GEd 108: Art Appreciation Lecture 2

Part 2: Subject and Content

The Subject of An Artwork
The term subject in arts refers to the main idea that is represented in the artwork. The subject in art
is basically the essence of the piece. To determine subject matter in a particular piece of art, one may be
guided by the questions: What is actually depicted in this artwork? What is the artist trying to express to
the world... What is his or her message? And how are they conveying that message?
In artwork, the subject matter would be what the artist has chosen to paint, draw or sculpt. The
subject matter or topic is entirely up to the artist. Art is really liberating in that sense. It allows you to say
whatever you want to say. Whether the message is understood by others is another story, and whether the
artist discloses the meaning of it or not is also a personal choice. Some artists don't like to assign a strict
explanation of their art so that they are not imposing on the viewer‟s own narrative and concept of the
work.
That allows it to be more reflective or interactive if you like. It is nice to contemplate something
without being told what it is. Of course there are some symbols that are archetypal and commonly
understood/interpreted by humanity in the same way. Therefore symbols can be very powerful when
trying to convey a specific idea. Other times one doesn't have a fixed idea when creating. Some artworks
have subjects and some do not. The art pieces which use a specific subject are called representational art
or objective art; while those that have no subjects are called non-representational or non-objective art.
Representational art refers to art which represents something, whether that is a tree in a landscape,
apple in a still life, or figure in a portrait. In other words, it is art which is clearly identifiable as something
which already exists in life. Representational art does not need to be a completely realistic depiction of the
subject; there will often be varying levels of abstraction. (https://drawpaintacademy.com/)
Representational Art is a term that generally refers to a painting or sculpture that is clearly
recognizable for what it claims to be. It references images such as a human form or a tree, and although
these images may not always be portrayed as true to life in color or position, they are still recognizable to
the viewer. Representational Art depicts any identifiable object or series of objects and their physical
appearance in reality. It is also referred to as Figurative Art, being that it is derived from real object
sources. Oftentimes, representational artists act as observers, and interpret what they see in their own way
through their work. (https://www.debuckgallery.com/glossary/representational-art/)
The following are some examples of representational art works:

Planting Rice by Fernando Amorsolo source: pinterest.com

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GEd 108: Art Appreciation Lecture 2

Apple Blossoms by Kristina Joy source: amazon.com

Non-representational or non-objective art, on the other hand, refers to compositions which do not
rely on representation or mimesis to any extent. Abstract art, non-figurative art, non-objective art, and
nonrepresentational art are related terms that indicate a departure from reality in the depiction of imagery in
art. Meaning in nonrepresentational art is highly subjective and can be difficult to define. We can focus on the
elements of the artwork (form, shape, line, color, space, and texture) in terms of the aesthetic value of the
work, but the meaning will always be personal to the viewer unless the artist has made a statement about his
or her intentions.
Generally, we can look at non-representational art as the personal expression of an artist's
subjective experience. Certain movements have described their intentions as an aim to evoke moods or
emotions in the viewer (boundless.com). Below is an example of non-representational art works:

Composition VII by Wassily Kandinski

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GEd 108: Art Appreciation Lecture 2

The Sources of Subject

A learner, most of the time, may imagine as to where an artist gets his inspiration from with regard
to how he produces a certain masterpiece. It is noteworthy to remember that artists are unique both in
personal experiences and human attributes hence their differences in the manner of creating art pieces or
in producing art works. As art is a way of man in expressing himself, an artist‟s choice of subject or the
source of his inspiration only explains his inner world and his personality in general. With this, it is
noteworthy to present the sources of artists‟ inspiration in doing their works.

1. Nature. Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical universe,
material world or material universe. “Nature” refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to
life in general.”(wikipedia.com) It is considered the most commonly used source of art.

Source:art-is-fun.com Source:princetonbar.com

2. People. They are considered the most interesting subject of an artwork which may be real or
imagined. An artist‟s thoughts, moods and even the genre of a certain art work may be depicted by people
by means of clues as takeaways. People as subjects may be presented as individuals or groups and may
perform tasks as how they do in their everyday life. Below are a few examples.

