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Animal Influences In Paleolithic Egyptian And Greek

Animal Influences In Paleolithic, Egyptian And Greek, Essay, Research Paper


Animal Influences in Paleolithic, Egyptian and Greek Art


There are numerous ways in which animals have resonated within the


human mind. Throughout history there have been representations ranging


from the realistic, to myths, legends, symbols, and even horrific murderous


beasts; at the same time providing fascinating perspectives of our own


humanity. Various forms of art have conveyed ideas and concepts of


animal’s intelligence, as well as behavior, from generation to generation.


Animal art is used as a tool to make the connection between different


cultures at different time periods and it relates historical and symbolic


meanings. In most cultures animals have been linked with the supernatural


forces which were believed to control the natural world and the destiny of


humans. They were often revered as the agents. or associates, of gods,


and goddesses, and were even the focus of worship as deities. Following


the tracks of historical animal art, through the human imagination


introduces a trail of creativity and unsurpassed beauty.


Paleolithic art:


Cave paintings are the earliest known example of human art dating


40,000 to 8,000 BCE. The paintings mainly feature various animals


running, sleeping, and eating. Some also contain a few humans,


geometrical shapes, and even hand prints. The artist used permanent


features like ceilings, floors, and walls of rock shelters and caves as their


canvas. Pigments of black, yellow, red, and brown were utilized to display


the observations of animals. The painters gathered a great deal of


information about finding food, and which foods were safe to eat or to


hunt, by closely observing animals. The valuable information was passed to


others through the detailes in the artwork. The construction of the figures


are sporadic over uneven surfaces and small confined areas in the caves.


Paintings in this position would have been difficult to view, and may not be


simple decorations, but possess a special or spiritual purpose.


Researchers, “took what they thought were the most important


features of the content of Paleolithic art (the animals, the arrows. etc.) and


stressing the locality of the art (deep done in caves far from habitation)


inferred a secret magical function.”1 The paintings depict strong,


dangerous, and swift animals which may be a form of sympathetic magic,


in an attempt to control them through representation.(fig. 1) Many


paintings have marks indicating wounds or bleeding, which may be


connected with hunting. One theory is that prehistoric hunters believed


that by depicting the animal on the wall they would capture it’s soul, and


inevitable death during the hunt. However there has also been evidence


“that the animals used most frequently for food were not the ones


traditionally portrayed in cave art.”2 The paintings reflect the human


relationship with animals; for admiration, fascination, the feared and the


hunted. Reasearchers have divided the animals into three major groups.


“The first comprises the large herbivores-bison, ox, mammoth, horse; the


second, the small herbivores-stag and ibex; and the third, the most


dangerous animals-lion, bear and rhinoceros, all of which occur by


themselves in the rear portions of the caves.”3(fig. 2) Smaller animals such


as rabbits were not painted, perhaps because they were very abundant. The


reason for the paintings will never be fully answered. They may be part of


rituals marking a successful hunt or maybe it is ‘art for art’s sake.’ Andre


Leroi-Gourhan feels, “By this route alone, thoughts of these men who are


the only people anywhere in the world, at any epoch, to have sheltered


their works of art in the dank depths of caves.”4


Egyptian art


Egyptians and animals (3150 to 2700 BCE) together symbolize many


mysterious and magical powers. Marilyn Stockstad states, “The many god


and goddesses were depicted in various forms, some as human beings,


others as animals, and still others as creatures half human, half animal.”5


The symbolic nature of the lion, like that of many animals, is ambivalent.


In Egypt it represented notably the living power of the sun in it’s


identification with the solar deity Ra, but also death and afterlife, because


of its association with Osiris, the ruler of the underworld. The lion was also


believed to guard the spirit realm. The Sphinx at Giza (fig. 3) is a


recumbent, lion bodied statue of the pharaoh Khafre. The tradition of the


sphinx combined the idea of the lion, the king of beasts with that of the


divine ruler, symbolize the union of intellectual and physical powers


incarnated into the pharaoh. The Ibis was widely associated with the


sacred to the moon god Aah, and the god Thoth, who were often depicted


with an ibis’s head. The wading bird was thought to be free from illnesses.


The bird’s ability to fly makes it a natural symbol of the flight of the human


soul

, but sometimes the connection is less obvious. In a frieze from


Tutankhamun’s burial chamber (fig. 4) combines the symbolism of the


leopard, death and the afterlife. It shows Tutankhamun’s successor, King


Ay, wearing the magical leopard skin mantle and engaged in the


ceremonial ritual of opening the mouth on Tutankhamun’s mummy, This


would ensure the passage of his soul into the other world. Whether


consciously or not, the Egyptians recognized the vital role animals played


in ensuring the constant recycling of elements that make life possible. H.


