CPAR Art appreciation - arts and artisans.pptx

LESSON 5
ARTISTS
AND ARTISANS
Art Appreciation

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. Outline the history of the emergence of artists and artisans;
2. Recognize and critically discuss the function of state sponsorship
in the field of arts and culture through the National Artists Award
and the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA);
3. Identify and define the different individuals and groups who take
on varied roles in the world of art and culture; and
4. Classify the practices of artists in terms of form, medium, and
technique.
Learning Outcomes

In the advent of technology, it is remarkable what
has now been made possible.
This notion is contested by what are arguably the
most resilient qualities of man, which is his creativity and
imagination.

Let’s Get Down to Business
In Peter Drucker's seminal book Post-Capitalist
Society (1993), he stated that “the real controlling
resource and the absolutely decisive factor of production
is neither capital not land nor labor. It is knowledge.
Instead of capitalists and proletarians, the classes of the
post capitalist society are the knowledge workers and the
service workers.”

Artists even created places and spaces where
communities may gather. There are numerous monuments
and memorials that are plotted over the world such as the
infamous Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC.
There are others like the cave paintings that have an aura
of mystery like the Pyramids of Giza, or have alluded
comprehension like the Stonehenge.

Stonehenge
(Wiltshire, England)

The Artisan and the Guilds
Museums are packed with numerous artifacts and
interesting objects from all over the world that have
survived centuries for us all to see.
Magnificent structures that are often appreciated
not only for their historical significance but more so for
their aesthetic characteristics that render them unique,
become tourist destinations for those who wish to explore
and see the remarkable facade, interior, and even the
minutest of details up close.

Consider the Gothic cathedrals and other
megastructures that were built all over Europe during the
Middle Ages. Craftsmen and builders in the past did not
have sophisticated terminologies and principles that
architects and engineers abide by today. Yet, they fulfilled
overlapping roles such as the draftsman, architect,
engineer, and even as the builder.

Detail of the
stained glass
windows of
Cologne
Cathedral

These guilds were prevalent during the Middle
Ages particularly during the thirteenth to fifteenth
century, where towns had formalized groups of artisans or
craftsmen who took on a particular specialization or trade:
shoemakers, textile and glass workers, carpenters, carvers,
masons, armorers, and weapon-makers, among others.
Guilds were a type of social fellowship, an
association structured with rules, customs, rights, and
responsibilities.

A master artisan or craftsman would then be open
to hiring apprentices who would be under his tutelage and
instruction. In these guilds, artistry and technology
flourished under one roof. In the context of the cathedral
construction site, the master mason oversaw the work by
numerous men of varying artistic proclivities and skills,
from the smiths (metal work), carpenters, carriers, and
glaziers (stained glass artists). among others.

In the visual arts, an example of an artist strongly
influenced by this was Albrecht Dürer. Born in 1471, his
father was a goldsmith; that is why he also apprenticed as
such. Later on, he shifted to the visual arts. During that
time, it was customary to travel after completing an
apprenticeship to gather more experience and knowledge
elsewhere. His life was ripe with travels, fame, and
fortune. One of the biggest credits to his practice was his
dedication and interest in scholarship with his attendance
to a close friend's meetings of artists and scholars.

Although the timeline is a bit skewed, the culture of
artisans became prevalent in the Philippines as well,
particularly during the Spanish colonial period.
Project Kisame is a collective endeavor amongst
enthusiasts and advocates who aimed to promote this art
form through documentation, engagement, and
appreciation of surviving ceiling paintings in more than
60 churches in the Philippines. Technology and heritage
conservation occupied a substantial part of this project.

One example of a Spanish architecture that has
been documented is the Church of the Most Holy Trinity
in Loay, Bohol. Built in 1822, the ceiling paintings were
rendered trompe l'oeil style depicting biblical scenes. In
2003, it became a National Historical Landmark.
It was therefore unfortunate that this church was
one of those heavily damaged during the devastating
earthquake that rattled Bohol in 2013.

The Church of
the Most Holy
Trinity
in Loay, Bohol.

The Artist and His Studio
Moving back to Europe, the big shift that propelled
the evolution of the pivotal role of the artist in the arts
started during the Middle Ages up to the Renaissance
period. Most pivotal developments included the
transformation of the craftsman to an artist or an
independent artist; the widespread patronization of secular
art (alongside the continuous production of works with
religious subjects); and the assertion of cognition, the
will, and individuality.

