Art Meaning and Forms Art Meaning and Forms Art Meaning and Forms Art Meaning and Forms

Editor's Notes

• #1: Different kinds of local artworks have sprung not only in the urban centers of the country and in schools of arts of different educational institutions but also a lot more of never before seen or heard art forms from the countryside have made known and have become renowned. The seeming isolation and distance of many communities in far flung regions have kept the beauty and significance of countless forms of Philippine art. It is real good news that they have been exposed and have been expressed
• #2: As mentioned in the previous module, the arts come in various categories and forms. It is essential to know and understand the meaning of the term contemporary when used in defining Contemporary Philippine Arts. Understanding it would pave the way for better appreciation of the arts in the Philippine context. Understanding Philippine Arts would provide a better perception of the details, context, meaning and significance of the artworks placed in a cultural, political and historical context. It is also important to differentiate Modern Philippine Arts from Contemporary Philippine Arts. It would be easy to misunderstand the two by treating them as interchangeably the same. The recent years revealed a conglomeration or mix of different art forms and art media that are expressions of the times where we live in. Many art forms are integrated to create artworks that are quite different from Classical and Modern Arts. Integrative Art has become part of Contemporary Art. Contemporary Art is evident when we go to the different regions and provinces of our country. Each artwork exhibiting its own uniqueness and meaning.
• #3: People get out of their houses to go to school, to work or to buy something. Almost all of them are unmindful of their surroundings as they seldom pay attention to the daily usual sights and sounds. They all come back home with same circumstances. The signages, billboards, music, pictures and other similar visual and auditory presentations have become a conglomeration of perceived mundane elements of daily life. Thus, the beauty, relevance, significance and implications of these otherwise monotonous external stimuli are seldom comprehended and appreciated. Let’s imagine that you will be going out of your house and come across the following pictures. Give the questions some thought and answer them truthfully. What do you see in the picture? Did they catch our attention? Cite its significance or importance.
• #4: What do you see in the pictur e? Are their colors and font st why not? yles appealing? Why or Cite their significance or i mportance.
• #5: What do you see in the picture? Are they inspiring or distracting? Why or why not? Cite its significance or importance.
• #6: A weird but cool sculpture made of flexible piping and zip ties. Cebu, Philippines What do you see in the picture? Do you find it appealing? Why or why not? Cite its significance or importance.
• #7: What do you see in the picture? Are they worth watching? Why or why not? Cite its significance or importance.
• #8: What do the pictures express or reveal? Explain briefly. In a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the presentation, significance and viewers’ impact for each picture? Explain each rating. The pictures presented in the previous activity are depictions of the artworks that are seen today. Present day art has a lot of variety. There are various expressions Philippine art that can be found right inside our homes and are found everywhere. The arrangement of furniture, home décor, the way a mother cooks a particular kind of food to the jeepney designs and signages, architecture of buildings, billboard designs and other unnoticed works of art, comprise the “art of today.”
• #9: The term contemporary has been defined as something “happening, existing, living, or coming into being during the same period of time” (Merriam-Webster). Assuming this definition, Contemporary Art refers to art of any form and genre that produced in our contemporary time, simply put as “art created today.” It should not be confused with Modern Art which ranges from the end of the 19th Century until the 1970’s or 1980’s or the late 20th Century. It will put Contemporary Art from the late 20th Century to the present. Modern Art differs from Contemporary Art historically and contextually.
• #10: Contemporary Art is influenced by the economic, social, political and environmental context where the artist is immersed in. It can be said that Contemporary Art is the artist’s expression of his perception and comprehension of these contexts. Contemporary Arts in the Philippines is as diverse as our people. Contemporary Philippine Art is not confined to the usual genres of the four main art forms, namely, visual, literary, applied and performing arts. Genres are categories of artistic creation and are characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter. Many other genres came up which include pure are forms as well as mixed art forms.
