INTRODUCTION

Since time immemorial, man has been puzzled about the meaning of his
existence. Man is always in constant search for answers regarding some fundamental
questions about himself. “Who am I?”, “What is the meaning of my life?” “What is it to
be truly human?” Many philosophers attempted to give an answer to these questions.
And yet, up to this point in time, there is no definite and core definition of who man is
or what man is.

The study of Humanities is very significant in understanding man as a whole and

his vital role as a member of a particular social system. Specifically, the important
concerns of humanities is about the expression of individual feelings and how he
expresses those feelings in different perspectives. It is about the reflection of what
man really is and his gradual development as a complete social being who is prepared
enough to discover his innate knowledge, talents, skills, and certain inclinations. An
individual who is ready to find the real essence of his existence, taking numerous
responsibilities within the fast changing world while exploring life to its fullest.

• ETYMOLOGY | Humanities came from the Latin word – HUMANUS which

means to be truly human .
• To be human is to be culturally enhanced and refined.
• Culture comes from the Latin terms: Cultus-Colere,which means to cultivate,
to develop. Culture is the general way of life of a society, including ways of
thinking, beliefs, customs, language, art and traditions. It is cumulative
creations of man, the totality of human heritage. It refers to all those things
which mean the refining and development of all man’s powers and natural
endowments.
• As regards its historical development, during the MEDIEVAL Period,
Humanities refers to anything that have something to do with the cultivation
of man’s spirituality. In the RENAISSANCE Period, it refers to a set of
disciplines being taught in colleges and universities. Lastly, in the MODERN
Period, Humanities is referred to as ARTS. Humanities is art itself.

• ETYMOLOGY & EVOLUTION of ART: Originally it comes from:

➢ Aryan root AR meaning “join”, or “put together”.
➢ Greek verbs:
a. Artizein – to prepare
b. Arkiskein – to put together
➢ Latin ARS, ARTIS meaning everything that is artificially made or composed
of by man.

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ARTS: ITS IMPORTANCE/IMPACT TO
HUMAN EXISTENCE:
The world of arts has a particular significance in human lives. We cannot deny
the fact that we are always aspiring to attain beauty in every dimensions of our daily
living. There are times that we encountered certain dilemma regarding the use of the
concept “ art “, that pertains to beauty, with the concept “ craft “, that refers to
anything that is being useful. Beautiful things can be useful and useful things on the
other hand can also be considered beautiful. The difference between the two is not that
important as long as we can easily express ourselves in the different ways in presenting
art subjects. According to Aristotle, “ Art is the right reason of making things “.
This implies that any kind of human activity that is directed to change or transform
things under the patterns of right reason can be considered as an art. In addition, the
main concerns of the arts regarding its importance may underlie to individual’s interest about
beauty and aesthetic response since all types of arts have their own purpose and
functions.

Art is very important in our lives and it is considered as a “ language of feeling“,

aside from the consideration that it is one of the oldest and most important means of
expression developed by man. Relating art to love which is considered as an ultimate
feeling and a blessed faculty given to us by God, there is a need for a clear and proper
communication of sensuous medium/media of expression ( acrylic, wood, marble,
musical sounds, letters, rhythmic movements, film, etc. ) to fully express our thoughts,
ideas, and feelings towards other people, objects, or even events and other social
phenomena. Such expression leads the way into another consideration that Art is a
formal expression of human experience that focuses on two distinct ideas: the FO
RM (that pertains to expression);and SUBSTANCE ( referring to man’s experiences in life
). Since arts served as records of our total experiences and aspirations, we are actually
affected in many ways. To fully understand man as a whole, our ability to understand
and appreciate its pieces is deemed so important and a remarkable life’s experience.

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 • Art is making or composing any object useful for human needs that is, for the
contemplation and enjoyment of its meaning or beauty.
• Art is concerned with objects and human expressions as beautiful or not
beautiful
• Art is the skillful arrangement or composition of some common qualities of
nature (colors, sounds, lines, movements, words, etc.) to express human
feelings, emotions, or thoughts, in a meaningful and enjoyable way.
• Therefore, ART IS THE SUBJECTIVE EXPRESSION OF MAN’S THOUGHTS
AND FEELINGS.

As to what extent man can use

his/her freedomof expression in
creating an art?

