CHAPTER 1

HUMANITIES !
 WHAT IS
HUMANITIES ???
Introduction:

 Humanities came from the Latin word

“Humanus”, it is the study of how humans
have expressed themselves through the arts
throughout the history.
 Humanities is a broad field. It includes not
only the fine arts such as painting, sculpture,
and architecture, but also the performing arts
such as music, dance, drama, and opera, and
the literary arts such as prose and poetry.
WHAT IS AN ART ?

 According to Webster, art is “human ingenuity

in adapting natural things to man’s use”.
 Art came from the word “ars” which means
skill. It is synonymous with skill, cunning,
artifice, and craft, which all mean the faculty of
what is devised.
 Art may be used in interchangeably with all the
other terms but, in its most distinct sense, it
contrast with them in applying a personal,
unanalyzeable creative power; skill stresses
technical knowledge and proficiency.
FUNCTIONS OF ART

• Art serves several functions which are

corollary to its purposes. These
functions include but are not limited to
following: personal or individual,
social, economic, political, historical,
cultural, religious, physical, and
aesthetic.
Personal or Individual Function

Artist have their own personal reasons for

indulging in art. The English poet Robert
Browning expressed his love to Elizabeth
Barrett- Browning in the form of a poem
entitled “My Last Duchess,” Elizabeth did the
same by means of the poem entitled “How Do
I Love Thee?” Another poet, Edwin
Markham, wrote the poem “The Man with the
Hoe” because he was inspired by the painting
of a farmer that he had seen earlier.
Social Function
 Man is a social being and as such he associates with this
fellow beings. This association is evidenced by the choral
singing and group dancing in religious rites and other
practices.
Economic Function
 Many people believe that it does not pay to be an artist.
However, this belief is negated by these facts. Joanne K.
Rowling, the author of the best-selling Harry Potter series,
became one of the most highly-paid women in British
history. Elvis Presley and michael Jackson raked millions
for their best-selling records. Paintings of a great painters
such as Da Vinci and Bounarroti are worth millions of
dollars now. GMA-7 spent millions of pesos for the set of
“Indio” and the costume of Richard Gutierrez in “Captain
Barbel.”
Political Function
 When Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, a patroness of
the arts became the Governor of Metro Manila, she
promoted her political programs by means of the
arts. Part of her beautification program was the
painting of murals along national roads and busy
streets frequented by motorists.
Historical Function
 Paintings, sculptures, architectural works, and
other art forms serve to record historical figures and
events. Paintings of French kings, sculptures of
Philippine heroes, tombs of rulers and religious
plays, for example, the cenaculo not pnly
commemorate but also celebrate historical greats.
Cultural Function
 Buildings, furniture, clothes, and the like form part
of the country’s material culture, while music, dance,
language, which is incorporated in oral and written
literature and drama, form part of its non-material
culture. Therefore, paintings, sculptures, architectural
works, songs, dances, dramas, and literary pieces are
embodiments of a nation culture.
Religious Function
 Almost all, if not all, art forms evolved from
religion. People in the olden times worshipped their
gods in the form of songs and dances. The earliest
dramatic forms were religious in nature. The first Greek
paintings and sculptures were those of gods and
goddesses.
Physical Function
 Houses and other buildings are constructed to
protect their occupants and all the other inside them. At
times, paintings serve to protect the walls and ceilings
of some buildings, while sculpture serve as columns of
some buildings as in Greek and Roman architecture.
Aesthetic Function
 Artworks serve beautify. Paintings serve to decorate
houses and other buildings. Sculptures serve to
decorate churches and similar edifices. Tall buildings
are sights to behold. Set designs, as well as costumes
and props, make dramas, dance performances, and
song renditions not only realistic but also appealing to
the audience.
 ART STYLE
AND FACTORS
AFFECTING
STYLE !
ART STYLE AND FACTORS AFFECTING STYLE !

