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L E S S O N 3
FUNCTIONS AND PHILOSOPHICAL
PERSPECTIVES ON ART
LEARNING OURCOMES
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
 Distinguish directly functional and indirectly
functional art,
 Explain and discuss the basic philosophical
perspectives on the art,
 Realize the function of some art forms in daily
life, and
 Apply concepts and theories on beauty and
aesthetics in real life scenarios.
 Aristotle claimed that every particular
substance in the world has an end, or
telos in Greek, which translates into
purpose.
 Every substance, defined as formed
matter, moves according to a fixed path
towards its aim.
This telos, according to Aristotle, is
intricately linked with function.
For a thing to reach its purpose, it
also has to fulfill its function.
FUNCTIONS OF ART
 An inquiry on the function of art is an
inquiry on what art is for.
 Example: What is the Rizal monument for?
 When it comes to function, different art
forms come with distinctive functions.
 Some art forms are more functional than
others.
Architecture and Applied Arts
 The value of the art in
question lies in the
practical benefits one
gains from it
 Obviously made for a
specific purpose
Painting and Literature
 One can look at the value
of the product of art in
and for itself
DOES IT MEAN THAT PAINTINGS AND
LITERARY WORKS CAN NEVER HAVE
ANY FUNCTION?
 Dr. Jose Rizals Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibustirismo
 The novels accrued value and as a
consequence, function.
 They are functional in so far as they are
designed to accomplish some definite end.
PERSONAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
 The personal functions of art are varied
and highly subjective.
 Functions depends on the artist who
created the art.
 An artist may create an art out of self-
expression, entertainment, or therapeutic
purpose.
SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
 Art is considered to have a social function if and
when it addresses a particular collective interest
as opposed to a personal interest.
 Art may convey message of protest,
contestation, or whatever message the artist
intends his work to carry.
SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
 Political art is a very common example of an art with a
social function.
 Art can also depict social conditions such as
photography (pictures of poverty)
 Performance art like plays or satires can also rouse
emotions and rally people toward a particular end.
PHYSICAL FUNCTION OF ART
 The physical functions of art can be found
in artworks that are crafted in order to
serve some physical purpose.
 Architecture, jewelry-making, interior
design all serves physical functions.
OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART
 Music was principally used for dance and
religion.
 The ancient world saw music as an instrument to
facilitate worship and invocation to gods.
 Music was essential for synchronicity of dancers.
 Music guarantees that warriors were
simultaneous.
OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART
 Today, music has expanded its functions and
coverage.
 There is a lot of music that has no connection to
dance or religion.
 Example: Serenade  People compose hymns
to express feelings and emotions.
 Music is also used as accompaniment to stage
plays and motion pictures
OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART
 Sculptures have been made by man most
particularly for religion.
 In the Roman Catholic world, the employment of
sculptures for religious purposes has remained
vital, relevant, and symbolic
 Rizal and Bonifacios monument and
commemorative coins (Pope Francis)
OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART
 Architecture may be the most prominent
functional art.
 Unlike other forms of art, buildings take so much
time to erect and destroy.
 One cannot dismiss taking into consideration the
function of a building before construction.
OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART
 It is also in architecture where one can find
the intimate connection of function and
form.
DOES ART
ALWAYS HAVE TO
BE FUNCTIONAL?
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES
ON ART
ART AS AN IMITATION
 In Platos The Republic, paints a picture of
artists as imitators and art as mere
imitation.
 In his description of the ideal republic,
Plato advises against the inclusion of art
as a subject in the curriculum and the
banning of artists in the Republic.
Functions and Philosophical Perspectives on Art
ART AS AN IMITATION
 In Platos metaphysics or view of reality,
the things in this world are only copies of
the original, the eternal, and the true
entities that can only be found in the World
of Forms.
 For example, the chair that one sits on is
not a real chair. It is an imperfect copy of
the perfect chair in the World of Forms.
Functions and Philosophical Perspectives on Art
ART AS AN IMITATION
Plato was convinced that artists
merely reinforce the belief in copies
and discourage men to reach for the
real entities in the World of Forms.
ART AS AN IMITATION
 Plato was deeply suspicious of arts and
artists for two reasons:
1. They appeal to the emotion rather to the
rational faculty of men
2. They imitate rather than lead one to reality
ART AS AN IMITATION
 Poetry rouses emotions and feelings and
thus, clouds rationality of people.
 Art is just an imitation of imitation. A
painting is just an imitation of nature,
which is also just an imitation of reality in
the World of Forms.
ART AS AN IMITATION
 Art then is to be banished, alongside the
practitioners, so that the attitudes and actions
of the members of the Republic will not be
corrupted by the influence of the arts.
 For Plato, art is dangerous because it
provides a petty replacement for the real
entities than can only be attained through
reason.
ART AS A REPRESENTATION
 Aristotle, agreed with Plato that art is a form of
imitation.
 However, Aristotle considered art as an aid to
philosophy in revealing the truth.
 The kind of imitation that art does is not
antithetical to the reaching of fundamental truths
in the world.
