ESSAY
#1a
Them and Us
The Aurochs cave drawings
Suzanne by Helen Lunt
THE QUESTION: How artistically similar, or different, do you think prehistoric people were compared to modern man and, what singular force or need continues to drive the artistic needs and human expressions of the 21st century?
THE QUESTION: How artistically similar, or different, do you think prehistoric people were compared to modern man and, what singular force or need continues to drive the artistic needs and human expressions of the 21st century?
PART ONE
SUMMARY: Our art may be different in some ways from the prehistoric people. We tend to duplicate what was created before us. We go through different stages as our art progresses and our mood changes. We have a desire to know the past and to have answers to why things were created. I didn’t expect to find a blog similar to my own questions. It goes to show that we, as artist aren’t so different. I see art.
REASON: The reason behind this question is to open our minds. To see if we are as different as the prehistoric people as some might believe. There is an opportunity in reflecting on the past to see if we can find the future.
PURPOSE: The question was intriguing and it begged to be answered. I would start to study a different question and be brought back to this question. I felt this question needed an answer to go on to future questions. What does drive the artistic need? I have the need and it can cause me to forget food or sleep. The question wants an answer.
SUMMARY: Our art may be different in some ways from the prehistoric people. We tend to duplicate what was created before us. We go through different stages as our art progresses and our mood changes. We have a desire to know the past and to have answers to why things were created. I didn’t expect to find a blog similar to my own questions. It goes to show that we, as artist aren’t so different. I see art.
REASON: The reason behind this question is to open our minds. To see if we are as different as the prehistoric people as some might believe. There is an opportunity in reflecting on the past to see if we can find the future.
PURPOSE: The question was intriguing and it begged to be answered. I would start to study a different question and be brought back to this question. I felt this question needed an answer to go on to future questions. What does drive the artistic need? I have the need and it can cause me to forget food or sleep. The question wants an answer.
DIRECTION: I followed the direction of my mind. It led me to what needed to be answered. I had to choose what path that my desire for knowledge would take me. There are more questions that can be asked on this subject. The answers lie in our past, and the minds of the future have the opportunity to study and learn what drove the prehistoric people to create their art.
IMPRESSIONS: No matter how much we change we stay the same. We have a desire to create. The reason behind what we create may be different; however, we can only study and guess to what their thought process at the time was.
PART TWO
ANSWER: Prehistoric art is an unknown factor. We don’t know what the exact meaning of the cave paintings were. There have been different theories over the past as to why they were created. Cave paintings, carvings, tools used to hunt or used in other methods, and buildings they created to live in, can all be considered a form of art. “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” (Aristotle) The people of the 21st century continue along a similar path. The methods and tools used to create the art may be different; however, the basic ideals are very similar. “Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.” (Henry Ward Beecher)
PART TWO
ANSWER: Prehistoric art is an unknown factor. We don’t know what the exact meaning of the cave paintings were. There have been different theories over the past as to why they were created. Cave paintings, carvings, tools used to hunt or used in other methods, and buildings they created to live in, can all be considered a form of art. “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” (Aristotle) The people of the 21st century continue along a similar path. The methods and tools used to create the art may be different; however, the basic ideals are very similar. “Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.” (Henry Ward Beecher)
The first cave paintings were discovered by a young girl in 1879. The young girl crawled through a small opening to a cave. The ceiling of the cave had drawing all over. Her father explored the cave further. (Art History, Marilyn Stokstad/Michael W. Cothren, Fourth Edition/volumn 1, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., page 8) There is more information on this story on the PBS website. (http://www.pbs.org/howartmadetheworld/episodes/pictures/) The cave paintings seem to be life like. Were the people of the time trying to share what the creatures habits were like? Suzanne is my mark in time. The painting has captured her likeness. Someone in the future might question why I painting her like I did. There may be theories behind my thoughts and actions. Sometimes the reason is to share what we have at the time. “Many believed that people create art for the sheer love of beauty. Scientists now agree that human beings have an aesthetic impulse, but the effort required to accomplish the great cave paintings suggest their creators were motivated by more than simple pleasure.” (Art History text, page 8) “What is it that drives these people from every culture in history to make art? Speaking for myself and other artists I’ve researched, I believe it’s because they don’t have a choice. Some people (we call them artists) are driven to express themselves using some form of artistic medium. They must create because it’s an inner passion to take what is in their hearts and minds and synthesize external (and internal) reality and put it “out there” through some form of art, whether that be visual, music, drama or dance. It’s like there is something inside the artist that must be set free.” (http://keoughp.wordpress.com/2010/02/20/why-artists-make-art/) He goes on to say, “It’s just what they have to do!”