FUNCTIONS OF ART

PHYSICAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL

1. Utility 1. Influential media 1. Inspirational

2. Instructional 2. Interaction 2. Relaxation
3. Historical (communication) 3. Gratification
4. Representational

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ART: ITS OTHER FUNCTIONS TO
HUMAN EXISTENCE

1. AESTHETIC FUNCTION – As man exerts efforts in attaining perfection, he must be

aware and conscious about the beauty of his environment through arts. He must be
receptive to the complex changes and learns how to use his different senses and at the
same time he should know how to project creative impulses through his symbols and
works. This enables man to fully achieved the aesthetic appeal in every art pieces as
well as the attainment of pleasure and satisfaction.

2. CULTURAL FUNCTION – The various production of numerous printed materials and

other various distributive networks like books, newspapers, magazines, comic strips,
and other related types paved the way in providing knowledge and new discoveries to
man. Through art, man has an ability to know more about his own self, becomes more
educated, civilized, and refined that makes his whole life more meaningful.

3. SOCIAL FUNCTION – The new learning and experiences of man and the creation of
civic and graphic arts stimulate inner feelings and emotions conveying positive values
where man learns to participate, empathize and cooperate as an active member of
society. T he collective behaviour is greatly influenced by art and it is manifested by
every man in the level of his own thinking, feeling, and how man makes his decision.
The different techniques and methods in presenting art subjects served as a gateway in
showing social realities that will provide new perspectives and insights and may serve
as a catalyst of change in society.

4. UTILITARIAN FUNCTION – Art plays a significant role in man’s daily life. Through
this, man can acquire his basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing and other
necessities and conveniences. Art serves as an important means of discovering new
ideas and techniques and the invention of utensils, gadgets, machines and other useful
needs that help every man to find appropriate solutions to his problems and enable
man to survive.

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AREAS OF THE ARTS
The diversity of arts enables various authors in classifying arts in different ways.
The following areas or in other words the different Branches of Learning that are
concerned to human thoughts, feelings, and relations will help us to have a full and
better understanding about each topic, their complexity, differences, and the
primary/sensuous medium or media of expression or in other words “ Symbolic
languages”with beauty of design and coherence of form.

VISUAL ARTS

These are types of arts that can be perceived by the sense of sight and can be
projected into 3 -dimensional graphical forms. From these, we can say that we are all
surrounded by arts, objects from purely useful products and down to the materials that
are designed for their aesthetic appeal where we can derive real pleasure. This distinct
area of the arts served as an expression of an artist’s ideas, feelings, moods, hopes and
even fears of the time and place which the artist had lived. The medium used by an
artist may vary on the types of visual art that depends primarily on the different fields
and occasions.

( Water color / acrylic in painting; bricks and concrete for architecture; wood, stones
and metal for sculpture; plants and trees for landscaping; textiles and furnishings for
interior designing; etc. )

LITERATURE

Etymologically, it came from the Latin word “ litterae“, which means letters. As
an art, the combination of letters into words then words are use to form a complete
sentence, and sentences into paragraphs as another means of an artist’s expression of
personal ideas, feelings, values, beliefs and convictions, sentiments and even problems
in life. Furthermore, it is also related to a French phrase “ belleslettres“ as a part of
classical humanities which means “ beautiful writing “ in connection to the main goal of
every writer in the achievement of high sense of value in every literary piece.
It is also about a particular subject or period of time that greatly affects its
audience ( readers, listeners, viewers ) through various distributive networks such as
books, comic strips, radio, television, computer, e-mail, websites, and other types of
literary pieces with various experiences in terms animated sights, sounds, and colors.
Just to inform, educate while entertaining its audience. In a broader perspective, the
primary medium used in literature either in oral or written type is the use of language
covering varied aspects of man’s daily living.
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DRAMA AND THEATER

Drama as a distinct type of art refers to an action played by a number of

characters in a particular type of story giving emphasis on the plot. A PLOT is a brief
sequence of incidents or events of which a story is composed wherein the basis is the
conflict, struggle, or the problem within. The distinction between drama, theatre, and
opera vary in terms of the numbers of the characters portraying certain role endowed
with physical, emotional, and intellectual qualities given by the writer or by the director.
Another point of consideration is the combination of several types of arts like the used
of props/ backdrops and other furniture painted materials, costumes and make-up as
parts of visual arts, music that may set the mood of the story or may serve as a part of
the plot, the use of a script which is part of literature, and some rhythmic movements
as part of a dance as an art. On the other hand, O P E R A is also a form of theatre
wherein a story is mostly expressed not only by a script but also through the use of
either one or two distinct types of musical instruments or the application of the whole
ensemble orchestra.

