Presentation of Artists in their Subjects / Classification of Artworks according to Subjects

Different Methods Used by the Artists in Presenting the Art Subjects

 Realism- In this art, it attempt to portray the subject as it is.
 Abstraction- This used when the artist becomes too interested in one phase of a scene that he does not show the
subject as an objective reality, but only his idea or feeling about it.
 Symbolism- Visible sign of something
 Fauvism- Didn’t attempt to express ethical
 Dadaism- Playful and Highly Experimental Artworks.
 Futurism- It captures speed and force.
 Surrealism- It tries to reveal a new and a higher reality than that of daily life
Difference of content from subject
Subject
 The visual focus or the image that may be extracted from examining the artwork
Content
 the meaning that is communicated by the artist or the artwork
Representational or Objective
 Arts that have subject
 Painting, Sculpture, Graphic Arts, Literature and Theatre Arts
Non-Representational or Non-Objective
 Arts that do not have subject.
 Music, Architecture and many of the Functional Arts
 They do not present descriptions, stories, or references to identifiable objects or symbols.
SOURCES OF SUBJECT
Nature *Animals, people, landscapes. These 3 are the most common inspiration and
subject matter for art
History *Artists are sensitive to the events taking place in the world around them
*The dress, the houses, manner of living, the thoughts of a period are necessary
reflected in the work of the artist.
Greek and Roman Mythology *These are the gods and goddesses
*Its center is on deities and heroes
Judaeo-Christian tradition *Religion and art, the bible, the apocrypha, the rituals of the church
Oriental sacred texts *Countries of the orient, especially China, japan and India
*Have produced sacred texts of one kind or another, and these inspired various
kinds of arts
*Most fruitful have been the texts and traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism

Kinds of Subject
History While many works may not be consciously done historical records, certain information about
history can be pieced from them. The costumes and accessories, the status symbols, the kinds
of dwellings or the means of transportation.
Still life These are groups of inanimate objects arranged in an indoor setting (flower and fruit
arrangements, dishes food, pots and pans, musical instruments and music sheets). The
arrangement is like that to show particular human arrangement is like that to show particular
human interests and activities
Animals Animals have been used as symbols in conventional religious art.
•The dove stands for the Holy Spirit in representations of the Trinity
•The fish and lamb are symbols of Christ
•The phoenix is the symbol of Resurrection
•The peacock is the symbol of Immortality through Christ
Figures The grace and ideal proportions of the human form were captured in religious sculpture by
the ancient Greeks. To them, physical beauty was the symbol of moral and spiritual
perfection; thus they portrayed their gods and goddesses as possessing perfect human shapes.
Nature *Many artists have recorded in paintings their observation of people in their usual ways and
performing their usual tasks.
*Genre Paintings –representations of rice threshers, cockfighters, candle vendors, street
musicians and children at play.
Landscapes, *Artists have always been fascinated with their physical environment
seascapes and *Fernando Amorsolo, is well known for having romanticized Philippine landscapes
cityscapes *Modern painters seem to be attracted to scenes in cities. Vicente Manansala, Arturo Luz and
Mauro Malang Santos are some who have done Cityscapes
Mythology/Myth *Art has always been a handmaiden of Religion. Most of the world’s religions have used the
arts to aid in worship, to instruct, to inspire feelings of devotion and to impress and convert
nonbelievers.
*In the early Christian world, representation of divinity were also symbolic. There were
precise conventions in rendering them.
Dreams and *A dream may be lifelike situation
fantasies *If the picture suggests the strange, the irrational and the absurd, we can classify it right away
as a fantasy or dream although the artist may not have gotten from the idea of a dream at all
but the workings of his imagination
Content in Art
1. Factual meaning
It may be extracted from the identifiable or recognizable forms in the artwork and understanding how these
elements relate to one another
2. Conventional meaning
Pertains to the acknowledged interpretation of the artwork using motifs, signs and symbols and other cyphers as
bases of its meaning
3. Subjective meaning
A variety of meanings may arise when a particular work of art is read
These meanings stem from the viewer’s or audience’s circumstances that come into play when engaging with
art.
MEDIUM OF VARIOUS FORM OF ART
Medium- Refers to the materials which are used by an artist; Means by which he communicate his ideas
Painting- the art of creating pictures by applying pigments to a surface; It is extremely versatile
6 Major Painting Media
 Oil  Watercolor  Fresco
 Tempera  Pastel  Acrylic
Painting media can be applied to many different surfaces (Supports)
 Canvas  Wetplaster
 Paper  Wood
3 BASIC INGREDIENTS OF PAINTING MEDIA
 Pigments- Granular solid grains that contribute color to the painting.
 Binder- Holds the pigment onto the surface
 Solvent- Control the flow and application of the paint.

