Lecture 4

LECTURE 4
Art and Philosophy:

Imitationism and
Representationism
Prepared by
Dr. Allan C. Orate
DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE
OBJECTIVES
a. Relate the study of art to the field of philosophy.
b. Examine imitation theory by Plato as a philosophy of art and beauty
c. Compare and contrast imitationism and representationism.
d. Identify artworks, styles, artists and philosophers that abide with
imitation or representation theory of art.
e. Evaluate the merit or demerit or artworks based on the principles of
imitationism.
f. Examine the style of romantic realism in Philippine art based on
representation theory.
g. Interpret imitationism as the philosophical basis of ancient Greek art and
of some classical compositions in music.
h. Formulate a philosophical approach to Art Appreciation.
i. Make works of art where the theory of representationism and the style of
romantic realism are applied.

UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE
READINGS
4.1. Orate, Allan C. (2010). “Lecture Notes on Aesthetics: Theories

of Art and Beauty,” from Blended Learning Modules.
4.2. Shimamura, A. P (2012). “Towards a Science of Aesthetics.” In

A. Shimamura & S. Palmer, Aesthetic Science: Connecting
Minds, Brains and Experiences, Oxford, University Press, 2012.
pp. 3-28.
4.3. Plato, “Allegory of the Cave” in Republic, VII 514 a, 2 to

517 a, 7. Translation by Thomas Sheehan.

VIDEOS
4.1. “What is Art? maARTe ako.” In https://www.youtube.

com/results?search_ query=ma arte+ ako.
4.2. “Xiao Time “Fernando Amorsolo: Ang Grand old Man

ng Philippine Art” https://www. youtube.com/watch?
v=nC9hVHbGCSA

LECTURES
4.1. Imitation Theory of Art and Beauty
4.2. Philosophical Theory of Music
4.3. Representation Theory of Art
4.4. Romantic Realism in Philippine Art

LECTURE 4.1
Imitation Theory
of Art and Beauty

ART?
Video 4.1.

THEORIES OF ART
Imitationism
Representationism
Formalism
Expressionism
Action Theory
Institutional Theory
PLATO
348-267 BC
The Dialogue
The Republic
IMITATIONISM
Idealist Theory of Art
Raphael, The School of Athens, 1511
Raphael,
The School
of Athens
(Detail)
Leonardo
as Plato
Michelangelo
as Aristotle

Plato’s Circle
Mosaic of Pompeii
1st Century BC
MOSAIC

IMITATIONISM BY PLATO
PHILOSOPHY
OF BEAUTY
What is beauty?
What is the essence of
beautiful things?
What is art?
What is the essence of art? PHILOSOPHY
OF ART
TWO WAYS OF
CONSIDERING BEAUTY
RELATIVE ABSOLUTE
“Beauty is in the eye of “Beauty is in the thing
the beholder.” itself.”
SUBJECT OBJECT
AESTHETICS BEAUTY UGLY
is is is
Logic Truth Falsity
Metaphysics Reality Illusion
Epistemology KnowledgeIgnorance
Ethics Good Evil

Ignorance Art Studies Philosophy Knowledge
WORLD OF WORLD OF WORLD OF
ART BECOMING BEING
IMITATION APPEARANCE REALITY

Illusory Changing Unchanging
Temporal Eternal
Illusion Artist Individual Demiurge Universal
COPY THING FORM
Painting of Chair Material Chair Idea of Chair

ARTISTIC PHYSICAL METAPHYSICAL
Beautiful
UE. Artworks
DR. ALLAN C. ORATE Beautiful Things Idea of Beauty
IMITATIONISM
IDEA
Beauty of Forms Metaphysical Contemplated
REALITY Chair: Idea by Philosopher
MATTER
Beauty of Things Physical Made by a
APPEARANCE Chair: Thing Carpenter
ART Copy of Made by a

Beauty of Imitation Physical Painter
ILLUSION Chair: Art
World of Art World of Becoming World of Being
IMITATION APPEARANCE REALITY
IDEA OF
BEAUTY
ROSE DAWSON KATE WINSLET IDEA

In the Film Titanic In This World In the World of Ideas
“Artistic Beauty” “Physical Beauty” “Real Beauty”

ID Picture
IMITATION OF THE
APPEARANCE OF
THE REAL MAN

PLATO’S ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE
ART
Inside the Cave Outside the Cave

THISC. WORLD
UE. DR. ALLAN ORATE REAL WORLD
ART

THISC. WORLD
ART

THISC. WORLD
Movies Based on the Philosophy by Plato
Things in this world are beautiful as
appearances of the reality or idea of beauty
or the universal form of beauty existing
in the world of being.
Art is beautiful as
imitations of things in this world.
Art is the imitation

of the appearance of reality
Van Gogh,
Chair with
a Pipe
IMITATION OF THE
APPEARANCE OF
THE REAL CHAIR

