What is Art?

Introduction and
Assumptions
ART: An Introduction
Someone once said that art is a lot like love –
incomprehensible, profound, and complex. It is not
always easy to figure out, that is, an individual will
not easily understand art at first encounter.
Art oftentimes says something. It contains a
message -- something that speaks to us but in a
different language. It tells about our thoughts, our
notions and feelings through a powerful medium –
may it be through colors, sounds, limestone, wood,
letters, and motion pictures. Each medium is shaped
with beauty, design, and form. Art has the ability to
capture our minds and open our senses. It sets our
imagination free.
Art is something in which its definition is up to
the artist and art institutions across the globe. As
Pooke and Newall (2008) put it, “art can be a term
designated by the artist and by the institutions of the
art world, rather than by any external process of
validation.”
Pooke and Newall (2008) furthermore state
that irrespective of classification, “all definitions of
art are reconciled through culture, history and
language.” History, culture and language are,
therefore, all connected to art.

Here are various definitions or notions of art, from

various writers and artists:

1. “Art is not a thing — it is a way.”

- Elbert Hubbard in a 1908 volume of Little
Journeys to the Homes of Great Teachers
 2. “Art is the most intense mode of individualism
that the world has known.” - Oscar Wilde in
The Soul of Man Under Socialism

3. “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose

ourselves at the same time.”
- Thomas Merton in No Man Is An Island

4. “Above all, artists must not be only in art

galleries or museums — they must be present
in all possible activities. The artist must be the
sponsor of thought in whatever endeavor
people take on, at every level.”
 Michelangelo Pistoletto in Art’s
Responsibility

5. “Let each man exercise the art he knows.”

- The Greek philosopher Aristophanes, writing
in the 4th century B.C.

What is Art?
(With excerpts from Art Appreciation by Caslib Jr., B.,
Garing, D. C., & Casaul, J. R., 2018, p.2-8)
Art is all around us. Some people may think or
say that they are not engaged into the field of arts
but it is certain that encounters in art are inevitable.
A student who puts his earphones on and listens to
the Kpop playlist stored in her phone while walking
through the nooks of CLSU is already immersing
herself in the arts. A business executive who flicks
through the channels of her television and looks for
the perfect TV show to cap off the night or a mother
who chooses from her closet the best clothes to wear
to go to the market is already engaging in the arts.
Some may not be aware of it but they are already
experiencing or have already experienced the beauty
of art. Then again, art is everywhere and it comes in
many different forms.
In spite seeing art in almost every corner of the
world, it seems as though it is still not enough.
People want to see, hear, feel and experience art.
This is probably the reason why people keep
producing art.
There is always that yearning to see things that
are of great beauty and quality. After all, it is a
human nature to be attracted towards objects that
are noble and lovely.
For man to stay alive, he has used his tools and
materials to change his surroundings. He built
houses and other structures using his bare hands. He
assembled wooden chairs and tables to support his
needs. He utilized fire to soften metals to create
other objects. He found ways to make knives sharper.
These actions were for man’s necessities. The
earliest definitions of art have something to do with
these types of craft.

I. “ARS” – a craft or specialized form of

skill, like carpentry or smithying or
surgery.”

 The word “art” comes from the ancient Latin ars

which means a “craft or specialized form of skill,
like carpentry or smithying or surgery”
(Collingwood, 1938 as cited in Caslib et. al.,
2018).
 Art then suggested the capacity to produce an
intended result from carefully planned steps or
method.
 The concept of art that we know now was different
from the concept of art that people had in the
ancient times. During the ancient times, the
meaning of art had something to do with building
objects solely for necessity or daily use.
 A man is said to be engaged in art when he
performs the step-by-step procedure he created
for himself to be able to produce the house or any
infrastructure that he has perfectly planned.

II. ART is “any special form of book-

learning, such as grammar or logic, magic
or astrology.”
Arts in Medieval Latin
 Arts in Medieval Latin came to mean something
different. It meant “any special form of book-
learning, such as grammar or logic, magic or
astrology” (Collingwood, 1938 as cited in Caslib
et. al., 2018).

Renaissance Period
 It was only during the Renaissance Period that the
word reacquired a meaning that was inherent in
its ancient form of craft. Early renaissance artists
saw their activities merely as craftsmanship,
devoid of a whole lot of intonations that are
attached to the word now.