PAINTINGS ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

OIL PAINTING -Slow drying -Contain toxic
 Most versatile and popular painting media. -Oil refracts the color solvent
 Support: Canvass, paper, wood pigment in the paint -Requires time
 Binder: Linseed oil -Great for realism, commitment
 Solvent: Turpentine, mineral spirits blending and detail. -Change color
Two Methods in Painting overtime
Direct Method - paints are opaque and are applied to the surface
just as they are to look in the finished product.
Indirect Method- the paint is applied in many thick layers
TEMPERA PAINTING -Fast drying. -Cannot attain deep
 It is used to paint images of religious icons. -Water-based color saturation
 Used by Egyptian, Medieval, and Renaissance painters. -Mostly opaque -Time consuming
 Support: Wood panel, paper -Color does not change
 Binder: Gum Arabic, Egg yolk and water overtime
 Solvent: Water
 Special characteristic: EMULSION
-Watery, milk-like texture of oily and watery consistency
WATERCOLOR PAINTING -Water-based -Need protection
 Most sensitive painting media. -Quick drying
 Require a high degree of technical dexterity. -Transparency
 Support: Paper
 Binder: Gum Arabic and water
 Solvent: Water
Two Types of Watercolor
Opaque Watercolor, Transparent Watercolor
PASTEL PAINTING -Very flexible medium -Difficult to preserve
 Most recent painting media. freshness
 No glazed effect and most closely resemble dry pigment. -Easy to lose its
 Pigment is in the form of crayon brilliance
 Support: Paper, Pasteboard, Canvas.
FRESCO PAINTING -It can embellish and -First, the fresco
 Painting the water-based pigments on freshly based applied emphasize a wall palette is limited to
plaster. surface and give the those colors that are
 Ideal for making murals. effect of having been not affected by the
 Support: Wall, Ceiling made to the exact strong alkaline action
 Binder: Water and Lime requirements of the of the lime in the
 The process begins with preliminary sketches, later enlarged room in which it has plaster.
to full-sized cartoons then, transferred to rough plaster. been placed.
ACRYLIC PAINTING -Quick drying, -Turn yellow over
 Newest medium and most widely used today. transparent and flexible time
 Support: Canvas, paper, wood and glass -Completely insoluble
 Binder: Acrylic Emulsion - Do not crack
 Solvent: Water

SCULPTURE- an artistic form in which hard or plastic materials are worked into three-dimensional art objects.

2 TYPES OF MEDIUM MAKING SCULPTURE 2 TYPES OF SCULPTURE

SOFT MEDIUM HARD MEDIUM RELIEF SCULPTURE FREE-STANDING
-Has Freedom -The process of cutting -Figures which are SCULPTURE
-Use squeezing and and taking away from the attached to the ground, -Figures that can be seen
shaping and continuously block wall or any surface. all sides.
adding to it as the work -Carving is confined to the
goes on. limits of wood or stone

TYPES OF SCULPTURE
STONE AND BRONZE WOOD IVORY TERRA COTTA
 The media most Advantage:  Ivory Statues survive  “Terra Cotta” means
commonly used for  Really Cheap and easy through long periods of “Cooked Earth”.
sculpture are stone to cut. time due to the intrinsic  It is made when
and metal.  Polishes well and has value of the material. Moist Clay is molded
 Stone is durable, and then subjected to
smooth, shiny surface  Ivory lends itself to
resistant to elements, heat.
fire and other hazards. and beautiful color. technical mastery.  Usually painted and
 On the other hand, it  Relatively light and  Many statues of saints coated in heavy glaze.
 is heavy and breaks can be made easily have heads and arms  Breaks and Chips
easily. into a variety of made of Ivory. Easily
 Marble is the most shapes.
beautiful of stones.
Disadvantage:
 Greece and Italy
commonly used it.  Limited in Size and
Burns Easily.
 Discolor and Decays
easily

