APPRECIATION

1. Emergence of Artists and Artisans

  • Significance of Art: Art serves as a fundamental medium for grappling with how the present unfolds.

  • Perspectives on Art & Creativity:

    • Robert Henri (The Art Spirit): Art is not an extra thing; when the artist is alive in any person, they become inventive, daring, and self-expressing.

    • Peter Drucker (Post-Capitalist Society): Knowledge and creativity are the primary controlling resources in the 21st century, shifting class dynamics to knowledge workers and service workers.

    • Jerry Saltz (New Ways of Seeing): Early cave painters invented a method to translate the three-dimensional world into two dimensions and attach value to ideas.

  • Role of Artists in History:

    • Embedded in cultural development, artists created functional and decorative objects (tools, textiles, architectural plans, ritual and burial implements).

    • Designed public gathering spaces, monuments, and memorials (e.g., Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC).

2. The Artisan and the Guilds

  • Craftsmanship & Architecture:

    • Historical builders fulfilled overlapping roles as draftsman, architect, engineer, and builder.

    • Gothic Cathedrals: Built on precise processes (e.g., Cologne Cathedral in Germany, initiated by master mason Gerhard Ryle in 1248 and completed roughly 600 years later).

  • Guild System:

    • Associations structured with rules, rights, and responsibilities centered on collective work rather than individual acclaim.

    • Master artisans trained apprentices under one roof, fostering artistry and technical skill.

    • Albrecht Dürer: Trained as a goldsmith apprentice before shifting to visual arts and traveling to gain knowledge.

3. Philippine Art History & Art Instruction

  • Project Kisame: A collective effort documenting ceiling paintings in over 60 Philippine churches, highlighting technology and heritage conservation (e.g., Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Loay, Bohol, featuring trompe l'oeil style ceiling paintings).

  • Shift in Patronage: Transitioned from the Church to the ilustrados (middle class / new elite).

  • Artistic Genres:

    • Tipos del País: Watercolor paintings depicting local inhabitants in garbs revealing their occupation and social status.

    • Letra y Figuras: Art style integrating tipos del país figures into the letters of a person's name.

  • Damian Domingo & Academia de Dibujo:

    • Established the first formal art school in the Philippines.

    • Popularized the miniaturismo style, portraying individuals holding objects that signify their status and power.

4. Evolution of the Artist's Studio

  • Renaissance Studio Model:

    • Studiolo: Private and personal workspace of the artist.

    • Bottega: Main workshop where artworks were produced with assistants.

  • Modern Developments:

    • Industrial Revolution introduced portable materials (e.g., paint in tubes, foldable easels), giving artists greater independence from wealthy patrons.

    • By the 20th century, art was liberated from strict academic conventions, allowing individual aesthetic expression.

5. Key Players in the Art World

  • Art World Concept: Howard Becker (1982) emphasized that art creation is a collective process involving network cooperation.

  • Roles in the Art Market:

    • Administrative / Managerial: Board members, directors, and gallery managers overseeing operations.

    • Curators: Institutional or independent professionals who research, interpret, write about, and organize artwork for exhibitions.

    • Buyers & Collectors: Buyers oversee sales on behalf of collectors, while collectors influence market trends and artist careers.

    • Art Dealers: Facilitate direct sales, gallery representation, and auction house transactions.

  • Museums vs. Galleries:

    • Museums: Institutions mandated to display art for public education and preservation (non-commercial).

    • Galleries: Spaces designed to display art specifically for sale.

6. The Production Process

  1. Preproduction: Conceptualization stage where the artist develops the core idea or message.

  2. Production: Physical or performance execution of the idea (e.g., painting, sculpture, film, dance, musical composition).

  3. Postproduction: Distribution, exhibition, and public engagement within galleries, museums, or performance spaces.

7. Medium and Technique

  • Medium: The tangible (paintings, sculptures) or ephemeral (music, performance) mode through which an idea is expressed.

  • Technique: The artist's level of skill, tool manipulation, and process control in handling the chosen medium.

8. Engagement with Art & State Sponsorship

  • Exhibitions: Serve as intersection points for artists, institutions, and the public (Anna Cline, Paula Marincola).

  • Modes of Engagement: Classrooms, studio visits, lectures, auctions, art fairs, biennials, and triennials.

  • Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA):

    • Created under RA No. 7355 in 1992 and managed by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

    • First awarded in 1993 to Ginaw Bilog (Ambahan poetry), Masino Intaray (Palawan music), and Samaon Sulaiman (Kutyapi music).

    • Incentives: Specially designed gold medallion, ₱100,000 initial grant, ₱14,000 monthly stipend for life, medical benefits up to ₱750,000, and funeral assistance.