• #11: Genres are categories of artistic creation and are characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter. Many other genres came up which include pure are forms as well as mixed art forms. The following are examples from each art form: Contemporary Art is prominent in the Philippines and has been appreciated by so many people, and some of them were not even aware that they are looking at fine examples of Contemporary Art. Many contemporary Philippine artworks have earned the admiration and respect of viewers from here and abroad. These artworks are expressions of the artist’s thoughts and feelings based on their experience of the here and now. These include current events, issues and social concerns affecting the society where the artist lives in. Contemporary Philippine artists hail from the different regions of the country. They use a wide variety of art media in their creations, some of the media are materials that are readily available in the locality where the artist resides. Contemporary Philippine artworks are multifaceted and are expressive renditions of the artist’s perception of what were observed and experienced. These artists create, work and make art in their personal context. Viewers can appreciate contemporary Philippine art more by employing all of their senses. Viewing art is not just a detached experienced but a deep personal experience of dwelling into the artist’s mind and heart. Expressions of Contemporary Philippine Art are influenced by social, historical, geographical, ideational, personal and technical factors. These factors are imbibed by the artist and are combined to get immersed in the heart, to get molded in the mind and to be propelled in the hands to create an expressive reality.
• #16: Contemporary Arts have different elements that are put together to come up with a distinct artwork. These elements include: ✅ Appropriation This relates to how artists borrow, reuse, or modify existing images, styles, or objects from different sources to create new meanings in their art. 👉 Example: A painting that uses and reimagines popular cartoon characters to comment on politics. ✅ Hybridity This refers to the combination or fusion of different art forms, media, or cultural elements to produce innovative and diverse works. Example: A sculpture that mixes traditional wood carving with LED lights and sound effects. ✅ Technology The application of modern tools, digital media, or new technologies that highlights the artist’s creativity and expands the possibilities of artistic expression. 👉 Example: Video art installations using virtual reality (VR) to immerse viewers in the scene. ✅ Performance Art that is carried out live or documented, allowing viewers to directly experience the action, process, or event created by the artist. 👉 Example: A live street mural painting with music and dance as part of the creative process ✅ Space The thoughtful and intricate use of physical or virtual space in an artwork, often engaging the audience’s sense of environment, interaction, or scale. 👉 Example: A public sculpture that invites viewers to walk through or around it, changing their perspective as they move. These elements are combined in different ways to come up with Integrative Art. Integrative Art employs the use of different art elements used together in distinct different expressions. Thus, it becomes a combination of different art forms for specific groups of viewers. Integrative art is also a fusion of different art disciplines using different styles and media in creating art. It can be found in different places of the country, usually in urban areas where artists have ready access to different art forms and media. Examples of Integrative Art include the use of computer applications combined with other media, the use of non-traditional art materials in creating artworks usually done with mixed art forms.
• #17: With modern technology and easy access to far-flung areas of the country, many artworks have become known and many more are being created by present day artists from the different regions. All forms of art can be found throughout the country. Artworks coming from the seventeen regions of the three main island groups of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, have been exhibited in different exhibition halls and museums. Viewers have come to know and, more importantly, to understand the present-day art expressions of artists who want their culture, situation and issues be known through their artworks.
• #18: ✅ Communal Nature 👉 Example: A mural project in a barangay where community members contribute ideas and paint together, reflecting shared identity and local stories. ✅ Intuitive 👉 Example: A folk artist creating a sculpture or weaving without formal plans, drawing inspiration from personal memories, traditions, and surroundings. ✅ Holistic 👉 Example: The Ati-Atihan festival, where dance, music, costumes, and ritual all merge into a single, unified cultural expression. ✅ Creative Process 👉 Example: A live sand art performance where the process of drawing images in sand (seen in real-time by the audience) is more emphasized than preserving the artwork. ✅ Integrative 👉 Example: An installation using indigenous materials to address climate change while also expressing local spiritual beliefs and social concerns. ✅ Multi-focal 👉 Example: A collaborative theater piece that combines different viewpoints—those of the writer, performers, and audience—and tackles social issues from multiple angles.
• #19: ➡ It is important because art doesn’t exist alone—it connects with people’s lives, history, and environment. For example, during festivals like Sinulog or Panagbenga, the dances, costumes, floats, and music are all parts of one big artistic expression. If artists only focus on one part, the meaning of the whole event could be lost.
• #20: ➡ Some artists want the audience to see how ideas develop or how the act of creation is meaningful by itself. This might make us value the artist’s effort, message, or interaction more than just the finished piece. For example, performance art or live painting shows us that art is alive and changing, not just something to hang on a wall.
• #21: It can make the message stronger because it shows different sides of a story, helping people think more deeply and see the big picture. For example, an artwork about climate change might include both human and animal experiences. But if too many views are shown without clear direction, viewers might get confused about what the artist really wants to say.