1.
a. What were the cave artists trying to say?
The cave artists were depicting animals that were around their environment at the time. One of the interesting things that I read was that there were no reindeer depicted in the cave drawings and that was the main source of food for the artist.
b. Why do you think that there were so many animals and not as many people in the
paintings?
The paintings were probably more geared towards animals because that was their source of life. Meaning that the animals were what was feeding the population so they were pretty important to the people. One other theory is that the sections where animals are more clustered together meant that hunting was more bountiful in that area.
c. What can the paintings tell us about other aspects of the life of cave dwellers or
Paleolithic people?
The paleolithic people's art skills were a little more advanced than other humans. It also shows the resources they had available to use for the cave drawings at the time.
d. What difficulties did these early humans navigate in order to paint these pictures?
There was a river in the cave at one point, possibly when these early humans were there. They would have had to navigate the river, its current, any "sea life" in the cave and of course the soft mud. There is a possibility of an unstable structure, as well.
e. Speculate as to three (3) possible functions of this art to early humans.
a trophy wall of sorts - maybe these paintings depicted kills in the same way hunters today stuff and mount their kills.
To tell a story
Depending on what type of religion these people hd it could maybe be an "offering". a lot of art that is widely famous in society today is religion based, so maybe it is their function for art as well.
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)
Their art could be used for communication as well as what I said previously - it could be used in their religion or faith. Also, maybe they use it just as someone in more modern times would paint a picture of a horse or something - just to have it to look at
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:
My favorite type of art is surrealist photography. I really enjoy it.
a. For those who practice this form of artistic expression, what function does it serve? What
are they trying to communicate? (5 pts)
This type of art is very interesting because it has no bounds. it takes the ordinary and turns it into the unordinary with interesting juxtapositions of different elements. Sometimes it is to convey a message or feeling in the viewer- sometimes the artist just thinks it looks cool.
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)
Photographers are usually their own kooky bunch of people with an eclectic style all their own. Their individuality is what produces their great styles of art. The main type of culture surrounding photography is the everlasting battle of canon versus nikon. Photographers are usually very die-hard regarding their favorite brand. I am personally a Canon fan.
c. How does this art form (and its culture) benefit society? Are there any detrimental
affects? (5 pts)
This art form benefits society because it helps people think outside the box and maybe start thinking in different perspectives than what they are used to . Sometimes, this art upsets people because it shows everyday things in different situations that people could and might possibly find to be offensive.
Good opening discussion. Do the paintings tell us anything else about the lives of these people other than their painting techniques?
ReplyDeleteA religious aspect of the paintings is possibility -- more likely just spirituality -- but there are other more materialistic functions that are more likely (calendar, record keeping, eduction to the younger generation).
Great discussion of surrealist photography! Loved the discussion of their culture.
I didn't see the part of the article that stated the animals that were grouped together may have symbolized that hunting was greater in that area; thats a great observation though. I think there could be multiple reasons majority of their art was of animals, to brag, warn, appreciate, etc. I also really like surrealist art. It can sometimes be really hard to figure out, but its interesting.
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