Source: thoughtco.com (google images) Source: bluethumb.com.au

3. History. It is the depiction of factual events that occured in the past whose purpose is either to
remember important events of long ago or to teach the learners about the lessons of the past. Some of the
examples of art works with history as source of inspiration are as follows:

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GEd 108: Art Appreciation Lecture 2

Bonifacio Monument by Guillermo Tolentino The Making of the Philippine Flag

source: bluedreamer27.com by Fernando Amorsolo
Source: pinterest.com

4. Legends. Artworks based on legends present to viewers of the art something tangible even when
unverified. Art brings life to these stories.

Si Malakas at si Maganda by Marcelo Chan source: pinterest.com

Lost Excalibur by Rashieq Sasman source: arstation.com

5. Religion. Religion has played an enormous role in inspiring works of visual arts, music, architecture
and literature through ages. Artists used as inspiration the religious texts as the Bible, Quran and Torah
in conveying their ideas and beliefs through their art works. It was also established that art is
considered the handmaid of religion.

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GEd 108: Art Appreciation Lecture 2

The Hand of God by Auguste Rodin source:bycommonconsent.com

6. Mythology. These are sources of subjects that come from the stories of gods and goddesses of Ancient
Greece, Rome, Norse and Egyptians. These so called deities of the mythological world depict present
humanlike behaviours.

Medusa by Luciano Garbati source: qz.com Greek god by Pichiavo source:thiscollosal.com

7. Dreams and Fantasy. The wonder of the unconscious is what is being expressed by art works under
this subject source. These works of art somehow explain to the viewers the content of the art piece
including the hidden meaning behind each work. The unconscious is being made to be understood by
this source of subject.

Artworks by Josephine
Wall and Barbara Devlin
source:pinterest.com

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GEd 108: Art Appreciation Lecture 2

8. Technology. The modernity of the present is also an inspiration being used by artists as a source of subject. The
wondrous use of machines, the towering skyscrapers, state of the art robotics technology, top of the line
transportation machineries as cars, ships and motorcycles to name a few are sources of subjects of interest under
technology.

The WEEE Man Humanity Drowning in Technology by Elizabeth Elkin

Source: law_kevin/weburbanist.com Source: pinterest.com

Ways of Presenting the Subject

After the artist has decided on the source of the subject of his artwork, he is now ready to identify
the method of how he wants his art work to be presented to his viewers. Their choice of a method may
depend upon his expertise, exposure to certain art pieces or simply of his personal preferences. The
following are some of the methods or ways on how an artist presents his subject to his audience.

1. Naturalism. Naturalism in art refers to the depiction of realistic objects in a natural setting. The
Realist movement of the 19th century advocated naturalism in reaction to the stylized and idealized
depictions of subjects in Romanticism, but many painters have used a similar approach over the
centuries. Naturalism began in the
early Renaissance, and developed
itself further throughout the
Renaissance, such as with the
Florentine School. Naturalism is a
type of art that pays attention to
very accurate and precise details,
and portrays things as they are.

Artworks in naturalism always

depict pieces showing the idealized
human form. One would
immediately recognize that these
images were imitated from the
human form. Similar to the
superheroes of today‟s comic books Hay Making by Jules Bastien-Lepage source:
and films, these figures were made https://www.theartstory.org/
almost perfect to imbue them with a

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GEd 108: Art Appreciation Lecture 2
greater degree of stature and significance worthy of super beings. In this way, the imagery did not
focus on the specific attributes of an individual but on the more universal characteristics of the human
form as is accepted by the culture of the day. (Kissick, 1996)

2. Realism. Realism in the arts is generally the attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without
artificiality and avoiding speculative fiction and supernatural elements. Realism has been prevalent in
the arts at many periods, and can
be in large part a matter of
technique and training, and the
avoidance of stylization. In the
visual arts, illusionistic realism is
the accurate depiction of life
forms, perspective, and the
details of light and colour. But
realist or naturalist works of art
may, as well or instead of
illusionist realism, be "realist" in
their subject matter, and
emphasize the mundane, ugly or The Stone Breakers by Gustave Courbet source:
sordid. Realism is the most https://www.theartstory.org/
popular way of presenting art
subjects.
3. Abstraction. Abstraction finds its roots in „intuition‟ (of the artist) and „freedom‟ (for the artist as well
as for the viewer). It is the capability of the artist to use their imagination to look beyond what we can
physically see and translate intangible emotions onto the canvas. It is also the ability of the audience to
then try to connect to the artist‟s intention and free their own mind of visual restrictions. Historically,
the abstract art movement emerged in the nineteenth century as a reaction to academic painting or
realism. In fact, a very simple way to understand the essence of abstract art is to think of it as a visual
opposite of realistic art. While realism pays attention to every tiny fold or wrinkle, abstraction gives
the artist the freedom to trust their intuition to create art that is equally worthy of an audience.
(https://www.art-mine.com/)

