NGEC 6 REVIEWER

Lesson 1
One contemporary approach is to say that
Imagine a society without art. What would it “art” is basically a sociological category that
be like? How would houses, buildings and whatever art schools and museums, and
churches look? Could any kind of visual artists get away with is considered art
communication exist at all? It’s a provocative regardless of formal definitions. This
question that quickly necessitates defining institutional theory of art has been
the boundaries of what does and does not championed by George Dickie.
constitute art. This mirrors the complexity of
engaging in the ongoing definition of art. Most people did not consider a store-bought
urinal or a sculptural depiction of a Brillo Box
Art is studied because “it is among the to be art until Marcel Duchamp and Andy
highest expressions of culture, embodying its Warhol (respectively) placed them in the
ideals and aspirations, challenging its context of art (e.g., the art gallery), which
assumptions and beliefs, and creating new then provided the association of these
visions and possibilities for it to pursue” objects with the values that define art.
(Sayre, XVI). Studying art leads to a greater
understanding of our own cultural values and Proceduralists often suggest that it is the
of the society that produced it. When process by which a work of art is created or
colonizing forces of Europeans encountered viewed that makes it, art, not any inherent
African wood sculptural nkisi figures, feature of an object, or how well received it
primarily in what is now the Democratic is by the institutions of the art world after its
Republic of the Congo, they considered them introduction to society at large. For John
to be evidence of idolatry and witchcraft or Dewey, for instance, if the writer intended a
opposition to the colonizing forces (Sayre 11– piece to be a poem, it is one whether other
12). poets acknowledge it or not. Whereas if
exactly the same set of words was written by
The figures were often pierced with nails as a a journalist, intending them as shorthand
symbolic gesture to initiate a desired goal, notes to help him write a longer article later,
like protection from an enemy. The invading these would not be a poem.
Europeans often destroyed the nkisi figures,
which were sacred objects to the Congo Leo Tolstoy, on the other hand, claims that
people. what makes something art or not is how it is
experienced by its audience (audience or
DEFINING ART viewer context), not by the intention of its
creator.
The definition of art has changed throughout
history and the many complex factors that Functionalists, like Monroe Beardsley argue
can be at play in assigning value to art. that whether a piece counts as art depends
Despite this difficulty, ongoing discussion on what function it plays in a particular
around the definition of art continues to context. For instance, the same Greek vase
evolve within our often complex, globally may play a non-artistic function in one
engaged society. context (carrying wine), and an artistic
function in another context (helping us to
Many have argued that it is a mistake to even appreciate the beauty of the human figure).
try to define art or beauty, that they have no
essence, and so can have no definition.
ART HISTORY VS ART APPRECIATION

Art appreciation is the process of applying

basic tools of visual literacy to understand
and appreciate works of art.

The advantage to this approach is that a

person or art appreciator can understand
something about the work of art while
Andy Warhol exhibited wooden sculptures of understanding very little, or maybe nothing
Brillo Boxes as art. at all, about its history.

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 NGEC 6 REVIEWER
Thus, if you can take a look at art and fit it
In context within a broader social context using art
history, you can see how things such as war,
As an art appreciator, you could look at a religion, politics, and changes in technology
picture like this piece of cover art from the have had an effect on not only the artist, but
Book of Kells: on the artwork that was produced as well.

ASSUMPTIONS OF ART

What are the basic assumptions in art? How

do we classify art? These are common
questions ask when people are confronted
with the reality that human existence and
evolution is anchored upon art. Many think of
art as a specialized field intended for artists
only.