Seventeenth Century
 It was during the seventeenth century when the
problem and idea of aesthetics, the study of
beauty, began to unfold distinctly from the notion
of technical workmanship, which was the original
conception of the word “art”.

Eighteenth Century
 It was finally in the eighteenth century when the
word has evolved to distinguish between the fine
arts and the useful arts.
 The fine arts would come to mean “not delicate or
highly skilled arts, but ‘beautiful’ arts”
(Collingwood, 1938 as cited in Caslib et. al., 2018).
 This is something more akin to what is now
considered art.

“The Galloping Wild Boar” found in the cave of

Altamira, Spain
 It was discovered that there were attempts where
man did not just create tools for survival but also
for expression of his thoughts and emotions. It is
shown in history that man did not only evolve in
the physical sense but also in the cultural sense.
Then, they were cave painters. Now, they have
come to be so excellent in painting and in all other
forms of art.
 As a Spaniard and his daughter were going into a
cave in 1879, they saw paintings of a wild boar,
hind and bison. These pictures were said to belong
to the Upper Paleolithic Age, according to
research.
 These paintings in the cave show that pre-historic
men have used their gears not just to survive but
to document humankind’s deepest thoughts,
concerns and emotions. These were proofs that
man has been expressing himself long before they
were aware of how it is to be human.
 The concept of the ‘humanities’ or man
humanizing himself has long existed even before
man became conscious of it.

Assumptions of Art

1. Art is universal
 Art has always been timeless and universal,
spanning generations and continents through
and through.
 In every country and generation, there is
always art.
 Age is not a factor in determining art.
  “An art is not good because it is old but old
because it is good” (Dudley et. al., 1960 as
cited in Caslib et. al., 2018).
 A great piece of work will never be obsolete.
 Art will always be present because human
beings will always express themselves.
 “In every age or country, there is always art.
Wherever we go, whether it be a city or a
province, here or abroad, we surely have to
pass buildings of various sorts – houses,
schools, churches, stores and others. Some of
them appear attractive and inviting; some do
not. We look at some of them with awe and
admiration” (Sanchez et. al., 2012, p. 3).
 As mentioned in the book Introduction to the
Humanities by Sanchez et. al. (2012), art is
vital in life. Art is comprised of one of the
earliest and most vital ways created by man to
express himself. In every place man has set
his foot on; art was also there as the language
imbedded with emotions and undertones.
There is a strong force among humans to
produce this language which has also been
seen in the ancient times. This is what makes
art UNIVERSAL. (Sanchez et. al., 2012, p. 3)

2. Art is not nature

 Art is man’s expression of his reception of
nature. Art is man’s way of interpreting
nature.
 What we find in nature should not be expected
to be present in art too.
 Movies may be a reinterpretation based on an
individual’s subjective experience of nature.
 Artists are not meant to duplicate nature.

2. Art involves experience

  Unlike fields of knowledge that involve data, art
is known by experiencing. In order to know what
an artwork is, we have to sense it, see or hear
it, and see AND hear it.
 “All art depends on experience and if one is to
know ART, he must know it not as a fact or
information but as EXPERIENCE” (Dudley et. al.,
1960 as cited in Caslib et. al., 2018).
 Every experience with art is accompanied by
some emotion.
 Feelings and emotions are concrete proofs that
the artwork has been experienced.

The Role of Creativity in Art Making

(based on Art Appreciation by Caslib Jr., B., Garing, D. C.,
& Casaul, J. R., 2018, p.13-15)
It takes an artist to make art. 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.
Creativity requires thinking outside of the box.
 Creativity 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.
A creative artist does not simply copy or
imitate another artist’s work. He embraces
ORIGINALITY, puts his own flavor into his work and
calls it his own creative piece.
Functions and Philosophical
Perspectives of Art
Everything exists for a purpose. Even before
life started or something is created, the nature of its
existence is already predicted and it is expected to
find its end at a certain point of its lifetime. As
Aristotle stated, every substance has an end or
purpose, which is called telos in Greek, and its nature
pushes it towards reaching this end (Aristotle as cited
in Caslib et. al, 2018). A baby who develops into a
grown individual and a seed that becomes a tree
exemplifies this notion.