 Every artist has his way of presenting

his work. Such is called art style. Such
style is affected by the following factors:
geographical, historical, social, ideational,
psychological, and technical.
Geographical Factors
 The place where the artist stays influences his
works. Marble sculptures are a plenty in Romblon
because marble abounds in that province in the same
way as wooden sculptures abound in Paete, Laguna
where woodcarving is the primary occupation of the
male population.
Historical Factors
 Historical events exert a great influence on artist,
particularly the writers. Jose Rizal’s novels, Noli Me
Tanggere and El Filibusterismo, graphically highlights
the events that took place in the country during the last
century of Hispanic rule.
Social Factors
 Social relationships affect artists, too. Society at most
times dictate the types of paintings, sculptures, songs,
dances, literary pieces, and movies to be produced.
Independent film such as “Kubrador” and “Ang
Pagdadalaga ni Maximo” show present-day realities in
Philippine society.
Ideational Factors
 The ideas coming from various people also influence
artists. The idea that the human body is the most
beautiful figure to present as an art subject give rise to
the school of thought called nudism. Painters opted to
produce paintings of nude males and females. In
sculpture, nudism became a fad with the creation of
nude figures of male gods known as Apollo statues.
Psychological Factors
 At times, the works produced by the artists are affected
by their psychological make-up or frame of mind. For
instance, the first painting of Edward Munch, “The Sick
Child,” is an effect of his unfortunate childhood experience
of contracting a long illness after losing his loved one at an
early age.
Technical Factors
 Techniques matter as far as artistic styles are concerned.
In fact, painters employ a variety of techniques to make
their works unique. Different brushes produce different
strokes. If there are no brushes, painters use their hands.
Those without hands make use of their mouths or feet.
PRINCIPLES OF ART