There is a carving that was found in Germany, it is The Lion Human. He stands about a foot tall, made of ivory. (Art History text, page 5) What was the purpose of the carving? Could it have been a form of communication or was it simply a decoration? There was a person that was compelled to create this carving. It was complex enough to show there was thought behind the creation of the piece. People of the 21st century recreate works of art from the past. There is a toy figurine called Thunder Cats that resembles that idea behind the carving. (http://theinquisition.eu/wordpress/2011/history/the-lion-man/) There are different styles of carvings of the female form. The text talk about theories behind the carvings, they are still works of art even if there is a meaning behind it.
The prehistoric people created different types of tools. The ceramics bowls were a tool of a sort. It was used to hold food. “This ‘pot revolution’ marked a shift from a complete reliance on skin, textile, and wooden containers to the used of pots made by firing clay.” (Art History text, page 20) The time and effort that would go into making a pot in my opinion makes it art. It may be a useful item; however, there are many hours involved in created a pot. The people of the 21st century are no different than the prehistoric people in hand created pots. The community College of Rhode Island teaches the students how to make a pinch pots. The recreation isn’t from the prehistoric period; however they are from the past. The students are learning to make Mimbres bowls. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogollon_culture)
The prehistoric people created different types of tools. The ceramics bowls were a tool of a sort. It was used to hold food. “This ‘pot revolution’ marked a shift from a complete reliance on skin, textile, and wooden containers to the used of pots made by firing clay.” (Art History text, page 20) The time and effort that would go into making a pot in my opinion makes it art. It may be a useful item; however, there are many hours involved in created a pot. The people of the 21st century are no different than the prehistoric people in hand created pots. The community College of Rhode Island teaches the students how to make a pinch pots. The recreation isn’t from the prehistoric period; however they are from the past. The students are learning to make Mimbres bowls. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogollon_culture)
Architecture was
another form of art. The dwellings of
the Neolithic period were made of different materials. “While some of these buildings were simple
huts, used for no more than a season at a time, others were much more
substantial, with foundations made of stone, set into trenches, and supporting
walls of large timbers. Some buildings
were constructed from simple bricks made of clay, mud, and straw given shape by
a rectangular mold then dried in the sun.” (Art History text, page 13) People of the 21st century tend to
build their homes a bit more extreme. There
are some people that are thinking of building green houses now. Some of these homes are built of straw. Are the people today much different than the
prehistoric people? We all need shelter. To a carpenter building a home is a work of
art.
“Have you caught the bug? Are you interested in building a tiny house? If so, I suggest you attend a hands-on workshop to learn how to do it right before you jump into your own project. In line with that, I have a great opportunity for you, but first, I want to talk a little bit about the insanity of living in a large home.
There is no question that we, especially here in
America, have built our houses too big in the last 50 years. The last
20 years especially have been the worst in terms of super sizing our homes. We
have gone over the deep end and for some reason, we continue to build houses
that have enough space to shelter 30 people and yet only 2 or 3 actually live
in them. The amount of resources necessary to build and maintain these homes is
immense and the impacts, both environmentally and financially, are huge. You’ll
likely be shocked to know just how much each hour you spend awake in your home
actually costs!” (Learn To Build Your
Own Tiny Home)
If you look around you, you will see art! Art lives around us all. It has been a part of our lives from the time of the prehistoric people to the time of the 21st century people. You can see art in the tools we use to improve our vision to what color you choose to paint your front door. Art lives around us, it is alive. “No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist.” (Oscar Wilde)
