starts at the end. We need to have an idea of what we want to create. We need a vision – individual or collective –
that we want to realize.

2. Know what currently exists

 It is difficult to create something novel and/or original in any area of knowledge without being aware of what is being done in
that area.

3. Take action

 Having a wonderful idea or vision is not enough. You have to do something to make it real, generate criticism.

4. Develop your creativity

 Every new creation gives you fresh thoughts and knowledge of your own creative process.

5. Learn the rhythms of the creative process

 There are THREE fundamental stage in every creative process: Germination, Assimilation, and Completion.

THREE STAGES IN THE CREATIVE PROCESS

GERMINATION (Idea)

 The most important and difficult thing in this stage is choosing. You need to be more specific about what you want to do.
You have to give to your vision a first shape, from which you decide your next steps.

ASSIMILATION

 It is crucial step in the creative process. During this phase you will internalize and assimilate or incorporate the idea you want
to create. Plan, analyze it and cultivate it with all the available resources. The assimilation stage of the creative process
follows an organic path, with its own rhythms and needs.
COMPLETION

 Completion is the time to finish you project, to give it the final shape before you present it to the audience.

THREE STAGES IN ART

THREE STAGES IN ART

 Art making can be associated with art exploration, concept development, and art production. In the creative process, the artist
undergoes three stage of experience, which are popularly known as PREPRODUCTION, PRODUCTION, and
POSTPRODUCTION.

1. PRE-PRODUCTION or subject development

 this ends when the planning ends, and the content starts being produced.

2. PRODUCTION or medium manipulation

 this is a method of joining diverse material inputs and unimportant inputs.

3. POST PRODUCTION (completion) or exhibition

 once an artwork is finish, it will be displayed.

THE MEDIUM and TECHNIQUE

MEDIUM

 It refers to the materials that are used by an artist to create a work for art. The plural of media. Without the medium, an idea
remain a concept, or it would just dwell in the walls of the artist imagination. It is challenging to manipulate medium and
transform it form its raw state

TECHNIQUE

 It refers to the artist’s ability and knowledge or technical know-how in manipulating the medium. It is the manner by which
the artist controls the medium to achieve the desired effect; thus, it is in the technique that artists differ from one another.