COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
ART APPRECIATION (BSED-MATH
1A)
1st semester S.Y. 2023-2024
Submitted by:
(Group 1)
Sosas, Rhea Jenneil A.
Desabella, Rhea Mae C.
Bronola, Joselina
Tecson, Richmond Lee
Dejito, Jovelyn B.
Illut, Vievine Gleeze
Submitted to:
Mr. Gregorio Arcenal Jr.
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I. Objective:
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
•Identify the purpose and functions and philosophical importantance of art
•Evaluate the importance of art appreciation towards human development
• Analysis different form of art and identify whether its semiotic or iconic
II. Subject Matter:
Topic: Art Analysis: Semiotic and Iconic Plane
Materials: TV, (PowerPoint Presentation)
References:
[Link]
GROUP-04-BS-PSYCH-III-1-E
[Link]
#:~:text=In%20the%20basic%20semiotic%20plane,other%20words
%2C%20as%20Janet%20fromIII. Lesson Outline
A. Daily Routine
1. Prayer
2. Greetings
B. Review
The facilitator will ask the students some questions about the previous topic.
C. MOTIVATION
The students will be given the task of taking a moment to observe and describe
their seatmate. This description can encompass a wide range of details, whether it's
their facial features or unique characteristics that make them stand out. Subsequently,
each student will have the opportunity to share their observations with the entire class.
This exercise will nurture and hone the students' observational skills, training them to
keenly notice and articulate characteristics that may not have been obvious at first
glance.
D. Discussion
II. TWO INTERELATED ASPECTS IN THE STUDY OF ART :
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1. Art has its specificity: that is, its particular language or vocabulary that has to
do with the mediums, techniques, and visual elements of art that constitute it as a
distinct area of human knowledge and signifying practice. Constitutes art as a
particular human activity different from the others.
2. It has its specificity, is at the same time historically situated and shaped by
social, economic, and political forces.
Both these aspects need to be taken into account so as to be able to fully
understand and appreciate art.
A visual work as an iconic or pictorial sign has a unique and highly nuanced
meaning, and this uniqueness and semantic richness arises from the original use
of the elements and resources of art.
Art is a complex of intellectual, emotional, and sensory significations which the
work conveys and to which the viewer responds, bringing in the breadth of his or
her cultural background, artistic exposure and training, and human experience in
a dialogic relationship with the artwork.
PLANE OF ANALYSIS : THE BASIC SEMIOTIC, THE ICONIC
A. THE BASIC SEMIOTIC PLAN
Semiotics is the study of "signs“. work of art is the iconic or pictorial sign.
❖ Sign consists of:
-"signifier" or its material/physical aspect
-"signified" or non-material aspect as concept and value
Visual work –2D or 3D, is an embodiment of signs in which all physical or
material marks and traces, elements, figures, notations are signifiers which bear
a semantic or meaning-conveying potential and which in relation to each other
convey concepts and values which are their signifies. Their semantic potential is
realized in the analysis or reading of the integral work.
The basic semiotic plane covers the elements and the general technical and
physical aspects of the work with their semantic (meaning-conveying potential). It
includes:
1.
1. The visual elements and how they are used: line value, color, texture, shape,
composition in space, movement. Each element has a meaning-conveying
potential which is realized, confirmed, and verified in relation to the other
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elements which form the text of the work. While the elements usually reinforce
one another, there can also exist contrasting or contradictory relationships
which may be part of the meaning of a work. The elements and all material
features are thus to be viewed in a highly relational manner and not isolated or
compartmentalized.
2. The choice of medium and technique. In contemporary art, medium enters
more and more into the meaning of the work. A choice determined less by its
availability as by its semantic potential. Technique, of course, goes hand in hand
with the nature of the medium. Likewise, there are techniques which valorize the
values of spontaneity and play of chance and accident, while there are those
which emphasize order and control.
3. The format of the work. In contemporary art, format is no longer purely
conventional but becomes laden with meaning.
4. Other physical properties and marks of the work. Notations, traces, textural
features, marks, whether random or intentional, are part of the significations of
the work
The elements of the visual arts derive their semantic or meaning-conveying
potential from two large sources:
a) human psychophysical experiences (psychological and physical/sensory)
which are commonly shared; and
b) the socio-cultural conventions of a particular society and period
As human beings, our sensory and physical experiences in general are
intimately fused with our psychological conditions and processes. Because of
these humanly shared experiences, it is possible to arrive at a general agreement
of what these elements and their usage convey in a work of art.
A line made by a technical pen signifies a set of concepts and values different
from that madeby a stick of charcoal.
❖ Our sense of tonal values from light through shades of gray to dark comes
from our experience of the cycle of night and day, from early dawn through the
gradual series of light changes in the course of the day until evening to darkest
night. These changes in the light and dark of our environment have always
affected us psychologically.
In our perception of:
1. COLOR
2. SHAPES
3. TEXTURE
4. MOVEMENT
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5. RHYTHM.