Moreover, Aristotle added that there is a

significant relationship between a thing’s purpose,
function, and identity. In the case of human beings,
their end which is to be happy and fulfilled, can only
be reached once they practice rationality (Caslib et.
al, 2018). Whenever individuals do not use their
faculty of reason, they lose their identity as humans.
This can also be seen in the case of a table that is
said to cease to be one if it fails to serve its purpose
as a table. The same goes for a pencil that cannot be
used in writing. This reflects the idea that when
something fails to reach or perform its end or
function, it loses its identity (Caslib et. al, 2018).

However, in terms of art, one has to be aware

of the fact that art may serve different functions or
purposes but the function is not a necessity for its
existence. Following the phrase “art for art’s sake”
by the French philosopher Victor Cousin, art does not
need to serve any purpose nor justification for its
existence (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2021).
Therefore, just because an artwork does not serve a
particular purpose does not mean that it shall not be
regarded as a work of art.

Functions of Art
(With excerpts from Art Appreciation by Caslib Jr.,
B., Garing, D. C., & Casaul, J. R., 2018, p. 25-30)

 “An inquiry on the function of art is an inquiry

on what art is for” (Caslib et. al, 2018).
 Therefore, discussing the function of art means
finding its purpose.
 Caslib et.al (2018) classified the functions of art
into the following:
 Personal (public display or expression)
 Social (celebration or to affect collective
behavior)
 Physical (utilitarian)
1. Personal Functions of Art
 Since this is a personal function, the function is
highly subjective.
 The function depends on the artist who created
the artwork so it may vary from an artist to
another.
 Artworks under the personal function could
serve the following purposes:
a. Self-expression
 The artist wants to express
herself/himself or she/he wants to
communicate an idea to the audience.
 Dancing, music, poetry, painting are
some great examples of this function.
b. Entertainment
 The artist wants to entertain her/his
audience.
 Visual arts are some of the examples.
c. Therapeutic value
 Art becomes therapeutic when it is
being used to lessen stress, improve
happiness, or overcome a traumatic
experience.
 Painting is the best example here.

2. Social Functions of Art

 Art serves a social function when it goes
beyond the personal interest of the artist. With
this function, art serves as a tool to address
collective interests or issues.
 In Art as Image and Idea, Feldman (1967, p.
36) stated that “all works of art perform a
social function since they are created for an
audience.” He also wrote that art has a social
function when it does the following:
1. It seeks or tends to influence the collective
behavior of people;
 2. It is created to be seen or used primarily in
public situations; and
3. It expresses or describes collective aspects
of existence as opposed to individual and
personal kinds of experience.

 Through the artworks, the artist may depict

social conditions, carry a message of protest
or contestation, or question an existing
ideology. It may also contain social issues such
as poverty, corruption, gender inequality, and
racial discrimination.
 Examples of arts with social functions are
political art, photography, satirical plays, films,
and songs.

Figure 1. Crumbs for the People

3. Physical Functions of Art
 Art has a physical function when it is created to
serve a physical or utilitarian purpose.
 For art’s physical function, objects are created
to become containers and tools (Feldman,
1967). Therefore, the artwork does not only
hold beauty that captures the eyes; it is also
useful.
 Art forms under the applied arts, such as
architecture, industrial design, ceramic art,
 interior design, and fashion design, have a
physical function.

Figure 2. Manunngul Jar

Philosophical Perspectives of Art

(With excerpts from Art Appreciation by Caslib Jr.,
B., Garing, D. C., & Casaul, J. R., 2018, p. 31-34)

1. Art as an Imitation
 Plato, The Republic
 According to Plato, artists are imitators and art is
a mere imitation of reality. He believes everything
in this world is just a mere copy of the “perfect”
things which can only be found in the World of
Forms.
 To be able to get into the World of Forms, one has
to be rational. This rationality can be gained
through formal education. However, with the
presence of art in the school curriculum, one will
never achieve this rationality for her/his mind will
be corrupted by the “illusion” brought by the
artworks (Plato in Caslib et al, 2018).
 Thus, he was against the inclusion of art as a
subject in the curriculum since he believes that
arts corrupt the minds of the people.
 For Plato, arts appeal to emotion rather than to
rationality.
 Poetry rouses emotions and feelings and thus,
clouds the rationality of people.

