The Power of the ArtsThe Power of the ArtsThe Purposes and Lessons of ArtThe Purposes and Lessons of Art

Created by: Laura DedicMadison Central High School

What is ART?• It varies:

– The expression of the human experience.– Intuition– An expression controlled by certain aspects of the mind.

• Emotion• The will• The intellect

– Imitation– Skill– Propaganda

• There is no unanimous agreement on any one of these suggested definitions.

The Power of the ArtsThe Power of the Arts

• Art fulfills a variety of purposes.

• “Great art reveals the spirit of the age that produced it.” – Lewis & Lewis, The Power of Art

• Studying the arts can teach us many lessons.

• Lines:– Direction, texture, movement

• Color• Shape/form:

– Natural vs free-form

– Positive vs negative

Art Criticism

P

N

P

Art Criticism

• Value

• Texture:– Tactile

• Objects

• Balance

• Unity

• Space

• Rhythm/movement

Art Criticism

–1pt perspective 2 pt perspective

Art Criticism

• Realism: Primarily concerned with imitating NATURE.

• Emotionalism: Primarily concerned with expressiong a FEELING/EMOTION.

Art Criticism

• Formalism: Primarily concerned with DESIGN/COMPOSITION.

Art Criticism

Reasons for Creating ArtReasons for Creating Art

1. Ceremonial Reasons

• Ritual• Celebration• Artworks created to

support worship• Express spiritual

beliefs

Reasons for Creating Art Reasons for Creating Art

2. Artistic Expression• Art expresses and

communicates emotions

• Expresses ideas• Self expression• To decorate or

beautify objects

Reasons for Creating Art Reasons for Creating Art

3. Narrative – to tell a story

• Describe and illustrate experiences

• Communicate information

• Document important or historical events

Reasons for Creating Art Reasons for Creating Art

4. Functionality• A.K.A. utilitarian • Art objects used

in everyday life– Pottery– Quilts– Baskets– And many more…

Reasons for Creating Art Reasons for Creating Art

5. Persuasive• Artworks that

promote ideas, philosophies, or products

– Advertising– Marketing– Propaganda– Ideology, etc.

Propaganda

Think and Discuss

• 1. What is the frequency of your visits to museums and/or art exhibits?

• 2. How often do you listen to music?

• Do you generally judge a piece of music on its reproduction of natural sounds? On the message? Could or should art be judged similarly?

Think and Discuss

• 3. Do you think the sunset could be beautiful if there were no one around to view it? Is the beauty within us? What is its source?

Think and Discuss

• 4. Do you prefer movies with happy endings? Does this have anything to do with the overall quality of the film? Should the mood or subject matter of an artwork dictate our evaluation of it?

Think and Discuss

• 5. Do you admire design in home furnishings or clothing? Can you admire nonfunctional design in an artwork? If not, why?

Think and Discuss

• 6. Do you, or have you, found disagreement with our parents on the matter of taste? Could we be imprisoned by our generation?

Think and Discuss

“Whatever the type of art in question, the first step in

learning to appreciate art is simply learning to look

and/or listen.”• Lewis & Lewis, The Power of Art