Artist’s Studio
(from sketchbook)
By
James Abbott
McNeill Whistler

Today, artist studios have been a place of interest
for the public. It is interesting where creativity manifests
itself, especially since an artist’s studio is an extension of
the artist himself.
There were those whose work stations were
segmented into two, the studiolo and the bottega; the
latter is where the work usually happened.

Other Players in the World of Art
In the last century, some of the roles that have been
existent since the beginning of art history have been
properly dealt with-ascribed with a name and legitimized
into a sophisticated network of relationships and
exchanges. This network is what we call the art world.

Prominent Roles
in the Art World
with Their
Mandatory
Relationships.

An example of a multi-level platform, where
different players in what we call an art world can engage,
interact, and flex their art muscles, is the international art
fair like the Art Basel in Hong Kong.

It is important to note that with the complexity of
the art world, players are no longer limited to those who
undertook formal instruction in either (or both)
production and/or study of art. Take for instance
administrative or managerial roles, both of which can
exist in either institutional or non-institutional scenarios.
These roles may be broken down to working boards
(board of trustees); directors and assistant directors;
managing curators; and other posts whose interest is the
management and operations of museums, galleries and
other art spaces.

For independent artists, those outside the wing of a
gallery as a "stable artist," sometimes require the
assistance of an artist manager in order to manage their
career and sometimes to help them in promoting
themselves to the art world as well.

A curator, on the other hand, is one of the most
elusive of roles to pin down. Institutional curators are
typically affiliated with museums and galleries, while
independent or freelance curators have the leeway to
move around various projects, platforms, and art spaces in
a multiplicity of terms.

If curators are the hardest to define, it is buyers and
collectors who are probably the easiest to qualify. Often
they are construed as one and the same, but separately
taken, buyers are those who initially assess and survey the
artwork that collectors are interested in.
In addition, art dealers are those whose direct hand
is in the distribution and circulation of the artworks
through a variety of means, such as direct sales, through
galleries, and the more recent player in the Philippines,
auction houses.

As the art world is seen as a socio-economic
network, it is important to note the major difference
between museums and galleries.
The most substantial demarcation that separates one
from the other is the ethics that admonishes museums
from entering into the more market aspect of the art
world.

Production Process
The process of creating an artwork does not
necessarily follow a linear progression. One of the things
that one must accept is the fact that the arts have an
anarchic dimension to it, allowing it to fully harness its
creative potential.
The process is essentially tripartite:
(1) preproduction, (2) production, and (3) postproduction.

The artist always begins with an idea that he wants
to express or communicate with his audience. It may not
necessarily be fully formulated, and so some form of
exposure, research, and other approaches may be explored
to get the idea long before actually making the artwork.
This process is of course the preproduction stage.

Gathering and sourcing the materials needed for the
creation of the artwork is either subsumed under
preproduction or the production stage. Either way,
materials form one of the most crucial aspects that inform
the direction, quality, and the final output itself.

The last stage is the most drawn-out, the
postproduction. Once an artwork is finished, it will then
be decided on how it will be circulated not only in the art
world, but the many publics.
There are many aspects that go into postproduction.
These may include allowing the artwork to set, tweaking
the artwork, preparing the artwork for transport and
display, and even the promotion and inclusion of the
artwork in publications or discussions.

Medium and Technique
Medium is one of the aspects of art that directly
correlates with its composition and presumed finality of
the artwork. Medium is the mode of expression in which
the concept, idea, or message is conveyed. It may be
concrete or tangible, such as paintings, sculptures,
monuments, and structures; or it may be ephemeral or
something transient, such as a track (recording of sound),
a film, or a performance.

A chosen medium must not be expected to yield the
same results. Giving two different artists the same exact
material and the general qualifier of “painting”, the end
product will still vary minimally or in an exponential
scale. This is where technique comes in, as it is the reason
why art history is described by a seemingly limitless
example of works of art.

