Unit I- Arts and Culture in the Modern Era

Introduction

The condition of man has changed more radically in the last hundred years. The turn of the century showed marked advances in technology. These advances led to the mechanization, so intense that in turn has affected the social, economic, and political structure of society.

The rapidly changing environment due to new discoveries inventions affect the art, too. These changes in the social order, ideas, beliefs and activities of man are reflected in the works of the artists. Their works contributed to the development of the contemporary society and the understanding of past cultures.

In this unit, you will learn the relationship or functions of modern art in life, religion, government, economy and technology development. Some of the famous artists and their artworks are included in this unit for you to analyze and appreciate.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Explain the relationship of the different aspects of life to art.
Identify some famous artists and their masterpieces in the 20th and 21st centuries
Identify modern artworks and artists in the Philippines and in other countries
Explain the emotions expressed in specific artwork
Discuss the meaning of art based on how it is expressed in the 20th and 21st centuries art styles and trends
Show own creativity based on the knowledge of modern art; and
Identify the similarities and differences of modern art from the Philippines and those from other countries.

Lesson 1- Arts and Its Function in life

In the 20th and 21st centuries, practically every industry, business, and school in the world require the skills and imagination of an artist. Artists with their artworks and skills have served mankind for its entire existence. Even during the early civilization, art had served several functions in human life.

Today, if we look around, we will see that art is everywhere. Art is not only to be found in museums and galleries, but on the shelves of stores and on television screens around the world. Art does not only emerge from cloistered painting and sculptures studios, but from manufacturing companies, film studios, industrial complexes, computers, and corporations. Art is not only produced by painters, sculptors, printmakers, but also by talented industrial designers, photographers, fashion experts, color consultants, craftsmen, computer programmers, and others.

Art is part of our daily lives. There is art in the clothes and accessories we use everyday. There is also art in the beautiful creations of God such as mountains, volcanoes, the sound of the waves, swaying leaves, swirling of the wind, and many more. Man-made and man-designed objects that we use every day are all works of art, too.

We find art objects in our home, community, church, in trades, and in industry. These are objects of man’s effort to enhance life and lessen the tediousness of everyday living. These objects also help man to transform the environment into a more interesting and wonderful place to live in.

Art is not confined to art objects around us. The music we hear, the dances we enjoy, the films we watch are also works of art. Art exists in all forms of society and in every generation. Through art, we can express our emotions, experiences, and ideas that are beyond the reach of language. Our lives would be very dull without art. There is art in all aspects of man’s life.

Art and Religion

Art has always been a part of any religious belief. Inside and outside the church there are carvings, mural paintings, stained glass windows telling about stories of Christ and the saints. Music is also used to express devotion. Musicians in modern utilized some religious subjects in composing praise songs. Some musical plays like “Jesus Christ Superstar” are religious in nature. Religious arts strengthen expressed faith or belief.

Art in Government/ Politics

Art is one of the oldest and most important means of expression. In government and politics, art is always a part of people’s expression of contentment, satisfaction, and protest. Look at some editorial and political cartoons in newspapers. What is the purpose of these political cartoonists? They want to express their opinions. In simple graphic terms, the artists are able to present serious and complicated issues.

Government buildings are also used to display the paintings and murals depicting government officials, figures, and events which happened in that place. In the second floor of the Manila City Hall, a mural made by Carlos Francisco depicts events in the history of Manila.

To express ideological or political comment in the government, some artists use paintings, photographs posters, theater plays, or cartoons to put across a message. They encourage and promote social change using their artworks.

Art in Economy Technology

In the fields of industrial design, fashion design, and graphic design, the artists create designs or artworks that communicate with specific audiences/ consumers. These artworks are attractive and functional enough to sell products and make profit.
Modern technologies have helped the artists improve their techniques. Graphic design techniques have improved so much with the development of new media such as acrylic, epoxies, and alkyds. New techniques have been developed also such as airbrush, photography, montage, and dye transfer. New materials that have been discovered and developed helped in the improvement of graphic designs and other artworks such as plastics, acrylic sheets, dry-transfer, lettering, and mylars.

Modern equipment that has been invented make mass-produced goods more attractive.

Some of these modern equipment are the following:

overhead projector
duplicating machine
laser scanners
computer lasers
thermal and electrostatic photocopiers
digital cameras

Technological advances have perfected and speed up the design and production of graphic images. These developments help boost the economic condition of any society.

