Answer

1. • 1. 1. Art in the eyes of Early Humans and “Museum Art”

           Through the ages, what is often regarded as art has not changed much, what has changed have been the artists themselves, the mediums of expression, the reasons or circumstances surrounding the development of particular art forms, the ownership, the display and the material it is made of. With each succeeding society, the role that the artist and art plays changes to reflect the needs, nuances, motivations, speculations, fears, culture and progress within that era. These are often expressed through art. This paper looks at the development of art forms such as paintings, carvings and items from pottery as examples of art forms that can be read in terms of the identified features.

           One of the major questions that a consideration of ancient art and museum art would elicit is on the subject of the art. The subject matter refers to the narrative, the represented scenes, the time and place of the action, the people involved and the environment and its details. Early humans conceived paintings as being of great symbolic and practical significance (Wölfflin 1950). In other words, those images existed there to perform particular functions. They were painting of animals, people, symbols and other elements. On the other hand, modern “museum art” may exist even without being perceived as part of any subject matter. A good example is the modern abstract paintings that have no subject and no setting. Overall though, the art historians divide the art that exist along these two categories as either religious, historical, landscape, mythological, portraiture among others.

           Central also to the understanding of art in the worlds past and present is based on the question that made it? The question of who made a piece of art that strikes at the heart of attribution. Attribution is relatively a more recent phenomenon as long ago; there could be paintings for instance that were done in caves, on barks, on stone or other media but which we understand as not having been claimed by any person then. Even while these art forms and paintings were done by individual artists, they became communal property and no active attempt was made to identify the specific artists who made them (Schich et al. 2014). While the current museum art too can be said to consist of a number of anonymous drawings and paintings, the large number of the art in display are attributed to particular artists. The age of penal appropriation, for its insistence on the economic benefits of being artists, has necessitated the naming of the artist. Often, there are whole collections of particular artists in museums on display, and even for the paintings that were left anonymous; an active attempt is always made to assign them to a particular artist. Such is the controversy that has characterised the works of the famous Dutch painter, Rambradt. In fact, in addition to the mere naming appropriation, whenever there are paintings across a given period with some similar traits, it is often called a movement. This is quite characteristic of the “museum art”.

           Also vital among these questions is the question why are the art forms created? For most of early humans, the art created served a functional significance. They were carved, painted or moulded for specific reasons. There were religious people who did the carvings or paintings for religious rites and practices. The Gabon artefacts were originally made for this purpose. There were those who painted detailed versions of their victories on walls and even made whole armies like the Terra Cotta. I essence then, they did not simply paint for its sake. Most did it for some specific reasons. Many of the modern museum art and paintings, carvings and other forms are made for the aesthetic value (Elsa and Zenit 2017). Interpreting them would not demand for a lot of historical and social context for them to make meaning. It would rather rely on the capability of the viewer to discern details and make meaning out of it rather than an external explanation for the similar text.

           Another pertinent question is on who owns the art. Ownership of a piece of art can either be individual, group, communal or anonymous. Ownership in early humans was much more about what the patrons wanted rather than what the artist envisioned. The artists here worked in obscurity, painting, drawing or making sculptures. It is the patrons who paid them and commissioned for particular art forms and employed them on continuous basis. An example of this are the Egyptian pharaohs and Roman emperors who always tended to insist that the artists paint them in the fullness of their youth rather than on the real picture of how they looked. They were to be the owners of the painting that had a say on how they looked. The modern museum art is much more about the intention of the artist than on the demands of the viewer or buyer. Even though the culture of patronage was essential even to the Victorian people, the bulk of art today is owned by the facility or person who buys it.

           The place art is displayed is also an important factor in this distinction. For the early humans, the art materials made were confined to their areas of use for instance in shrines, palaces, religious places and tombs. Keeping them here made sure that they were safe for the next function. Modern museum art have public displays in galleries and shelves (Balietti, Goldstone, Helbing 2016). In addition, there are those individuals that buy their own paintings, carvings or pottery items. These they display in their private galleries, shelves or any private places of their choice. Because art can belong to individual people, the ownership can be transferred from person to person or from one organization to the other.

           Finally, in answering questions about art, we also have to remember what it is that those art forms are made of.  Early humans made paintings, carvings and drawings from a wide range of materials. From clay, iron, special types of stone, reeds, rock surfaces, scrolls or even iron, the sources were very diverse. These items were carved using sharp objects, painted with different shades of colour and drawn on using various colours. Modern museum art comes out of various materials. The material can be paper, cardboard, ink, special stones for carvings, sharp objects, plastic, iron and many others. It is important to see that in terms of the materials art forms are made of, not many of them are different now than they were years ago.

           As discussed above, art for the early humans meant a different thing than it does now. People have to answer the questions of ownership, subject matter, place of display, ownership, appropriation, where art is displayed and what the art is made of. The early human conception is way different from the “museum art” concept.