W. Janson observes, “Egyptian art alters between conservatism and


innovation, but is never static. Some of its great achievements had a


decisive influence on Greek and Roman art, and thus we can still feel


ourselves linked…by a continuous, living tradition.”6


Greek art


It is often possible to trace the evolution of a myth almost like the


development of a real animal. There are few imaginary beasts that do not


contain some element of zoological truth. The early adventures of warriors,


and sailors, with sea animals, conjured imaginative stories that when they


returned to Greece, theses stories inspired Homer to create the Cyclops, in


his epic, “Odyssey.” A feature throughout history has been imagining


animals that are the magnification of the human body to superhuman size


and power. The Greek’s Centaur (900-400 BCE) were said to have the


power and speed of a horse with the intelligence and emotions of humans


(fig.4). The frieze at the Parthenon (fig. 5) shows the battle between the


Lapiths and the Centaurs. Stockstad detects, “What should be a grueling


tug-of-war between man and beast appears instead as an athletic ballet…”7


Many pieces have broken off but what is left is a masterpiece of it’s time.


“Of all Greek originals which have come down to us the sculptures from the


Parthenon reflect this new freedom perhaps in the most wonderful way,”8as


commented by E.H. Gomribrich. An influenced of the Egyptian art ,is the


sphinx. It’s appearance and envolved into a lion’s body and the wings of


an eagle with a woman’s head. It was a enhanced feature on the helmet


Athena, the warrior goddess of Athens, and a frequent image on


gravestones. The Greeks were inspired from the past, which created a new


and original period. This style of art is a delicate mixture of artistic styles,


and image, which blend the realism and idealism, mythology, and


monstrous beasts (fig. 6). Robert Scranton says, “Greek art is


notable,…for it’s concentration of focus; there is almost always a


well-established dominant to which all else is subordinate and related in a


definable scale.”9


Different cultures grab on to different attributes to construct very


different mythologies, but all cultures, have integrated a close observation


of the animal kingdom into their artistic style, symbols, and stories. The


evolution of animals in the human imagination stretches from teachers to


ancestors, to protective and finally gods. Humans have developed a world


where animals were once beyond control, or understanding, could now be


understood and affectionately appreciated through the arts.


Bibliography:


Avery, Catherine B. The New Century Classical Handbook. New York, 1962


Beckett, Sister Wendy. The Story of Painting. New York, 1994


Boardman, John, Greek Art. London, 1964


Durant, Will. Our Oriental Heritage. New York, 1935


Fleming, William. Arts & Ideas. New York


Gombrich, E. H. The Story of Art. London, 1967


Hall, James. Dictionary of Subjects & Symbolism in Art. New York, 1974


Kirk, G. S. The Nature of Greek Myths. New York, 1975


Janson, H. W. History of Art. New York, 1969


Leroi-Gourhan, Andre. Treasures of Prehistoric Art. New York


MacClintock, Dorcas. Animals Observed. New York, 1993


Metropolitan Museum of Art. Treasures of Tutankhamun. New York, 1976


Richter, Gisela M. A. A Handbook of Greek Art. New York, 1987


Scranton, Robert L. Aesthetic Aspects of Ancient Art. Chicago, 1964


Stockstad, Marilyn. Art History. New York, 1995


Avery, Catherine B. The New Century Classical Handbook. New York, 1962


Beckett, Sister Wendy. The Story of Painting. New York, 1994


Boardman, John, Greek Art. London, 1964


Durant, Will. Our Oriental Heritage. New York, 1935


Fleming, William. Arts & Ideas. New York


Gombrich, E. H. The Story of Art. London, 1967


Hall, James. Dictionary of Subjects & Symbolism in Art. New York, 1974


Kirk, G. S. The Nature of Greek Myths. New York, 1975


Janson, H. W. History of Art. New York, 1969


Leroi-Gourhan, Andre. Treasures of Prehistoric Art. New York


MacClintock, Dorcas. Animals Observed. New York, 1993


Metropolitan Museum of Art. Treasures of Tutankhamun. New York, 1976


Richter, Gisela M. A. A Handbook of Greek Art. New York, 1987


Scranton, Robert L. Aesthetic Aspects of Ancient Art. Chicago, 1964


Stockstad, Marilyn. Art History. New York, 1995

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