Have you seen how people get attracted to

any food item that is promoted as being
natural? The term organic is now ubiquitous
and is being used as a marketing term to
Being an art appreciator, you could use attract more and more customers. If this is
concepts such as composition, knowledge of what happens with food and clothing, one can
color, geometry, et cetera, to understand and easily assume the attraction for nature and
appreciate this work of art. things natural for someone who is artistic by
nature. Nature has always been kind enough
The disadvantage to this approach is that to inspire hordes of artists, and the impact of
you’d lose a broader sense of meaning nature and natural objects has been more
associated with the work of art. What ends than evident on art works of artists down the
up happening is that the work of art sort of civilization.
stands alone without context.
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ART
Thus, when evaluating a piece of art strictly
through art appreciation, you get the sense The underestimation of one’s ability to
that the work, while it can be appreciated, is reproduce lines, shapes or forms is
really standing alone. The meaning or story considered the biggest obstacle of preventing
behind the work of art is completely lost a person to ever try to draw, paint or sculpt.
unless you’re able to expand upon what’s Below are the common misconceptions about
represented by fitting it into a broader social art.
context.
1. Art is a visual concept. Not true. Art
Art history, as you know, is the academic is more of a combination of ideas, feelings
study of the history and development of the and meaning expressed with artistic means.
visual arts; its purpose is to place art in a
social and historical context. 2. Art depends on the talent and
imagination of the artist. Talent is a myth.
This approach ultimately has the advantage Inspiration, practice and enjoying art process
over art appreciation when evaluating works result in producing quality artworks.
of art, because the more information you
have, the better an evaluation you can make.
3. Art rules need to be followed.
If you had more context when looking at There’re some basic rules in Art, but as a
something such as that piece of cover art matter of fact, many great artworks are
from the Book of Kells, you could better exceptions. There are no formulae for
understand the story behind that particular creating art; there is no right or wrong way
work of art. either.

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 NGEC 6 REVIEWER
been defined as “the use of skill and
4. Art is a patient and hard work. Not imagination in the creation of aesthetic
true. Neatness and speed do not count in art. objects, environments, or experiences that
Art is enjoyment and freedom. can be shared with others” – (Britannica
Online). If one goes by this definition, art has
existed since time immemorial. It has been
5. Individual Artists’ Style is difficult there in the form of wall paintings, frescos,
to accomplish. Establishing style means body piercing, tattoos, statues, paintings etc.
becoming and being yourself. It just needs Art is the imagination in the mind of the
time. artist that he transforms into a tangible form
through his skills. An artist gets inspired
mostly by nature though there are times
6. Not everybody can understand art. when the genius of the artist draws on his
Understanding art is like understanding any own.
other thing in life - it requires questioning
and learning. There is no limit in learning; it As for differences between art and nature, it
is a life-time process. is well known that nature is original and art is
only a creation by human beings. Art tries to
replicate things natural but nature will
7. Art have to be in track with the always remain supreme. There is another
fashion. Not true, Artists are not supposed to difference between art and nature and it is
follow the fashion, rather make new ones. the manner in which much deeper meaning is
conveyed by an artist on his canvas though he
appears to mimic nature. Howsoever
beautiful the creation by humans may be, art
8. The more expensive an artwork is,
can never be better or more beautiful than
the better quality it is. Not true. The
nature itself.
historical value of a piece of art and/or the
popularity of the artist has nothing to do with
BASIC ASSUMPTIONS OF ART
the quality of the artwork.
1. Art has been created by all people at all
times, in all countries and it lives because
9. Art Subject matter is limited. The
it is well liked and enjoyed.
truth is that subject matter is all around us;
it is in the whole universe; it is in every
interpretation of any object or idea. There 2. Art involves experience; there can never
are as many variations and viewpoints as be appreciation of art without experience.
there are human beings. Subject matter is
actually unlimited. 3. Art is not nature; nature is not art. Art is
made by man.

10. The purpose of art is mainly 4. Art is everywhere.

decorative. Not true. Although most of the
artworks are used to help in both interior and 5. Art is man’s oldest means of expression.
exterior decorating, many art pieces are
created as a result of different inspirations:
personal feelings, emotions, passions; Functions of Art
political or religious reasons or in honor or
memory of people and events. An unhappy Ideally, one can look at a piece of art and
artist may create a stunning work of art but know (approximately) where it came from
there may be no one to wish to decorate with and when. The best-case scenario includes
a depressing looking picture or a revolting identifying the artist, as well, because s/he is
sculpture. part of the contextual equation (i.e.: What
was the artist thinking at the time s/he
ART VS NATURE created this?).

