Artistic Roles
This article gives an overview of the social roles that art can perform. As you read about art's various roles in society and culture, think about concrete examples that you can identify in your own everyday experience.
Description
A traditional role of visual art is to describe ourselves and our surroundings. Some of the earliest artworks discovered are drawings and paintings of humans and wild animals on walls deep within prehistoric caves. One particular image is a handprint: a universal symbol of human communication.
Portraits
Portraits, landscapes, and still life are common examples of
description. Portraits capture the accuracy of physical characteristics,
but the very best also transfer a sense of an individual’s unique
personality. For thousands of years, this role was
reserved for images of those in positions of power, influence, and
authority. The portrait not only signifies who they are but also
solidifies class structure by presenting only the highest-ranking
members of society.
Notice how portraits are used in the images below. The portrait Bust of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, dated around 1300 BCE, exemplifies beauty and royalty. The full-length Imperial Portrait of Chinese Emperor Xianfeng shows realism in the emperor's likeness, but it also exalts in the
patterns and colors of his robe and the throne behind him.
Bust of Nefertiti, painted sandstone, Egyptian, c. 1370 BCE, Neues Museum, Berlin
Imperial Portrait of Emperor Xianfeng, China, c. 1855. Palace Museum, Bejing
Landscapes
Landscapes, by themselves, give us detailed information about our natural and human-made surroundings, things like location, architecture, time of day, year, or season plus other physical information such as geological elements and the plants and animals within a particular region.
Realism
In many Western cultures, the more realistic the rendering of a scene, the closer to our idea of the "truth" it becomes. In the 15th century, the German artist Albrecht Dürer created vivid works that show a keen sense of observation. His Young Hare from 1495 is uncanny in its realism and sense of animation.
Albrecht Dürer, Young Hare, c. 1495, gouache and watercolor on paper
Scientific Illustration
Out of this striving for accuracy and documentation developed the art of scientific illustration an important part of scientific communication before the advent of photography. Scientific illustrators concentrate on accuracy and utility rather than aesthetics and document many different types of scientific phenomena.
Banksia coccinea, Illustrationes Florae Novae Hollandiae, plate 3
Enhancing our World
Art plays a role in our everyday lives. Art's role in enhancing our lives is more utilitarian than others. It includes textiles and product design, decorative embellishments to the items we use every day, and all the aesthetic considerations that create a more comfortable, expressive environment. Can you point out five works of art, in the utilitarian sense, in close proximity to you right now?
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Source: Christopher Gildow, http://opencourselibrary.org/art-100-art-appreciation/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.