This is a method of presenting the subject where the artist moves away from reality. The artist usually
alters the shapes and colors in rendering a particular art piece. Abstraction may be in these forms:
A. Distortion. Distortion
is the alteration of the
original shape (or other
characteristic) of
something. In the art
world, a distortion is
any change made by an
artist to the size, shape
or visual character of a
form to express an
idea, convey a feeling
or enhance visual
impact
Art pieces of Henrietta Harris source: https://usaartnews.com/

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GEd 108: Art Appreciation Lecture 2

B. Elongation. Elongation is when the art subject is lengthened, protracted or extended

High Aspirations by Ernie Barnes

C. Mangling. Artists show the subject as cut, lacerated, mutilated or hacked with repeated blows.

The Weeping Woman by Pablo Picasso ( pablopicasso.org/)

D. Cubism. This is the presentation of abstract figures through the use of a cone, cylinder, sphere, triangle,
square, cube and circle in place of real pictorial elements.

'Factory, Horta de Ebbo' by Pablo Picasso (https://www.artyfactory.com/)

4. Symbolism. This is the use of a visible sign of an idea to convey to the viewers, readers or audiences the
message of his work. In this way, mystery is advocated by an art work making it more interesting to the

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GEd 108: Art Appreciation Lecture 2
viewers. The key to eliciting symbolic art involves studying the background and personality of the artist and
his inspiration in producing the said piece of work.

Mona Lisa by Da Vinci

5. Fauvism. Fauvism is the name applied to

the work produced by a group of artists
(which included Henri Matisse and André
Derain) from around 1905 to 1910, which is
characterised by strong colours and fierce
brushwork. The name les fauves („the wild
beasts‟) was coined by the critic Louis
Vauxcelles when he saw the work of Henri
Matisse and André Derain in an exhibition,
the salon d‟automne in Paris, in 1905. The
paintings Derain and Matisse exhibited were
the result of a summer spent working
together in Collioure in the South of France
and were made using bold, non-naturalistic Source: artsy.net
colours (often applied directly from the
tube), and wild loose dabs of paint. The forms of the subjects were also simplified making their work appear
quite abstract. (https://www.tate.org.uk/)

6. Dadaism. Dadaism is a protest movement in the art that is playful

and experimental. “Dada” means a “hobby horse”. Dadaism is most
often nonsensical. Marcel Duchamp is the famous painter using this
method. It is considered a revolt against tradition because it does
not follow the principles in art and shows the wickedness of society
in its presentation. The aim of this method is to shock and provoke
its viewers.

Fountain by Duchamp
source:
magazine.artland.com

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GEd 108: Art Appreciation Lecture 2
7. Futurism. This was developed in Italy about the same time as cubism appeared in France. Futurist painters
wanted their works to capture the mechanical energy of modern life.

The Futuristic Art of NASA source: artsy.net

8. Surrealism. This method mirrors the evils of the present society. Surrealism means super realism, influenced
by Freudian psychology which emphasizes the activities of the subconscious state of the mind. The art
movement began in Paris in 1924 by the French poet Andre Breton. It emphasized the activities of the
subconscious mind mostly exemplifying violence and cruelty. The surrealist‟s aim is to reveal the deep and
ugly part of human nature.

source: pinterest.com

9. Expressionism. This features art works describing pathos, morbidity, chaos or even defeat and was
introduced in Germany from 1900 – 1910. Expressionists believe that man needs spiritual rebirth for him to
correct defects that ruin the society.

The Night (Die Nacht) by Max Beckmann source: https://www.identifythisart.com

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