Republic of the Philippines

President Ramon Magsaysay State University

Zambales
Telefax : 047-8111683/email address: prmsu.edu.ph

GEE 12: READING VISUAL ARTS

Chapter 3
SUBJECT OF ART AND METHODS OF PRESENTING
SUBJECT

Learning
LearningObjectives
Objectives
• • Classify
Classifyartworks
artworksaccording
accordingtotosubject
subject
• • Analyze
Analyze how artists present theirsubjects
how artists present their subjectsininrelation
relationtotothe
thereal
realsubject
subject
• • Define an artist’s or artisan’s medium and
Define an artist’s or artisan’s medium and technique
technique

SUBJECT OF ART
Subject of art is usually anything that is represented in the artwork. It may be a
person, object, scene or event. Not all arts have subjects. Those arts without subject are
called “non-objective” they do not represent anything.
1. Representational or Objective Arts – Artworks that depict something that can easily
be recognized which is real and part of this world. This simply means that representational
artwork aims to represent or show actual objects or subjects from reality. Hence, artworks
under this classification are also called objective arts.
a) Portraiture – (pictures of men and women) It became popular before the invention
of the camera; was enjoyed only by elite: kings and noblemen; nowadays, charcoal
is one of the mediums used in doing portraits.

- Carlos Duarte -Bread and Shutter

b) Animals and Plants – It represents animals and plants. It became the trend due to
man’s first encounters with plants and animals for survival; even now, painters

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 prefer animals and plants, specifically flowering plants as subjects for their
paintings.

- Patricia White - Michelle Mara

c) Still Life – representing inanimate objects or non-living things placed on a table or

another setting to become a subject in a certain artwork. It is always available and
capable to be organized. E.g. a basket of fruits, a bag of groceries, a pack of
cigarettes, a bunch of flowers, and a bucket of chicken.

-Sejal Raval -Clara Peeeters

d) Country Life – copying scenes happening in the community. E.g. a barrio fiesta,
a fluvial parade, a bountiful rice harvest, a big catch of fishes, and a natural
calamity.

-Robert Duncan - Fernando Amorsolo

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e) Landscape – It depicts pictures of land forms. E.g. the volcano, the mountain, the
hill, the valley, the plain, the cliff and the like.

-Faim Faim -Anne Marie Bone

f) Seascape – pictures of any of the water forms e.g. the ocean, the sea, the river, the
lake, the brook, the pond, the falls, and the like.

-June Nelson -Anton Gorlin

g) Cityscape – pictures of an aerial view of a city or a portion of it.

h) Religious Items – The Holy Family, Madonna and the Child, Jesus Christ, angels,
saints and other religious objects.

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 -Rosaries - Shalin Indian Brass

i) Mythological, fictional, and cartoon characters – supernatural beings and

fantasies, technological items, and objects.

Zeus Poseidon Hercules and Cerebrus

2. Non-Representational or Non-Objective Arts – Artworks that have no resemblance
to any real subject or objects or anything from nature. It does not represent anything. This
may take the form of emphasizing lines, shapes or colors that transform the subject.

• Abstract – Abstraction indicates a departure from reality in depiction or imagery

in art. This departure from accurate representation can be slight, partial, or
complete.
Energized by Tom Fedro
Chicago artist Tom Fedro creates art with zing and
boundless humor. Bright colors, big features and bold lines
that seem to be electrically charged represent an existing way
of seeing and experiencing the world through his eyes.

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 Tom Fedro is a self-representing Chicago artist.
He is best known for his large-size original abstract
nudes, faces, animals, wine and contemporary modern
paintings, but likes to experiment with other styles as
well.

What is the difference between subject and content in Art?

Subject is the literal, visible image in a work while content includes the
connotative, symbolic, and suggestive aspects of the image. The subject matter is the
subject of the artwork, e.g., still life, portrait, landscape etc.
Content is not subject or things in the painting. Content is the communication of
ideas, feelings and reactions connected with the subject.

METHODS OF PRESENTING SUBJECTS

Every artist has his own individual and unique style of doing his artworks. This
style is almost always governed by his choice of the methods of presenting his subject.
1. REALISM – It is also known as naturalism.
This is an attempt to represent things as it is
with accuracy and precision. It is executed
in a photographic precision. We can say that
an art is realistic when the representation
and organization of details in the work seem
so natural. Like-wise it mirrors reality.

