Understanding and Appreciating Tribal Art
Author: John Published Under: History
Unlike most modern events, there was no live news feed going when humans first discovered art, so there are no real records of the first piece of artwork. In many regards, the term art is so open to interpretation, it could be considered that the first buildings and clothes were pieces of art. However, in if you use the definition of art to include only things like drawings, paintings, and sculptures, the roots are much harder to trace.
One interesting distinction between architectural art and other types of art is that when considering a building, it is common to first think of what it can do, such as housing a library, and only later for the person to consider its beauty. In times past, this same approach was applied to other pieces of art, as art was often not just about beauty and expression, but also was used to tell a story.
Telling a Story
If you take the early artwork of cavemen, for example, their drawings were meant to tell stories that could be shared with the generations, with the same also being true of the American Indians. These images and drawings also commonly were thought of to be magical and offered some form of protection.
For this reason, it is hard to truly ever understand this early art, without trying to give it some meaning and to, as it were, get inside the head of the artist. Without this understanding, it would be easy to cast off these pieces of art as simply the scratchings of some primitive, but in many ways they are much more than this.
Customs and Beliefs Role in Art
Another consideration when trying to understand artwork is the customs and beliefs of the culture. Often, these customs and beliefs are so important that the artist feels inclined to paint a picture that expands upon these beliefs and even play a part in it. Some obvious examples are, of course, religious paintings, but a less subtle one would be the wedding ring. Wedding rings are often intended to be beautiful, but its beauty is intended to represent more than just a nice ornament and is intended to instill the importance of marriage.
Going back to what is often classified as "primitive art," this term is in many ways unfair to the artist, as just because their culture could be deemed primitive when compared to modern culture, the artist himself is rarely primitive and is in fact a master of his trade. This mastery can be seen in the intricate styles of art created by these artists, be it carvings or basketwork.
Often, it is also common to get too hung up on details when viewing tribal art, so that the meaning of the image becomes lost. Tribal art is many times very simple and might not be realistic, but this is not a reflection of its quality, as it was made by someone who projected his emotions into the art. Often these subtleties are lost on someone who is not familiar with the culture, with some of the Inuit Art from Alaska being a good example.
In particular, there is a Dance Mask created towards the end of the nineteenth century by the Inuits. To a westerner, the expression on the mask could easily be interpreted as goofy or even silly, but to an Inuit it has a much darker meaning. This same mask that has what is almost a silly grin on it, is actually made to represent a blood faced mountain demon, who eats people. Without understanding the culture and therefore the intentions of the artist, understanding primitive art can be very difficult.