Leonardo,
Portrait of
Ginebra
d’Benci
IMITATION OF
A PHYSICAL
WOMAN

Van Gogh,
Sunflower

Cezanne,
Still Life
with
Apples

CLASSICAL
GREEK SCULPTURE
Imitation of the
Idea of Beauty
Polycritus,
Doryphorus
(Spear Bearer)
450 BC

Kouros
Ancient
Greek
Sculpture
600 BC

Praxiteles
Hermis
340 BC

Praxiteles
Aphrodite
of Cnidos

Venus
de Milo,
150 BC

Myron
Discobolus
(Disk Thrower)
340 BC
PERFECT POSITION OF
THE HUMAN BODY
Position of rest
between two
movements

LECTURE 4.2
Philosophical Theory
of Music

PHILOSOPHICAL
THEORY OF MUSIC
Concerns the structure

COSMOLOGICAL of the Physical Universe
PYTHAGORAS
Concerns the Nature

EPISTEMOLOGICAL of Human Knowledge
PLATO

PHYSICAL What does it
UNIVERSE come from?
Where does KNOWLEDGE

it lead to? OF REALITY

COSMOLOGICAL
THEORY OF MUSIC
PYTHAGORAS
570-490 BC
Mathematician
Astronomer
Philosopher
THE SOUND OF THE SOUND

THE UNIVERSE OF MUSIC
“There is geometry in the humming
of the strings; there is music in
the spacing of the spheres.”
Music is the imitation of cosmic sound.
Music Human
of the Music
Spheres Corelli,
Sonata XII,
Music of the
Spheres
"The eyes are made for astronomy, the ears for harmony,
and these are sister sciences." PYTHAGORAS
EPISTEMOLOGICAL THEORY
OF MUSIC BY PLATO
“Gymnastics is for the body,

as music is for the soul.”
PHYSICAL BODY SPIRITUAL SOUL

GYMNASTICS MUSIC
Strong Body Intelligent Soul/Mind
Health Knowledge

LADDER OF KNOWLEDGE TRUTH
REALITY
PHILOSOPHY Ideas or Forms
Realm of Knowledge
MATHEMATICS Numbers
MUSIC Harmony of Spheres
Bach, Toccata and
Fugue in D Minor
ASTRONOMY Heavenly Bodies
PHYSICS Earthly Bodies APPEARANCES
Realm of Opinion
BIOLOGY Animals & Plants and Error
HISTORY Societies
LITERATURE Biographies & Stories
Painting & Sculpture IMITATION

MIMETIC ART
Realm of Ignorance
Theological Theory of Music
AUGUSTINE
“Singing is praying Sing a new song

unto the Lord. Let
twice over.”
your song be sung
from mountains
high. Sing a new
song unto the Lord,
singing alleluiah.
Palestrina,
Credo
GREGORIAN CHANT
Glory to God in the

highest, and peace to his
people on earth. Lord
God, heavenly king,
almighty God and
Father, we worship you,
we give you thanks, we
praise you for your glory.
THEOLOGY ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS
HEAVEN
CHURCH
God, Mary,
TRIUMPHANT Saints, Angels
Prayer=Music
CHURCH EARTH
MILITANT People Alive
PURGATORY
Prayer = Music
Venial Sinners
CHURCH HELL
SUFFERING Moral Sinners
DR. ALLAN C. ORATE

DEFINITION OF ART BASED ON IMITATIONISM
PAINTING Imitation of the appearances of people,

SCULPTURE things or events
MUSIC Imitation of the sound of the universe
Imitation of movements of animals, Four

DANCE nature or things Little
Swans
LITERATURE Imitation of life through language
Imitation of life through action and

DRAMA
dialogue

LECTURE 4.3
Representation
Theory of Art

Representationism
is
an image
an appearance
a copy
a reproduction
of things, people, objects or event.
FIGURATIVE ART
Art that contains representation.
Van Eyck,
The Arnolfini
Marriage
REPRESENTATION
OF PEOPLE

REPRESENTATION OF THINGS OR OBJECTS
UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE Van Gogh, Bedroom at Arles, 1888

REPRESENTATION OF EVENT
UE. DR. ALLAN Francisco,

C. ORATE Mural on the History of the Philippines, 1963
WAYS OF REPRESENTING NATURE
PHYSICAL CHANGING the physical appearance of nature, like

a natural marble that turn into a sculpture by
ALTERATION carving and cutting.
ENHANCING the appearance of nature, like a forest

SELECTIVE that becomes a garden by arranging and trimming
MODIFICATION the plants, or a woman beautifying herself by
putting cosmetics on her face.
Copying nature according to the CHOICE of the

