Art Forms from the Past Translating to the Future

The Lascaux cave paintings were an incredible find to say the least. To think that these images that were created nearly 17,000 years ago, only to be unearthed over 70 years ago, is incredible.  These images that contained mostly animals and rarely any human beings or signs, seemed to tell a story, a journey or ideas.  The animals that were depicted were mainly horses, cattle and deer. I imagine that the artists whose paintings were done in these caves were trying to translate from personal experiences, from their ideas, through spiritual belief or possibly through artistic expression.  Some of the scenes could possibly tell a day’s journey out hunting or recreate a spiritual scene or ideas to be acted upon in time.  Although there weren’t many humans depicted in the paintings, it appears to be intentional.  This reason could be due to the importance of the animal in their everyday life; they relied upon hunting for sustenance and animals were often interpreted as the sacrificial “lamb”.  The paintings themselves reveal what was important to the people in their everyday lives as they chose to cover the walls with these images.  They also show what was essential to their survival at that particular time, and how much they valued it by paying homage to the animals.

The artist’s decision to paint also reveals their creativity and resources used in order to accomplish such task.  In order to paint, they discovered how to create light by lighting torches in order to illuminate the area in which they were working. In order to have something to paint with, the artists used earth pigments mixed with water in order to project color onto the walls of the cave. In order to accomplish such a difficult task given their resources and space in the caves, the artists had to work with what they had in order to get it done. This meant navigating through narrow passages in the caves, painting on walls that were taller than the artists painting them, and working in dimly lit conditions.  However regardless of the conditions in which these images were painted, the artists worked around it, and as a result, created images that have lasted throughout time. Three possible functions of this art to early humans could be to leave messages for those that would be visiting the caves as a possible warning or story to tell them.  A second function could be to record lessons, possibly of hunting or sustaining resources for food. A third function could be to pay homage to the animals for which they find to be important, either ones that are still alive or those that were previously killed during hunting excursions.

Although the Lascaux paintings were done nearly twenty thousand years ago, we can still find commonalities between the cave paintings and modern art observed today.  For example, both utilize expression in both art forms.  What one found important in years past may differ from today, however both forms incorporate expression in order to deliver such paintings.  Passion is another similarity between both forms; the artists from the Lascaux paintings were clearly passionate about what they painted as the animals filled the walls of the caves. The same can be said with modern art artists whose passion drives what images they choose to depict in their paintings. Another similarity can be found in choosing to tell a story through art; the cave paintings could have done so through the animals and modern artists may choose to do so with what is relevant and of importance in their time as well.

An art form that is my favorite to observe is dance.  The way one learns to tell a story and express themselves through dance is an incredible sight to see. I appreciate all forms of dance, from African, Ballet, Modern to Latin, as all forms are expressive and in some way tell a story.  Each technique and style is unique in its own right however learning one form inevitably helps to learn another. For those that practice this form of art, the function it serves is through self expression.  In addition to self expression, dance also serves as a great stress outlet. This art form also allows the artist to act out their emotions or tell a story either through their movement or through their musical choice. This story could be that of someone in love, someone consumed by anger, or someone overcome by grief. Whatever the story may be the options are endless. Dance can be found in many cultures around the world as almost every culture has their own specific dance form.  Not only are the movements different, but the music and dress form change with each culture as well. In African dance, movements are precise and often include large groups of people.  The dress is also unique in that many of the outfits are colorful or dark, incorporate animal prints, furs and beads, depending on the performance at hand. In Latin dance movements are swift, big and precise, and often full of energy.  Clothing can range from long flamenco skirts to brightly colored dresses and outfits that are revealing in nature. Dance as an art form and its culture benefit society greatly by allowing different cultures to express themselves through dance.  It also allows different cultures to connect with different societies through a shared interest in dance.  In addition to these factors, dance also provides entertainment and exercise to those that are either participating or observing. Although there are many positive affects from dance, a detrimental one could be the possible misunderstanding of the meaning of ones dance or their expression.