2. Art as a Representation
 Aristotle, Poetics
 Like Plato, Aristotle also believes in the notion that
art is a form of imitation. However, for Aristotle,
art is an aid to philosophy in revealing the
truth.
 For Aristotle, art is a literary representation of
what things might be.
 More than imitating reality, art represents possible
versions of reality or the “what ifs” in life.
 It provides its audience with different possibilities
through its representation.
 For Aristotle, there are two purposes of art:
a. For the experience of pleasure
(entertainment)
 Horrible experience can be an object
in comedy
b. For instructing its audience (cognitive)
 It can be instructive and teach its
audience things about life (i.e. Greek
plays)

3. Art as a Disinterested Judgement

 Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgment
 Immanuel Kant considered the judgment of
beauty, the cornerstone of art, as something
that can be universal despite its
subjectivity.
 For Kant, even subjective judgments are based
on some universal criterion for the said
judgment and aesthetic judgment is a cognitive
activity.
 By disinterested judgment, Kant means “we
take pleasure in something because we judge it
beautiful, rather than judging it beautiful
 because we find it pleasurable” (Burnham,
n.d).
 A work of art possesses beauty as its property
and it elicits a feeling of satisfaction from its
audience because of its own beauty. Thus,
despite the people’s differences, they will be
able to recognize the beauty that is inherent in
the artwork and the feeling of satisfaction felt
by one audience can also be felt by other
audiences primarily because of the artwork’s
beauty (Kant in Caslib et. al, 2018; Burham,
n.d).

4. Art as a Communication of Emotion

 Leo Tolstoy, What is Art?
 For Tolstoy, art plays a huge role in
communicating to its audience emotions that
the artist previously experienced.
 Through the distinct language of music or song,
for example, the audience is given the chance
to experience the happiness, sadness, pain, or
bitterness embedded in the artwork.
 As a comprehensible and intellectual language,
Tolstoy argues that “Good art can
communicate its meaning to most people,
because it expresses its meaning in a way
which can be understood by everyone” (Scott,
2002).
 Moreover, Tolstoy believes that art has a social
dimension. As a purveyor of man’s innermost
feelings and thoughts, art may serve as a
mechanism for social unity and cohesion.
 Through the artworks, an audience from the
present generation may still understand or
relate to the pains or struggles of people from
the past or a different country as art can
communicate these feelings regardless of the
time and place of its creation.
 Subject and Content
[adapted from Caslib Jr., B., Garing, D. C., & Casaul, J. R. (2018).
Art Appreciation. Manila: Rex Bookstore, Inc.]

The basic yet most important thing that an

individual can do to understand and appreciate an
artwork, specifically visual arts, is simply by looking
at it. Moreover, a person can give value and meaning
to an artwork by tapping his/her schema—emotions,
memories, knowledge of the world, among others.
Aside from the aforementioned, to fully
comprehend a work of art, an individual must look at
its components: subject, form, and content. This
lesson focuses primarily on the subject and content
of visual art.
As mentioned by Caslib Jr. et al (2018, p. 38),
“subject refers to the visual focus or the image that
may be extracted from examining the artwork, while
content is the meaning that is communicated by the
artist or the artwork.”

Subject
[with excerpts from Art fundamentals: theory and practice. 12 ed. th

by Ocvirk, O. G., Stinson, R.E., Wigg, P. R., Bone, R. O., & Cayton D. L.
(2013) and Art Appreciation by Caslib Jr., B., Garing, D. C., & Casaul,
J. R. (2018)]
Subject refers to the topic, focus, or image
presented in an artwork.
 It is the basic idea contained in the work of art.
 Different visual arts may have different
subjects; it could be a place, person, thing, or
idea.
1. Types of Subject
 Ocvirk et al (2013) identified two types of
subject:
a. Representational (also called as objective or
figurative)
 These are subjects or images that look as close
as possible to their counterparts in the real
world.
 Easily identified and recognized by the
audience because they may have
encountered/seen/experienced the image or
event represented in the artwork.
 Thus, artworks that portray/present people,
objects, or events that exist or occur in the real
world are called representational art.
 However, note that some representational art
employs varying levels of abstraction. Meaning,
the
images
or

subjects portrayed in the artwork look less like

the object from which they are derived. (See
Fig. 3 on page 4)
 Some examples of representational art
are as follows:
 Fig. 1 Charles Sheeler, Composition around Red
(Pennsylvania), 1958. Oil on canvas, 26 3 33 in.

