FUNCTIONS OF ART

1. Art for decoration and ornamentation.

2. Art for adornment to indicate social rank.

3. Art to inspire faith or enrich worship.

4. Art to give insight and a new angle on reality.

5. Art for magical power.

6. Art to honor and glorify.

7. Art to record history.

8. Art for the design of functional objects.

9. Art to tell stories and illustrate.

10. Art to define and show beauty.

11. Art as propaganda to sell ideas, feelings, objects.

12. Art to define and reflect the current times and culture.

13. Art to redefine art.

14. Art to express and explore personal feelings and ideas.

The funtion of art is as the ancients. What we believe to be our gift of art is
simply a gift
given to us from our creator to ultimately bring us back to truth. Through time
instead of reading
the walls as we walk out of the tome which map our way we have music, movies, co
mputers, radio, television, books,
the arts. Just open your ears and eyes to understand the message. Life is a stag
e, and we it's players.

The Social Functions of Art

Art performs a social function when:

(1) It influences a human group: for instance, what products sell well because o
f their package design?

(2) It is made to be seen or used in public situations. Look at the Murals of D

iego Rivera.

(3) It describes aspects of life shared by all as opposed to personal kinds of e

xperience.
 Examine the works of Norman Rockwell. What is it about his work that makes it
endearing to most Americans?
In all these cases, viewers respond with the awareness that they are members of
a group.
Artists may try to make us laugh at the same things; to accept certain religious
, economic,
or social ideologies; to identify with a particular class or ethnic interest;
or to see our social situation in new ways. The visual arts can function as lang
uages of praise and celebration,
anger and protest, satire and ridicule.
Advertising art is a common illustration.

Some people think that art designed to influence social behavior is corrupt, imp
ure,
"mere" propaganda, and so on. We could not present a complete or accurate pictu
re of art
if we ignored its role as propaganda, for example; the history of art offers ma
ny examples.
It also shows that the excellence of an artwork is often unrelated to its purpo
se.
Political and Ideological Expression
Some artists are interested in the freedom to solve special problems of style or
technique.
Others use style and technique to express their social and political views. The
y may speak
of their artistic responsibility: art does not exist merely to entertain, it mu
st guide and instruct;
it must improve our collective existence.
Eugene Delacroix "Liberty Leading the People" is one of the early monuments of r
evolutionary art.
Artistic Expressions of Humanitarian Concern
Perhaps the most monumental painting of social protest in our time is Picasso's
Guernica.

Schindler's List is considered to be the most pertinent film regarding humanitar

ian concern.
Rent and watch as much of this Steven Spielberg film as you can stand. Be war
ned that it
graphically portrays the horrors of the holocaust! Why would a film this horrif
ic win numerous
Academy Awards including best picture during the year of its production? Why d
id Spielberg feel
so compelled to create this work? Will it be remembered as
well as the work of Norman Rockwell fifty years from now?

Satire
The social function of satire is to ridicule people and institutions so that the
y will change.
Or, at least, stop what they are doing. Satire has roots in our fascination wit
h the grotesque,
and making grotesque images of real or imagined people is a universal practice.
William Hogarth
and Duane Hanson are two examples of satirical artists. A good classroom projec
t for satire is to
have your students collect and discuss political cartoons from various newspaper
s. Are they art?