Art as a Culture

 1. Functions of Early Art

It is hard to completely decipher the original intent behind the paintings that these cavemen produced. The caves likely did not serve as a place to inhabit (worldhistory.org) so the question is raised, why explore so deeply into these caves to paint when it was not a permanent lodging? However, they could have been trying to depict a story of some kind, reflecting the experiences they encountered during their everyday lives, or it could have been a part of ritual.

The lack of people shown on the cave walls, in comparison to the abundance of animals painted, may be representative of the importance that animals held within their lives. Animals were essential as a food source so these paintings could be displaying a type of reverence held for them. There could also be a need for these animals to be documented, in order to recall what creatures surrounded their specific area. Additionally, humans may not have been thought necessary to include, as it may have been more important to provide an accurate depiction of the animals these people came across, rather than provide depictions of humans that everyone knew the appearance of.

The paintings can tell us that the cave dwellers were hunters and gatherers. They give us insight on what animals were prevalent in their location, which helps us to understand what may have been their common food sources, as well as the dangers that these animals may have posed. Due to their existence as a hunting and gathering culture, they were probably mobile.

There were likely many difficulties that these people had to navigate in order to paint on the cave walls. Firstly, they would need to have a source of light when entrenched deep within a dark cave system. It is speculated that they would be trapped with the smoke emitting from their fire source, making it difficult to breath. They would also need to find the materials necessary to create these paintings. It is believed that they needed flints, blocks of pigment, grinding stones, brushes, swabs, and stencils cut from hides (archeologie.culture.gouv). Lastly, these people would need to find a way to travel within these caves, likely having to find a way to move through some smaller tunnels. Overall, it was not an easy task to undertake, and required skill, as well as much labor. 

Three possible reasons for the existence of these cave paintings are: a desire to document their culture, essentially narrating their story, a ritual involved in their hunting, or a way to catalogue the animals in their area.

2. Commonalities in Function

The art on the walls of the Lascaux caves clearly served a purpose, the strenuous effort behind producing it demonstrates that. While its exact purpose is still speculated, it was definitely important to the cavepeople that the animals within their area were documented, whether that be for future dwellers, current catalogues, rituals, or storytelling. Modern art typically functions as expression, entertainment, and is often meaningful. The art on the cave walls held meaning to the cave dwellers, and meaning is also prevalent in art today, whether it be for political, social, or other various reasons.

3. Introduce Us to Your Favorite Art

Hans Zimmer Orchestra

For those who practice this art form, orchestral music, it serves the purpose of being a creative outlet, providing entertainment, and inciting emotion. Orchestral music communicates emotions, some pieces can be deeply sorrowful where others are more happy. The audience and the performer both experience these emotions.

There is a complete culture surrounding classical and orchestral music. Musicians have to read and interpret a "language" associated with their performance: sheet music. They also must interpret and understand the conductor's hand movements. Orchestras commonly dress in all black, nicer attire. Orchestra itself traces its roots back to the 17th century, so it is ingrained in a tradition that is still active to this day. Orchestra used to be commonly associated with "high society", demonstrating class and etiquette.

Orchestral music is beneficial to society due to profound impact it has both on the audience and performers. Playing an instrument has many positive effects, such as improving motor skills, memory, and brain plasticity. Listening to classical music has also been proven to have some similar positive effects, reducing anxiety and boosting cognition. One of the detrimental effects may be how heavily music can influence emotion; very sad music will likely cause you to replicate that emotion. However, it overall has a positive influence. Music is a universal language that can represent cultural values and unify a society.