Week 7 Blog Post:
Art as a Culture
(70 pts)
1. Functions of Early Art: In this assignment folder is a link to a walk-through of the
Lascaux Caves in France. Access the link and explore the cave paintings. There
is also a link to background information on the cave site and I encourage you
to review this as well. Then answer the following questions (25 points):
a.
What were the cave artists trying to say?
à Lascaux shows the timeline during the Upper Paleolithic time and
the era’s art. The cave artist trying to say that during the era that the
images of large animals carved into the cave walls are already existed and most
of the fossils carve lived in the area at that time. The carvings consists of
animals, abstract and human figures though the cave shown nearly 2000 figures.
In Norbert Aujoulat, between 1988 and 1999 research
at Lascaux, the horse is always plotted first followed by aurochs and deer. The
animal’s carvings represent the seasonality of animals in which horses were
used in early spring, aurochs in summer and deer in fall. This carving also
symbolizes the mating seasons of animals that link to the biological time.
b.
Why do you think that there were so many animals and not as many people in the
paintings?
à The animals represent the biological time of which it also
indicates the animals used for the season. It also represents that animals that
carve or paint, were their main livestock.
c.
What can the paintings tell us about other aspects of the life of cave dwellers
or Paleolithic people?
à The paintings tell us about the good harvest, good and bad season
of biological time, the drought times. It also denotes that animal husbandry
and agriculture are the main living of people during the Paleolithic era. The
carving also symbolized as message of the events that linked to their daily
lives and of their way of living.
d.
What difficulties did these early humans navigate in order to paint these
pictures?
à One of the possible difficulties that these early humans navigate
in order to paint these pictures would be the communication as early people
express their message through painting, probably they have difficulty in
preserving their artistic way through painting and would think that painting or
carving in the cave would preserve their work of art, the season or the weather could be the main
factor as hindrance to paint, the difficulty in recording the events of their life
particularly their lifestyle, their livestock, the events that happens through
the time of harvest either in abundance or drought times and also their
paintings tells the seasons of hardship and abundance of their living.
e. Speculate as to three (3) possible
functions of this art to early humans.
à 1. To convey message and serve as a form of communication
2.
To indicate the events of their life, their lifestyle, the good and bad harvest,
animals that exists and used during their time, the weather, the drought times
3.
To represent the people and their culture, their talents through carvings and
paintings
2. Commonalities in Function: Compare the possible functions of the art from the Lascaux Caves to
modern art, in all of its various forms. What are some commonalities in
function you can find in how the art of early humans and modern humans? (10
pts)
à The commonalities from Lascaux Caves to modern art are the representation
of daily lives, the artistic expression of emotions, recording daily lives, another commonality could be the purpose of communication to the people, the expression of the real meaning of the painting and to convey a message. The recording of history and events could also another commonality between the Lascaux and modern art. In comparison, the Lascaux Caves shows the timeline of people's hardship, livestock, harvest and it also shows the recording of the events through the biological time. While modern arts shows more of the peoples emotions, events, the art, the lifestyle. I think another difference is that modern arts is basically follows certain pattern or theory of arts like it could be impressionism or expressionism or rennaisance.
3. Introduce Us to Your Favorite Art: Include in your post at least one image and/or a link (5 pts) to a
video depicting an art form you would like to explore. This could be a specific type of art (i.e., ceramics, photography,
etc.), music (classical, blues, grunge, etc.), performance art, or any other
type of art you might want to present. Then answer the following questions:
 |
| Girls at the Piano by Renoir 1892 |
My Favorite Art has something to do with
paintings. I love paintings and I sometimes paint. There is a real life, a real
meaning of what was the painter is trying to convey through painting. I like
the work of Pierre Augeste Renoir, the impressionalist, between 1800 to 1900. Renoir’s paintings element is woman and the
feminine sensuality. I admired how he paint women and put the expressions on
their faces. The vibrant, saturated colors used in his paintings gave more life
that implied the impressionalism style of painting. As impressionalist the
characteristics of painting include relatively small, thin, yet visible brush
strokes; open composition; emphasis on accurate depiction of
light in its changing qualities, common, ordinary subject matter; the inclusion
of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience; and
unusual visual angles.
 |
| The ball of the Moulin de la Galette by Renoir 1876 |
 |
| On the Terrace by Renoir 1881 painting; oil on canvas |
a.
