Chapter 1: Art under Ancient Suns
So let’s look at some more art. What do you think?
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| Chauvet. (c 34,000 BCE) Alcove of Lions. | Lascaux. (c 18,900 BCE) Hall of the Bulls | San people. (c 30,000 BCE). Elands. |
As Dorothy memorably remarks on arriving in Oz, we aren’t in Kansas anymore! These are some seriously old examples of human art. How shall we react to them?
Our instinct is probably to respond as we do to any art. Are they beautiful? Are they skilled in realistically portraying their subjects? Do we like them? Would we like to hang prints in our living rooms?
Yet, somehow, those questions seem a bit naïve. In the introduction, we mentioned the gap that often opens between art’s context of origin and the context from which an audience experiences it. In this case, that gap is inconceivably wide. Up to 37,000 years of cultural difference! What shall we do?
Confronting contextual gaps is common as we explore the arts. Obviously, making snap judgments based on our own frames of reference is dangerous. We do better to have a care: when facing art that challenges our perspectives, one should …
Approaching unfamiliar art: always …
- Try to see the works for what they are.
- Hold one’s initial responses loosely, opening to fresh perspectives.
- Notice indicators of cultural gaps: might that feature mean something else in the culture of origin?
- Gather whatever background information is available.
- See the works afresh in light of what has learned.
- Make an honest assessment of how you wish to respond.
Let’s take a moment to be clear. Do the suggestions above require you to like anything? They do not. Indeed, liking is a relatively unhelpful response in the arts. Rich responses include sensitive perception, informed comprehension, and clear recognition of form and content. You will never be required to like anything in this class.
What the process above asks you to do is to open your mind to learn and to see beyond your expectations and instinctive snap judgments. Whether or not you like a work, you may find within it vistas and ideas worth exploring.