Art Appreciation

Study Guide 1 - What is Art? Introduction and Concepts about Art

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LEARNING the intricate designs of a medieval cathedral during

OBJECTIVES his field trip, and a market vendor cheering for her
bet in a dance competition on a noontime TV
program all manifest concern for values that are
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
undeniably, despite tangentially artistic. This module
a. Understand the role of humanities and arts in endeavors to take art and break it into its smaller
man’s attempt at fully realizing his end; parts. Like a scientist who takes a splice or a sample
b. Differentiate the principles of art; and places it under a microscope the next lesson
c. Provide examples of the inter-relatedness of will allow for a better view, not of the final picture;
some of the elements and principles of art; rather, the parts that complete.
d. Explain the relevance of the elements and
principles of art in the study of art and its ACTIVATING
product (artwork); and PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
e. Illustrate examples of mixed art and dissect
Instruction: Use at least 50-100 words for your
what art forms are combined therein.
answers with this question. Use short coupon bond
for your answer.
-Explain this picture and differentiate them from
each other using your own imagination.
TOPIC
OUTLINE
 What is an Art?
 Elements of Art: Visual
 Elements of Art: Auditory
 The Principles of Art

OVERVIEW
Hello! Welcome to the Art Appreciation, where you
can learn and enjoy notable works of art. As you
start to open this module, you will love the
unceasing compassion of God’s creative Hands in
appreciating different forms of beauty.

Art is something that is perennially around us. Some “Art-portrait-collage 2” Vincent van Gogh Self-portrait, Detail from
the Venus, Temple lion, Japanese porcelain, and Chokwesculpture
people may deny having to do with the arts but it is by Husky and h3m3ls, Mischa de Muynck and Niels ia licensed
indisputable that life presents us with many forms of under CC BY-SA 3.0

and opportunities for communion with the arts. A

bank manager choosing what tie to wear together WHAT
with his shirt and shoes, a politician shuffling her IS AN ART?
One of the characteristics of art is its wide diverse
music track while comfortably seated on her car
range of human activities engaged in creating visual,
looking for her favorite song, a student marveling at

Study Guide 1 – Art Appreciation | Page 1 of 7

auditory, or performed forms that express the 1. Line- a continuous mark made on a surface or in
author’s imaginative and technical skill intended to
be appreciated for their beauty and emotional
meaning.

One of the oldest documented forms of art is the

visual arts. This includes images or objects in fields
like painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography,
and other visual media. Architecture is characterized space. It can be defined as the path of a moving
as visual arts; however, it involves creating objects point. Lines can be made with a variety of tools
where the practical use is essential, unlike with the which includes brushes, pencils, and pens. In
other form of visual art as a painting. sculptural work, lines can be made with wire, steel,
wood, or any other material that is used to create a
Art can be characterized with regards to its mimesis
narrow mark in space.
(representation of reality), expression,
communication of emotion, or other qualities. Over A. Horizontal Lines- associated with rest or
time, the definition of what constitutes art is calm
disputed and continually changing. But its general
descriptions center on the idea of imaginative and
technical skill stalking from the creation of man.
Suppose we visually identify a work of art. In that
case, there’s no single set of values and aesthetic
traits to consider and judge. For example, classical
music does not necessarily share much with a
modern musical piece. However, they are considered
works of art.Despite the seemingly
B. Vertical lines- associated with stability and
overflowing instances of arts around
firmness.
people, one still finds the need to see more
and experience more, whether consciously
or unconsciously. One whose exposure to
music is only limited to one genre finds it lacking not
to have been exposed to more. One, whose idea of a
cathedral is limited to the locally available ones,
finds enormous joy in seeing other prototypes in
Europe. Plato had the sharpest foresight when he
discussed in the Symposium that beauty, the object C. Diagonal lines- convey movement and
of any love, truly progresses. As one moves through stability with progression.
life, one locates better, more beautiful objects of
desire (Scott, 2000). One can never be totally
content with what is just before him. We, human
beings are drawn toward what is good and
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ultimately, beautiful.

Elements of Art: Visual

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D. Crooked lines- convey violence, conflict or heavily cast, and negative space on the
struggle. other hand, is the space where it is lighter.

b) 3-dimensional space- can be simulated

through a variety of ways one of which is
shading.

