This document provides an overview of the scope and divisions of the humanities. It discusses the etymology and definitions of art, distinguishing between visual arts, performing arts, and industrial arts. The document outlines the origins and purposes of different art forms like dance, poetry, music, and painting. It also summarizes the artistic process and examines the core subjects that make up the humanities, including visual arts, literature, drama, music, and dance.

1. A General View of the Humanities
“Beauty is not natural, it’s always conditioned.”
Chris Santo Domingo Chan
Anthropologist
University of Washington

2. Humanities
• Lt. humanus – human, cultured, refined
“To be human is to have or show qualities like rationality,
kindness and tenderness.”
• Different connotations through time
• Loosely defined group of cultural subject areas
• Non-scientific, non-technical
• Humanities refer to the arts

3. Etymology of Art
• Aryan ar – join, put together
• Gk artizein – to prepare
• Gk arkiskein – to put together
• Lt ars, artis – everything that is artificially made or composed
by man

4. Etymology of Art
• Meaningful human actions are directed by the intellect
• Human actions in two different activities:
–to be done in relation to his destiny and moral obligations
(prudence, virtue, moral actions)
–to be made in relation to his practical and cultural needs
(artificial or artistic things)

5. Etymology of Art
• In general, art is either of two things:
–The making or the composition of any object useful for our
human needs (to be done)
–The arrangement of certain elements and qualities for the
contemplation and enjoyment of its meaning or beauty
(to be made)

6. WHAT IS ART?

7. Definition of Art
• Art is the right reason of making things. -Aristotle
• Any kind of human activity, when directed to change or
transform things under the pattern of right reason can be
called art.

8. Definition of Art
• Art is a diverse range of human activities and the products of
those activities, usually involving imaginative or technical
skill.
• Art is the skillful arrangement or composition of some
common but significant qualities of nature to express human
feelings, emotions, or thoughts in a perfect, meaningful, and
enjoyable way.

9. Definition of Art
• Art is the formal expression of a considered human
experience.
• Elements of art:
–Form
–Substance
• Art uses experience as the subject matter (substance) which
is then given an expression through the skillful composition of
the media (form) by the artist

10. Definition of Art
• The arrangement which he imposes on the media must be so
fitted to the nature of the materials as to give the impression
of a spontaneous and perfect harmony between the content
and the expression, between the subject matter and the
form.

11. THE DIVISIONS OF ART

12. The Divisions of Art
General Classification
• Visual arts
• Performing arts
• Industrial arts

13. Church at Auvers by Vincent van Gogh (1890)

14. Holes by Tom Motblah (2015)

15. Artists Christopher and Marc Bauder rebuilt fifteen kilometers of the Berlin Wall with 8,000 glowing orbs.(2015)

16. "Red Fuji southern wind clear morning" from
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji by Hokusai (1600s)

17. Sculptures by Xooang Choi (2014)

18. The Divisions of Art
Purpose
• Practical arts – production of artifacts to cope with human
needs
• Liberal arts – intellectual efforts
• Fine arts – products of human activity that express beauty

19. Sala Set furniture design by Kenneth Cobonpue

20. Interlace in Singapore, condominium design by Ole Scheeren

21. Philippine T’nalak Weaving

22. The Divisions of Art
Form
• Plastic arts – developed through space, perceived by sight
• Phonetic arts – based on sounds and words
• Kinetic arts – defined rhythmic movement
• Pure art – one medium of expression
• Mixed art – more than one medium

23. David by Michaelangelo in Florence

25. On His Blindness by John Milton (1674)
When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide,
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide;
"Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?"
I fondly ask; but Patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts; who best (d)
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o'er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait."

26. ART AS IMITATION

27. Art as Imitation
• Art is the realization in external form of a true idea, and is
traced back to that natural love of imitation which
characterizes humans, and to the pleasure which we feel in
recognizing likenesses.
• Art however is not limited to mere copying. It idealizes
nature and completes its deficiencies: it seeks to grasp the
universal type in the individual phenomenon.

28. "His young heart is thus extinguished. The blood in
his veins grows cold. And all strength has gone.
Faith has been extolled by his fall into the arms of
death. Amen.“
The Kiss of Death-at the Poblenou Cemetery, in Barcelona
Artist Thought to be Jaume Barba, or Joan Fontbernat-1930
The sculpture is found above the grave of the textile manufacturer Josep
Llaudet Soler.

