HUMANITIES Art as far as it is able

HUMANITIES

"Art, as far as it is able, follows nature, as a pupil imitates his master; thus your art must be, as it were God’s grandchild. - Dante, “Inferno”

HUMANITIES: Meaning, Significance and Components DEFINITION Humanities is the study of the different cultural aspect of man, his frailties in life and how these can be improved. According to the dictum of a Greek philosopher Protagoras, ''Man is the measure of all things. ” Meaning that the humanities uplift the dignity and values of man and his tendencies. Culture is the disparity between man and animal; thus to be cultured is to possess refinement in taste and manners and these include speech, knowledge, beliefs, arts and technologies. Humanities also means understanding man and his affairs rather than just a prescribed unchangeable body of accepted facts and theories.

Humanities comes from the Latin word Humanus which means human, cultured, refined. The Humanities has various connotations depending on the political, social, economic, artistic and cultural forces that surround the different historical eras. Today, however, Humanities refers to a loosely defined group of cultural subject area. It is not a group of scientific or technical subjects; rather it refers to the Arts the visual arts like painting, sculpture, architecture, the performing arts music, dance. drama or theater arts plus other popular arts. Arts has touched everyone and art is all around us. ln fact the journey of art stretched from the paintings of out Stone Age ancestors through the graffiti arts of today's generation. The media, the forms, the styles, and the objects may evolve and change from millennium to millennium, from day to day but unifying threads are present quest for beauty, truth and self expression. The word art encompasses many meanings, including ability process, and product. As ability, art is the human capacity to make things of beauty and things that stir us; it is creativity.

PURPOSES OF ART Many philosophers have argued that art serves no function and that it exist for its own sake. In fact several Filipino artist (like Jose Garcia Villa) shared in this belief. On the other hand, some have asserted that there is something about the essence of art that transcends the human occupation with usefulness. Others have held that there is the tendency to lose sight of art's beauty and wonderment if one analyzes it too closely. These may be valid points of view. However, in order to understand appreciate art better, it may be helpful to ask why was it created, and what was its purpose. ROLE OF HUMANITIES IN MAN'S LIFE Humanities can regulate the type of behavior that is considered appropriate to an individual thus the teaching of humanities is essential in order for one to gain the knowledge to achieve the status of a cultured man. A cultured man is perceived as one who is well versed in the arts, in philosophy, and the language. It is an active force as we pursue our life goals.

GENERAL VIEW OF THE ARTS Arts are defined by historical process. The aesthetic standards of art vary from one culture to another since an ideal beauty is a construct created and agreed upon by people in society so much so that art activities grow out of a social cultural order. There is no set of aesthetics principles which is good for all people for all the times. Art was derived from the Aryan root word "AR" which means to put together, while still another origin of the word art came from Latin "ars" which means ability or skill. A work of art is the product of the imagination of the artist dependent on the following factors like the material/medium, subject, theme, values, influences, period, belief, inspiration, preparation, and other. NATURE OF ART Art existed since man learned to draw and before he could even start to talk as shown by the early paintings in prehistoric period. The body of arts considered of ideas, beliefs, and values of the past, present, and future. Art is not nature; art is made by man. Art's greatest achievement is that it creates a permanent impression of the passing scene. The freshness of a living plant can be captured and preserved in the canvas of the artist. Therefore, art never grows old as seen and interpreted by the artist.

FUNCTIONS OF ARTS The arts are important to all of us because they provide information and enjoyment, build self confidence, promote cultural and spiritual upliftment, and provide avenues to the discovery of spiritual and emotional dimensions of life. Functional. This is the classification of the art according to its usefulness. The original function of the was religious because it was used for iconic presentation in order to glorify a religious figure. Another is the secular function and that is for commemorative purpose like portraiture and monuments. Non-functional. This is the other classification of art which is "art for art" sake and functions to give pleasure in contemplation of the beautiful and further leads to contemplation where artwork comes before meaning and its usefulness.

