Module 1A Mission Impossible Art is defined according to different ideological views along history In modern society, art is a symbolic form, a cultural product shaped by different languages It informs and communicates about human beings, their existence, their world and their realities and wishes Art is conceived from its own codes and its correspondence with the codes of a group or society at a certain moment In this way, a series of relationships is established between those who produce a piece of art and send a message, the senders, and those who consume it, the receivers, and get aesthetic readings as well as formal and semantic feedback Visual arts are messages in the form of images and / or texts They become meaningful in a social context These forms of art contain a social discourse and reality There is a close correspondence between art and communication Artistic expressions, visual prompts and images are ways of communication between members of a given community Communication involves different people exchanging information and taking part in a social network It implies a message, which not only carries factual meaning but also transmits feelings Television news, publicity, the press, family photographs, drawings and posters, all inform us about the world and create all sorts of impressions on us Images are produced using different materials and, among others, graphic, photographic and multimedia techniques Activities 1 Answer the following questions a Which elements of the communication process are mentioned in the text? Tick (3) them sender receiver medium or channel message code context b How is art defined? c What materials or visual forms are mentioned? English Toolkit - Art Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 What are Visual Arts? Module 1A 2 Match the following words to their definitions a communication b receiver c sender d visual arts e code f visual communication 1 ways of expression through different kinds of images 2 exchange of sense and information 3 exchange of messages through images 4 producer or author of a message or visual product 5 spectator, reader or interpreter of the message 6 set of signs that organise a message; rules or conventions of the message 3 Compare and answer a What’s the relationship between comics, graffiti and paintings? Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 b Which picture offers the most gestural images? c How does the text of a comic influence upon the image? d Are these images common or recurrent? Do they convey / transmit violence? Are they provocative or shocking? Do they make you laugh or cry? e What characters in comics you know? 4 Choose a painting from a book or a magazine and make an observation chart a List all the details you can see in the painting b Describe all the details c Write how each detail makes you feel Name of painting: Painter: Detail Some information on painter: Description English Toolkit - Art Feeling