Lesson 2- Artworks in the 20th and 21st Centuries

The showing of the works of C’ezanne, Van Gogh and other painters signaled the opening of a new era in the development of modern art. A number of painters formed themselves into a group called the “Fauves” or “Wild Beasts”, headed by Henri Matisse. These painters seemed to have painted with great enthusiasm and passion. Their artworks are characterized by strong colors, dynamic brushwork, and expressive depth of their pictures. These evoked a fantastical, joyous world of heightened emotion and color.

Fauvism was a movement of rebellion against the rigid realism of academic art. Paul Gauguin is often associated with the Fauves.

The melancholic, sensual, and beautiful Polynesian woman reaches out to the viewer through the vibrancy of her bright colors and heavy outlines. Look at the traditional pose the artist used, he avoided the usual rules of western art. In this artwork, the forms are simple, the colors clash, and there is no depth or perspective. Gauguin was among the first to use the color for purely decorative or emotional purposes. His use of colors and his simplified and nonnaturalistic style of painting had made him one of the most important contributors to Modern art.

Another painter who has known as “Fauves” or “Wild Beasts” due to the primitive savagery of his style was, Henri Matisse.

The flurry of primary colors dominates this dazzling painting of the interior of the room with a woman setting a table. The entire surface is harmonized into a vibrant, unified pattern of pure color that has been skillfully integrated into the structural composition, saturating the room. The tablecloth merges with the wall, and the forms have been completely flattened, distorted, and simplified. This enhances the lyrical flow of the ornamental forms and rainbow-like colors. Matisse has used colors as a mean of expression. He has deliberately mocked the conventional rules of drawing and perspective.

Lesson 3 -Modern Art and Artists of the Philippines and other Countries

Some Filipino artists used western art styles and their works had an influence of C'ezanne and Gauguin. They depicted their subjects in terms of the technical considerations of line, color, space, and mass. These Filipino modern artists include:
1. Victorio Edades 4. Cesar Legaspi
2. Vicente Manansala 5. Carlos "Botong" Francisco
3. Hernado Ocampo 6. Romeo Tabuena

These painters represented subject matters that were about the social and economic life of the Filipinos. They depicted in their works contemporary issues, conditions, aspirations, and dreams of the Filipino masses. Their themes dealt with poverty;slums; injustice; exploitation of the poor, of women, of children, of plight of the OFWs; unfair labor practices; inequality; abuse of political power; oppression; and others.

Different art styles such as the application of expressionism and abstract cubism were used in their constant search for national identity and in expressing Philippine "realities" in their artworks. They used bold colors such as black, purple and red to express their feelings.

Victorio C. Edades is the " Father of Modern Art " in the Philippines. Edades, Ocampo and Francisco were the triumvirate of Philippine Modern Art. Their artworks were influenced by the western styles in the international scenes such as pop art, maximalism, minimalism, abstraction, expressionism, constructivism, magic realism, and environmental art.

Other Filipino painters who joined the modernist group are the following:
1. Fernando Zobel 6. Federico Aguilar Alcuaz
2. Arturo Rogelio Luz 7. Lee Aguinaldo
3. Jose Joya 8. Mauro Malang Santos
4. Ang Kiukok 9. Hugo Yonzon, Jr.
5.Anita Magsaysay-Ho

The artworks of thes painters gained international reputation and credibility and can be found in prestigious galleries, museums, and private collections all over the world.

Lesson 4- Feelings Expressed in Artwork

Modern artists use their own experiences to ventilate their feelings through their artworks. Some of them focus on common problems, issues, and concerns of the society where they belong. As a medium, they use expressionism to communicate strong or intense feelings. They also reflect in their works a society on the brink of socio-political conflicts. A Filipino-Chinese painter, Ang Kiukok, likes to dwell on subject matters showing the harsh, disturbing, morbid realities affecting people in the Philippines. He expresses anger and frustration in his paintings.

Vincent Van Gogh in his “Starry Night” expressed a special feeling. His painting displayed stars swirling together and he used bold jagged strokes. Rough movements were also shown. He used gloomy colors like blue or black and sad colors to convey scary or strange feelings. The swirling brush strokes, the lines, colors and shapes tell something about the scene in his painting.

Lesson 5- Meaning of Art Styles and Trends in the 20th and 21st Centuries

When you look at visual arts like painting, you can easily understand what the artists are trying to communicate to the viewers when you have experienced what the artworks convey. It is important to analyze and understand the meaning of art in painting.

To analyze and understand painting, you can use elements and principles of art to get its meaning. Artists may use icons and symbols to show an obvious or sometimes hidden intention or message.