ART AS A REPRESENTATION
 Unlike Plato who thought that art is an imitation of
another imitation, Aristotle conceived of art as
representing possible versions of reality.
 For Aristotle, all kinds of art do not aim to represent
reality as it is, it endeavors to provide a version of
what might be or the myriad possibilities of reality.
ART AS A REPRESENTATION
In Aristotelian worldview, art serves
two particular purposes:
 Art allows for the experience of pleasure
(horrible experience can be made an object of
humor)
 Art also has an ability to be instructive and
teach its audience things about life (cognitive)
ART AS A DISINTERESTED JUDGMENT
 Immanuel Kant, in his Critique of Judgment,
considered the judgment of beauty, the
cornerstone of art, as something that can be
universal despite its subjectivity.
 Kant recognized that judgment of beauty is
subjective.
 However, even subjective judgments are based
on some universal criterion for the said
judgment.
ART AS A DISINTERESTED JUDGMENT
HOW AND IN WHAT SENSE CAN A
JUDGMENT OF BEAUTY, WHICH
ORDINARILY IS CONSIDERED TO
BE A SUBJECTIVE FEELING, BE
CONSIDERED OBJECTIVE OR
UNIVERSAL?
HOW ARE THESE TWO STATEMENTS
DIFFERENT?
1. I like this painting.
2. This painting is beautiful.
 The first is clearly a judgment of taste
(subjective), while the second is an aesthetic
judgment (objective).
 Making an aesthetic judgment requires us to be
disinterested. In other words, we should try to
go beyond our individual tastes and preferences
so that we can appreciate art from a universal
standpoint.
ART AS A COMMUNICATION OF
EMOTION
 According to Leo Tolstoy, art plays a huge
role in communication to its audiences
emotions that the artist previously
experienced.
 In the same that language communicates
information to other people, art
communicates emotions.
ART AS A COMMUNICATION OF
EMOTION
 As a purveyor of mans innermost feelings and
thoughts, art is given a unique opportunity to
serve as a mechanism for social unity.
 Art is central to mans existence because it
makes accessible feelings and emotions of
people from the past and present.
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS AS
PRECISELY YET AS THOROUGHLY AS
POSSIBLE.
1. What art form/artwork has changed something
in your life? Why Account for the experience.
2. Does art always have a function? Why?
Support your response. Provide your own
example.
3. If an artwork ceased to have a function, will it
remain an art? Why?
Functions and Philosophical Perspectives on Art
TAKE HOME TASK
 Look around your house and identify a
product of art. In a short bond paper, paste
a picture of that product of art in your
household. Trace the beginning of this
item and identify what functions it has in
history (e.g., a painting of the Last Supper
in your dining room or a spoon).

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Functions and Philosophical Perspectives on Art

  • 1. L E S S O N 3 FUNCTIONS AND PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ART
  • 2. LEARNING OURCOMES By the end of this lesson, you should be able to: Distinguish directly functional and indirectly functional art, Explain and discuss the basic philosophical perspectives on the art, Realize the function of some art forms in daily life, and Apply concepts and theories on beauty and aesthetics in real life scenarios.
  • 3. Aristotle claimed that every particular substance in the world has an end, or telos in Greek, which translates into purpose. Every substance, defined as formed matter, moves according to a fixed path towards its aim.
  • 4. This telos, according to Aristotle, is intricately linked with function. For a thing to reach its purpose, it also has to fulfill its function.
  • 6. An inquiry on the function of art is an inquiry on what art is for. Example: What is the Rizal monument for?
  • 7. When it comes to function, different art forms come with distinctive functions. Some art forms are more functional than others.
  • 8. Architecture and Applied Arts The value of the art in question lies in the practical benefits one gains from it Obviously made for a specific purpose Painting and Literature One can look at the value of the product of art in and for itself
  • 9. DOES IT MEAN THAT PAINTINGS AND LITERARY WORKS CAN NEVER HAVE ANY FUNCTION? Dr. Jose Rizals Noli Me Tangere and El Filibustirismo The novels accrued value and as a consequence, function. They are functional in so far as they are designed to accomplish some definite end.
  • 10. PERSONAL FUNCTIONS OF ART The personal functions of art are varied and highly subjective. Functions depends on the artist who created the art. An artist may create an art out of self- expression, entertainment, or therapeutic purpose.
  • 11. SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF ART Art is considered to have a social function if and when it addresses a particular collective interest as opposed to a personal interest. Art may convey message of protest, contestation, or whatever message the artist intends his work to carry.
  • 12. SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF ART Political art is a very common example of an art with a social function. Art can also depict social conditions such as photography (pictures of poverty) Performance art like plays or satires can also rouse emotions and rally people toward a particular end.
  • 13. PHYSICAL FUNCTION OF ART The physical functions of art can be found in artworks that are crafted in order to serve some physical purpose. Architecture, jewelry-making, interior design all serves physical functions.
  • 14. OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART Music was principally used for dance and religion. The ancient world saw music as an instrument to facilitate worship and invocation to gods. Music was essential for synchronicity of dancers. Music guarantees that warriors were simultaneous.