The Desperate Man by Gustave Courbet, 1844-

1845, Oil painting

2. SURREALISM – is an invented
word meaning “super naturalism”
or beyond realism. Surrealists
attempt to represent subjects
which were the result of dreams
and fantasies.
The Persistence of Memory, oil on canvas by
Salvador Dalí, 1931

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 Features of Surrealistic Art
Dream-like scenes and symbolic images
Games and techniques to create random
effects
Visual puns
Distorted figures and biomorphic shapes
Primitive or child-like designs

“Glass Tears” by Man Ray, 20th Century Photography

3. SYMBOLISM - A symbol is a visible sign

of something invisible such as an idea or
quality. Symbolism systematically uses
symbols to concentrate or intensify meaning,
making the work of art more subjective
(rather than objective) and conventional.

The Poor Fisherman, Oil on canvas by

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, 1881

For example, a flag is a symbol of a

country and it depicts the value of nationalism;
a lion to represent courage and a lamb to
represent meekness. The logos and emblems of
business firms and the coat of arms of bishops
are also examples of symbolism.

“The Making of the Philippine Flag”

Painted by Fernando Amorsolo

4. FAUVISM - It is derived from the French

“les fauves,” which means “the wild
beasts.” It is the first movement in the
modern period in which color ruled supreme
and emphasizes the use of extremely bright
colors.

André Derain, “The Turning Road” 1906

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 To a fauvist, for example, a tree trunk
need not be brown. It could be bright red, purple
or any other color.

- Andre Derain “The dance” 1906 - Oil on

canvas

As Henri Matisse, the most famous fauve artist put it:

“When I put down a green, it does not mean grass; and when I put down a blue, it does
not mean the sky''. Color, in short, was completely set free.

5. DADAISM - The term “dada” is a French word, which means a “hobby-horse.” A

hobby-horse is a child’s toy consisting of a wooden horse mounted on a stick. With
this etymology, we could say that Dadaism is system of art which is “nonsensical”
or making no sense. Some would say it is not an art because it strives to have no
meaning at all.

6. FUTURISM – is an art movement that

originated in Italy in the early 20th century.
Machine and motions are the main subject of this
technique which try to show movement and
speed. Thus, futurism can be considered as
realism in the future.

“New City” by Antonio Sant'Elia 1914

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7. IMPRESSIONISM – It is also sometimes
referred to as optical realism due to its interest
in the actual viewing experience, including
such things as the effect of color, light and
movement on the appearance of the objects
depicted in the artworks.

Impressionism focused on directly

describing the visual sensations derived from
nature. Devotees of Impressionism were not
concerned with the actual depiction of the
objects they painted. Instead they were
concerned with the visual impressions aroused
by those objects.

8. ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM – Abstract means “drawing away from reality”

or “to move away”. The principle of
departure from the real life or reality makes
abstraction stands out and different among
other methods.

A realist artist represents subject as

is in his artworks but an abstractionist
ignores the exact form of a real-life object.
Abstract arts challenge the minds of the
viewer to look deeper.

Abstract Expressionism was

influenced by the Existentialist
philosophy, which emphasized the
importance of the act of creating, not of the
finished object. What matters for the artist
are the qualities of the paint and the act of
painting itself.

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ARTIST AND ARTISAN
− Artists are the creator of tangible
or intangible products (works of
art) as an expression of creativity
and imagination for purely
aesthetic reasons.
− Artist can be considered as any
person involved in creating and
designing objects related to any of the
fine arts like painting, sculpture, mu sic,
dance and literature.
− Artists express themselves to any form
of arts using mediums or materials for
the artworks to have its artistic integrity.

− Artisan is a skilled craft worker or

craftsman who makes things using
his hands. It is derived from the
French word “artisan” meaning,
skilled workers who create things
by hand which can be functional or
decorative.

Decorative arts include the

following: furniture, pottery, textile,
jewelry, food items, household
items and tools or any applied arts.

− Artisans are the makers of products

or crafts, not only for aesthetic value
for decorative purposes but for
practical value, such as for business
purposes.
− Artisan skills are developed through the influence of their family or of their
community as well.
− Artisans consider themselves as business people because their products are
involved in the business market or from the very start, in the
entrepreneurship world.

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