Art is basically creation by human beings Paintings and buildings can both be symbols,
though there are natural creations that are but buildings also serve a physical function.
no less than best pieces of visual art. Art has Many objects have both physical and

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 NGEC 6 REVIEWER
aesthetic duties. Art shares responsibility for anthropologists know that they often serve a
the built environment: how it looks and how purpose at the level of meaning within a
it works. Sometimes how it looks improves particular culture. This meaning is not
how it works, and sometimes the opposite furnished by any one individual, but is often
occurs. the result of many generations of change,
and of a cosmological relationship within the
culture.

PURPOSES OF ART Motivated Functions of Art

Art has had a great number of different Motivated purposes of art refer to
functions throughout its history, making its intentional, conscious actions on the part of
purpose difficult to abstract or quantify to the artists or creator. These may be to bring
any single concept. This does not imply that about political change, to comment on an
the purpose of art is “vague” but that it has aspect of society, to convey a specific
had many unique, different reasons for being emotion or mood, to address personal
created. Some of the functions of art are psychology, to illustrate another discipline, to
provided in the outline below. The different (with commercial arts) to sell a product, or
purposes of art may be grouped according to simply as a form of communication.
those that are non-motivated and those that
are motivated (Lévi-Strauss). 1. Communication. Art, at its simplest,
is a form of communication. As most forms of
Non-motivated Functions of Art communication have an intent or goal
The non-motivated purposes of art are those directed toward another individual, this is a
that are integral to being human, transcend motivated purpose. Illustrative arts, such as
the individual, or do not fulfill a specific scientific illustration, are a form of art as
external purpose. In this sense, art, as communication. Maps are another example.
creativity, is something humans must do by However, the content need not be scientific.
their very nature (i.e., no other species Emotions, moods and feelings are also
creates art), and is therefore beyond utility. communicated through art.

1. Basic human instinct for harmony, 2. Art as entertainment. Art may seek to
balance, rhythm. Art at this level is not an bring about a particular emotion or mood, for
action or an object, but an internal the purpose of relaxing or entertaining the
appreciation of balance and harmony viewer. This is often the function of the art
(beauty), and therefore an aspect of being industries of Motion Pictures and Video
human beyond utility. Games.

2. Experience of the mysterious. Art 3. The Avante-Garde. Art for political

provides a way to experience one’s self in change. One of the defining functions of
relation to the universe. This experience may early 20TH Century art has been to use visual
often come unmotivated, as one appreciates images to bring about political change. Art
art, music or poetry. movements that had this goal—Dadaism,
Surrealism, Russian constructivism, and
3. Expression of the imagination. Art Abstract Expressionism, among others— are
provides a means to express the imagination collectively referred to as the avante-garde
in nongrammatic ways that are not tied to arts.
the formality of spoken or written language.
Unlike words, which come in sequences and 4. Art as a “free zone,” removed from
each of which have a definite meaning, art the action of the social censure. Unlike the
provides a range of forms, symbols and ideas avant-garde movements, which wanted to
with meanings that are malleable. erase cultural differences in order to produce
new universal values, contemporary art has
4. Ritualistic and symbolic functions. enhanced its tolerance towards cultural
In many cultures, art is used in rituals, differences as well as its critical and
performances and dances as a decoration or liberating functions (social inquiry, activism,
symbol. While these often have no specific subversion, deconstruction…), becoming a
utilitarian (motivated) purpose,

