Comprehensive Notes on Art Appreciation and Sculpture

The Nature and Definition of the Humanities

The term humanities originated in the study of ancient Latin authors. These writings were valued not only for their clarity and forceful literary style but particularly for their moral teachings. The definition of the humanities has evolved through distinct historical periods:

Medieval Age: The focus was on the metaphysics of the religious philosopher. The primary goal was the cultivation of spiritual life and preparing the soul for the hereafter.
Renaissance: The term referred to university-taught disciplines designed to make man human, cultured, and refined. These included grammar, rhetoric, history, literature, music, philosophy, and theology.
Modern Era: The humanities function to provide students with specific skills and values through the arts. According to Sanchez (2021), the term refers to the visual arts (architecture, painting, and sculpture), music, dance, theater or drama, and literature.

The humanities are the branches of learning concerned with human beings, their feelings, and the expression of those feelings.

Comparison Between the Humanities and the Sciences

While the sciences and the humanities share the same goal of human development, they differ in their focus and methods:

The Sciences

Deal with the external world of man.
Focus on facets of being that are subject to observation, measurement, and experimentation.
Enable man to understand, control, and harness nature's energy for comfort and convenience.

The Humanities

Deal with the internal world of man, including personality and personal experiences.
Focus on matters that cannot be exactly measured, classified, or controlled.
Utilize a subjective approach involving perception, feeling, intuition, and insight.
Focus on man as an individual, whereas social sciences focus on types, groups, and societal processes.

Both disciplines are necessary to develop a complete, social man capable of taking responsibility in a changing world.

Definitions and Etymology of Art

Art is considered the lifeblood of humanity, serving as the medium through which feelings and expressions are conveyed. It motivates individuals to create and appreciate a "thing of beauty."

Etymology: The word is derived from the Latin ars, meaning ability or skill. It also relates to the Italian artis, defined as a human skill.
Dictionary Definition: Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines art as the conscious use of skill and creative imagination, specifically in producing aesthetic objects.

Core Assumptions and Universal Ideas of Art

Art is everywhere: Surrounding environments, personal care, clothing, and the body are reflections of self-expression. As noted by Dr. Christiane Northrup, one's surroundings reflect how one sees themselves.
Art is not nature: Art is man-made and reflects human skill and craftsmanship. Nature is evanescent and in a state of constant change, whereas art is permanent.
Art is imitating and creating: Creation involves combining or re-ordering existing materials to form new objects. Artists copy nature to express thoughts and feelings through a process of personal assimilation involving mind, feeling, and style.
Art perfects nature: Artists enhance desirable elements and eliminate undesirable ones in nature to convey messages of love and beauty.
Art is universal: It transcends race, culture, and civilization. It is alive and dynamic as long as human beings exist.
Art is timeless: It spans the history of mankind and continually evolves through innovation and reinvention. Art defines time; for example, the style, clothing, and plot of a film allow viewers to guess the period of production. Conversely, time defines art, identifying what resonates with a specific audience at a particular moment.

Art as Expression, Experience, and Beauty

Art grows from the human need for self-expression. This expression goes beyond emotions to include personal and social values and psychological insight. Artists use symbols to organize experience into a comprehensible form; communication is established when the audience understands these symbols.

The Three Major Experiences of Art

The initial experience the artist intends to communicate.
The act of expressing that experience by creating the art object.
The artist's gratifying experience of accomplishment once the work is complete.

Onlookers or listeners engage in sensory, emotional, and intellectual responses that may kindle an experience related to what the artist intended to express.

Art and Beauty Beauty in art involves the interaction of line, color, texture, sound, shape, motion, and size. Aesthetic pleasure is the delight experienced when perceiving a thing of beauty. However, beauty is not always the ultimate goal. Art may aim to stimulate curiosity, religious faith, interest, or group identification. Performance art, for instance, often seeks to evoke questions or reactions rather than provide traditional aesthetic pleasure.

The Role of Creativity in Art-making

Creativity is the seed, and art is the flower. The two are inextricably linked through specific roles:

Roles of Creativity

Ignites the initial idea or concept foundation of an artwork.
Encourages exploration of new techniques, materials, and perspectives.
Fosters innovation to create unique and original works.
Enables the meaningful expression of thoughts and emotions.

Roles of Art

Provides a platform for creativity to be realized and shared.
Serves as a vehicle for communication and perspective sharing.
Documents historical events, cultural practices, and personal experiences.
Inspires thought, emotion, and action in viewers.

Artists vs. Artisans

While both create, their primary focus and intent differ:

Artists

Focus: Self-expression, emotion, and concepts.
Purpose: To evoke feelings or challenge societal norms.
Mediums: Traditional (painting) to contemporary (digital and performance).
Value: Subjective, based on aesthetic, cultural, or historical appeal.