There was a continuous search for meaning in art at the beginning of the 20^th century. Pablo Picasso, the most inventive genius, opened a new direction on his experimentation with form. In his artworks, he showed faces of hunger, loneliness, poverty, and bereavement using shades of blue. The figures were distorted to emphasize the conditions. Picasso painted one of the most powerful paintings of all time his “Guernica”.

In this painting, he used the cubist medium to show the horror and destruction brought about by the German bombing of a Basque town in the Pyrenes. Several styles in painting came out such as expressionism, surrealism, dadaism, and social realism. Artists use their styles to show their fears, to show horror, and protest against brutality, darkness and humanity in all forms.

Expressionism

Expressionism is an artistic movement where artists express their innermost feelings rather than to represent the external world. Expressionist paintings are intense, passionate, and highly personal. It is usually characterized by violent, unreal color, and dramatic brush work.

In expressionism, the artists manifest their protest against the rapid changes brought about by the machine age. Vincent Van Gogh and Edward Munch were among the oldest members of the artistic movement.

Dadaism

The term “Dada” is meaningless and this was given to an international “anti-art” movement that flourished from 1915 to 1922. Its main center of activity was the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich, where like-minded artists, poets, writers and musicians would gather to participate in experimental activities such as: automatic drawing, nonsense poetry, and “noise music”. Dada was a violent reaction to the snobbery and traditionalism of the art establishment. Members of this movement were ready to use any means within their imagination to cause an outrage among the bourgeoisie. Two famous Dadaist painters are Francis Picabia and Marcal Duchamp.

Look at this artwork, there is nothing erotic about this machine but the title of this artwork triggers our imagination. Picabia displayed an innovative and unusual imagination using an inanimate, unerotic object to create an artwork with sexual undertones.

Surrealism

Surrealist painting came out from discoveries relating to the hidden desires and unconscious processes of mind. Its aim was to resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality, and the ways in which this was achieved widely. Surrealist painters created unnerving and illogical scenes with photographic precision, created strange creatures from collections of every day objects. Surrealism was an art movement that sought to link the world of dreams with real life. Surreal means beyond or above reality. Surrealist paintings frequently had a dreamlike quality and depicted objects in unrealistic ways. The painting on the right shows watches melting in a landscape and the insects feed on the clockwork.

Social Realism

In Mexico and in the United States, realism allied with social consciousness, this characterized the artist’s works. Jose Clemente Orozco dramatized in his mural the “Gods of the Modern World” the social conflicts of his time. The United States during this period (1930-1950) was suffering from economic depression. Artists dealt on the subjects about social problems such as urbanism, alienation, lack of social integration, dehumanization of people, material greed and corruption, and the conflict between the interior and exterior world. Known artists who used art as a vehicle for communicating significant human experience and for shaping the human values necessary to have a truly humane society are the following.

1. Edward Happer
2. Anrdew Wyeth
3. Ivan Albright
4. George Tucker

In the advance of modernism in the United States, the mural art became alive and vigorous for a few years. Many artists worked on the walls of schools, city halls, hospitals, and other offices and buildings for their mural designs.

Lesson 6- Modern Philippines and Other Countries’ Art, Their Similarities and Differences

In the Philippines, modern art formally began to threaten the prevailing conservatism in art in 1928.the struggle between modern art and conservative art continued until the establishment of the Art Association of the Philippines in 1948 and the Philippines Art Gallery in 1950. These helped so much in introducing modern art to the public.

Modernists like Hernando Ocampo, Vicente Manansala, Cesar Legaspi, Romeo Tabuena and Carlos Francisco, and others were influenced by the western art styles. They demonstrated in their artworks different western art styles such as post-impressionism, cubism, abstraction, expressionism, and surrealism.

The influence of the international style in the Philippine modern art is clearly seen in the works of Filipino artists. In music, some musicians used native and foreign influences in composing a national music. In sculpture, modern Filipino sculptors adhered to the latest trends in the international scene. Some of them believed that national identity in sculpture is not necessary and that their works should be evaluated and appraised according to their “pure form and good design”. Some Filipinos artists applied their own expression of modern art by portraying the Filipino way of life in his/her artwork. The artists also used contemporary conditions and aspirations of the Filipino masses.

In their pursuit, to gain identity in their artworks, some artists developed a style in using colors that was entirely different from foreign artworks. According to Emmanuel Torres, two characteristics can be perceived in an artwork of local painters. These are the following:

1. They expressed sensuousness through loud clash of colors and curving shapes. These are seen in the works of Ocampo, Malang, Manansala, and Tabuena.
2. They avoid too open display of emotions. Painters favor the witty, and the refined rather than the brutal or the monumental.
   

