The Culture of Art

In the Lascaux Caves, there seem to be animals that represent seasons or, rather, time. I think the artists are trying to portray something of their religious or spiritual beliefs. Animals tend to portray our relationship with the earth, the spiritual, and/or our religious beliefs. So I think that animals are portrayed to depict those beliefs, and that depicting human interaction with them wasn't necessary to the story. The most current theory is that these paintings can be viewed as a story about the creation of the world.

The paintings can tell us what types of relationships people had to their environment by the depictions they created. It can also tell us what types of tools they used, what they used for lighting, what they tended to eat, and perhaps some of their beliefs about the world they live in. They had to decorate the caves in poor lighting. And in some of the areas, the cave ceilings were high, but painted anyway, so they had to somehow navigate those heights to paint or carve. Also, some of the corridors and chambers were small and narrow, and those parts were still painted or carved.

Three possible functions of art could have been to preserve a point in time, to tell a story, and perhaps as a form of worship. Sometimes, important events are preserved in art for future generations to see and learn from. Also, people often want to tell a story, some sort of history, and preserve that for current or future generations to read, similar to that of oral lore. And lastly, people celebrate their religious beliefs through art. Sometimes they also partake in artistic endeavors as a means of worship.

Both now and in the past, people have used art to express ideas or concepts. People try to put their beliefs into their artwork, as is seen by current religious forms of artwork such as music, and in past forms of artwork such as statues and paintings with religious themes. Art can be used to decorate an environment through carving or painting, or it can be transient like music, clothing, weaving or body painting (like with henna).

For me, dance is my favorite form of art, specifically Flamenco and traditional Irish dances. 

Flamenco dance was the musical outlet for the poor and oppressed, often danced by gypsies in Spain. Flamenco is a way to express emotion, and it was once believed young people did not have the emotional capacity to dance it. Flamenco has become a highly specialized form of dance, and is now typically accompanied with Flamenco guitar and singing. Flamenco benefits society by allowing the expression of emotion through dance and music. If too much emotion is a detriment, than I believe that would be it's only detriment, having risen from a culture of poverty to a culture respected.

Traditional Irish dance is believed to have originated by the Druids as a form of religious ritual, often seen in the Irish ring dances. But as different cultures invaded Ireland, they brought their forms of dance with them that were then integrated into traditional Irish dance. Their dances had many forms and were performed for various reasons, such as welcoming newcomers and performed at wakes to mourn the loss of loved ones. There are now competitions in Ireland where dancers wear a distinct costume that represents the school they are from. Irish dances are typically group dances, but good dancers become highly esteemed soloists. Traditional Irish dance can be beneficial as a possible historical lesson in the effects of cultural suppression (the Irish stopped using arm movements because another culture didn't like dancing).