Fig 2. Fernando Amorsolo, Palay Maiden, 1920. Oil on canvas

Fig. 3 DeLoss McGraw, Mother and Child “Bleak and Lonely Heights” in
August Moving Sunlight, 2002. Gouache on paper, 20 x 30 in.

b. Non-representational (also called as non-

objective or non-figurative)
 These are subjects or images that do not
refer to any object, person, place, or
event in the physical world. They do not
rely on imitation or representation.
 In contrast with representational art,
Caslib Jr. et al (2018, p. 41) stated that
non-representational art is “stripped down
to visual elements such as shapes, lines,
and colors that are employed to translate
a particular feeling, emotion, and even
concept.”
 The audience/observer may have some
difficulty in identifying or recognizing the
subject in non-representational art.
 Some examples of non-representational
art are as follows:

Fig 4. Vasily Kandinsky, Composition VIII, 1923. Oil on canvas.

Fig 5. Jackson Pollock, Autumn Rhythm (Number 30),1950. Oil on canvas, 8 ft. 9 in. x 17 ft. 3 in.

2. Sources and Kinds of Subject

a. Nature/Environment
 An artist may draw inspiration from
his/her interaction with the environment
or the physical world.
 He/She may depict different kinds of
subjects such as people, animals, plants,
landscape, seascape, and even
cityscape.
 As mentioned by Caslib Jr. et al (2018,
pp. 43-44), Vincent van Gogh is one of
the artists attuned with nature while
Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Paul
Cézanne, and JMW Turner are known for
their landscapes and seascape artworks.
 Moreover, Fernando Amorsolo and Fabian
de la Rosa are famous for their paintings
depicting rural scenes, people in the
fields, and the like (Caslib Jr. et al 2018,
p. 44).
Fig 6. Vincent van Gogh, Die Ebene von Auvers, 1890. Oil on canvas
b. Still life
 Artists may draw inspiration from
inanimate subjects such as food, flowers,
plants, candles, glass, books, and so on.
 Still-life painting is said to represent or
depict inanimate objects for the sake of
their qualities of form, color, texture, and
composition. (Encyclopædia Britannica,
2021).

Fig 7. Paul Cézanne, The Basket of Apples, 1893. Oil on canvas

c. (Greek and Roman) Mythology
 Some paintings, sculptures, and even
literary works depict and/or visualize the
heroic encounters, beauty, wit, vanity,
and other qualities of the characters,
heroes, gods, and goddesses from
various mythologies.

Fig 8. Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, 1486.

d. Religion
 Several visual arts and literary works depict different
religious beliefs, specifically their God/superior being
and other biblical figures.
 These subjects are also evident in architectural designs
of churches and other sacred and/or religious sites.
 Fig 9. Image of Sistine Chapel’s ceiling by Michelangelo

e. History
 Aside from the abovementioned,
historical events also serve as sources of
subject in art.
 With this, artists bring history into life. It
is their way to record commemorate, and
immortalize the events that happened in
a particular nation or society.
 As discussed by Caslib Jr. et al (2018, p.
48), the things which are usually
depicted in art are the following:
a. the establishment of nations and
state [discovery, conquests, and
colonization]
b. the resulting ideologies that they
breed [democracy, liberty,
freedom, and rights]
c. known leaders and figures in the
world’s/nations’ history
 In the Philippine context, specifically
during the Spanish colonial period, it is
said that the colonizers used art as their
 way to communicate with the people.
They used visual arts to introduce
Catholicism to the Filipino people. (Caslib
Jr. et al 2018, p. 49).

Fig 10. Carlos “Botong” Francisco, The Martyrdom of Rizal, 1960.