Using local subject matters, reinterpreting Philippine history, by using folk subjects or by exploring indigenous motif some artists gained national identity that made their works different or uniquely Filipino modern art.

Unit II- The Elements and Organization of Arts in the Modern Era

Art is a product of human imagination that pleases and entertains people. The different artworks created by artists reflect the period when these are created. The artwork reflects the trend or style during that period. Since 1900, artistic styles have changed rapidly. These changes can be seen in the artworks today. You can see the diversity of styles, techniques, and movements. Artists responded to the changing social conditions and values. They reflected this in their artwork by using different media. Their innovation led to the development of other art forms such as conceptual art, performance art, and others.

In this unit, you will learn how the artists employed the different elements of art in their modern artworks. You will learn the different media and processes of art in the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

Learning Objectives

1. Discuss the different media and processes of art in two-dimensional and three-dimensional art
2. Discuss how the different elements of art used in a specific artwork
3. Identify in modern artworks the subject, composition, processes and functions, medium, meaning, and symbol used by the artists
4. Identify the artist who created some famous modern artworks
5. Discuss the importance of art in the general context of socio-cultural development
6. Plan and put up an exhibit of modern art creations

Lesson 1- Media and Processes of Art in Two/ Three Dimensions

There are wonderful works of art around. These works of art come in different mediums. Medium refers to the material or means that the artist uses to express his emotion or thought. These medium could be the pigments in painting; the stone, metal, wood, marble, bronze and clay in sculpture; the various building materials in architecture; the sound in music; the words in literature; and the movements in dance.

What is visual or space arts? This kind of art uses medium that can be seen and occupy space. These space or visual arts are either two-dimensional or three-dimensional arts. Two-dimensional arts include drawing, painting, photography, and printmaking. Three-dimensional arts include architecture, landscaping, sculpture, ceramics, furniture-making, weaving, community planning and industrial design. Two-dimensional arts have length and width while three-dimensional arts have length, width, and thickness or depth. In two or three-dimensional arts, an artists chooses a medium that he/ she thinks will best suit his/ her purpose and will bring out the best qualities of the work. Each medium has different qualities and requires different and specific techniques. Bas relief sculptures are slightly raised like the medals and the coins. High relief sculptures are those whose figures are projected to one half of their thickness or more. Printing is a two-dimensional art. It can be done by different ways. Different mediums can be used in printing such as ink, paint, watercolor, tempera, and many more. It is an art expression that requires the artists’ creativity in using different mediums. Artist can use string, sponge, leaves, or shapes formed by a cardboard in printing. Artist can make different attractive designs using different mediums and different techniques.

Lesson 2- Elements of Art in Modern Artwork (Line, Shape, Space, Color, Value and Texture)

Artists create artwork about anything they see around or anything they imagine. They use the elements of art to express their ideas, emotions, or messages to the viewers. Look at the work of Joan Miro’. In his painting he seems to show a make-believe land. He used different kinds of lines and shapes in this artwork. The artist used his imagination to create an artwork using strange shapes and different kinds of lines.

This picture illustrates strong motions. The Japanese actor here is portrayed as a fierce warrior. The use of straight lines and shapes ends a message of strong motions. The other picture is the opposite. The graceful curved lines send a message of graceful movements or motions.

Look at the different shapes that you can create out of lines. Straight lines can make shapes with straight edges such as the following:

Curved lines, on the other hand, can make shapes with curved edges. Look at the examples above.

Another important element that artists use is the space. The painting below showed a curved line that seems to dance or twist in space.

Look at this painting of Georges Braque. This painting has many neutral colors like brown, black, gray and white.

Color expresses personal feelings, moods, and it symbolizes ideas. Colors bring out a particular meaning or emotion in an artwork. The artist’s choice of color expresses the beauty of his work and also the feeling the artist has at the moment. Look at how the artists used lines, colors, and shape to express ideas and feelings. He painted a very colorful sunset. How do the lines, colors, and shapes in this painting make you feel?

Another element of art that shows whether a surface appears smooth or rough through the combination of color, tone, and line patterns is the texture. An artist creates textures and patterns from lines. Lines in the picture at the left help us see the texture of a dog’s fur.

Lesson3- Subject, Composition, Processes, and Function,

In a work of art, the subject could be a person, an object, a scene, or an event. Artworks with subject are called representational or objective arts while those without a subject are called nonrepresentational or nonobjective arts.

In modern art, the artists rebel against the earlier realistic styles of painting. They want to depict the inner world of emotion and imagination rather than sow realistic representation of objects. Expressionist painters use bold and distorted or exaggerated shapes and forms in their works.