Engagement with Art
In Anna Cline's The Evolving Role of the Exhibition and Its
Impact on Art and Culture (2012), she wrote that “exhibitions act as
the catalyst of art and ideas to the public: they represent a way of
displaying and contextualizing art that makes it relevant and
accessible to contemporary audiences. The art exhibition, by its
nature, holds a mirror up to society, reflecting its interests and
concerns while at the same time challenging its ideologies and
preconceptions. Keeping art relevant to society and to a diverse
audience at any given point in history is one of the main goals of
the art exhibition and one of the reasons it is so important to the
history of art.”

In Paula Marincola's What Makes a Great
Exhibition? (2006), it reads that “exhibitions are
strategically located at the nexus where artists, their work,
the arts institution, and many different publics intersect.”

One of the most common platforms to engage with
the art is through exhibitions either at museums or
galleries. Nowadays, there are other exhibition spaces that
have opened up for artists to showcase their works.
Exhibitions may be long-term or permanent hangs,
or it may be temporary or periodically changing. An artist
may have a solo exhibition or may be included in a two-
person showing or even a group exhibition.

Aside from exhibitions, other opportunities for art
engagement transpire in the classroom (instruction);
studio visits; lectures, workshops, and other events that
augment the exhibitions (programs); auction sales; art
fairs, biennials, and triennials; and other larger showings
of not only artworks but also where art personalities can
flex their influence and authority. Publications are also a
good way to introduce the artwork and opens it up for
appreciation, critique, and analysis.

Awards and Citations
In history, support for the arts and culture is not
limited to the allocation of funding or patronship. One of
the most common measures in which artists and other
creative producers are given incentives and honor for their
work is through state-initiated and given awards and
citations.

The two major awards given to artists in the
Philippines are the Orden ng Pambansang Alagad ng
Sining (Order of National Artists) and Gawad sa
Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures Award).

The conferment of the Order of National Artists is
the “highest national recognition” given to Filipino
individuals who have made significant contributions to
the development of Philippine arts; namely, music, dance,
theater, visual arts, literature, film, broadcast arts, and
architecture and allied arts.
The very first recipient of this award was painter
Fernando Amorsolo, who was touted as the "Grand Old
Man of Philippine Art." He was the sole awardee in the
year 1972, a National Artist for Visual Arts.

Emblem of the
Order of National Artists
of the Philippines
Medallion given to the
National Artists

At present, there are 66 awardees of this prestigious honor
across different art forms. Some of the honors and privileges that a
national artist awardee receives are the following: (1) the rank and
title, as proclaimed by the President of the Philippines; (2) a
medallion or insignia and a citation that will be read during the
conferment; (3) cash awards and a host of benefits (monthly life
pension, medical, and hospitalization benefits, life insurance
coverage); (4) a state funeral and burial at the Libingan ng Mga
Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery); and (5) a place of honor or designated
area during national state functions, along with recognition or
acknowledgment at cultural events. The most recent conferment
was in 2016.

Conferment of the
2009 and 2014
Order of National
Artists Award

The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or the National
Living Treasures Award was created in 1992 under the
Republic Act No. 7355.
It was first conferred to three outstanding artists in
music and poetry back in 1993. They are Ginaw Bilog, a
master of the Ambahan poetry; Masino Intaray, a master
of various traditional musical instruments of the Palawan
people; and Samaon Sulaiman, a master of the kutyapi
and other instruments.

Ginaw Bilog Masino Intaray Sumaon Sulaiman

The medal given
to the recipients of
the distinction
Gawad sa
Manlilikha ng
Bayan
(GAMABA)

This artists’ practice may fall under the following
categories: folk, architecture, maritime transport, weaving,
carving, performing arts, literature, graphic and plastic arts,
ornament, textile or fiber art, pottery and other artistic
expressions of traditional culture.
Some of the incentives accorded to the awardee are
the following: (1) a specially designed gold medallion; (2)
an initial grant of P100,000 and a $10.000 monthly stipend
for life (this was later increased to P14,000); (3) benefits
such as a maximum Cumulative amount of $750,000
medical and hospitalization benefits; and (4) funeral
assistance or tribute fit for a National Living Treasure

THANK YOU
FOR
LISTENING!
GROUP MEMBERS:
LLADONET, Rodolf Aaron T.
DAYAGRO, Laurence
VALMORIA, Nelia
CAHILIG, Clifford
ABADIANO, Charles

CPAR Art appreciation - arts and artisans.pptx

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