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 NGEC 6 REVIEWER
more open place for research and 9. Art as a fitness indicator. It has been
experimentation. argued that the ability of the human brain by
far exceeds what was needed for survival in
5. Art for social inquiry, subversion, the ancestral environment. One evolutionary
and/or anarchy. While similar to art for psychology explanation for this is that the
political change, subversive or human brain and associated traits (such as
deconstructivist art may seek to question artistic ability and creativity) are the human
aspects of society without any specific equivalent of the peacock’s tail. The purpose
political goal. In this case, the function of art of the male peacock’s extravagant tail has
may be simply to criticize some aspect of been argued to be to attract females.
society. According to this theory superior execution of
art was evolutionarily important because it
Graffiti art and other types of street art are attracted mates.
graphics and images that are spray-painted or
stenciled on publicly viewable walls, The functions of art described above are not
buildings, buses, trains, and bridges, usually mutually exclusive, as many of them may
without permission. Certain art forms, such overlap. For example, art for the purpose of
as graffiti, may also be illegal when they entertainment may also seek to sell a product
break laws (in this case vandalism). (i.e. a movie or video game).

6. Art for social causes. Art can be used ART AND THE AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE
to raise awareness for a large variety of
causes. A number of art activities were aimed Beauty is something we perceive and respond
at raising awareness of autism, cancer, to. It may be a response of awe and
human trafficking, and a variety of other amazement, wonder and joy, or something
topics, such as ocean conservation, human else. It might resemble a “peak experience”
rights in Darfur, murdered and missing or an epiphany.
Aboriginal women, elder abuse, and
pollution. Trashion, using trash to make It might happen while watching a sunset or
fashion, practiced by artists such as Marina taking in the view from a mountaintop—the
DeBris is one example of using art to raise list goes on. Here we are referring to a kind
awareness about pollution. of experience, an aesthetic response that is a
response to the thing’s representational
7. Art for psychological and healing qualities, whether it is man-made or natural
purposes. Art is also used by art therapists, (Silverman).
psychotherapists and clinical psychologists as
art therapy. The Diagnostic Drawing Series, The subfield of philosophy called aesthetics
for example, is used to determine the is devoted to the study and theory of this
personality and emotional functioning of a experience of the beautiful; in the field of
patient. The end product is not the principal psychology, aesthetics is studied in relation to
goal in this case, but rather a process of the physiology and psychology of perception.
healing, through creative acts, is sought. The
resultant piece of artwork may also offer Aesthetic analysis is a careful investigation of
insight into the troubles experienced by the the qualities which belong to objects and
subject and may suggest suitable approaches events that evoke an aesthetic response.
to be used in more conventional forms of
psychiatric therapy. The aesthetic response is the thoughts and
feelings initiated because of the character of
8. Art for propaganda or these qualities and the particular ways they
commercialism. Art is often utilized as a are organized and experienced perceptually
form of propaganda, and thus can be used to (Silverman).
subtly influence popular conceptions or
mood. In a similar way, art that tries to sell a The aesthetic experience that we get from
product also influences mood and emotion. In the world at large is different than the art-
both cases, the purpose of art here is to based aesthetic experience.
subtly manipulate the viewer into a
particular emotional or psychological It is important to recognize that we are not
response toward a particular idea or object. saying that the natural wonder experience is

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 NGEC 6 REVIEWER
bad or lesser than the art world experience;
we are saying it is different. What is different
is the constructed nature of the art
experience.

The art experience is a type of aesthetic

experience that also includes aspects,
content, and context of our humanness.
When something is made by a human– we
know that there is some level of commonality
and/or communal experience.

Elements of Art

Line- element of art is defined by a point

moving in space

Texture- element of art refers to the way

things feel, or look as if they might feel if

touched, refers to the surface quality of

the artwork.

Value-refers to the lightness or darkness of

tones or colors.

Shape- element is used to show the form,

pattern, shape, distance, and movement in
art.

Form- element of art that is three-

dimensional and encloses volume; includes
height, width and depth, is observable in
sculpture and architecture.

Space- element of art refers by which

positive and negative areas are defined or a
sense of depth achieved in a work of art.

Color- element of art that is made up of

three properties: hue, value, and intensity.

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