Balano, Arianne Mae S.

BSEdMT I-1D HUMA 1013 Introduction to the Humanities Assignment #1:

1. Define Humanities. Humanities came from a Latin word humanus which means human, cultured and refined. The branch of learning that includes the arts, classics, philosophy and history etc., but not the sciences. Humanities are academic disciplines which study the human condition, using methods that are largely analytic, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural and social sciences. 2. What is the importance of studying Humanities? The importance of the humanities lies in studying and understanding what makes a community different from the student's own. In essence, the study of the humanities is the study of philosophy, music, literature, history, art, religion and other subjects from cultures across the world. The study of humanities is quite important due to the fact that these disciplines affect us profoundly on every level. 3. Discuss the Scope of Humanities. The humanities is a many-faceted subject. It consists of the visual arts, literature, drama and theater, music and dance. VISUAL ARTS The visual arts are those that we perceive with our eyes. They may be classified into two groups: graphic (flat, or two-dimensional surface) and plastic arts (three-dimensional). A. The Graphic Arts. Broadly, this term covers any form of visual artistic representation, especially painting, drawing, photography, and the like or in which portrayals of forms and symbols are recorded on a two-dimensional surface. 1. Painting. This is the process of applying pigment to a surface to secure effects involving forms and colors. Painting mediums include oils, watercolors, tempera and others. 2. Drawing. This is the art of representing something by lines made on a surface or the process of portraying an object, scene or forms of decorative or symbolic meaning through lines, shading, and textures in one or more color. Mediums used include pencil, pen and ink, crayon, brush and charcoal. 3. Graphic Processes. These are processes for making multi-reproduction of graphic works. Processes may be classified by the nature of the surface from which the printing is done: raised (relief); depressed (intaglio); or flat (surface or plane). a. Relief Printing. It is the process whereby unwanted portions of design are cut away on the master image. Printed image is formed by the remaining surface. b. Intaglio Printing. It is a method of printing from a plate on which incised lines, which carry the ink, leave a raised impression. (1) Dry Point. Here the artist draws directly on a metal plate with a sharp needle and scratches lines, or grooves, into the metal. (2) Etching. This is the art or process of producing drawings or designs on metal plates covered with wax.

(3) Engraving. This is done on a metal plate with a cutting tool called a brain, which leaves a V-shaped trough. Drawings or designs on the plate are entirely composed of lines and/or dots. c. Surface Printing. It includes all processes in which printing is done from a flat (plane) surface. (1) Lithography. It is the art or process of printing from a flat stone or metal plate by a method based the repulsion between grease and water. (2) Silkscreen. Silk is stretched over a rectangular frame and unwanted portions in the design are blocked out. 4. Commercial Art. This includes designing of books, advertisements, signs, posters, and other displays to promote sale or acceptance of product, service or idea. 5. Mechanical Processes. These are developed by commercial printers for rapid, largequantity reproduction of words and pictures in one or more colors. 6. Photography. This is a chemical-mechanical process by which images are produced on sensitized surface by action of light. Reproductions may be in black or white or in full colors of the original. B. The plastic Arts. This group includes all fields of the visual arts in which materials are organized into three-dimensional forms. 1. Architecture. It is the art of designing and constructing buildings and other types of structures. Architecture is often referred to as the mother of the arts because it houses, serves as background for, or occurs in relation to other fields of art such as painting, sculpture, interior design, landscape architecture, and city planning. 2. Landscape Architecture. It is planning outdoor areas for human use and enjoyment, especially gardens, parks, playgrounds, golf courses. Chief materials are plants, trees, shrubs, flowers, vines, and ground cover. 3. City planning. This refers to planning and arranging the physical aspects of a large or small community. 4. Interior Design. This term is used to designate design and arrangement of architectural interiors for convenience and beauty. It includes backgrounds (walls, floors, and ceilings), furnishings, and accessories. 5. Sculpture. It refers to the design and construction of three-dimensional forms representing natural objects or imaginary shapes. Sculptures of figures are called statues. 6. Crafts. The term refers to the designing and making of objects by hand for use or for pleasure. It includes such fields as ceramics, jewelry, leatherwork, and weaving. 7. Industrial Design. It refers to design of objects for machine production. 8. Dress and Costume Design. This covers the design of wearing apparel of all types dresses, coats, suits, shoes, ties and the like. 9. Theater Design. It is the design of settings for dramatic productions. LITERATURE The art of combining or written words and their meanings into forms which have artistic and emotional appeal is called literature. 1. Drama. It is a form of literature. 2. Essay. This is non-fiction, expository (descriptive or explanatory) writing ranging from informal, personal topics to closely reasoned critical treatments of important subjects. 3. Prose Fiction. It includes narratives (stories) created by the author, as distinguished from true accounts. The word fiction comes from a Latin word which means to form, to invent, or to foreign. Fiction is generally divided into novel, novelette, and short-story forms. A novel or a short story describes characters and events which the author has invented.

