How Context Affects Art: A Critical Examination Of Diverse Epochs

How Context Affects Art: A Critical Examination Of Diverse Epochs

In this essay, we examine diverse art forms from different eras and regions across the world to demonstrate that art is a product of its context. This hypothesis draws from the distinctness evident in each art movement, usually based on broader philosophical and social currents that define a culture or society. For the sake of this paper, we limit ourselves to art in three eras: Prehistoric art, Ancient Egyptian art and Islamic art. In examining these three artistic movements through the lens of their unique epochs, we can conclusively prove that art is indeed a product of its context.

Prehistoric art, though diverse and present across the world, is conspicuous for its depiction of art on rock and simplicity of expression. The artists of that era also frequently depicted motifs that expressed their pagan beliefs, a practice that resulted in numerous idols sculptures surviving through time to this day. The lack of refined tools for paintings or sculptures often resulted in simple art pieces lacking the level of detail evident in products of the last 1000 years. While the modern sculptor has a set of carving knives and chisels, prehistoric artists had simpler tools that could not produce similar pieces. A painter today may have a canvas, a set of brushes and an array of pigments to deploy but prehistoric man only had a surface of stone and a piece of charcoal.

The refinements of science and technology that have greatly aided expression in art simply did not exist in that context and this confined the standards of depiction to what we see in those ancient artifacts today. The circumstances in which prehistoric artists found themselves in were such that movements like rock or cave art were the best that they could produce in that situation.

Second, we look at Ancient Egyptian art pieces and the unique conventions that gave them a unique feel compared to other eras and art movements. To understand Egyptian art, it is important to appreciate the philosophical and spiritual ideas that governed everyday life in that civilization. Ancient Egypt was a theocracy/monarchy in which the pharaoh served as both high priest and ruler. This religion had among its cornerstones, a deep belief in reincarnation and the resurrection of the body in a form as good as it was when buried. Wealthy Egyptians and the nobility took the trouble to bury their dead in pyramids after elaborate embalming processes that ensured near-perfect preservation of corpses throughout time. This way, when the dead resurrected in the afterlife, they would be able to assume their previous bodies without missing any functions. Both wealthy and poor Egyptians also had elaborate paintings made of themselves in two-dimensional orientation, so that all parts of the body and limbs remained visible, and upon the resurrection, the entire body would be available to resume life.

It is these unique concepts that guided Egyptian art, making Egyptian paintings and sculptures distinctly different from those of other eras. The Egyptians also believed in polytheism, with a pantheon of gods numbering in the thousands. As a result, numerous paintings and sculptures, done in the styles described above, exist to attest to their beliefs and biases. By the time Ancient Egyptians were creating their pieces, artists could rely on an array of materials that enables them to depict vivid detail in this characteristic style, with a variety of colors and approaches.

Finally, the Islamic Art movement came up with one of the most innovative artistic and architectural paradigms known to man: the depiction of motifs without the representation of images. Islam is a religion and philosophy founded by Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century A.D. One of his priority missions was to eradicate polytheism or idolatry in the Arabian Peninsula and establish a system of belief built on the worship of one Supreme Being. In the Quran, the holy book that guides the Islamic religion, he expressly forbade his followers from worshipping more than one god, idols or any image depicting human, animal or spiritual beings. As Islam began its global expansion, these rules spread into the Middle Eastern art world, where depiction of patterns in art and architecture became the only way to practice expression without breaking religious tenets.

As a result, where painters would previously depict gods, people, places or landscapes; they now depicted patterns expressing symmetry, geometry and other metaphysical ideas, with the intention of stimulating philosophical discourse. The growth and development of Islam also herald the death of Middle Eastern sculpting, paving the way to a rich architectural paradigm since Islamic teachers considered statues or sculptures as idols. Islamic artists found numerous ways of attaching ornate patterns and motifs all over their architectural works, with each notable construction project probably having an architect and a resident artist. Every surface became a canvas to sculptors and other artists who would weave their pieces into walls, ceilings, facades, foyers, etc. This Islamic love for motifs also opened the way for calligraphic artists who depicted verses and teachings from the Quran and other Islamic books in ornate paintings displayed instead of paintings of images.

From the examination of the aforementioned artistic eras, it is clear that art is a product of its milieu. The social, spiritual and environmental circumstance strongly determines what and how an artist is going to deliver his message.