GEC105

Appreciation
Mark Leo F. Gante , MSHM

Forms
As the art world changes, so
do the different forms of art. In
fact, with the arrival of
different types of art
throughout the ages, the notion
of the seven significant forms
of art has been altered several
times with the arrival of new
media. Today when we speak
of ‘art’ we all think of ‘visual
art’ to be more specific.
However, this was not the case.
back in the day, the
seven different art
forms were called the
Liberal Arts,
consisting of
Grammar, Logic,
Rhetoric, Arithmetic,
Geometry,
Astronomy, and
Music.
During the Middle Ages, visual arts such
as painting or sculpture were seen as crafts and
not ‘art’ as we know it today. The paintings were
not signed, and the artist did not have any fame as
he was merely a tool to realize a commissioned
artwork. However, at a certain point in history,
around 1300-1400, the craftsman became aware
of their extraordinary talent and personal
innovations and contributions to the history of
their practice.
The tone was set with the Renaissance in Italy,
the masters became true artists instead of mere
craftsmen as the designo interno (the artist’s idea,
the image in his mind) became increasingly
important. At this point, they argued visual art
should be the eighth form of art.
Painting
Painting has been a compelling force throughout
history in the arts. With painting, the artist works
on a two-dimensional surface.
Painting is characterized by the practice of
applying paint, pigment, color or other medium
to a solid surface. The medium is commonly
applied to the base with a brush, but other
implements, such as knives, sponges, and
airbrushes, can be used.
It brings in elements such as drawing,
composition, gesture, narration, and abstraction.
Paintings can be naturalistic and
representational (as in still life and landscape
painting), photographic, abstract, narrative,
symbolistic (as in Symbolist art), emotive (as in
Expressionism) or political in nature (as in
Artivism).
Sculpture
With sculpture, visual art is no longer
limited to the dimensional surface of a
painting, drawing, or photograph, as it
consists of all three-dimensional artworks.
A sculpture is most often produced using
materials such as marble, wood, copper, or
bronze. There are two Sculptural Processes:
Carving and Modelling.
Carving is the removal of material while
Modelling is the addition of material.
A statue is not attached
except possibly at the
base to any other
surface.
A Relief is at least partly
attached to a
background surface.
Relief is often classified
by the degree of
projection from the wall
into low or bas-relief,
high relief, and
intermediate mid-
relief. Sunk-relief is a
technique restricted to
ancient Egypt.
Bas relief or Low relief or Basso relieve where the projection from
the surrounding surface is slight and no part of the modeled form is
undercut. Middle relief, or mezzo-relievo, falls roughly between the
high and low forms.
In a high relief, or alto-relievo, the forms project at least half or more
of their natural circumference from the background and may in parts be
completely disengaged from the ground
Sunken relief is a technique of relief sculpture in which figures or images are carved
in low relief, but set within a sunken area, so that the relief never rises beyond the
original flat surface. This technique is largely restricted to ancient Egypt
Literature
Literature is any collection of
written work, but it is also used
more narrowly for writings
specifically considered to be an art
form, especially prose, fiction,
drama, poetry, and including both
print and digital writing.
Prose is the form of written
language (including written speech
or dialogue) that follows the
natural flow of speech, uses a
language's ordinary grammatical
structures, or follows typical
writing conventions and formatting
(thus including academic writing).
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any
narrative work, portraying individuals,
events, or places that are imaginary or in
ways that are imaginary.
Drama is the specific mode of fiction
represented in performance: a play,
opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a
theatre, or on radio or television.
Poetry (a term derived from the Greek
word poiesis, "making"), also called
verse, is a form of literature that uses
aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of
language − such as phonaesthetics, sound
symbolism, and metre − to evoke
meanings in addition to, or in place of, a
prosaic ostensible meaning. A poem is a
literary composition, written by a poet,
using this principle.
Architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of
designing and building, as
distinguished from the skills associated
with construction. It is both the process
and the product of sketching,
conceiving, planning, designing, and
constructing buildings or other
structures. The term comes from Latin
architectura which means Chief
Creator. Architectural works, in the
material form of buildings, are often
perceived as cultural symbols and as
works of art. Historical civilizations
are often identified with their
surviving architectural achievements.
a good building should satisfy the
three principles of firmitas, utilitas,
venustas, commonly known by the
original translation – firmness,
commodity and delight. An
equivalent in modern English
would be:
• Durability – a building should
stand up robustly and remain in
good condition
• Utility – it should be suitable for
the purposes for which it is used
• Beauty – it should be
aesthetically pleasing
Theatre
Our fifth form of art consists of theatre or
the performing arts in general, with the
exception of music. Think of dance or
drama that must be performed in front of
an audience. Although very different in
many ways compared to other visual arts,
theatre or the performing arts are
intensely expressive, marked by emotions
and feelings, on stage and in the theatre
hall. The performers may communicate
this experience to the audience through
combinations of gesture, speech, song,
music, and dance. It is the oldest form of
drama, though live theatre has now been
joined by modern recorded forms.
Film
also called a movie, motion picture, moving
picture, picture, photoplay or flick – is a work
of visual art that simulates experiences and
otherwise communicates ideas, stories,
perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere
through the use of moving images. These
images are generally accompanied by sound
and, more rarely, other sensory stimulations.
The word "cinema", short for
cinematography, is often used to refer to
filmmaking and the film industry, and the art
form that is the result of it. Films can vary in
genre, style, length and format, and they are
typically produced for entertainment,
education, cultural expression, or commercial
purposes. They are usually shown in theaters,
on television, or via streaming platforms.
Music
music is the arrangement of sound to create
some combination of form, harmony, melody,
rhythm, or otherwise expressive content.
Our final form of art is the art of music. Art is
not an object, nor can it be visually experienced
with music. The art itself is the arrangement of
sound in time. As with theatre, music needs a
performance. As a result, it is only temporary
and volatile. Music is one of the most
expressive forms of art and has a very direct
impact.
Music has a very extensive history, from
Ancient pan flutes to 21st-century pop music.
As discussed in our introduction, music was
already an art form during the Liberal Arts and
has always had a very high social status.