MODULE 1: THE MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF ART

A. The Nature of Art

B. The Subject of Art
C. The Function of Art
D. The Scope of Art
E. The Origin of Art
WEEK NUMBER: One

TIME ALLOTMENT: Three

OBJECTIVES/ LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this module, the students will be able to:
1. To explain the meaning, nature, and importance of arts in our lives;
2. To determine the subject of art and its functions; and
3. To be able to reflect on the functions of art with regard to their personal
contributions to the development of art.

LEARNING CONTENT:

THE MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF ART

Introduction

Loosely defined, the term humanities refers to the arts – the visual arts such
as architecture, painting, and sculpture; the performing arts such as music, dance,
theater or drama, and literature. They are the branches of learning concerned with
human thought, feelings, and relations. The term art comes from the Italian word,
artis, which means “craftsmanship, skill, mastery of form, inventiveness, and the
association that exists between form and ideas and between material and
techniques;” from the Aryan root ar which means “to join” or “put together”; from
the Greek words “artizein,” which means to “prepare”, and arkiskein, meaning to
“put together.”

Discussion

A. The Nature of Art

Art is very important in our lives. It constitutes one of the oldest and most
important means of expression developed by man. Art has been existent since men
have lived together. In fact, in nearly every country, art can be found in primitive
societies. Art has been created by all people at all times; it has lived because it is
liked and enjoyed.

Art has been defined in various ways. Hereunder are some of the definitions
given by various authors:

1. Art is derived from Latin word ars, meaning “ability of skill.” – J.V. Estolas
2. Art is taken from the Italian word artis, which means craftsmanship, skill,
mastery of form, inventiveness, and the associations that exist between form
and ideas, between material and technique. – A. Tan
3. Art is a product of man’s need to express himself. – F. Zulueta
4. Arts is concerned with the communication of certain ideas and feelings by
means of sensuous medium, color, sound, bronze, marble, words, and film. –
C. Sanchez
5. Art is that which brings life in harmony with the beauty of the world. – Plato
6. Art is an attitude of spirit, a state of mind – one which demands for its own
satisfaction and fulfilling, a shaping of matter to new and more significant
form. – John Dewey
7. Art is the skillful arrangement or composition of some common but significant
qualities of nature such as colors, sounds, lines, movements, words, stones,
wood, etc., to express human feelings, emotions, or thoughts in a perfect
meaningful and enjoyable way. – Panizo and Rustia
 Art appreciation is the ability to interpret or understand man-made arts and
enjoy them either through actual and work-experience with art tools and materials or
possession of these works of art for one’s admiration and satisfaction.

B. The Subject of Art

In any art form – painting, music, sculpture, architecture, or dance – there is

always a subject that serves as the foundation of the creation of the work of art. The
subject of art is varied. A subject of art is usually anything that is represented in the
artwork. It is varied – it may be a person, object, scene, or event.

Artworks that depict something easily recognized by most people we are

called representational or objective arts. Painting, sculpture, graphic arts, literature,
and theater arts are generally classified as representational.

Artwork that have no resemblance to any real subjects are called non-
representational or non-objective arts. They do not represent anything and they are
what they are. They rather appeal directly to the sense primarily because of the
satisfying organization of their elements.

C. The Function of Art

Every art form has a definite functions since it satisfies a particular need. To
the layman, art may have little function. Some find meaning in art in its directly and
almost entirely functional because buildings and other structures are always built for
some special purpose.

The four main functions of art are:

1. Aesthetic Function – Through art, man becomes conscious of the beauty of
nature. He benefits from his own work and from those done by his fellowmen.
2. Utilitarian Function – With the creation of the various forms of art, man
now lives in comfort and happiness. Art not only enriches man’s life but also
improves nature through landscape gardening, creation of super-highways,
and through propagation and conservation of natural resources.
3. Cultural Function – Through the printed matter, art transmits and preserves
skills and knowledge from one generation to another.
4. Social Function – Through civic and graphic arts, man learns to love and
help each other. International understanding and cooperation are fostered
and nations become more unified, friendly, cooperative, helpful, and
sympathetic.

D. The Scope of Art

Manaois

Two general dimension of arts:

1. Fine arts or independent arts – made primarily for aesthetic enjoyment
through the senses, especially visual and auditory. (Music, painting,
sculpture, architecture, literature, dance and drama)

2. Practical Arts or useful or utilitarian arts – intended for practical use. It

is the development of raw materials for utilitarian purposes. (industrial
art, applied or household art, civic art, commercial art, graphic art,
agricultural art, business art, distributive art and fishery art)
Custodiosa Sanchez (2002)
1. Visual arts – we perceive with our eyes (graphic and plastic arts).
 Graphic arts (painting, drawing, photography, graphic
process/printing, commercial art, mechanical process)
 Plastic arts – three dimensional forms (structural
architecture, landscape architecture, city physical
planning and interior arranging, sculpture, crafts,
industrial design, dress and costume design, and
theatre design)
2. Literature
 3. Drama and theater
4. Music
5. Dance
Josefina Estolas (1995)

