Defining Art’s Place in Society
Since the emergence of the “modern” human 200,000 years ago, art has permeated our existence. There have been signs that creativity and expression have occurred before even the first societies had developed around ancient river valleys throughout the world. It is evident that art not only plays a significant role in society, but may be the keystone of forming one to begin with.
All over the world, traditions of song, dance, film, painting, drawing, etcetera, all play essential roles in the way people communicate. This has always been true.
According to a 2007 article from Nature, a scientific journal based in London, the first known “modification of the natural world for aesthetic purposes” was the use of a scarlet ochre in the artistic practice of body painting. This discovery in the caves of Pinnacle Point, South Africa dates back to 165,000 years ago. Though, this is not the earliest use of the arts in our world. Stories told in oral tradition, songs, and dance likely reach back many thousands of years before this first use of ochre.
As the arts continued to develop, societies grew around them. According to the Human Relations Area Files at Yale University (HRAF), something that dictated how a certain civilization’s “styles” would develop was how it was organized. Earlier societies, such as the Ainu people of northern Japan, developed symmetrical designs in their art when compared with those that are more complexly organized, like that of Ancient Rome. Contrastly, more hierarchical societies tended to produce more crowded and layered artworks, with examples like the Sistine Chapel ceiling which dates back to the Renaissance.
Fast forward to our current, American culture: art continues to flourish like it has for centuries. But it is common for the average citizen to not have an appreciation for art and its place in our lives. Mrs. Julie Beam, the graphic design teacher here at SJHS, spoke with the Wind-Up about that sense of appreciation.
“I try to incorporate the visuals of art history into my classroom so that my students are exposed to it. That way they will recognize important art throughout their lives,” Mrs. Beam said. “I feel that art and media will always influence our culture greatly. We are now in such a visual culture, more than ever before.”
Introducing concepts like this early can lead to a lifelong appreciation of art.
The Wind-Up also spoke with Mr. Matthew Culver, another SJHS art teacher, about the way that art shapes society.
“When destruction, turmoil, and happiness happen all together, you find art. It’s the great communicator,” Mr. Culver said. “Today, multimedia and digital productions shape our society so much.”
Mr. Culver also spoke on the timelessness of art and its prevalence.
“Of course art has been there! Art was communication before reading and writing were common,” he said.
From cave paintings warning of danger, stained glass in churches reinforcing religion, all the way to graffiti in modern cities, expressing deeply personal thoughts through art—and throughout different societies—seems intertwined with human nature. For those who choose to leave their mark, art has developed into our primary and most beautiful tool for communication.