PERCEPTUAL artist, but the resulting image is still recognizable,
INTERPRETATION like in the style of representation in cubist and
fauvist art.
PHYSICAL ALTERATION
OF NATURE
Block of Natural Marble Michaelangelo, Pieta

SELECTIVE
MODIFICATION
OF NATURE
Forest
Garden
LANDSCAPING Art of environmental design

COSMETOLOGY
Art of Facial
Beautification
Natural Beautified
Face Face

PERCEPTUAL INTERPRETATION OF NATURE
Dora
Maar
Real Woman
(Natural Appearance)
The way of presenting the

subject is ABSTRACTIVE Painting of a Woman
(Cubist Style)
REPRESENTATION
IN FAUVIST STYLE
Photo of Mrs. Matisse Matisse, Portrait of

Mrs. Matisse, 1913
DEFINITION OF
ART ACCORDING TO
representationism
made by the artists
is the
recreation of
NATURE created by God

EXACT REPRESENTATION
Natural Tree Painting of a Tree

The more the art resembles nature,
the more it becomes beautiful.
The way of presenting the

subject is REALISTIC
Who was the better painter?
Zeuxis Parrhasius

Zeuxis Parrhasius

Zeuxis Parrhasius

TROMPE
L’OEIL
“trick the eye”
Painting that
looks so realistic
that it fools the
eye as if it sees
the real thing.

Magritte
The Human
Condition
1930

Magritte
The Human
Condition
1933

WILLIAM
SHAKESPEARE
“Art is putting mirror

up to nature.”
“All the world is a stage,

and men and women are
merely players.”

LEONARDO DA VINCI
“Art is a window to nature.”

CHINESE ART
The drawing of forms
which answer to
natural form.
Drawing of a
Humanities
Student

CHINESE ART WU TAO TZU
The drawing of forms “Sage in Chinese Painting”
which answer to
natural form.
Form of Form
Nature
= of Art
Art reaches
perfection and
become divine
CHIEH TZU YUAN

“When painting has STORY: He entered his own
reached divinity (shen), painting and lost there
there is an end of inside forever.
the matter.”
NATURE IN TRADITIONAL CHINESE PAINTING

Zhang Daqian Scenery
TAOISM ART

Constable
Hay Wain

Monet, Field
of Poppies

Michelangelo,
God the Creator,
Sistine Chapel
Painting Detail
1512
CHRISTIAN ART
Representational
ICON
Religious
Images
Masaccio
The Trinity
1425
STYLE
High
Renaissance
Art

Leonardo, The Last Supper, 1498

Pieta
Michelangelo
1499
STYLE
High
Renaissance
Art

LECTURE 4.4
Romantic Realism
in Philippine Art

ROMANTIC REALISM
(In Philippine Art)
Showing only aspect of beauty

Idyllic and exotic rural sceneries
Forms of light and shadow
For tourism purposes
Fabian de la Rosa
Fernando Amorsolo
“Master of Genre” in Philippine Art
Born in Paco, Manila

Studied in Escuela de Bellas Artes
and Academie Julian, Paris France
Director, School of Fine Arts UP
Won Gold and Bronze Award
in St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Awarded Patnubay ng Sining
at Kalinangan, 1968
FABIAN DE LA ROSA
1869-1937

De la Rosa, View of Santa Ana

De la Rosa
Pasay Beach
1927

De DR.
UE. la Rosa,
ALLANA Remembrance
C. ORATE of Villa Borghese, 1909
De la Rosa, Women Working in Rice Field, 1902

De la Rosa, Transplanting Rice, 1904 Won Gold Medal, St. Louis Exposition,
1904

De
UE.laDR.
Rosa, El Kundiman,
ALLAN C. ORATE 1930
De la Rosa,
Aurora Aragon
Quezon

FERNANDO AMORSOLO
1892-1972
Enrolled in Art School, Liceo de Manila
Studied in UP School of Fine Arts
and Academia de San Fernando, Spain
Made more than 10,000 paintings
Won First Prize, New York Fair, 1939
Dean, UP College of Fine Arts
First Philippine National Artist
Most popular painter in the country

“Grand old man of Filipino painters”
Video 4.2. “Master of tropical scenery”
“First Filipino impressionist”

Amorsolo, Leyendo el Periodico, 1908
Won Second Place, Bazar Escolta sponsored
by Asociacion Internacional de Artistas
Amorsolo, Afternoon Meal of Rice Workers, 1929
UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE Won First Prize, New York Fair 1929
Amorsolo
Winnowing
Rice