Content
[with excerpts from Art fundamentals: theory and practice. 12 ed. th

by Ocvirk, O. G., Stinson, R.E., Wigg, P. R., Bone, R. O., & Cayton D. L.
(2013) and Art Appreciation by Caslib Jr., B., Garing, D. C., & Casaul,
J. R. (2018)]
 Content refers to the themes and messages
contained in a work of art.
 It could be a statement, expression, or mood
developed by the artist which is then
interpreted by the audience/observer.
 It is said that content is interpreted by looking
at the art’s subject and form.
 As mentioned in the previous modules,
different observers have different
interpretations and/or feelings toward an
artwork. This is because they differ in:
familiarity with the subject, background
knowledge, cultural background, feelings and
ideas, experiences, and the like.
 As discussed by Ocvirk et al (2013, p. 12), to
have a fuller interpretation of content, an
 individual may want to revisit or research
about the artist’s life, the time when the
art was created, and the culture
associated with the artist and his/her
work.

1. Different Levels of Meaning in Art

Caslib Jr. et al (2018) identified three levels of
meaning in art:
a. Factual Meaning
 This refers to the literal
meaning or the narrative content
of an artwork which can be easily
recognized and/or understood just
by looking at the subject matter
or elements presented in the
work.
b. Conventional Meaning
 As the name implies, this refers
to the meaning which is
embedded in a particular
object/image/color (usually
accepted/agreed upon by a
certain culture or group of
people).
c. Subjective Meaning
 This refers to the meaning given
by the audience/observer in
relation to his/her personal views,
feelings, and ideas.
 As Caslib Jr. et al (2018, p. 50)
discussed, an individual’s
perception and interpretation of
an artwork will always be
influenced by the following:
(a) what he/she knows,
(b) what he/she learned,
 (c) what he/she experienced,
and
(d) what values he/she stands
for.

Elements and Principles of

Art
Elements of Art: Visual
1. Line
 point moving at an identifiable path; an
element of art that is used to define shape,
contours, and outlines, also to suggest mass
and volume
 it has length, direction, and width
 one-dimensional but it has the capacity to
either define the perimeters of the artwork
and/or become a substantial component of the
composition
 line has variations in view of its
orientation/direction, shape, and thickness;
these variations suggest different meaning or
message that is being conveyed by the artist
 Look at the photo below. It is a mural made by
Keith Haring. He is known for using lines to
provide the outline or contour of the figures he
portrays in his work.
 Source: https://img.macba.cat/public/styles/16x9_large/public/imagen/2020-
04/mural-keith-haring.jpg?h=fd62af9f&itok=OajdnM1i

 Line have the ability to direct the eyes to follow

movement or provide hints as to a work’s focal
point.
a. horizontal lines – normally associated
with rest or calm; landscapes often
contain these elements as works like
these connote a visual sense of being
parallel to the ground
b. vertical lines – connote elevation or
height which is usually taken to mean
exaltation or aspiration for action;
together, these lines communicate
stability and firmness
c. diagonal lines – convey movement and
instability, although progression can be
seen
d. crooked lines – crooked or jagged lines
are reminiscent of violence, conflict, or
struggle
e. curved lines – these lines bend or coil;
they allude to softness, grace, flexibility,
or even sensuality
Source:
http://www.artnet.com/WebServices/images/ll05301lldSETGFg8GECfDrCWvaHBOck0OC/
francisco-goya-porque-esconderlos-(pl.-30).jpg
Observe Francisco de Goya’s utilization of
different lines and strokes in his work Porque
esconderlos? and compare it with the painting The
Raft of Medusa below.

Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/JEAN_LOUIS_TH
%C3%89ODORE_G%C3%89RICAULT_-_La_Balsa_de_la_Medusa_%28Museo_del_Louvre
%2C_1818-19%29.jpg

Unlike in the work of de Goya, lines are not

explicit or literally shown in this second painting.
Implied lines may be as powerful. Observe the
position and orientation of the bodies that are aboard
the raft. They are predominantly diagonal in
direction. How do the lines in both paintings affect
your perception/experience of the paintings?

