Objectives in art education

Media

Part of The Philippine Educator

Title: Objectives in art education
Language: English
Year: 1947
Rights
Fulltext: OBJECTIVES IN ART EDUCATION By I. V. MALLARI You cannot disregard art even if you tried. · ·Everything about yllu that has been fashi0ned by man-the clothes that you wear and the objects that you use, the house that you call home and the plc'tures upon your walls, the town in 'vhlch you live and the statues in its parks-is a form of art. It may be good, ba-d, or indiffere:-~t; but it is a form :of ·art nevertheless. Art' is : the concrete expression of man's <{od-given urge to create a little world i'n his own image, to project his soul into his environment, and to leave on everything that he touches the un· mistal<:ahle niarks of his personality. In a larger sense, art may be considered as the result of man's attempt to adavt his eJil.virolUllent to his needs, in order to . .att~.,self-fuifillment and to promote hi?. "{ell-being and happiness. T)l.e •. d;egree to ;which man ha~ a chiev17P.. t.his end is. the measure of hi~ cultu,rf!.: .The more cultur.ed a man is, the · more conscious. h,e becomes of h1~ environment. He looks .at it critically; and, if it does not satisfy him, he tries to cll'~nge it. ·rt . is' t.hro.ugh critical observation alorie ''ti1at m an can develop his ta~te. Thr(;li.lgh ~ e11dless processes of comparis·on·, ···(fed;~ction, generalization, and applicatio;;· ' his ability to judge works of art il~cbmes surer. He becomes more di~'crilliifi~ting and :less prone to compromise. One of the objectives - of art education, · fo/ '· rhis · reason, is to sharpen your abili't'y to examine works of art cr'ilitaily-or, in other words, to develop your sense of appreciation. This is bound · to result from your study of tlie ' Clements arid principles of art, and from your · intelli.gent application of the!ll .. 10 This act of appreciation is itself an act of creation. You will not be able to understand, much less appreciate, a work of art, unless you . recreat~ it in your mind and give it your own interpretation. Your interpretation ·of that, work of art, in turn, will depend upon, your training and experience as well as upon your intellectual and emotionat' make-up. You can get out of a work of art only as much as you bring to it. For this reason, the other obJective of art education is to develop your power of self-expressio n, to help you interpret the world about you, and. to foster your compelling urge to create. Nothing can give you greater satisfaction. In being able to transfer t he beauty of a landscape or of a vase of flowers on to canvas, in being able to· fashion with your hands something that delights the senses, you will feel almost like a god. You · will find that, even if you and your classmates draw the same object, your drawing will be different from any of your classmates. That slioul.d not surprise you. That is as it ~hould be. The works of an artist c.annot but be distinct from those of his fellows . .. The works on the same subj.ect produced by the same artist on various occasions may even differ from one another. For, if we compare the world of matter and experience to a ray of light and the personality of the artist to a prism, then we can compare a work of ai:t to the pattern produced by the ray of light as it passes through the prism. Since the world of matter and experience has a million facets, since no two persons have the same intellectual and .emo· tional make-up, and since every: -artists can come in contact with the world of ' . ,.. .... ..... , . l OBJECTIVES IN ART EDUCATION ll .. ~., .. -.... '• .matter and experience. in a million dif¥• fere.nt circumstances, works t of art 'can? ~ •· • ~ r .~.~ f not but be infinite in variety. One of the chief characteristics of _ a work of art, as a matter of fact, is i'ts originality-its distinctive anark of individuality. That is why it mirrors, not only the personality of the artist, but also the sot iety and 'th~ period to which he belongs. In this sense, a work of art is a social . and historital document. It is wrong, for this reason, to think that art is foreign to everyday life and that· it is the concern only of artists, critics, and . scholars. It touches the whole · of life, because it is the expression, the interpretation, and the criticism of that life. If we hope to understand life fully, therefore, we have to understand art. But art does more than this. It enriches ottr experiences, broadens ou~ knowledge, deepens our sympathies, and strengthens our conviction . that God created man in His own image. Art is the proof that man is also a creator and a god. By our original nature, man is a progressive and superior being. From a philosophical vil!wpoint, a man is just a bundle of desires. Not satisfied with a thing, be wants another no sooner than he gets the first. A teacher is human, no more no less. He desires progress. He wants to improve bi.Inself and be a little "who is who" in his small world. He is not satisfied knowing and seeing others move forwardhe wants to go further if po83ible than what others before him have attained. He believes that if one can progress and by so progressing a certain goa!" is attained, why can't he if he tries hard enough. "Social approval is one of the most powerful forces by which personality and behavior are determined." • (x) Ediu:ational Measurement and E1•a. luation,' Re~~r~ and Gage, p. 72. He believes in the full deveiopment of individuality as an instrument for· the welfare of society. On tOp of· all· these, he 'wants economic and social security for hlmself and· his family. ' Is it neoe53ary to use pressure oo teaehers 'to make them 'further their studies for profe!Sional advani:ement'! That's not ·what 7 they need and expPct. Human as they are; it's' instinctive in man to progress and improve in some way. Why don't we try the positive means rather than the negative? A teacher, because of the complexity of his nervous system is intelligent. He .observes, takE's note of things and remembers. He observes that he studies fu-rther for nothing. He goes back to where he, st?-f~ .after spending time, ef~o:t:; and money. ·~ery often he leaves hla dear ones · behind, just to get a further ' glow of what they term "modern educational trends." When he returns with his mind teeming with ideas fresh from.· schooi·s, he · finds himself downcast and disillusioned. The psychological · P.ffeet is contagious. Place the premium-that's all. That will serve as .a magic wand to all. A teacher with a salary of P60 after fin.:· ishing his bachelor's degree, gets tht' same salary as before. Of courae, there's the subjective satisfaction of being a holder of a degree, but will the degree make him live better unless accompanied by something of the objective satisfaction? At times, it's even embarrassing. You can see, can't you? Place the premium-and professional grow·th is taken care of. Given an in: centive, man, and more so far a teach- · er, will improve himself professionally. Memorandums and circular letters will not be nece83ary and time in preparing· and sending them out is saved. As said at the beginning, man is a progresstvc · a~m,a_l 1 a.nd. w~_at. is needed is incentive, not. pre~sure; encouragement, not re- · pression. · · · · · FOR MODERN OPTICAL NEED8-~EE KEEPSA.KE OPTICAL-80 Escolta