Pablo Picasso painted “Guernica” shortly after Nazi planes destroyed the ancient Basque city of Guernica in 1937. Thousands of people were killed by the air attacks. Look at this painting, at the right, a mother cries over her dead child. At the center, a horse screams and a woman soldier lies dead.

Lesson 4-Artists and Their Artworks

Many artists break away from the tradition in their desire to depict the inner world of emotion and imagination. Modernists include Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Paul C’ezanne, Henry Matisse, Edvard Munch, and manyb more. Most of these modern artists distorted or exaggerated the real world to convey a particular feeling or an idea.

Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian painter. While studying art in Munich, he and his progressive young painter friends founded the New Artists Federation. Later, he led the Blaue Keiter group.

Edvard Munch was the immediate father of German revolution in art. He was an advocate of nature-distortion controlled for expressive effect. He used harsh combinations of colors, distorted forms, and exaggerated perspectives to give visual forms to the alienation of the individual in modern, industrial society.

Paul Klee was born in Switzerland. He became one of the greatest names in the 20^th century art. During the last two years of his life, his work showed an undertone of tragedy.

Pablo Picasso of Spain founded cubism o\in 1907. Guernica is a painting whose symbolism was meant to shock and serve as a warning terrorism, violence, and war.

Lesson 5- Importance of Arts in the General Context of Socio-Cultural Development

Art contributes to the development of the contemporary society and the understanding of past cultures. Through art, people learn about their culture’s values and it helps strengthen a culture’s identity. Art encourages people to feel proud of their customs, and it gives them a sense of belonging. Today different government and nongovernment agencies support arts because arts promote cultural pride and identity.

Artist created beautiful churches, temples, paintings, and music to express their faith. Within a culture, people usually share religious beliefs and arts play a vital role in shaping the beliefs of the people.

Art is an important tool to teach values. Our culture shapes our lives and art is one of the elements of our culture. As an element of culture, art is very important in the socio-cultural development of a nation.

Lesson 6- Self Expression of Modern Art

When you look around you, you will admire the beautiful things man and God created. You may even wonder how these are made by man or by the Lord. If you will look at the artworks created by the artists, you will also see the creativity of the artists. You will appreciate the skills of the artists in the application of the different elements of art. You appreciate the beautiful colors and every detail of an artwork.

Look at this painting done by Arthur Dove. See how he added light and dark colors in this painting. Can you do the same ?

Unit I- Activity

TRUE or FALSE

Write TRUE if the statement is true and FALSE if the statement is false. Write your answer on the space provided.

_____1. Some Filipino artists used western art styles and their works had an influence of C’ezanne and Gaugin.

_____2. Vicente Manansala is the “Father of Modern Art” in the Philippines.

_____3. Legaspi, Ocampo and Francisco were the triumvirate of Philippine Modern Art.

_____4. Hernando Ocampo paint the “Sampayan”.

_____5. Expressionism is the medium they used to communicate strong of intense feeling.

_____6. Vincent Van Gogh in his “Starry Night” expressed a special feeling.

_____7. Expressionism is an artistic movement where artists express there innermost feelings rather than to represent the extended world.

_____8. Dadaist painting is intense, passionate and highly personal.

_____9. Dada was a violent reaction to snobbery and traditionalism of the art establishment.

_____10. Surreal means beyond or above reality.

Match the artworks with their respective artists.

Unit II- Activity

Fill in the blanks. Write the correct answer on the space provided.

1. _____ refers to the material or means that the artist uses to express his emotion or thought.

2. _____ includes drawing, painting, photography, and printmaking.

3. Three –dimensional arts have length, _____, and thickness or depth.

4. _____ is slightly raised like the medals of the coins.

5. Printing is a _____ art.

6. The use of _____ and shapes sends a message of strong motions.

7. The graceful _____ sends a message of strong motions.

8. _____ expresses feelings, moods, and it symbolizes ideas.

9. Artworks with a subject called _____ or _____ arts.

10. Artworks without a subject are called _____ or _____ arts.

11._____ led the Blaue Keiter group.

12. _____ was the immediate father of German Revolution in art.

13. _____ is an important tool to teach Values.

14. Our _____ shapes our lives.

15. _____ gives a warm feeling.

16. _____ in art refers to any object, person, event or scene described in a work of an artist.

17. _____ in art refers to the integration of color, line, and plane into a harmonious or dramatic whole.

18. _____ of Spain founded cubism in 1907.

19. _____ is a painting whose symbolism was meant to shock and save as a warning against terrorism, violence and war.

20. _____ painted “Sunrise in Northport Harbor”.