DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42067#0110
SYMBOLISM
We have seen that in the art of primitive people two elements
may be distinguished; a purely formal one in which enjoyment
is based on form alone, and another one in which the form is
filled with meaning. In the latter case the significance creates an
enhanced esthetic value, on account of the associative connections
of the art product or of the artistic act. Since these forms are
significant they must be representative, not necessarily representative
of tangible objects, but sometimes of more or less abstract ideas.
In our previous discussion we have also shown that representative art
may be, and generally is, strongly influenced by technical form, so much
so, that in many cases the natural prototype is not readily recognized.
It is remarkable that in the art of many tribes the world over,
ornament that appears to us as purely formal, is associated with
meanings, that it is interpreted. Karl von den Steinen found that
the geometrical patterns of the Brazilian Indians represented fish,
bats, bees, and other animals, although the triangles and diamonds
of which they consist bear no apparent relation to these animal
forms. The design on top in figure 79 represents bats, indicated by
the black triangles. The figure below it represents the uluri, a small
object of clay used by women in place of a breech clout. The
third figure represents a fish, the large scales of which are indicated
by diamonds. The fourth and fifth figures also represent fish, while
the last one is called young bees.
A number af clay dishes that were said to represent animals were
in part characterized by distinct heads, limbs, and tails, while others
bore no resemblance to the forms that they were claimed by the
natives to represent. A general similarity of form, however, exists
between the purely conventional and the realistic forms, which
suggested to Von den Steinen the conclusion that the former devel-
oped from the latter. Later on Ehrenreich corroborated these
We have seen that in the art of primitive people two elements
may be distinguished; a purely formal one in which enjoyment
is based on form alone, and another one in which the form is
filled with meaning. In the latter case the significance creates an
enhanced esthetic value, on account of the associative connections
of the art product or of the artistic act. Since these forms are
significant they must be representative, not necessarily representative
of tangible objects, but sometimes of more or less abstract ideas.
In our previous discussion we have also shown that representative art
may be, and generally is, strongly influenced by technical form, so much
so, that in many cases the natural prototype is not readily recognized.
It is remarkable that in the art of many tribes the world over,
ornament that appears to us as purely formal, is associated with
meanings, that it is interpreted. Karl von den Steinen found that
the geometrical patterns of the Brazilian Indians represented fish,
bats, bees, and other animals, although the triangles and diamonds
of which they consist bear no apparent relation to these animal
forms. The design on top in figure 79 represents bats, indicated by
the black triangles. The figure below it represents the uluri, a small
object of clay used by women in place of a breech clout. The
third figure represents a fish, the large scales of which are indicated
by diamonds. The fourth and fifth figures also represent fish, while
the last one is called young bees.
A number af clay dishes that were said to represent animals were
in part characterized by distinct heads, limbs, and tails, while others
bore no resemblance to the forms that they were claimed by the
natives to represent. A general similarity of form, however, exists
between the purely conventional and the realistic forms, which
suggested to Von den Steinen the conclusion that the former devel-
oped from the latter. Later on Ehrenreich corroborated these