Amorsolo
Rice Plating
Shows only
aspects of
beauty

Amorsolo,
Tinikling

Amorsolo, Fruit Pickers Under the Mango Tree
Amorsolo, The
UE. DR. ALLANMarket Scene
C. ORATE
Amorsolo,
The Making of
Philippine Flag
Amorsolo, The
Celebration of
the First Mass
Written by
CAMILO OSIAS
in 1917
Illustrated by
FERNANDO
AMORSOLO
Textbook for elementary

students during the
American period

Amorsolo,
Patriotic Pledge
ILLUSTRATION
IN PHILIPPINE
READER

Amorsolo,
A Woman
Reading
a Letter,
1917
ILLUSTRATION
IN PHILIPPINE
READER

Amorsolo,
A Woman
Reading
a Letter,
1917
ILLUSTRATION
IN PHILIPPINE
READER

Amorsolo,
Roasting
Pig, 1917
ILLUSTRATION
IN PHILIPPINE
READER

Amorsolo,
Husband and
Wife Harvesting
Banana, 1917
ILLUSTRATION
IN PHILIPPINE
READER

Isidro Ancheta
(1882-1946)
Batis
AMORSOLO’S
FRIEND

Dominador
Castaneda
(1904-1967)
Women
Washing by
the Stream
AMORSOLO’S
FRIEND

Cesar
Buenaventura
(1922-1983),
Bahay Kubo
AMORSOLO’S
INFLUENCE

Cesar
Buenaventura
Bahay Kubo

Cesar
Buenaventura
Landscape
1975

PRAISE FOR AMORSOLO’S
REPRESENTATIONAL STYLE
OF ROMANTIC REALISM
The paintings by Amorsolo
are “true reflection of
the Filipino soul.”
CRITIQUE
It is highly commercialized,
and is meant for political
propaganda by hiding
the social reality under
the appearance of
order and beauty.
MMDA Art
Beauty sa Harap, Pero sa Likod
UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE Industrial Valley, Marikina
Marikina
Industrial
Valley

Metro Gwapo Project, MMDA Bayani Fernando
Manasala,
Madonna of
the Slums,
1950
PHILIPPINE ART
From Romantic Realism
Through Modernism
To Social Realism

ACTIVITY AND
ASSESMENT

ACTIVITY AND ASSESMENT
a. Assign members of the group to make a representational

work of art. One member is the artist, and another one is
the model. The artist must copy the appearance of the
model exactly as he or she looks like.
b. Assign other members of the group to make landscape

painting based on the style of Romantic Realism in
Philippine art.

RUBRICS FOR ACTIVITY 3
Excellent Good Fair Needs
CRITERIA (10-12 points) (7-9 points) (4-6 points) Improvement
(1-3)
All members
Group All members actively participated in the Some members did The group does
participation and participated in the activity, but the not participate in not show any
collaboration activity, and the group does not the activity, and the collaboration and
during the group collaborated show a unified group collaboration participation at all
activity. harmoniously. collaboration. is not harmonious
The artwork does

The artwork The artworks not look like the The artwork
Representational looks exactly like looks like the model model in many does not look like
Artwork the model. except for some parts of the the model at all.
parts. composition
Romantic realism is The composition Romantic realism is The composition

Application of correctly applied correctly applies incorrectly applied does not apply
Romantic Realism to the whole romantic realism to many parts of the romantic realism
composition. except to some composition. at all.
parts of it.

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LECTURE 4

Art and Philosophy:

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

4.1. Orate, Allan C. (2010). “Lecture Notes on Aesthetics: Theories

4.2. Shimamura, A. P (2012). “Towards a Science of Aesthetics.” In

4.3. Plato, “Allegory of the Cave” in Republic, VII 514 a, 2 to

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

4.1. “What is Art? maARTe ako.” In https://www.youtube.

4.2. “Xiao Time “Fernando Amorsolo: Ang Grand old Man

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

4.2. Philosophical Theory of Music

4.3. Representation Theory of Art

4.4. Romantic Realism in Philippine Art

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE

UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE

UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE

UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE

IMITATION APPEARANCE REALITY

Painting of Chair Material Chair Idea of Chair

ART Copy of Made by a

ROSE DAWSON KATE WINSLET IDEA

UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE

UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE

Inside the Cave Outside the Cave

Inside the Cave Outside the Cave

Inside the Cave Outside the Cave

Art is the imitation

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DR. ALLAN C. ORATE, UE

Concerns the structure

Concerns the Nature

UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE

Where does KNOWLEDGE

UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE

THE SOUND OF THE SOUND

“Gymnastics is for the body,

PHYSICAL BODY SPIRITUAL SOUL

UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE

Painting & Sculpture IMITATION

“Singing is praying Sing a new song

Glory to God in the

DR. ALLAN C. ORATE

PAINTING Imitation of the appearances of people,

MUSIC Imitation of the sound of the universe

Imitation of movements of animals, Four

LITERATURE Imitation of life through language

Imitation of life through action and

UE. DR. ALLAN C. ORATE