Subject and

Content
• In the Philippines, which is predominantly a
non-museum-going public, looking at art has
always been a tricky business.
• One of the major hurdles that spoils an
individuals engagement with an artwork is the
notion that in order to appreciate it, one must
be able to extract a specific image, isolate the
artist or maker’s intention, and unearth a
particular meaning.
• Failure to do so automatically implies a failure
of comprehension and therefore, failure of the
experience
 The primary stage of engaging with art is it’s
perception.

The beginning of The eyes plays a big

Looking at art is much role in mechanically
engagement is
like any instance of making a vision
through looking at
taking information. possible.
the artwork.

Subjectivity – illustrated in the way that selective

perception renders one or two details more prominent
than others, prompting the viewer to focus on some
details as essential or as standouts.
 • Subject refers to the visual focus or the
WHAT? image that may be extracted from
examining the artwork.

• Content is the meaning that is

WHY? communicated by the artist or the
artwork.

• Form is the development and

HOW? configuration of the artwork, how the

elements and the medium or material are
put together.
 Two types of Subject
1. Representational Art - these types of art have subjects that refer to
objects or events occurring in the real world.
2. Non-representational - art does not make a reference to the real world,
whether it is a person, place, thing, or even a particular feeling, emotion,
and even concept.
 Non-representational Art and Abstract Art
• One source of confusion is the notion that
non-representational art is the same as
abstract art.
• As a guide, an artwork, depending on the
degree of distortion or abstraction, may be
judged as leaning more toward one over the
other.
• Abstract art is in itself a departure from
reality, but the extent of that departure
determines whether it has reached the end of
the spectrum, which is non-
representationality - a complete severance
from the world.
 Sources and Kinds of Subject
• For non-representational art, a higher level of perceptiveness
and insight might be required to fully grasp the feeling,
emotion, or concept behind the work.
• It is perhaps easier to infer where the subject matter comes
from if the artwork is an example of representational art.
• There is nothing more rudimentary than human interaction
with the physical world around the artist. Early childhood
often revolves around getting to know not just the body and
what it can do, but also in getting accustomed to a multitude
of sensory prompts around the artist especially those situated
in his environment.
• Artist throughout have explored diverse ways of representing
nature: from plants to animals, the qualities of bodies of
water and the terrain of landmasses and even the perceivable
cycles and changing of seasons.
• Often, these depictions are seen as expressions of the sacred
profane, sired by reality or supplemented by the artist's
imagination.
• One artist who was attuned with nature was Vincent Van
Gogh.

“Die Ebene von Auvers” (Wheat Fields near Auvers) 1890

• Other artist with a considerable number of landscapes and

seascapes are Claude Monet, Camille Pissaro, Paul Cezanne,
and JMW Turner.
• In the Philippines, national artist for painting Fernando
Amorsolo and Fabian de la Rosa gained prominence from their
painted rural scene such as women in the fields gathering in
the harvest.
• Breaking nature into smaller parts is Jan van Kessel the Elder.
• Greek and Roman mythology were also ripe with
references.
• From narrations of literature, artists, on the other
hand gave aces to Greek and Roman deities or the
gods and goddesses whose fate are seemingly tragic
as those of men.

Discobulus
• Another integral aspect of human life is the
distinct relationship with a higher controlling
power.

Polytheism - the belief

Monotheism – Judeo-
system of Greek and
Christian stems from a
Romans that have a
belief in a lone creator
multitude gods and
of the universe.
goddesses.

• This tradition had an immense influence in

Western Civilization especially in Art.
• Commissioned by Pope Julius II, the intricate fresco the lines
the Sistene Chapel created by Michelangelo.
• The immense detail and vast surface he had to cover had him
working on it from 1508 to 1512.
• Islam practiced by the Jews and Christians were
allowed to depict their God and other important
biblical figures: laying visual foundations in
inculcating the faith.
• Gothic churches where characterized by three things:
soaring heights (ceilings), volume (flying buttresses
and ribbed vaults), and light (bright stained glass
windows, airy and pleasant interiors).
• Gothic style architecture is often attributed as the
brainchild of Abbot Suger.
• This echoes her belief that “art was central to
religious experience”.
• In Central India, the kind of
art that was produced was
deeply rooted in Vedic texts
such as Upanishads, Puranas,
and other important texts
like Sanskrit epics
Mahabharata and Ramayana.
• The significance of these
paintings rests on its ability
to foster devotion and the
observance of a code of
ethics through the
visualization of heroic
narratives.
• Historically significant events particularly in the affairs of humanity are
abundant references for art production.
• Goya’s El Tres de Mayo which captures the death of Madrillines, the local
insurgents during the Peninsular War.

• History, as a resource for artists in search of subjects, brings into

consideration events that are familiar and sometimes even common or
shared in world context: the establishment of nations and states
(discovery, conquest and colonization), and the resulting ideologies that
they breed (democracy, liberty, freedom, and rights).
• In the history of art, it is important to remember
that the source and kind of subjects were not
merely a product of artist’s inclination and
choice.
• During the Spanish colonial period in the
Philippines, art was predominantly
representational.
• During the first century of their dominance, art
came as an aid of communication- a means of
propagating religion to locals who spoke a
different language
• The visual arts, from paintings to early sculptures
such as santos and other votive figures an icons,
were created to assist Catholic Ministry.
• The momentum that secular (or non-religious)
art later gained in the 19th century can also be
attributed to this contact, with the opening of
the Suez Canal and the growth of economy in
agriculture.
• The consequence of these developments was
the rise of middle class
• It is evident how during the Spanish colonial
period, the subjects of artworks, even the
manner in which they are translated were
mostly dictated by the patrons who
commission them for religious and secular art.
Content of Art
 One of the foremost scholars that expounded on content
analysis or how meaning is arrived at is art historian Erwin
Panofsky in his seminal work Meaning in the Visual Art (1983).
 To take on the challenge of understanding the content of art,
it must be reiterated that there are various levels of meaning.
Factual meaning
• pertains to the most rudimentary level of meaning for it may be extracted
from the identifiable or recognizable forms in the artwork and
understanding how these elements relate to one another.

Conventional meaning
• pertains to the acknowledged interpretation of the artwork using motifs,
signs, symbols and other cyphers as bases of its meaning. These conventions
are established through time, strengthened by recurrent use and wide
acceptance by its viewers or audience and scholars who study them.
• When subjectivities are consulted, a variety of
meaning may arise when a particular work of art
is read.
• These meanings stem from the viewer’s or
audience’s circumstances that come into play
when engaging with art.
• Perception and meaning are always informed by
a manifold of contexts: what we know; what we
learned; what we experienced; and the values
we stand for.
• It is therefore expected that meaning may not
be singular, rather a painting may communicate
multiple meanings to its viewers.
• It is what we called subjective meaning of art.
Michelangelo, “Creation of Adam”