METHODS OF PRESENTING THE ART SUBJECT This tell how things were done and where the medium came from. It comes as formal and informal. This could also mean the skill by which the artist manipulates a given medium to advantage in order to achieve the best results, thus giving the impression whether the effect is done in good taste by a virtuoso or whether it is a combined aesthetics and formational aspects. Presenting art subjects also varies according to the context of the national significance like it may come as an expression of a social issue, political significance, economical need, and aesthetics value. It is also influenced by the (fine arts) background of the artist like the indigenous if the work was done by a specific cultural community or a minority group which has preserved its pre colonial artistic tradition. There were also those art works that were practically produced under the patronage of the church and state. These were commissioned for status symbol as material manifestations of the beliefs of the people. The technique or method of presenting an art subject is assessed according to the skill or expertness of the artist. It is studied or viewed based on the degree of creativity and craftsmanship employed by the artist.

The study by art historians on how the art subject is presented today differs from that of the past. Art works are categorized according to the present set of groupings. There are Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, and Modem. Today art historians are neutral as regards the different styles in the manner of presenting /producing the art subject. For them no artwork is superior or inferior because all are worthy of study.

SOME OF THE PURPOSES OF ART To Create Beauty To Provide Decoration To Reveal Truth To Immortalize To Express Religious Values To Record and Commemorate Experience To Create Order and Harmony PRINCIPLES OF ARTISTIC COMPOSITION Composition is a process the act of composing or organizing the elements of art. Artistic composition takes place according to aesthetic principles such as proportion and scale, unity, balance, and rhythm. Through the use of these principles of organization, beautiful works are created by the artists.

Proportion is the comparative relationship of the parts of or composition to each other and to the whole. Much of the classical Greek Parthenon was constructed according to the principle of the Golden section, which states that a small part must relate to a larger part as the lager part relates to the whole. Scale is the relative size of an object compared with others of its kind, its setting, or human dimensions. The pyramids of Giza and the skyscrapers of New York are imposing because of their scale, that is, their size compared with the size of other buildings, their sites, and people. Their overall size is significant to their impact. Unity/Harmony Unity is oneness or wholeness. A work of art achieves unity when its parts are necessary to the composition. In the visual arts, it is achieved by establishing a pleasing relationship between the different elements. There is unity and harmony if the various parts of a design will give an appearance of belonging together.

Organic Unity and Unity in Variety. This means that each element in a work of art is necessary to its value. It must be unified and must "hang together" as one entity. Each element of the art used is essential to the work. Balance A work of art possesses balance when its visual or actual weights or masses (including color masses) are distributed in such a way that they achieve harmony. Balance gives a feeling of stability Formal balance. It is also called symmetrical balance. This is achieved by making both sides exactly alike. Objects of the same size and shape when arranged on two sides of a center will produce formal balance. This kind of balance gives an atmosphere of dignity and formality. Informal or asymmetrical balance. It is called occult balance. It is more difficult to achieve than formal balance, however, the results are more interesting. It is achieved when objects of unequal weight or unequal attractions are placed at the correct distances from the center as when large object or an object with a stronger attraction is placed near the center while the smaller object or the one with less striking attraction is moved farther out from the center.

Good balance produces an effect of stability and repose. To produce this feeling, horizontal balance is not enough. Vertical balance is also important. The top of an arrangement should not be too heavy for its bottom. A top heavy arrangement always looks unstable. Rhythm is the regular repetition of sensory impression. A series of units repeated one after another produces rhythmic movement. In the space arts, rhythm is used in repetition, alternation and gradation of the elements of art, line form, color and texture. Emphasis means giving the proper importance to the parts or to the whole. A clever interior always creates a center of interest in a room. One part or design in the room is emphasized and the rest are subordinated. Emphasis is important because it relieves monotony. It can also be used to call attention to pleasing centers of interest.

BASIC ELEMENTS OF THE ARTS Elements of the Fine Arts Subject, medium, line, color, texture, volume, perspective, form and style Elements of Music Rhythm, melody, dynamics, harmony, texture, form, style Elements of Literature As to poetry, as to novels, as to short story, as to essay ASSESSING A WORK OFART ''What makes any work of art great'' Sincerity satisfies the questions on whether the artist's intention is perfectly honest of if he/she is striving for effect either by sentimentality or sensation. Subjects of art work like in the case of "Spoliarum" are fraught with frustration and sentimentality.