2-3. Shape and Form

 these two elements define the space occupied

by the object of art
 shape refers to two dimensions: height and
width
 form refers to three dimensions: height, width,
and depth
 two categories of shape: geometric and
organic
a. Geometric
- these are shapes that find origin in
mathematical propositions and often
man-made
- includes shapes such as squares,
triangles, cubes, circles, spheres, cones,
among others

Piet Mondrian, Composition with Color Planes and Gray Lines 1, (1918) Oil on canvas.
Private collection.
Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Mondrian
%2C_Composition_with_color_planes_and_gray_lines%2C_1918.jpg
b. Organic
 - these are shapes readily occurring in
nature, often irregular and asymmetrical

Louis Comfort Tiffany (designer), Tiffany Furnaces (Maker), Vase made of favrile glass. (c.a. 1913), Gift of Louis
Comfort Tiffany Foundation, 1951. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.Source:
https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/api/collection/v1/iiif/9430/30745/restricte

Source: https://painting-planet.com/images/1/image281.jpg
 Just like in lines, shapes may also be implied.
For example, look at Raphael’s famous painting The
Madonna of the Meadows depicts three figures: Mary,
the young Jesus (right), and the young John the
Baptist (left). The positions in which the group takes
allude to a triangular shape reinforced by Mary’s
garb.

4. Space
 three-dimensionality of a sculpture or
architecture: height, width, and depth
 you can walk around them, look above them,
and enter them
 space in a two-dimensional (height and width
only) drawing or painting refers to the
arrangement of objects on the picture plane
 The picture plane is the surface of the
drawing paper or canvas.
 positive and negative space – usually
identified with the white space is the negative
space; positive space is the space where
shadow is heavily used
 three-dimensional space – can be simulated
through a variety of techniques such as
shading

5. Color
Source: http://decoart.com/blog/uploads/Color-Theory-Graphics-WHEEL34.jpg
 helps in enhancing the appeal of the artwork
 Its effect has range, allowing the viewer to
make responses based on memory, emotion,
and instinct, among others.
The color wheel corresponds to the first property of
color, hue.
a. Hue – this dimension of color gives its
name.
 Primary colors – red, yellow, and blue
 Secondary colors – green, orange, and
violet
 Tertiary colors – six in total, these
hues are achieved when primary and
secondary colors are mixed
b. Value – this refers to the brightness or
darkness of color. This is used by artists to
create the illusion of depth and solidity, a
particular mood, communicate a feeling, or
in establishing a scene (e.g. day and night).
 Light colors – taken as the source of
light in the composition
 Dark colors – the lack or even absence
of light
 Tint – a lighter color than the normal
value (e.g. pink for red)
 Shade – a darker color than the

normal value (e.g. maroon for red)
c. Intensity – color’s brightness or dullness;
identified as the strength of color, whether it
is vivid or muted. To achieve a specific
intensity of a color, one may add either gray
or its complementary color.
 bright or warm colors – positive
energy
 dull or cool colors – sedate/soothing,
seriousness or calm
Color harmonies:
 Monochromatic harmonies – use the
variations of a hue. An example is
Claud Monet’s House of Parliament:

Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Claude_Monet_-
_The_Houses_of_Parliament%2C_Sunset.jpg
 Complementary harmonies – involve
two colors opposite each other in the
color wheel. Since they are at contrary
positions, the reaction is most intense.
  Notice the altar piece below featuring
Saint Anthony Abbot and Saint Roch.
Along with them in Saint Lucy, patron
of the blind, whose red and green garb
beautifully showcases an example of
complementary harmonies.

Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Three_Saints_Roch
%2C_Anthony_Abbot%2C_and_Lucy.jpg