1. Major Arts (Painting, architecture, sculpture, literature, music, and

dance)
2. Minor Arts (decorative arts, popular arts, graphic arts, plastic arts, and
industrial arts)

 Visual arts (graphic arts, plastic arts)

 Performing arts (theater, play, dance, music)
 Literary arts (short story, novel, poetry, drama)
 Popular arts (film, newspaper, magazines, radio, television)
 Gustatory art of the cuisine (food preparation, beverage preparation)
 Decorative arts or applied arts (beautification of houses, offices, cars,
and other structure)
Panizo and Rustia (1995)

1. According to purpose
 Practical arts or useful arts – dedicated to produce artifacts and
utensils for the satisfaction of human needs. (Handicrafts,
embroidery, ceramics, iron and metal crafts, and tin can
manufacturing)
 Liberal arts – directed toward intellectual growth (Philosophy,
psychology, literature, mathematics, and sciences)
 Fine arts – creativity for the contemplation of the mind and the
uplifment of the spirit (painting, sculpture, and architecture)
 Major arts – characterized by actual and potential expressiveness
(music, poetry, and sculpture)
 Minor arts – practical uses and purposes (interior decoration and
porcelain art)

2. According to media and forms – divided into five types: plastic arts
(exist in a physical space and perceived by the sense of sight), phonetic
arts, kinetic arts (involves the element of rhythm), pure arts (one
medium of expression like sound in music and color in painting), and
mixed arts (more than one medium such as the opera which combines
music, poetry, and drama).

Figure. 1 Various authors classify arts in different ways

E. The Origin of Art

The history of art began with that of humanity. Art dates back to the time
when superstitions and beliefs in the spirits are still very common in every culture.
Indigenous art in the form of dancing, painting, music, and poetry accompanied
ancient rituals and ceremonies. Men and women of the early times perform dances to
entertain, to worship their gods and goddesses, or to invoke success and blessings.
Their music and poetry chronicles the life and works of their ancestors as well as
legendary origins of heroes, heroines, and gods.

Summary

Arts is very important in our lives as it is concerned with the communication

of certain ideas and feelings by means of a sensuous medium – color, sound, bronze,
marble, words, and films. The subject of art is varied. Some arts are representational;
others are nonrepresentational, non-objective, or abstract. All arts have functions for
people since they satisfy particular needs of people. Visual arts or space arts are
those that we perceive with our own eye and which occupy space. Auditory or time
arts are those that can be heard and are expressed in time. Combined arts are those
that can be both seen and heard and exist in both space and time.
REFERENCES:

1. Tabotabo C.V. (2013). Arts Appreciation; Introduction to Humanities.

2. Ariola, M. (2014) Introduction to Art Appreciation A textbook in Humanities.
Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
3. Custodiosa A.S, Ph. D. Et.al. (2011). Fifth Edition Introduction to Humanities.

LEARNING TASK/ ACTIVITY 1

WEEK 1

Name: ________________________________ Program & Year:____________________

General Direction:
1. Read the module intended for Week 1.
2. Answer the seatwork/activity/assignment/quiz given by the instructor.
3. Put your answer in MS Word (A4) and convert in pdf format
5. Send your PDF file thru assignment tab in MS Teams.
6. File names of outputs to be submitted shall be named as follows:
Full Name (Last Name, First Name Middle Initial) Course, year & Section Week
Number Activity Number
e.g. Dela Cruz, Juan N. ICT 12A Week 1 Activity 1

LEARNING TASK 1. Collect and mount picture with reflection of the following in PDF
format:
a. Beauties in nature (Plants, flowers, animals, insects, human beings, landscapes,
seascapes)
b. Beauties in art or man-made things (painting, sculpture, handmade crafts)

Scoring Rubrics
90-95 Excellent
85-89 Very Satisfactory
80-84 Satisfactory – needs minor assistance in certain topics
75-79 Fair/slightly satisfactory – needs assistance from the instructor with some
difficult items
70-74 Poor – must review the learning unit intensively

Congratulations for finishing Module 1! Keep up the good work.

Prepared by:

JADE MARK PASCUA, LPT

Instructor

Reviewed/Approved:

LILY MAE M. KIMAYONG, MBA

ABRAHAM G. UCOL Program Head, Hospitality Management
Program Head, Industrial technology

JADE A. BUISEL, REE, RME

AIZA P. RUMAUAC, CPA Program Head, Engineering and Computer
Program Head, Accountancy and Business Studies
Administration

JEAN RUSSEL B. PAULMITAN, Rcrim,

ANGELO K.LAHINA, LPT, MAT MSCJ
Program Head, Teacher Education Program Head, Criminology