Art as a Culture

Functions of Early Art:

1.The Lascaux Caves in France is the setting of a complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings, The cave contains nearly 2,000 figures, which can be grouped into three main categories such as animals, human figures and abstract signs , the large number of animals paints on the walls make it seem that the artist were trying to express the important of those animals in their life, could be spiritual reasons or just the usage of those animal through hunting .

2. The animal art found in the caves present different species: bulls, bison, and horses. Along with the many animals on the walls, there can be found some signs of human or semi-human representation. The human figures are not as richly defined or carefully executed, as is the animal art, and that’s because animals were as important to early man as life was; animals were life itself.

Grand (1967) notes that, Man's ". . . presence is a furtive, marginal one" (p. 20). Therefore not much effort was put into representing him.

3. The depictions of animals involved in the hunt helped to assure or reassure the hunters of great success.  Only those peoples who lived by hunting had practiced this art.  Another word that could be used to describe Lascaux would be a "Sanctuary." A sanctuary is a sacred place where sacred things are kept; it was their holy spot. Lascaux was, in other words, a holy place where the humans did not necessarily go to "pray" for a good hunt, but it was where the people would go to draw what they thought (or hoped) would be a good hunt. Cave men and women were once thought to be primitive (not as developed). They were far from humans today, but were still highly skilled) as one may think. However, the cave drawings at Lascaux proved their fine motor skills and their thought through their drawings, engravings, and the fact that they used paints, tools, and brushes to make these highly detailed animals.
4. Most of the major images have been painted onto the walls using mineral pigment although some designs have also been incised into the stone.Incising in stone is a hard work, since caves stones are not as easy as regular stone, they are harder to deal with, plus the Cave had drawing on ceiling which is also take so much effort and work.
5. I think that by creating a representation, the image maker tries to take control of that which is outside of himself  (or herself) and make it comprehensible, make it manageable. Not much different from what we do when we close ourselves up in our houses and surround ourselves with our favorite objects, Most of the paintings are located at a distance from the cave's entrance, and many of the chambers are not easily accessible. This placement, together with the enormous size and compelling grandeur of the paintings, suggests that the remote chambers may have served as sacred or ceremonial meeting places.

Commonalities in Function:

As the Lascaux Cave’s artist were trying to express their feeling and reach some function by their painting and drawings, there are some modern arts that did the same functions ,an excellent example of a work of art that truly sent a message to its viewers is Lewis W. Hine- Child in Carolina Cotton Mill-(1908). Child in a Carolina Cotton Mill was developed in 1908 and was a true vehicle for social reform. Hine was a photographer for the National Child Labor Committee from 1908 through 1916. Hine's camera and his photography created concrete evidence that could not simply be ignored any longer. His pictures helped to pass laws that protected children from being industrially exploited. This is a great example comparing his art to the Lascaux Caves art, they expressed their feeling by drawing on walls, Hine expressed his thoughts by taking pictures of poor kids that he thought it would be effective. There are two different arts but almost has the same technique of reaching a point by drawings and pictures.

My favorite Art:

1.One of my favorite Arts is Pablo Picasso's Guernica, which was created in the year 1937 based upon the Spanish Civil War that was occurring. This painting sends an extremely strong message to people and represents rebirth as well as destruction in modern times. It is a true symbol of the harsh impact of totalitarianism on various parts of the world.

2. Guernica was displayed around the world in a brief tour, becoming famous and widely acclaimed. This tour helped bring the Spanish Civil War to the world's attention.

3. Picasso was trying to put emphasis on what was happening as a result of the war. He was trying to get the world's attention and trying to help people understand the severity of the issues that the world was facing.