  • 15. OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART Today, music has expanded its functions and coverage. There is a lot of music that has no connection to dance or religion. Example: Serenade People compose hymns to express feelings and emotions. Music is also used as accompaniment to stage plays and motion pictures
  • 16. OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART Sculptures have been made by man most particularly for religion. In the Roman Catholic world, the employment of sculptures for religious purposes has remained vital, relevant, and symbolic Rizal and Bonifacios monument and commemorative coins (Pope Francis)
  • 17. OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART Architecture may be the most prominent functional art. Unlike other forms of art, buildings take so much time to erect and destroy. One cannot dismiss taking into consideration the function of a building before construction.
  • 18. OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART It is also in architecture where one can find the intimate connection of function and form.
  • 19. DOES ART ALWAYS HAVE TO BE FUNCTIONAL?
  • 21. ART AS AN IMITATION In Platos The Republic, paints a picture of artists as imitators and art as mere imitation. In his description of the ideal republic, Plato advises against the inclusion of art as a subject in the curriculum and the banning of artists in the Republic.
  • 23. ART AS AN IMITATION In Platos metaphysics or view of reality, the things in this world are only copies of the original, the eternal, and the true entities that can only be found in the World of Forms. For example, the chair that one sits on is not a real chair. It is an imperfect copy of the perfect chair in the World of Forms.
  • 25. ART AS AN IMITATION Plato was convinced that artists merely reinforce the belief in copies and discourage men to reach for the real entities in the World of Forms.
  • 26. ART AS AN IMITATION Plato was deeply suspicious of arts and artists for two reasons: 1. They appeal to the emotion rather to the rational faculty of men 2. They imitate rather than lead one to reality
  • 27. ART AS AN IMITATION Poetry rouses emotions and feelings and thus, clouds rationality of people. Art is just an imitation of imitation. A painting is just an imitation of nature, which is also just an imitation of reality in the World of Forms.
  • 28. ART AS AN IMITATION Art then is to be banished, alongside the practitioners, so that the attitudes and actions of the members of the Republic will not be corrupted by the influence of the arts. For Plato, art is dangerous because it provides a petty replacement for the real entities than can only be attained through reason.
  • 29. ART AS A REPRESENTATION Aristotle, agreed with Plato that art is a form of imitation. However, Aristotle considered art as an aid to philosophy in revealing the truth. The kind of imitation that art does is not antithetical to the reaching of fundamental truths in the world.
  • 30. ART AS A REPRESENTATION Unlike Plato who thought that art is an imitation of another imitation, Aristotle conceived of art as representing possible versions of reality. For Aristotle, all kinds of art do not aim to represent reality as it is, it endeavors to provide a version of what might be or the myriad possibilities of reality.
  • 31. ART AS A REPRESENTATION In Aristotelian worldview, art serves two particular purposes: Art allows for the experience of pleasure (horrible experience can be made an object of humor) Art also has an ability to be instructive and teach its audience things about life (cognitive)
  • 32. ART AS A DISINTERESTED JUDGMENT Immanuel Kant, in his Critique of Judgment, considered the judgment of beauty, the cornerstone of art, as something that can be universal despite its subjectivity. Kant recognized that judgment of beauty is subjective. However, even subjective judgments are based on some universal criterion for the said judgment.
  • 33. ART AS A DISINTERESTED JUDGMENT HOW AND IN WHAT SENSE CAN A JUDGMENT OF BEAUTY, WHICH ORDINARILY IS CONSIDERED TO BE A SUBJECTIVE FEELING, BE CONSIDERED OBJECTIVE OR UNIVERSAL?
  • 34. HOW ARE THESE TWO STATEMENTS DIFFERENT? 1. I like this painting. 2. This painting is beautiful.
  • 35. The first is clearly a judgment of taste (subjective), while the second is an aesthetic judgment (objective). Making an aesthetic judgment requires us to be disinterested. In other words, we should try to go beyond our individual tastes and preferences so that we can appreciate art from a universal standpoint.
  • 36. ART AS A COMMUNICATION OF EMOTION According to Leo Tolstoy, art plays a huge role in communication to its audiences emotions that the artist previously experienced. In the same that language communicates information to other people, art communicates emotions.
  • 37. ART AS A COMMUNICATION OF EMOTION As a purveyor of mans innermost feelings and thoughts, art is given a unique opportunity to serve as a mechanism for social unity. Art is central to mans existence because it makes accessible feelings and emotions of people from the past and present.
  • 38. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS AS PRECISELY YET AS THOROUGHLY AS POSSIBLE. 1. What art form/artwork has changed something in your life? Why Account for the experience. 2. Does art always have a function? Why? Support your response. Provide your own example. 3. If an artwork ceased to have a function, will it remain an art? Why?
  • 40. TAKE HOME TASK Look around your house and identify a product of art. In a short bond paper, paste a picture of that product of art in your household. Trace the beginning of this item and identify what functions it has in history (e.g., a painting of the Last Supper in your dining room or a spoon).