The meaning-conveying potential of the elements also comes from their
sociocultural context with its conventions and traditions. As to social
conventions, these have to do with symbolic systems commonly understood by
members of a society or group.
According to de Saussure, meaning is produced from the interplay of the
signifiers of the work:
1. Artistic analysis takes into account not only the elements but also other
material aspects, such as dimension, format, medium, frame, and techniques, as
signifiers or conveyors of meaning;
2. The elements are not studied in a sequential and compartmentalized manner
but in a highly relational and interactive way in which the use of line, color,
texture, composition in space confirm or verify meanings or create semantic
relationships of similarity or contrast.
3. The signifiers go hand in hand with their signifies, and thus one does not
limit oneself to a description of the elements in the way they are used to but links
their particularities of usage with their primary significations, as well as with their
intellectual and emotional associations within the society.
B. Iconic Plane or the Image Itself
What makes an Image “Iconic”?
Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Edvard Munch’s The Scream have all
achieved something that most paintings—regardless of their art historical
importance, beauty, or monetary value. They communicate a specific meaning
almost immediately to almost every viewer. These few works have successfully
made the transition from the elite realm of the museum visitor to the enormous
venue of popular culture. This prompted me to ponder the idea of iconic images.
Icon
1. Eastern Church. a representation of some sacred personage, as Christ or a
saint or angel, painted usually on a wood surface and venerated itself as sacred.
2. a sign or representation that stands for its object by virtue of a resemblance
or analogy to it.
3. Computers. a picture or symbol that appears on a monitor and is used to
represent a command, as a file drawer to represent filing.
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4. Semiotics. a sign or representation that stands for its object by virtue of a
resemblance or analogy to it.
To be truly iconic an image must also carry with it some connection to a larger
contextual meaning. For example, Warhol’s soup can is not just a soup can. It
symbolizes the artistic movement out of which it arose and tells us something
about the times in which it was created.
Thus, an image to be truly iconic is that it must represent something beyond
what is pictured to some significant subset of the population.
ICONIC PLANE
This level is still part of the semiotic approach since it is still based on the
signifier-signified relationships. The only difference is that it has to do with the
particular features, aspects, and qualities of the image.
Signifier-signified Relationships
Signs are made up of both signifier and signified.
Signifier is the sign’s physical or material form whereas signified is the meaning
conveyed by the sign. However, the relationship between a signifier and
signified is arbitrary since various signifiers can be used to indicate the same
signified concept.
In the basic semiotic plane which deals with the material aspects of the work
and in the iconic plane which deals with the features of the image itself, one can
see that cannot be separated from the signified, concrete fact or material data
cannot be divorced from value.
CHOICE OF SUBJECT
It refers to the main idea that is presented in the artwork.
It bears SOCIAL and POLITICAL
implications.
It brings the essence of the piece.
GUSTAVE COURBET
-a FRENCH REALIST ARTIST.
-He chooses to paint WORKERS and ORDINARY People.
-His choice of the subject involves a personal statement of what appears
typically in his surroundings.
THE STONE BREAKERS (1849)
-One of his famous paintings shows case realism.
-He expressed the feeling of exhaustion of the society’s hardship.
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-He uses the French People as a POLITICAL ENTITY. He shows sympathy for the
workers and disgusts the upper men.
Presentation of the Image & it’s Relationship to the Viewer
-Parisian Life aka “Interior d’un Café” by Juan Luna features an interior scene in
a café with a woman seated prominently on a banquette and three men at the far
left corner.
-Subject-viewer relationship implies the facial expression, body language,
costume and accessories, natural or social background and all possible nuances
in which the subject potentially addresses to the viewer.
-The painting portrays contemporary social norms, gender politics and national
allegory. The woman in the painting is believed to be a prostitute which is a
subject of the male gaze.
-Women in Paris were seen as a threat to the status quo if they didn’t conform to
the traditional role of a femme honnête (respectable women) they were seen as a
courtisane or prostitute who bore the stigma of infecting men with a venereal
disease, thus embodies femme fatale (dangerous woman) which represents both
desire and death (loved and loathed at the same time).
-Parisian Life mirrors the constructions of masculinity and civility among three
men wearing European clothes. Despite the civilized middle-class body, their
brown faces discloses their racial identity. Their eyes are fixated on the woman
which appears to be an erotic encounter as their gazes are filled with desire
which personified moral disintegration.
Positioning
1. Frontal
2. Profile
3. Three-fourth and the signification that arises from these different
presentations.
Luna’s Tampuhan (1895)
- brings to the fore the artist’s sensitivity to language.
Some artists use cropping as a device to imply the extension of the figure into
viewer’s space.
A painting may expand or multiply its space by having not just one integral
image but several sets of images in montage form, from the same of different
times and places.
May occur in temporal sequence to constitute a narrative or may take the form of
simultaneous facets or aspects of reality.
