ART APPRECIATION

Humanities and Art: An Introduction

Art Appreciation is the knowledge and understanding of

the universal and timeless qualities that identify all
great art. The more you appreciate and understand the
art of different eras, movements, styles and techniques,
the better you can develop, evaluate and improve your
own artwork.
HUMANITIES: What is it?
What is an Art Movement ?

Art Movements are the collective titles that are given to

artworks which share the same artistic ideals, style, •The term Humanities comes from the Latin
technical approach or timeframe. word, “humanitas”

There is no fixed rule that determines what constitutes
an art movement. The artists associated with one
movement may adhere to strict guiding principles,
whereas those who belong to another may have little in
common.
Art Movements are simply a historical convenience for
grouping together artists of a certain period or style so
that they may be understood within a specific context.
Art Movements are usually named retrospectively by
art critics or historians and their titles are often witty or
sarcastic nicknames pulled from a bad review.
Grouping artists of similar interests or styles into Art
Movements is mainly a characteristic of Western Art.
Art Movements are essentially a 20th century
development when there was a greater variety of styles
than at any other period in the history of art.
•It generally refers to art, literature, music,
architecture, dance and the theatre—in which human
subjectivity is emphasized and individual expressiveness
is dramatized.
HOW IMPORTANT IS HUMANITIES
•The fields of knowledge and study falling under
humanities are dedicated to the pursuit of discovering
and understanding the nature of man.
•The humanities deal with man as a being of purpose,
of values, loves, hates, ideas and sometimes as s seer,
or prophet with divine inspiration.
•The humanities aim at educating.
THE ARTS: What is it?
•The word “art” usually refers to the so-called “fine
arts” (e.g.pictorial, plastic, and building)– and to the so-
called “minor arts” (everyday, useful, applied, and
decorative arts)

•The word “art” is derived from arti, which denotes

craftmanship, skill,mastery of form, inventiveness.

•Art serves as a technical and creative record of human

needs and achievements.
 •Physical Function

*Some definitions of art according to philosophers: •Aesthetic Function

•Art is that which brings life in harmony with the beauty

of the world.-Plato

•Art is the whole spirit of man.-Ruskin

•Art is the medium by which the artist communicates

himself to his fellows.-Charleton Noyes

•Art is anything made or done by man that affects or

moves us so that we see or feel beauty in it.-Collins and
Riley

MAJOR AREAS OF ART

~Literary Arts

–are those presented in the written mode and

intended to be read. These include prose and
poetry. (e.g. novels, short stories, sonnet, ballad, epic,
essay)

~Visual Art

–are those forms perceived by the

eyes. These include painting,
sculpture, and architecture

~Audio Visual Art

–Are those forms perceived by both ears (audio) and

eyes (visual).

–They are called performing arts in as much as the

artists render a performance in front of an audience.

FUNCTIONS OF THE ART

•Personal/Individual Function

•Social Function

•Economic Function

•Political Function

•Historical Function

•Cultural Function

•Religious Function