To come up with attractive artworks,

artists must be governed by the five
conventions of artistic compositions.
The five principles of art are harmony,
balance, rhythm, proportion, and
emphasis.
Harmony
 Harmony is themost essential factor in a composition.
Also called unity, harmony is achieved when all the
elements of a thing are put together to come up with the
coherent whole. Every part of a work of art is necessary to
the composition to the extent that all the parts exhibit a
sense of belonging together and a pleasing relationship with
one another. If one of the parts those not complement the
others, then lack of harmony results.
Balance
 Known as physical equilibrium, balance is stability
produced by even distribution of weight on each side of the
thing. It is classified into formal or informal.
Formal Balance
 Formal balance exists if the weights at equal distance
from the center are equal. It is also called symmetrical
balance because the thing displays symmetry. Bilateral
symmetry is present when the left and the right sides appear
the same; the right side mirrors the left, said of the human
body. Radial symmetry exists when the same measure
occurs from the central point to the end of every radius; this
kind of symmetry applies to round objects or those with
radii like stars and starfishes.
Informal Balance
 Informal balance is present when the left and the right
sides of the thing, though not identical in appearance, still
display an even distribution of weight. It is also known
asymmetrical or occult balance.
Rhythm
 Rhythm is the continuous use of a motif or repetitive
pattern of a succession of similar or identical items. It can
be achieved by alternation, radiation, or parallelism.
Rhythm is exemplified by concentric circles, by an
alternation of black and white stripes, by checkered blue
and orange squares.
Proportion
 Proportion is the comparative relationship of the
different parts in relation to the whole. It s the proper and
pleasing relationship of one object with the others in a
design. According to Polyclitus, a well-proportioned human
body is eight head parts, that is, the head is one-eight of the
inter human body.
Emphasis
 Emphasis is giving proper importance on
one or more parts of the thing or the whole
thing itself. It is achieved by means of size or
proportion, shape, color, line, position, and
variety. More often than not, the artist
emphasize the one with the bigger size or
proportion, the one with the different shape or
color, the one with striking lines, the one
positioned at the center, and the one that is
unique,
GENRES OF ARTS
 Artists abound since there are many
genres of art. And the number of
artists keeps on increasing as new
forms of art emerge. Based on the
sensory perception involved, the
genres of art are classified into visual
arts, audio-visual art, and literary arts.
Visual Arts
 Visual arts are those forms perceived by the eyes. This
include painting, sculpture, and architecture. They are also
called spatial arts. They are further divided into graphic arts
and plastic arts.
Graphic Arts
 Graphic arts are those visual arts that have length and
width; thus, they are also called two-dimensional arts. They
are described as flat arts because they are seen on flat
surfaces.
Plastic Arts
 Plastic arts are those visual arts that have length, width,
and volume; thus, they are also called three-dimensional
arts.
Audio-Visual Arts
 Audio-visual arts are those forms perceived by
both ears (audio) and eyes (video). They are called
performing arts inasmuch as the artists render a
performance in front of an audience.
Literary Arts
 Literary arts are those presented in the written
mood and intended to be read. These include prose
and poetry. Prose form differ from verse or poetic
forms in that the former are in paragraph form,
while the latter are in stanza form.
DIVISIONS OF ART STUDY !
Humanities or the study of the arts
was limited to aesthetics or art
appreciation and/or art history during
the second half of the 20th century.
Humanities deals with the four
divisions of arts study, namely, art
appreciation, art history, art
production, and art criticism.
Aesthetics or Art Appreciation
 Aesthetics, the science of beauty, is that division af art study in
which the student learns to admire the artist, value the highly
different works of art, and appreciate the role of art in society.
Art History
 Art history is that division of art study in which the student
acquires knowledge of the artists, their backgrounds their
masterpieces, and their significant contributions in various fields of
art.
Art Production
 Art production is that division of art study in which the student
learns to use his creativity and apply his artistic knowledge and skills
and producing his own works of art.
Art Criticism
 Art criticism is that division of art study in which the student
learns use his judgement in evaluating different artworks based on
the criteria set.
 ELEMENTS
OF THE
VISUAL ARTS !
To produce an awe-inspiring artwork, an
artist must know first the different principles
of art and the elements of the specific art he
is engaged in. Knowledge of the art
principles and the elements of the visual arts
is helpful in art production.
Line
 A line is a series of connected dots or a prolongation of a point to
show the shape of form of any piece of art. It is an important
element of visual arts because all painters, sculptors, and architects
use lines as springboard of their finished products.
Vertical Lines
 Vertical lines show height or statue, poise, balance, force,
strength, dignity, and dynamism. A tall tree, a standing man, a bird
poised for flight, and a flagpole are presented with vertical lines.
Horizontal Lines
 Horizontal lines indicate width, rest, repose, quietness, calmness,
serenity, infinity, contemplation, and inaction.
Diagonal Lines
 Diagonal lines manifest movement, action, and direction. A
running man, a flying bird, a galloping horse, a flowing river, and
fireworks displays diagonal lines.
Broken or Jagged Lines
 Broken or Jagged lines connote chaos, confusion, tension,
disturbance, violence, or war.
Straight Lines
 Straight lines exhibit steadiness, stiffness, stillness, inactivity, and
force. Inanimate objects like buildings and bridges are shown with
straight lines.
Curved Lines
 Compared to diagonal lines, curved lines whether concave or
convex indicate movements that are smooth.
Repeating Lines
 Repeating lines are a succession of vertical (IIIIIIIIIII), horizontal
(-------), diagonal (//////// or \\\\\\\) or curved (CCCCC) lines. They
are used to show rhythm.
Contrasting Lines
 Contrasting lines are a combination of vertical and horizontal
lines (LLLLLLLLLL) or a combination of diagonal lines (XXXXX
or <<<<< or >>>>> ) in opposite directions.
Modified Lines
 Modified lines are a combination of straight and curved lines
([{}]) or a combination of lines of varying shapes({>O<}).
COLORS !
 Color is the most important and most noticeable of all
the elements of visual arts. Dependent on the presence of
light, it is that properly of an object that makes it appealing
to the visual sense. Colors are classified in several ways.
Based on how they are produced, colors are classified into
primary, secondary, and intermediate. According to their
position in the color wheel, they are adjacent, analogous,
complimentary, split complimentary, or triadic. Based on
their effect on the visual sense, they are either cool or
warm. According to value, they are either light or dark.
Based on intensity, they are either bright or dark.
Primary Colors
 Primary colors are blue, red, and yellow (BRY). They are described