ARCHITECTURE- the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with
construction.
TYPES OF ARCHITECTURE
WOOD STONE CONCRETE STEEL
 Common building  Used when permenance  High compressive  Tough alloy of iron in
material is desired strength variable amounts
ADVANTAGES:  Doesn't crumble to
 Malleable and hardened
 Abundance, Relative heavy weight.
durability and high  Fire resistant by sudden cooling
tensile and Stronger: Ferro-concrete  Tensile strength.
compression strength. and reinforced with steel.
 Exceptional Insulator
& Energy Saver
DISADVANTAGE:
 Easily destroyed by
moisture, insect and
fire

AUDITORY ARTS
PERCUSSION WIND FAMILY THE STRING FAMILY
is a musical instrument that is sounded - is a musical instrument that contains -are musical instruments that
by being struck or scraped by a beater some type of resonator (usually a produce sound from vibrating
including attached or enclosed beaters tube), in which a column of air is set strings when the performer plays
or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by into vibration by the player blowing or sounds the strings in some
hand or struck against another similar into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or manner.
instrument. near the end of the resonator. GUITAR
Snare Drum Bass Drum Cymbals Saxophone Oboe Bassoon -It is typically played by strumming
-The "snare“ -Largest -It come -Single reed -Snake -Largest or plucking the strings with the right
is a set of drum in the in many instrument charmers -Plays the hand while fretting (or pressing
wires or percussion sizes. -Used in used this lowest sound against the fret) the strings with the
strings strung family -Can jazz music instrument -Double reed left hand. The guitar is a type of
across the -Play a low sound soft -Easier to -Double Piccolo chordophone, traditionally
bottom of the sound and play than reed -Smallest constructed from wood and strung
drum. -It can delicate, the other -Held -Plays the with either gut, nylon or steel strings
-Good at sound loud or loud woodwinds vertically highest and distinguished from other
playing and and harsh -Bright pitches chordophones by its construction
"rolls” and thundering sound -Fixed hole and tuning.
other fancy
rhythms
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ARTIST AND ARTISAN’S APPROACH
ARTIST ARTISAN
The object has a clear artistic value The object has an artistic value.
The object has no functional value. The object has a functional value.

MEDIUM
 In art, "medium" refers to the physical objects used by artists to convey messages to audiences
through the senses.
 Mediums used by artists vary widely, and range from tools including paints, brushes, pencils and
pastels used by traditional artists, to instruments, voice and electronics used in the auditory arts
 Mediums used by sculptors/artisan use raw materials like wood, paints, clay and plastics to create figurines and
sculptures.

TECHNIQUES- It is a practical method, skill, or art applied to a particular task

ARTIST
Painting with mediums
Glazing
Sgraffito
Dry brushing
Building up texture
Blocking in
Under painting

ARTISAN
Sew
Print
Print
Dye
Spin & Loom
Macrame
Weave & Coil
Plait & Twist

THEIR ROLES IN ART WORLD

MANAGER- They chooses and presents art for sale. Manager’s responsibilities include managing both the
creative and business sides of running an art gallery, as well as organizing and exhibitions, private sales and
loaning out art.
CURATOR- A curator is in charge of a collection of exhibits in a museum or art gallery, and is responsible
for assembling, cataloguing, managing, presenting and displaying artworks, cultural collections and artifacts.
COLLECTORS- A ‘collector’ is someone who understands art. It is a matter of educating yourself, and
people want to be educated about what they are buying and are open to guidance.
ART DEALER- An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art with aim of making a
profit.
BUYER- Art Buyers find and purchase artwork to suit the distinguished taste of their client

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ARTIST AND ARTISAN’S APPROACH

Artisan- Essentially a manual worker who makes items with his or her hands, and through skill, experience and talent
can create things as great beauty as well as functional
Artist- Dedicated only to the creative side, making visually pleasing work for the enjoyment and appreciation of the
viewer but with no functional value
Artisan
 ARTISANS WORK IS A FORM OF WORK
WHICH HAS PHYSICAL FORM
 ARTISANS WORK IS QUANTIFIED
 ARTISANS WORK ATTRACTS PEOPLE
 ARTISANS WORK ARE A PRODUCT OF MIND
 ARTISANS WORK NO EMOTION IS
INVOLVED
 ARTISANS WORK IS THE RESULT OF THE
EXPERIENCE.
Artist
 ART IS A FORM OF WORK THAT EXPRESSED
EMOTIONS.
 ART IS SELDOM
 ART FORMS MOVE PEOPLE EMOTIONALLY
 ART IS KNOWN TO COME OUT OF THE
HEART AND SOUL.
 ARTS IT IS THE EMOTION THAT FLOWOUT
 ART COMES OUT OF A PERSONS INNATE
TALENTS.