Artisans

Focus: Creating functional objects with high craftsmanship.
Purpose: Providing practical solutions with aesthetic elements.
Mediums: Tangible materials like wood, metal, glass, or textiles.
Value: Determined by material quality, technique complexity, and historical significance.

The lines between these roles can blur when artists create functional objects or artisans incorporate artistic elements.

Understanding Sculpture: Definition and Etymology

Sculpture is a three-dimensional art form involving width, length, and height. It is often referred to as the greatest form of fine art and categorized as "plastic arts" due to the shaping process or plasticity involved.

Etymology: Derived from the Latin sculpere, meaning to carve.
Materials: Can be hard or soft, including wood, clay, glass, gold, and silver.
Style: Can be representational or wholly abstract.

Dimensionality in Sculpture

In the Round: A freestanding sculpture that stands free with all sides shown. The viewer can walk all the way around it. The image is attached only to the base.
Relief: Figures project from a background surface. The word comes from the Latin relovo, meaning to raise. Categories include:
- Low or Bas Relief: Images are slightly raised. This is the most common type and has a low degree of depth.
- High or Alto Relief: The image is raised by $\frac{1}{2}$ or more of the material.
- Sunken Relief or Intaglio: The material is hollowed out to produce the image.
Linear: Sculptures made predominantly from lines, often constructed from wire, pipe, or thin metal rods to imply a line.

Methods of Execution

Subtraction (Carving): Removing unwanted material from a solid mass, such as chipping away at marble or wood.
Additive (Modeling): Building up the work by adding material. This often involves malleable substances like clay or wax.
Construction: Joining preformed, separate pieces of material (e.g., welded metal parts or found objects) rather than using a homogeneous mass.
Substitution (Casting): Translating a form from one material to another using a mold. A castable medium like plaster or metal fills the negative space. The Lost Wax Method is a common example.
Manipulation (Modeling): Specifically refers to the skilled use of hands to shape soft, pliable materials like clay on a potter’s wheel.

Modern Sculptural Types and Materials

New Types of Sculpture

Assemblage or Recycled Art: Similar to collage but three-dimensional. It uses various pieces of material put together to form a work.
Kinetic: Art involving movement, often powered by machines, batteries, or natural forces like wind (e.g., wind chimes).
Luminous: Sculpture that emits or reflects light.
Welded: Artwork formed specifically through welding techniques.

Media Used for Sculpture

Stones: Used for gravestones and buildings.
Granite: Used by Egyptian sculptors for pharaohs.
Marble: Used for Michelangelo’s Pieta, David, and Dying Slave.
Jade: Ancient Chinese ornamental stone believed to display moral goodness.
Ivory: Derived from elephant tusks; used for billiard balls.
Gold and Silver: Primarily for jewelry.
Plaster: For manikins, models, molds, and indoor decorations.
Clay: Soft and plastic, though fragile once finished.

Elements of Composition and Other Concepts

Elements of Composition

Mass: The solid bulk and sense of weight/permanence in the sculpture.
Line and Form: The outline and shape. Form can be Open (directing the eye outward via negative space) or Closed (directing the eye inward into a self-sufficient mass).
Negative Space: The empty space around or within the sculpture that defines the positive form.
Color and Texture: Color refers to the hue of the material or paint; texture refers to the tactile surface quality (rough, smooth, etc.).
Proportion: The size relationships between height, width, and depth, affecting how realistic or stylized the work appears.

Additional Concepts

Articulation/Eye Movement: How the viewer’s gaze is directed through the elements of the work.
Focal Area: The specific part of the composition that naturally draws the eye.
Ephemeral Art: Art intended to last only a short time, such as sand or ice sculptures.
Found Art (Ready-mades): Ordinary objects presented as art by the artist (e.g., Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain).

Famous Filipino Sculptors

Napoleon V. Abueva: Known as the ‘Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture’ and a National Artist for Sculpture (1976). He worked with almost all types of materials.
Guillermo E. Tolentino: National Artist for Sculpture (1973). He utilized concrete for major works like the UP Oblation and the Andres Bonifacio Monument.
Isabelo Tampico: Renowned for wood carvings in churches, including San Ignacio Church in Intramuros and the Manila Cathedral’s fawade.
Abdulmari Asia Imao: National Artist for Sculpture (2006). He integrated okir (plant-based design), sarimanok (assorted chicken), and naga (serpent) motifs into his work.
Arturo Rogerio Luz: National Artist for Sculpture (1997). Also a printmaker and painter, he frequently used hardwoods, marble, and metal.