MUSIC

This is a combination of various sounds at varying pitch in order to produce

certain composition as an expression of the artist’s feelings and experiences. It can also
be considered as an example of PURE ART pertaining to the use of only one kind of
medium of expression and that is the use of musical sounds. As an art, the basis of its
appeal in the beauty of musical sounds coming from the different musical instruments
and other types of inputs. The attainment of its beauty depends upon its primary
function on how to entertain its audience. So when a particular music is out of tune, it
is in full blast, or it is unregulated, it fails to achieve its purpose of entertaining the
listeners. As a Pure Art, a typical type of music has its own INTENSITY that can affect
people directly since we are very receptive to the numerous stimulus that need certain
responses. It is one of the reasons why a “ great music specially radiates infectious
joy”.

DANCE

It is considered as the “ First art cultivated by man and the origin of all his
aesthetic beauty “. Wherein dance flows originally for man and its practice and it is
universally accepted in the different types of societies, from primitive type moving
onwards to a modern and complex type of communities regardless of its
transformational status of development. During the primitive times, dancing has a great
role for early people.

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 Dance is a part of many rituals and ceremonies and even burial practices as well
as during the time of courtship, planting and season of harvesting wherein people feel
liberated when their feelings are easily shared to others through distinct body
movements. As the “ Origin of the Arts “, dance served as the inspiration in conducting
different kinds of arts like painting, music, and literature. One of the evidences is the
numerous carvings in the walls of a cave during Neolithic period where women dancing
around a man whom they considered as an “IDOL”. From then on, dance is uniquely
able to intensify the feelings of us all through its various moods, fields, and occasions.

PURPOSES OF THE ARTS

1. Arts have moral, educational, social, cultural, and religious purposes.

2. Arts for art’s sake
3. Afford man moments of relaxation
4. Imagination is satisfied
5. Arts as outlet of our slumbering passion. We find meaning in the fictitious
representation of arts, the passions of drama, emotions of poetry, moods of
music, fancies of painting, and sordid life of novels.
6. Powerful means to reform or change man.

DIVISIONS OF ARTS

A. WITH RESPECT TO PURPOSE

a. Practical Arts – directed to produce artifacts and utensils which cope with
human needs.

b. Liberal Arts – intellectual efforts are considered; take for the cases of AB
Courses like Philosophy, Psychology, Social Sciences, Journalism.
c. FineArts– products of the human creativity in so far as they express beauty in
different ways and different media like drawing, painting.

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 d. Major Arts – characterized by their actual and potential expressiveness like
music, poetry, sculpture

e. Minor Arts – connected with practical uses and purposes like interior design,
landscape, porcelain making

B.WITH RESPECT TO MEDIA AND FORMS

a. Plastic arts –perceived by sense of sight like painting, sculpture, architecture

b. Phonetic arts – based on sounds and words like music, poetry, drama,
literature
c. Kinetic arts – rhythmic movement like the different kinds of dances
d. Pure arts – which only take one medium of expression as sound in music and
color in painting
e. Mixed arts – which use two or more media like opera is a combination of music,
poetry and drama.

CLASSIFICATION OF ARTS

1. Space arts – visual arts

➢ 2 Dimensional (seen only in one angle)
- painting
- printing
- photography
- drawing/ sketching
➢ 3 Dimensional (seen in several angle)
- sculpture
- architecture

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 2. Time arts – auditory arts
- music
- dance
- combination: Musical Theatre/ Opera

HIERARCHY OF ARTS

1. Immanuel Kant: Music is the lowest of all arts because it only gives sensible
pleasures.
2. Arthur Schopenhauer: Music is the greatest because it is capable of freeing
man from his fears and desires, from his anger and despair, and from other
passions and anxieties.
3. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: Poetry has the best qualities like immediate
perception, creative imagination, development of thoughts and events.
4. Gottfried Leibnitz: The fusion of poetry and music is the highest art.

There is no final manner by which a hierarchy of the arts may be

established. Each art has its own value and each person has his/her own
preferences or opinions.

ARTS ACCORDING TO:

PLATO
Art imitates nature. Art imitates life.
ARISTOTLE
Art imitates men and nature in action.
OSCAR WILDE
It is life that imitates art.