Analogous harmonies – make use of


two colors next to each other in the
color wheel.
 Triadic harmonies – three equally-
spaced colors on the color wheel are
used such as yellow, red, and blue.
6. Texture – can either be real or implied just like
line and space. This element in an artwork is
experienced through the sense of touch (and
sight). This element renders the art object tactile.
 Textures in the two-dimensional plane
– texture can be implied using one
technique or a combination of other
elements of art. By creating this visual
quality in the artwork, one can imagine
how the surface will feel if it was to be
touched: rough, smooth, hard, soft,
hairy, leathery, sharp, dull, etc.
  Surface texture – refers to the texture
of the three-dimensional art object. A
piece of pottery may have a rough
texture so that it will look like it came
from nature or a smooth texture to
make it look like it is machine made.
Perspective
1. One-point perspective
 often used in depicting roads, tracks, hallways,
or rows of trees
 shows parallel lines that seem to converge at a
specific and lone vanishing point, along the
horizon line.
2. Two-point perspective
 pertains to paintings or drawings that make
use of two vanishing points, which can be
placed anywhere along the horizon line. It is
often used in depicting structures such as
houses or buildings in the landscape that are
viewed from a specific corner.
3. Three-point perspective – in this type of
perspective, the viewer is looking at a scene from
above or below. As the name suggests, it makes
use of the three vanishing points, each
corresponding to each axis of the scene.
Elements Of Art: Auditory
1. Rhythm
 associated to the terms beat, meter, and
tempo
 element of music that situates in time
 pulse of the music
 beat – basic unit of music
 tempo – speed of music (beats per second)
 meter – recognizable recurrent pattern
Variations in tempo:
 Largo – slowly and broadly
 Andante – walking pace
 Moderato – at moderate speed
  Allegro – fast
 Vivace – lively
 Accelerando – gradually speeding up
 Rallentado – gradually slowing down
 Allargando – getting slower,
broadening
 Rubato – literally “robbed time,”
rhythm is played freely for expressive
effect
2. Dynamics
 element of music that refers to the loudness or
quietness of music
Different levels of dynamics:
 Pianissimo [pp] – very quiet
 Piano [p] – quiet
 Mezzo-piano [mp] – moderately quiet
 Mezzo-forte [mf] – moderately loud
 Forte [f] – loud
 Fortissimo [ff] – very loud
 crescendo – increase loudness
 decrescendo or diminuendo – decrease in
loudness
3. Melody
 refers to the linear presentation (horizontal) of
pitch
 read in succession from left to right
 pitch – highness or lowness of musical sound
4. Harmony
 arises when pitches are combined to form
chords
 When several notes are simultaneously played,
this refers to a chord.
 dissonance – harsh-sounding combination
 consonance – smooth-sounding combination
5. Timbre
 likened to the color of music
 a quality that distinguishes a voice or an
instrument from another
  gives a certain tone or characteristic to music
6. Texture
 number of melodies, type of layers, and their
relatedness in a composition
 Monophonic – single melodic line
 Polyphonic – two or more melodic lines
 Homophonic – main melody accompanied
by chords

Principles of Art
1. Balance
 refers to the distribution of the visual elements
in view of their placement in relation to each
other
Three forms of balance:
 Symmetrical – the elements used on one
side are reflected to the other; offers the
most stable visual sense to any artwork
 Asymmetrical – the elements are not the
same (or of the same weight) on each
side, putting the heaviness on one side
 Radial – there is a central point in the
composition, around which elements and
objects are distributed
2. Scale and Proportion
 scale pertains to the size in relation to what is
normal for the figure or object in question
 proportion is the size of the components, or of
objects, in relation to one another when taken
as a composition or a unit
Proportion can be:
 Natural – relates to the realistic size of
the visual elements in the artwork,
especially for figurative artworks; when it
is the accuracy in relation to the real
world that the artist is after, this is now
referred to as the principle of scale.
  Exaggerated – refers to the unusual size
relations of visual elements, deliberately
exaggerating the immensity or
minuteness of an object
 Idealized – most common to those that
follow canons of perfection, the size-
relations of elements or objects, which
achieve the most ideal size-relations
3–4. Emphasis and Contrast
 emphasis allows the attention of the viewer to
a focal point, accentuating or drawing attention
to these elements or objects
 contrast is the disparity between the elements
that figure into the composition
5–6. Unity and Variety
 unity is a sense of accord or completeness from
the artwork
 variety is the principle that aims to retain the
interest by allowing patches or areas that both
excite and allow the eye to rest
7. Harmony
 the elements or objects achieve a sense of flow
and interconnectedness
8. Movement
 refers to the direction of the viewing eye as it
goes through the artwork, often guided by
areas or elements that are emphasized
 focal points: lines, edges, shape, and color
within the work of art
9. Rhythm
 created when an element is repeated, creating
implied movement
 variety of repetition helps invigorate rhythm as
depicted in the artwork
10 – 11. Repetition and Pattern
 lines, shapes, and other elements may appear
in an artwork in a recurring manner—this is
called repetition
 the image created out of repetition is called
pattern