as primary colors because they are first to be produced and the rest of
the colors are produced as a result of their combination.
Secondary Colors
 Secondary colors are green, orange, and violet (GOV). They are
produced by combining two primary colors. For example, green is a
product of combining blue and yellow, orange is a product of combining
red and yellow, and violet is a product of combining red and blue.
Intermediate Colors
 intermediate colors are red-violet (RV), red-orange (RO), yellow-
orange (YO), yellow-green (YG), blue-green (BG), and blue-violet
(BV). They are produced by combining one primary color and one
secondary color.
Adjacent Colors
 Adjacent colors are those colors situated next to each other in the
color wheel. Examples are red and red-orange, yellow and yellow green,
and blue and blue-violet.
Analogous Colors
 Analogous colors are three or four neighboring colors with
one color in all mixtures.
Complementary Colors
 Complementary colors are those colors situated opposite
each other in the color wheel. Examples are red and green, blue
and orange, and yellow and violet. Double complementary
colors are two pairs of opposite colors.
Split Complementary Colors
 Split complementary colors are any three colors forming a Y
in the color wheel. Double split complementary colors are any
two sets of three colors forming a Y in the color wheel.
Triadic Colors
 Triadic colors are a set of three colors forming a triangle in
the color wheel.
Cool Colors
 Cool colors are those that are inconspicuous and not striking to the eyes.
Also called receding colors, they suggest distance, tranquility, sobriety, and
restfulness.
Warm Colors
 Warm colors are those colors that are conspicuous and striking to the eyes.
Also called advancing colors, they suggest warmth, vivacity, cheerfulness,
exultation, stimulation, instinctive action and excitement.
Light Colors/Tints
 Light colors or tints are those colors with values lower than the normal
value. For example, pink or fuchsia is a tint of red and azure (sky blue) is a
tint of blue.
Dark Colors/Shades
 Dark colors or shades are those colors with values higher than the normal
value.
Rainbow or Primatic Colors
 Prismatic or rainbow colors are those colors that form a rainbow or a prism.
(ROYGBIV or VIBGYOR).
Neutral Colors
 Neutral colors are those which serve to balance colors. Examples are white,
gray, black, brown, peach, cream, gold, sliver, and bronze.
Texture
 Texture is the element of the visual arts associated with the
sense of touch. It is the surface characteristic of an area. An
artwork may be smooth or rough, fine or coarse, glossy or dull,
regular or irregular. The tactile effect that an artist wants to
produce out of his artwork is dependent on the medium or material
he uses.
Shape
 Shape is the external appearance of clearly defined area. It
contributes to the final form of the artwork. Circles and polygons
are put together to make up the whole object.
Space
 Space is the area or surface occupied by the artwork. A painting
covers a flat surface such as a wall. Because a sculpture has
volume, it occupies not only the area on which it stands, but also
the area from the top to the bottom and from the left to the right
side of the object.
Volume
 Allied to space, volume is the amount of space occupied by an
object in three dimensions. Pertaining to solidity or thickness, it is
perceived in two ways; by contour lines or outlines or shapes of
objects and by surface light and shadows.
Perspective
 Perspective is synonymous with point of view, angle of vision,
or frame of reference. It is the point where the artist stands to
view his subject as he creates his artwork. It refers to the location
and distance upon the appearance of an object by which his eyes
judge spatial relationships.
Form
 Form refers to the overall composition of the artwork. It
describes the entire shape or organization of the thing or object
created.
 METHODS OF
PRESENTING
THE SUBJECTS
 Every artist has his individual style of doing his
artwork. This style is almost always governed by
his choice of the method of presenting his subject.
He can choose from any of the following methods:
realism, abstractionism, surrealism, symbolism,
favism, dadaism, impressionism, expressionism,
and futurism.
Realism
 Also termed naturalism, realism is the method of
presenting subjects as they appear in real life. If an apple is
the subject, it is shown as is with either red or green.
Abstractionism
 Abstractionism is “drawing away from realism”. The
word abstractionism was derived from the verb abstract
meaning to draw away. Therefore, an abstractionist draws
away from reality as he creates his artwork. His product is a
departure from what is present in real life. For example, in
painting a human body, a person is shown with no facial
features, no fingers, no toes, and no hair. An abstractionist
selects from any of the following methods: distortion,
mangling, elongation, cubism, and abstract expressionism.
Distortion
 Distortion is presenting the subject in a misshaped fom.
For example, an apple is shown as a square or a circle or a
star apple as ovoid (egg-shaped) or cylindrical (funnel-
like).
Mangling
 Mangling is presenting the subject with parts which are
cut, lacerated, mutilated, or hacked with repeated blows.
Elongation
 As the word suggest, elongation is presenting the subject
in an elongated form. It is done by stretching the object.
Cubism
 Cubism is presenting the subject with the use of cubes
and other geometric figures.
Abstract Expressionism
 Abstract expressionism is presenting the subject with the use of
strong color, uneven brush strokes, and rough texture and with the
deliberate lack of refinement in the application of the paint.
Surrealism
 Surrealism is “beyond realism”. It is presenting the subjects as if
the subject does not form part of the real world, but belongs to the
world of dreams and fantasy.
Symbolism
 Symbolism is presenting the subject symbolically, that is, the
artist shows his subject as it appears in real life, but he intends to let
it represent something.
Fauvism
 Fauvism is optimistic realism. It is presenting the real-life
subject with the use of bright colors suggesting comfort, joy, and
pleasure. The colors bright red, yellow, orange, purple, and the like
are used instead of blue, black, gray, green, and brown.
Dadaism
 Dadaism is shocking realism. It is presenting the real-life
subject with the intention to shock the audience through the
exposition of the evils in society. Derived from the French
word dada meaning hobby horse, Dadaism started as a
protest art movement composed of painters and writers
whose desire was to revolutionize the outworn at traditions.
Expressionism
 Expressionism is emotional realism. It is presenting the
real-life subject with the intention to express emotions,
pathos, chaos, fear, violence, defeat, morbidity, and tragedy.
During the first decade of the 20th century, it is a style of
modern painting which puts stress on intense color, agitated
brushwork, and violent imagery to express painful emotions,
anxiety, and hallucinatory states.
Impressionism
 Impressionism is realism based on the artist’s
impression. It is presenting the real-life subject
with emphasis on the impression left in the artist’s
mind or perception, particularly the effect of light
on the object used as subject. Going beyond what
is real, the artist may distort color or form.
Futurism
 Futurism is realism in the future. It is
presenting a subject that relates not to the present,
but to the future.
THANK YOU
FOR
LISTENING 