4. Poetry. It is a literature of a highly expressive nature using special forms and choice of words and emotional images. Narrative (storytelling) poetry includes epics, romances, and ballads. Lyric forms include the sonnet, ode, elegy, and song. 5. Miscellaneous: history, biography, letters, journals, diaries, and other works not formally classed as literature often have definite literary appeal and status due to the high quality of the writing. MUSIC Music is the art of arranging sounds in rhythmic succession and generally in combination. Melody results from this sequence, and harmony from the combinations. Music is both a creative and a performing art. The common forms are song, march, fugue, sonata, suite, fantasy, concerto, and symphony. Musical compositions fall into three groups. 1. Vocal Music. It is composed primarily to be sung. The voice or voices are generally accompanied by one or more instruments. 2. Instrumental Music. Music of this kind is written for instruments of four general types keyboard (piano, organ, etc.); stringed (violin, cello, guitar, etc.); wind (flute, clarinet, etc.); brass winds (trumpet, saxophone, etc.); percussion (drums, xylophone). 3. Music Combined with Other Arts a. Opera. It is a drama set to music. It mostly or entirely sung with orchestral accompaniment. It is spectacularly staged with accomplished singers, elaborate scenery and costumes. b. Operetta and Musical Comedy. This is also a drama set to music but is light, popular, romantic, and often humorous or comic. Operettas use spoken dialogue instead of recitative. c. Oratorio and Cantata. It is a sacred musical drama in concert form. These are made up of recited parts (recitative), arias, and choruses, with orchestral accompaniment. No action, sets, and costumes are used. Oratories are usually based on Biblical themes. 4. Other forms of arts are the ballet music and background music for motion pictures. DRAMA AND THEATER A drama, or play, is a story re-created by actors on a stage in front of an audience. The following are the most common types of drama. 1. Tragedy. This is one of literatures greatest dramatic art forms. It is a drama of serious nature in which the central character comes to some sad or disastrous end. All tragedies portray suffering. 2. Melodrama. In this type of drama, the emphasis is on action rather than on character. The action is sensational or romantic and usually has a happy ending. 3. Comedy generally includes all plays with happy endings. a. The Romantic Comedy. Is a light, amusing table of lovers in some dilemma which is finally solved happily. b. Farce. It is a light, humorous play. The emphasis in a farce is on jokes humorous physical action, ludicrous situations, and improbable characters. c. Comedy of Manners. It is sometimes called drawing room comedy is sophisticated, sometimes satirical. The characters are usually high-society types, and situations have little to do with real life. The emphasis here is on witty dialogue. 4. Miscellaneous: a. Tragicomedy. A drama blending tragic and comic elements but which ends happily. b. Miracle and Mystery Plays. Dramatized stories from the Bible and of the lives of saints. c. Morality Plays. Are those in which characters represent specific vices and virtues. d. Closet Drama. It is a term used to designate plays written for reading rather than for staging.

e. Piano Drama. It is based on piano works which revolve around the musical pieces composed under the inspiration of a literary work. This piano drama which is a recent innovation is combining the interpretation of music with the recitation of poetry and the literary source of the music. DANCE Dance involves the movement of the body and the feet in rhythm. Some important types include: 1. Ethnologic. This includes folk dancing associated with national and cultural groups. 2. Social or Ballroom Dances. These are popular types of dancing generally performed by pairs. They include such forms as waltz, foxtrot, rhumba, and tango. 3. The Ballet. This is the formalized type of dance which originated in the royal courts of the Middle Ages. Ballet dances may be either solo or concerted dances with mimetic actions accompanied by music. These are generally built around a theme or story. 4. Modern. Modern dances are sometimes called contemporary or interpretative dances. These dances represent rebellion against the classical formalism of ballet: they emphasize personal communication of moods and themes. In the past, movements were natural and untrained. Today, there are varied styles of movements usually based on the current trend. 5. Musical Comedy. It refers to those dances performed by soloists, groups, choruses in theaters, night clubs, motion pictures, and television. It combines various forms of ballet, modern, tap, and acrobatics.