"Today, most scholars, whether they are art historians or archaeologists, would deny that there even is such a thing as primitive art."pg.125
I never really paid any attention to the word primitive until this class. Honestly, it's not something i use in my day to day vocabulary and I never really heard it or know people that use the word primitive. After hearing it in class, I can honestly say I don't like the word and it's connection to negative. It gives things a title of being less then in my opinion. Coming from a very enriched cultural background, most objects I'm used to seeing as beautiful pieces of workmanship would be considered primitive. Things that people make like pottery, tools, rugs, etc for daily use are beautiful one of the kind pieces of art that can actually be used instead of collecting dust. These things are functional pieces of art as well as genuine craftsmanship.
When I was younger and Tijuana, BC was a little safer, my friends and I used to go to Tijuana all the time. I always came home with something that I bought from a street vendor. One of my favorite purses is from a vendor. Just a knitted purse with a cool design, really basic. This woman sells these purses to feed herself and her family. It's a simple purse but I have gotten more compliments on that purse then any name brand purse I have in my closet. It's items like my purse that make me hate the word primitive. This purse describes a lifestyle, a creation, a culture. It's specific to my heritage and meaningful because it's a homemade one of a kind piece of art. Another item that I love and use a lot is a ceramic turtle painted bright blue and has bold colorful flowers painted on it. It's purpose is a jewelry box and I store my favorite ring in it. This turtle is a really awesome piece of art and craftsmanship. The whole thing is homemade by the vendor which means he sculpted the turtle out of clay and then painted it. This is not only a hobby but their livelihood depends on it. It's items like this that make me appreciate my culture and the work that goes behind making this items.
Do you think there is a difference between craft and art? Or is basically everything just plain art? I agree with your way of looking at these things people are creating, especially things that represent their lifestyle and culture. We have to be respectful and not hold them up to our own Westernized standards. We're in an age where museum curators don't decide what art is... art belongs to the people who create it and the people who connect with it. As anthropologists it is our duty to remember that. I think this is why graffiti as a work of art and not simply a kind of vandalism has gained acceptance. People want to feel a sense of solidarity and when we use the word primitive we cut ourselves off and make a distinction between us and them.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with you on disliking the use of the word primitive and how pieces of art can go overlooked and viewed negatively when labeled as primitive. But I also was thinking, along with Emma's comment, that there seems to be a craft element in the two examples you used. They both sound really cool, but they seem to be more of a craft than art. But then art is in the eye of the beholder and it's up to an individual to deem what they see as art and what isn't.
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