4. Color- produced when artists use various

pigments and dyes to create a range of different
E. Curved lines- alludes to softness, grace,
hues that the viewer’s eyes and brain interpret as
flexibility or even sensuality.
colors. Color wheel corresponds to the first proper
2. Shape and Form- both define the space occupied color of Hue.
by the object of art. Shape refers to two dimensions:
Hue is subdivided into:
height and width, whilst form refers to three
dimensions such as height, width, and depth.
A. Primary colors
Although shapes are part of a bigger picture, each
can be identified by breaking the visual components B. Secondary colors
apart and making distinctions based on what we
know and what we have seen. There are two C. Tertiary colors
categories that can be used as a broad distinction:

a) Geometric- shapes find origin in

mathematical propositions

b) Organic- shapes that are readily occurring 5. Value- refers to the brightness or darkness of
in nature, often irregular or asymmetrical color. This creates the solidity and depth, particular
mood and feelings.
3. Space- area between or within shapes or forms. It
can be manipulated to create the illusion of depth in a) Light colors- taken as the source of light in
a two-dimensional work of art. It can be positive or the composition
negative. The area within the objects of composition
is a positive space. The area surrounding the
primary objects of composition is negative space. b) Dark colors- lack or even absence of light

a) Positive and Negative space- positive

space is the space where a shadow is
6. Intensity- refers to the color’s brightness and
dullness.

a) Bright or warm colors- positive energy

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 • Andante - walking pace
• Moderato - at moderate speed
b) • Allegro - fast
Dull • Vivace - lively
• Accelerando - gradually speeding up
• Rallentando - gradually slowing down
• Allargando - getting slower broadening
• Rubato - literally “robbed time,” rhythm
or cool colors- sedate/soothing,
Is played freely for expressive effect
seriousness or calm

2. Dynamics - The element of music that refers to

the loudness or quietness of music is dynamics.
Classical terms are used to refer to the different
levels about this:

l Pianissimo [pp] - very quiet

l Piano [p] - quiet
l Mezzo-piano [mp] - moderately quiet
7. Textures- it can be either real or implied. This l Mezzo-forte [mf] moderately loud
element in an artwork is experienced through the l Forte [f] - loud
sense of touch and sight. This element renders the l Fortissimo [ff] - very loud
art object tactile.
When composers indicate an increase or decrease
a) Texture in 2D- implied using one technique in loudness, they use the terms crescendo for the
or a combination of other elements former; and decrescendo or diminuendo for the
latter.
b) Surface texture- texture of 3-dimensional
3. Melody - refers to the linear presentation
(horizontal) of the pitch. By horizontal, it means
Elements of Art: Auditory that in musical notation, it Is read' In succession
from left to right. Pitch is the highness or lowness
of a musical sound.
1. Rhythm - is the element of music that is situates
in time and associated with beat, meter and tempo.
4. Harmony - If melody Is horizontal, harmony is
It is the pulse of the music. Basic unit of music is
vertical. It arises when pitches are combined to
called the beat, whilst the speed of music is refer as
form chords. When several notes are
the tempo. Beats can be organized into a
simultaneously played, this refers to a chord.
recognizable recurrent pattern, which is called the
meter.
Harmony can be described in terms of its
“harshness”: dissonance is the harsh-sounding
Classical terms are used to refer to the variations in
combination while consonance is the smooth-
tempo, some of which are:
sounding combination
• Largo - slowly and broadly

Study Guide 1 – Art Appreciation | Page 4 of 7

5. Timbre - is often likened to the color of music. It 4. Contrast - Contrast is everything in art; without it,
is a quality that distinguishes a voice or an the artwork would be nothing but a blank surface.
instrument from another. Dependent on the Contrast can come in many forms:
technique, the timbre may give a pertain tone or
Texture contrast: A distinction between smooth and
characteristic to music, much like how a painter
textured.
evokes different effects or impressions onto the
canvas. Color contrast: A difference between light, and dark,
saturated and dull or complementary colors (hue
6. Texture - The number of melodies, the type of contrast).
layers, and their relatedness in a composition is
the texture of the music. It may be: Detail contrast: A comparison between areas of
detail and more bland areas.
• Monophonic - single melodic line
Shape contrast: A contrast between different shapes
• Polyphonic - two or more melodic lines
(rectangles and circles).
• Homophonic - main melody accompanied by
chords Interval contrast: A demarcation between long and
short intervals. The interval contrast can be used to
The Principles of Art create a sense of rhythm in your artwork.