Relationship of Figures to One Another
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In portraits the gaze of subject directed not only important in defining the
relationship of subject and viewer but also describing the pictorial space.
-A Woman with Chrysanthemum
In cropping figures intended to create a random, arbitrary effect as against the
deliberate and controlled.
Isolate segment of the object (hand or feet) in order to draw attention to its
physical qualities. Relationship of the figures to one another relationship the
way they are composed whether;
1. Massed figure
2. Isolated figure
3. Juxtaposed figure
Style of Figuration
It implies a particular re-presentation of the world view, if not ideology.
- has 4 types:
1. Classical Figuration
2. Realist Figuration
3. Impressionist Figuration
4. Expressionist Figuration
Classical Figuration
Basically follows the proportion of 7 and half to 8 heads to entire figure in its
pursuit of ideal form, as in a formal studio portrait with the subject enhanced by
makeup, all imperfections are concealed.
Realist Figuration
Based in keen observation of the people, nature and society in the concern for
truth of representation, thus creating portraits of individual without glossing
over physical imperfections and defects or exposing the environmental squalor
that arises from social inequalities.
Impressionist Figuration
It is fluid and informal, often catching the subject unaware like a candid camera.
Expressionist Figuration
Follows emotional impulses and drives, thus often involving distortion and
clashing of colors that came from strong emotion.
SUMMARY
The Iconic Plane or the Image Itself
-This level is still part of the semiotic approach since it is still based on the
signifier-signified relationships. The only difference is that it has to do
with the particular features, aspects, and qualities of the image.
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-The iconic plane includes the choice of the subject which may bear with social
and political implications.
V. Evaluation
Test I: Multiple Choice.
Directions: Write the correct letter of the correct answer and write it on a piece of
paper.
1. What artistic movement is Gustave Courbet associated with?
a) Romanticism b) Impressionism
c) Realism d) Cubism
2. In "The Stone Breakers" by Gustave Courbet, what does the painting
primarily convey?
a) A celebration of upper-class life b) The exhaustion and
hardships faced by workers
c) Romantic love and passion d) Political intrigue in society
3. How does Gustave Courbet use his art to address societal issues in "The
Stone Breakers"?
a) By portraying workers as privileged b) By glorifying the upper class
individuals and their lifestyle
c) By sympathizing with the workers d) By avoiding any political
and criticizing the upper class by commentary in his art
4. In Juan Luna's "Parisian Life," what aspect of the three men's identity is
revealed by their brown faces?
a) Their social class b) Their nationality
c) Their occupation d) Their racial identity
5. This artwork brings fore the artist’s sensitivity to language
a.) A Woman with Chrysanteumum b.) Aphrodite of Cnidus
c.) Luna’s Tampuhan d.) Los Trabajadores
6. The following are the positioning in presenting an image except for;
a.) Frontal b.) Three forth
c.) Portrait d.) Profile
7. According to him, artistic analysis takes into account not only the elements
but also other material aspect, such as dimension, format, medium, frame, and
techniques as signifiers or conveyors of meaning.
a.)De Saussure b.) Leonardo da Vinci
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c.) Edvard Munch d.) Juan Luna
8. A________made by technical pen that signifies a set of concepts and values
different from that made by a stick of charcoal.
a.) Color b.) Line
c.) Shape d.) Texture
9. Style of Figuration that is fluid and informal, often catching the subject
unaware like a candid camera?
a.) Classical Figuration b.)Realist Figuration
c.) Impressionist Figuration d.)Expressionist Figuration
10. Style of Figuration that follows emotional impulses and drives, thus often
involving distortion and clashing of colors that came from strong emotion?
a.) Classical Figuration b.)Realist Figuration
c.) Impressionist Figuration d.)Expressionist Figuration
Test II: True or False
Directions: Write T if the statement is TRUE, and write F if the statement states
otherwise. Write the answer on a piece of paper.
11. Answer: False
11. A painting may expand or multiply its space by having one integral image
12. Answer: True
[Link] is particular language or vocabulary that has to do with the mediums,
techniques, and visual elements.
13. Answer: False
13.“Signifier” is non-material aspect as concept and value.
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14. Answer: True
14. Art is a complex of intellectual, emotional, and sensory significations and
has its specificity.
[Link]: True
[Link] Courbet choice of subject involves a personal statement of what
appears typically in his surroundings.
[Link]: True
[Link] Figuration is based in keen observation of the people, nature and
society in the concern for truth of representation.
[Link]: True
[Link] Figuration is fluid and informal, often catching the subject
unaware like a candid camera.
[Link]: True
[Link] Plane has to do with particular features, aspects, and qualities of
the image.
[Link]: False
19.“Signified” is the material or physical aspect of sign.
[Link]: True
20.A visual work as an iconic or pictorial sign has a unique and highly
nuanced meaning, and this uniqueness and sematic richness arises from
the original use of the elements and resources of art.