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HENRI-LOUIS BERGSON
It is not a reason that enables us to imitate. Art is not imitation. A r t is made from intuition (immediate sensation and
intense feeling).
G.E. MOORE
Art is both imitation and intuition.
SIGMUND FREUD
Art is a wish fulfillment, an excellent work of art results from frustration.
JOSE ORTEGA Y GASSET
Art is a form of escape, escape from human negative elements.
LEO TOLSTOY
Art is communication; it infects our feelings.
BENEDETTO CROCE
Art is merely an expression regardless of if it is understood or not.
ALBERT CAMUS
Art is rebellion.
JOHN DEWEY
Art is not limited in the gallery and museum.
DANTE LEONCINI
When man beautifies himself, he becomes a human art.
MARGARETTE MACDONALD
Art is esoteric. It is mysterious. It is indefinable. It is trans intelligible. It is only describable.

1. Is art an Imitation or Creation?

2. Are there any criteria to determine the excellence of
the work of art?
3. When do we say an art is BEAUTIFUL

WHERE DOES BEAUTY LIE?

➢ Beauty is out there; it is objective. It is a primary

quality that resides in the object.
➢ Beauty is not there, It is secondary quality that
resides in the perceiver. (John Locke)
➢ Beauty is neither primary nor secondary; it is
tertiary in nature. It depends on the appropriate
situationalperspective.

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 Is everything in
nature and art
beautiful? Why certain
things are called
“ugly”?

Everything in nature and art is beautiful for everything is created perfect according to
its nature and form. All things are beautiful and perfect in themselves, B UT not in
relationto us. Some reasons are the following:

a. Objects that we see everyday lose their significance to us. People who have been
in the Banawe Rice Terraces for a long time will not see beauty of their
mountains as in the eyes of a tourist.

b. Certain things are dangerous to our lives like snake and other wild beasts.
c. Certain conditions in human life such as poverty and disease are referred to as
ugly but once painted in a canvass or described in a novel, they become
meaningful and beautiful.

“ Hapagng Pag-asa” by Joey Velasco

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 CATEGORIES OF BEAUTIFUL

1. The Sublime – enjoyment is aroused by astonishment and awe like looking at

the starry heavens, the majesty of mountain ranges, the heroic act of heroes and
saints.
2. The Nice – enjoyment is aroused by sympathy, love, benevolence, tenderness
and modesty like children, flowers, flower arrangement, artifacts
3. The Comic – enjoyment is aroused because it makes us laugh like satire and
irony, the exaggerated, the repetitious, the ridiculous, and the playful.

WAYS OF PRESENTING ART SUBJECTS

1. REALISM
Object depicted in the way they normally appear. What you see is what you get.

2. ABSTRACTION
In painting and sculpture, it magnifies one phase of
reality without representational intentions having little or
no resemblance to natural appearance. It does not show
the subject as a whole but only his idea or his feeling
about it. Kinds of abstraction are as follows:

a. Elongation – it refers to that which being

lengthened.
b. Shortening – it refers to that which being
shortened.
c. Distortion – dramatization of figure to create
emotional effects.
d. Mangling – showing of subjects or objects that
are cut, lacerated, mutilated, and hacked.
e. Cubism – originated by Picasso, which
transposed natural forms into overlapping
transparent planes.

3. SURREALISM (“Super-realism”)
It is the combination of realism and distortion. It
emphasized the omnipotence of the dream and the sub-
conscious mind. Indebted to Dadaism. It was founded by
poet-painter Andre Breton in 1924 in Paris, France.

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4. DADAISM
In literature and painting, it literally means “thekillingof
thearts.”Originated by Marcel Duchamp in 1916 in Zurich,
Switzerland. It is characterized to be “non-sensical”.

5. EXPRESSIONISM
The emphasis is on the “inner world” of subjective feeling
rather than on descriptions of the outer world.

6. FAUVISM
In painting, led by Henri Matisse in 1903-1907 in France,
this school showed distorted form and employed vivid
spontaneous color effects. Characterized by the used of
extremely bright colors in order to express joy, pleasure
and comfort.

7. FUTURISM
It attempts to capture the movement and the dynamism of
the modern world.

8. IMPRESSIONISM
It is a method in painting with small vibrant dots of color.
This gave rise to the later method called pointillism.

9. SYMBOLISM
It uses something invisible such as an idea or a quality to
represent another thing.

EXERCISES.

“WHO AM I?”. In an oslo paper, introduce yourself

through any representation/symbol. Who are you? What
best describes your personality? Group dynamics follow.

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