Art and Nature, Nature and Art

A detailed Summary of Art and Nature, Nature and Art

Getting Back to Basics: Art and Nature, Nature and Art, Art and Man

In earliest times primitive people made contact with the outside world through the same five senses used by people today. They could hear the sounds of animals, see objects, feel the rain on their faces, smell the fragrance of wild flowers, and taste berries and other foods. Primitive people also expressed their feelings through art and dance. The cave paintings in Lascaux, France, which were drawn some 27,000 years ago, depicted animals of the time. Do these images show Paleolithic man's continuity with nature? It is not known whether these pictures had a methodical, or a magical or religious purpose; however, they did show that primitive people had both a need and a talent for self-expression.

In Suzi Gablik's book, Conversations before the End of Time, Gablik touches base with several artists analyzing the discontinuity between man and nature, nature and art, and art and man. During interviews with each artist, philosophical questions arise, such as what is art for (Ellen Dissanayake), are humans really at the apex of the pyramid (Christopher Manes), and can mankind survive without modern technological civilization (Rachel Dutton and Rob Olds)? Links betwe

If you were to ask Ellen Dissanayake what is art for, she would reply that art is "making special." Dissanayake believes that humans, since the beginning, have been attracted to objects that were 'extraordinary or special', and 'make special things' to show that we care and have regard for those things. Most importantly, "art is for everyone and not solely for an elite group of artists in the art world." Upon first reading this article, I agreed with Dissanayake, however after rereading, I discovered that there was some hypocrisy in what she was saying. Initially, Dissanayake created a solid argument on why art is important to man, why we create art, and to whom art is created. However, when linking this to the importance that man must "realize that we cannot go on living in ways that are so mechanical, materialistic and hard on the environment (Dissanayake, p.54), Dissanayake separated man into a Darwinist view of nature, and man's superiority over it. In my opinion, this view is the reason man is disconnected with nature. Christopher Manes stated during his interview, "man is not at the apex of the pyramid"(p. 88). In other words, to believe that we are more important and better suited to rule and control nature is to believe that nature is not equal to man. This discontinuity between nature and man is what allows man to destroy and dominate over nature.

Though in separate interviews with Suzi Gablik, Christopher Manes, Rachel Dutton, and Rob Olds, all convey the message that we must revert back to our humble and simple beginnings. Each agree that we must reconnect with nature, come to the realization that nature is art, and that everything within "nature deserves the same equality as all creatures, including man" (Christopher Manes, p. 86). Unlike Dissanayake, who focuses on man's uses of art in our society, Manes, Dutton, and Olds, place emphasis on nature's natural beauty and how everythin

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Approximate Word count = 1293
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Arts