cyprus university of technology

Art

What is art?

Christina Phasoulidou

10/14/2015

Department: Multimedia and Graphic Design

Course: LCE_111

LCE 111

What is Art?

The purpose of Art

Since the Stone Age art has proven to be mankind’s universal language, a language that uses visual images to convey feelings and ideas. Just like our primitive forefathers used mural graffiti to narrate about their family, land and hunting prays, today our museums, books and magazines still abound with images of extraordinary objects such as paintings, statues, palaces, drawings, pottery and many others which we define art.

How do we evaluate Art?

On the whole our judgment of works of art is strictly related to such criteria as craftsmanship, design and aesthetic qualities.

We refer to craftsmanship as the above-average skill shown by a person in the handling of materials and tools. We talk about aesthetic qualities when a series of factors makes an object unique. These are sensory qualities, or the elements of art that we apprehend with our senses, that is to say sight and touch, and are identifiable in the use of lines, the mixing and matching of colours the suggestion of space and the creation of different shapes. Then there are formal factors to consider, or the principles of art that allow artists to arrange the elements of art in order to express their messages. They consist of unity, balance, contrast, rhythm, pattern, movement and emphasis, and help us understand how the components of a work of art are related to each other. We must not forget technical factors which include the media, tools and procedures used to execute an art object. Such techniques as oil painting, marble carving and silkscreen process all require precise skills on the part of the artist.

Finally we have the expressive qualities of an art work or the characteristics that elicit our emotional reaction to the object by means of colour, shapes, symbol or design.

Exercise 1: Read the text and answer the following questions.

1. What is the purpose of art?

The purpose of art is to convey feelings and ideas through visual images. Moreover, art is a way to express certain messages.

2. Are the standards of art subject to change?

The standards of art are subject to change since everyone has different aesthetics and different emotional reactions to an object.

3. Upon what criteria do we base our appreciation of art?

Our appreciation of art is based on criteria such as craftsmanship, design and aesthetic qualities.

4. What do we mean by the expression aesthetic qualities?

When we use the expression aesthetic qualities we refer to a series of factors that make an object unique.

5. Name the most important aesthetic qualities.

The most important aesthetic qualities are sensory qualities, the mixing and matching of colours, the suggestion of space and the creation of different shapes.

VOCABULARY BUILDING

Exercise 2: Complete the text by choosing the correct word.

Art covers a broad spectrum of ideas and expressions. If we are to enjoy them, we must understand its many aspects.

To grasp the various components of art, we can break its study into four branches: aesthetics, history, productions and criticism.

Responses is a term that refers to our personal aesthetics to works of art. Each of us has different responses owing to the different individual experiences on which these responses are based.

Art history provides the setting and context for a work of art, since objects often reflect the times and culture of the people who produced them.

Art production is the actual creation of art. It involves learning to look carefully, knowing how to use the materials you choose, making decisions, interpreting what you see and criticizing your own efforts.

Art criticism means explaining and judging a work of art. It is discovering how the artist used the media and tools to create the work, but also trying to guess what the artist might have meant to say in the work.

responses art criticism media to use aspects art history aesthetics criticizing context art production

(Material taken from: Picello, R. (2007) English Through Art. The language of the Visual Arts, Architecture, Cineme and Design. Hoepli, Italy).