Universality is the quality of an artwork that should answer the elements of truth in the artwork which is something permanent and not just of the momentary value. Like in the case of the sculpture of "Our lady of Peace" of EDSA. It speaks of man's universal belief in the power of prayer in fighting for a cause. Magnitude is a criteria that tells about the scope and significance of a work of art. A very good example is the work of Michelangelo, which is the" Sistine Chapel" and Juan Luna's "Spoliarium". These pieces can be seen several times and yet one cannot exhaust the depth and extent of its meaning. Craftmanship is perceived from the point o view of a master or a group of artists who represents a style that reflects period and form of elements and technical skill.

STYLES OF ART Realism portrays people and things as they are seen by the eyes or really thought to be, without idealization, without distortion. An art or a work is realistic when the presentation and organization of details in the work seem so natural. Realism is the common way of presenting the art subject. Realism emerged as a coherent program of literary aesthetics stressing the daily life of an ordinary man with emphasis on the sordid and disagreeable. This is in reaction against the idealism of the narrow social range of earlier literary attitudes. Poetry and dramas were influenced by realism. Abstraction "Abstract” means "to move away or separate". Abstract art move from showing things as they really are. Here, the artist becomes so engrossed in one phase of a scene or situation that he fails to show the subject as an objective reality. The artist shows his personal feelings or ideas about it. Such art may be completely non objective or non representational. It may convert reality into forms that can be appreciated for its own sake. Sometimes it does not reference to reality.

Abstraction comes in two (2) basic variations. The first is geometric, or hard edge, which often suggests rationality and is associated with such modern movements as Constructivism, Cubism, and Concrete art. The second is the looser and more personal style known as organic. Organic abstraction is associated with such modem movement as abstract expressionism. Abstract Expressionism is characterized by large gestural brush strokes, spontaneous, abstract imagery and fields of intense color. Cubism is a style of painting introduced by Pablo Picasso and Braque in which objects are broken up into fragments and patterns of geometric structures and are depicted on the flat canvas as if from several points of view.

Symbolism A symbol, in general, is a visible sign of something invisible such a an idea or a quality Expressionism In expressionistic art, form and color are freely distorted by the artist in order to achieve or heightened emotional impact. The emotional expressions in expressionistic paintings could be described as involving pathos, morbidity, violence or chaos, and tragedy. It sometimes portrays defeat. The works of Van Gogh and Gauguin are examples of expressionistic art.

Surrealism uses art as a weapon against the evils and restrictions that surrealists see in society. Surrealism is an invented word meaning super realism. This movement was influenced by Freudian psychology which emphasizes the activities of the subconscious state of the mind. It intends to express the true function of thought in the absence of all control exerted by reason and outside all aesthetic and moral preoccupation. Surealists portrayed dream imagery, fantasies and hallucinations. Fauvism The fauves did not attempt to express ethical, philosophical or psychological themes. Most of these artists tried to paint pictures of comfort, joy, and pleasure. They used extremely bright colors. The subject matter centered on traditional nudes, still lifes, and landscapes. Fauvist painting was expressive and emotional, and often consisted of flat planes of strong color

Futurism painters wanted their works to capture the speed of force and modern industrial society. Their paintings glorified the mechanical energy of modern life. Subjects included automobiles, motorcycle and railroad trains subject that express the explosive vitality of a modern city. The leading Futurist painter and sculptor is Umberto Boccioni (1882 1916). The oft repeated word in Futuristic credo is dynamism Boccioni 's drawing "male figure in Motion Towards the left" illustrated the principle of dynamism.

References Marcos, et al. 2010. Introduction to Humanities: Visual and Performing Arts. Mindshapers Co. Inc. http: //www. tc. umn. edu/~jewel 001/humanities/book/1 intro. htm http: //alameda. peralta. edu/august flowers/files/2013/01/Introduction_to_ Humanities_chp_1 31. ppt.