1. Pattern - It is a very important design 5-6. Harmony and Unity - Harmony is a bit undefined
concept that refers to the visual arrangement of compared to some of the other principles. Generally,
elements with a repetitive form or intelligible it is defined to how well all the visual elements work
sequence. The pattern is not always obvious. It together in a work of art. Elements that are in
could be a simple underlying, not a design that harmony should have a logical progression or
dances between light and dark in some kind of relationship. If there is an element that is not in
sequence. Or it could be the use of similar color harmony with the rest of an artwork, it should stick-
patterns throughout your painting. In the painting out and be cacophonic to look at. Kind of like an off-
below, notice how the top arm of the subject note in a song.
almost blends into the background and how the
You will be able to tell from your own judgment if all
legs blend into the cloth, and the cloth blends into
the elements are in harmony. It will just look right.
the rest of the foreground. This interlinking pattern
However, if the painting looks off, then it can be
drags you through the painting and creates a very
difficult to tell if that is because there is no harmony
interesting design.
between the elements or if there is some other
issue.
2. Balance - refers to the visual distribution or the
wight of the elements in a work of art. We say that a Unity is defined as some kind of connection between
painting is balance if the one half is of the same all the visual elements in a work of art. Like harmony,
visual weight of the other half. Also, you could have this is a bit of a unclear term which is difficult to
a small area of heightened value, which is balance objectively use to analyze art.
against a much larger area of less significance.
7. Variety - Variety refers to the use of different
3. Emphasis - it is the way of using elements to qualities or instances of the visual elements. Variety
stress certain area in an artwork. It is also another can be used to break up monotonous or repetitive
way to describe a focal point in an artwork. areas.

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8. Movement - We can arrange the paint and lines in 3. What is the relevance of combined arts and hybrid
a way that gives the illusion or suggestion of art in the twenty-first century?
movement.

The effective techniques for creating movement in

your work is to use bold and directional brushwork.
By doing this, you can suggestively push your viewer
around the painting as you please. You could also
SUMMARY
suggest movement through repetition or pattern.

9. Proportion - concerns the relationship between  Humanities and art have always been part of
the sizes of different parts in an artwork. man's growth and civilization.
 Since the dawn of time, man has always
Some proportions are considered to be visually tried to express his innermost thoughts and
pleasing, such as the rule of thirds and the golden feelings about reality by creating art.
ratio.  This lesson also explain the elements and
principles of art are considered one of the
10. Scale - refers to the size of an object compared
most rudimentary stages in easing the
to the rest of the surroundings. For example, the size
student into a meaningful experience with
of a man compared to the tree he is sitting under or
art, regardless of its form.
the size of a mountain compared to the clouds. The
 Familiarity with these building blocks of
scale is different to proportion in that scale refers to
composition and formal analysis will aid the
the size of an entire object, whereas proportion
viewer in his or her attempt to come into
refers to the relative size of parts of an object. For
terms with the intention of the artist.
example, the scale of a mean relative to the rest of
the painting may be correct, but the proportion might
be wrong because his hands are too large.

REFERENCES

Congwod, R. (1938). The Principles of Art.

LEARNING
Worcestershire: Read Books Ltd.
ACTIVITY
Dudley.L., Fadcy. A.. and McGraw-Hill Book Compny.
Instruction: Provide your answers in a short coupon
(1960). The Humanities. New York McGraw-
bond. Answers should be in 100-150 words for each
HIII.
question.
Mill. J.S. (1879). Utilitadanism. 7th Ed. London:
1. What kind of artists are you willing to become? Longmans, Green, and Co.

Soc, D. (2000). “Socrates and Alcibiades. in the

2. In two-dimension artwork such as paintings, cite ‘Symposium.’” Hennathena 168, 25-37.
the elements and principles of art that that when
Retrieved from: “Crooked man vector drawing” cited
utilized in the composition of the artwork, will help
in tinyurl.com/y25ffynb
simulate or suggest the three-dimensional space?

Study Guide 1 – Art Appreciation | Page 6 of 7

Retrieved from: “Fractal dragon curve.jpg” cited in
tinyurl.com/y6hdemt3

Retrieved from: “Art-portrait-collage 2” Vincent van

Gogh Self-portrait, Detail from the Venus,
Temple lion, Japanese porcelain, and
Chokwesculpture by Husky and h3m3ls,
Mischa de Muynck and Niels ia licensed under
CC BY-SA 3.0 cited in tinyurl.com/y2p2pw4e

Cited in tinyurl.com/y3h83uqh

Cited in tinyurl.com/yyj4tn6m

Cited in tinyurl.com/yxb7fgwn

Cited in tinyurl.com/y36mtf3q

Prepared by:

Robel Z. Javelosa LPT

Karla Trysha Taaca
Faculty, College of Arts and Sciences

Study Guide 1 – Art Appreciation | Page 7 of 7