For those who practice this form of artistic expression, what function does it
serve? What are they trying to communicate? (5 pts)
à It serves as painting of the modern life. It tries to convey the
real world of life that I believe also conceals the painter’s emotions,
personality, experiences and his painting techniques.
b.
Is there a complete culture surrounding this art form, i.e., a language, a set
of behaviors, form of dress, etc.? Describe and identify the features of this
culture. (10 pts)
à Yes. In Renoir’s painting, most of his painting’s shown a conservatively
dress women that depicts the era of 1800-1900.
During these times, women dress conservatively and show how women have
the conservative expressions. Since Renoir is French most of his subjects and
location of paintings is in France. The hats, the umbrella, the long waffle
gown of women shows the conservative culture of women during the 1800.
c. How does this art form (and its culture)
benefit society? Are there any detrimental affects? (5 pts)
à It benefits the society as this part of their history. I believe
that paintings also tell the history of the society. I would say there is a
detrimental effects because of time evolution, the lack of appreciation of
paintings as many new generations are now bombarded with new technologies they
never really learn how to appreciate paintings or the real art, the availability
to see the paintings in the internet and not in actual paintings, lack of enthusiasm
in the world of arts while many new generations are into computers and some never
learn the value of arts as part of history, traditions, and cultures.
I like the emphasis on the seasonality issue and the animals in the drawings. It almost seems like it acted in part as a calendar, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThese were pre-agricultural times. No harvest and no animal husbandry just yet for several thousand years.
In general I agree with your functions, but the last one where you mention the "people and their culture" might not be the case since almost no people are depicted in these images.
Good discussion of commonalities. Good discussion on the functions of the art form of Renoir, but the "culture" question addressed not the culture in the images but the culture of the art form itself. Did the painters of Renoir's time share a common "painter's culture"? A common language, behavior patterns, philosophy, clothing, etc.?
Other than these points, good post.
I think it is really interesting that you linked it directly to the harvesting times for the people that lived there in that time. You said, "the animal’s carvings represent the seasonality of animals in which horses were used in early spring, aurochs in summer and deer in fall. This carving also symbolizes the mating seasons of animals that link to the biological time." This was very interesting. Would you even link the mating seasons to a variation in color and spacing in the different parts of the cave?
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting within your talk about the painting part of your post and how you "admired how he paint women and put the expressions on their faces." Was there another artist that put certain expressions of women's faces shows submission or dominance?
Thanks for your post!
I like the works of Renoir so much. I think looking into it, will tell the different expressions of their faces, their culture, the way their dressed before. It's so amazing how he interpret it into paintings and I am really amazed by his works. Impressionalist and Expressionalist artist are more on the expressions of people. Other than Renoir, Da Vinci paints women too, the famous Mona Lisa, Rafael also famous of Madonna and Child paintings.
DeleteI think it was intresting that the people really used there own ideas as you have stated in many different ways, espcially with the drawing and animals due to there every day life.
ReplyDeleteI think part of their lifestyle is having animals. Animals were part of their livestock and was very important because these animals also represent their wealth and status in their life.
DeleteSally78,
DeleteAgain, this is pre-agricultural times. No livestock. These are hunter-gatherers.
I enjoyed reading your post. I also liked your choice for your favorite art and the fact that you paint also is really cool. It shows you are really passionate about your form of art.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Sally that the animals in the cave art represented their main livestock and resources. I also agree that their carvings represented their everyday lives and what was of most importance. In regards to similarities between the cave art of the past and modern art of the present, I too identified with the similarity being the expression of emotions through art and telling of our everyday lives. Art is art, no matter the tools or choice of expression. The artist’s from the cave’s told their story, just as modern art tells the stories of artists today.
ReplyDelete