29. The King and I
• “Tuptim”
• “Shall We Dance”

30. Art as Imitation
Plato
• Art is imitation, and that’s bad.
• Problems with imitation:
– Epistemological: An imitation is at three removes from the reality or
truth of something
– Theological: Poets and other artists represent the gods in
inappropriate ways.
– Moral and Psychological: A good imitation can undermine the
stability of even the best humans by making us feel sad, depressed,
and sorrowful about life itself.

31. Art as Imitation
Aristotle
• Art is imitation, and that’s all right, even good.
• Imitation is natural to humans from childhood.
• Imitation is how children learn, and we all learn from
imitations.
• Tragedy can be a form of education that provides moral
insight and fosters emotional growth.

32. Art as Imitation
Aristotle
• Tragedy is the imitation (mimesis) of certain kinds of people
and actions.
• Good tragedies must have certain sorts of people and plots.
(Good people experience a reversal of fortune due to some
failing or hamartia.)
• A successful tragedy produces a katharsis in the audience.
• Katharsis = purification through pity and fear.

33. Art as Imitation
• Aristotle’s teachings regarding imitation in art have been
widely misunderstood. Yet his principles are true and may be
accepted and employed in art
a) “Art aims at imitating nature.”
b) “Imitation is natural to man.”
c) “It is natural for man to delight in works of imitation.”

34. Art as Imitation
• Imitation for Aristotle does not mean copying directly from
the book of nature but interpreting nature in sensible media
through ideas and feelings.
• Insert “Wildest Dreams”

35. Art as Imitation
“Imitation in fine art involves both a progression from the thing
imitated as well as a progression from the artist who is
producing likeness (and not a copy) of the imitated.”
-J. A. Osterle

36. Alpilles, Provence, France

37. A Wheatfield with Cypresses (1889)

38. The Starry Night (1889)

39. Starry Night by Alex Ruiz (2011)

40. THE ORIGIN OF THE ARTS

41. DANCE

42. POETRY

43. MUSIC

44. PAINTING

45. SCULPTURE

46. PURPOSE OF THE ARTS

47. Purpose of the Arts
1. Purpose of value in itself, which is no other than to express
beauty.
2. Art affords man moments of relaxation and spiritual happiness
3. Satisfaction of our imagination through the recreation of
beautiful art expressed by artists in their creations
4. Outlet of our slumbering passions when brought to the surface
under the orderly control of the arts.
5. Art is a powerful means to reform man, to change his behavior
and overcome feelings.

48. THE ARTISTIC PROCESS

49. The Artistic Process
• What do the arts have in common?
• Who is the artist?
–Creators
–Performers

50. The Artistic Process
• Creativity in a threefold process
–The artist as the prime mover
–The performer (media) as the communicator
–The audience as the interpreter

51. The Artistic Process
The Creative Process
• The idea
• The materials and process
• Organization and form

52. SCOPE OF THE HUMANITIES

53. Scope of the Humanities
• Visual Arts
• Literature
• Drama and theater
• Music
• Dance

54. Visual Arts
• Graphic arts
• Plastic arts

55. Visual Arts
• Graphic arts
– Painting
– Drawing
– Graphic processes

56. Visual Arts
• Graphic arts
– Graphic processes
• Relief printing
• Intaglio printing
– Dry point
– Etching
– Engraving
• Surface printing
– Lithography
– Silkscreen

57. Visual Arts
• Graphic arts
– Painting
– Drawing
– Graphic processes
– Commercial art
– Mechanical process
– Photography

58. The Plastic Arts
• Architecture
• Landscaping
• City planning
• Interior design
• Sculpture
• Crafts
• Industrial design
• Dress and costume design
• Theater design

59. Literature
• Drama
• Essay
• Prose fiction
• Poetry
• Miscellaneous
– History, biography, letters, journals, diary, etc.

60. Music
• Vocal music
• Instrumental music
• Music with other arts
– Opera
– Operetta and Music Comedy
– Oratorio and Cantata
• Other Forms
– OST for movies, Ballet music

61. Drama and Theater
• Tragedy
• Melodrama
• Comedy
–Romantic comedy
–Farce
–Comedy of Manners
• Miscellaneous
–Tragicomedy
–Miracle and Mystery Play
–Morality plays
–Closet Drama
–Piano Drama

62. Dance
• Ethnologic Dance
• Social Dance
• The Ballet
• Modern Dance
– Contemporary
– Interpretative
• Musical comedy