Anthropology Of Art Research Articles

The Anthropology of art: the mysteries of the artifacts of the Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands cultures

The Anthropology of art: the mysteries of the artifacts of the Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands cultures

Queering Alfred Gell’s Art Nexus: Conceptualising Non-normative Relations and Queer Methods in the Art and Ethnological Museum. Context

Ethnographic collections and museums displaying them are currently facing a crisis of representation which is deeply political. Negotiations mainly take place on a national and institutional level. Yet, in order to deal with conflicts and problems that arise around ethnographic collections in a way that allows for and affirms new relationships being formed outside the realm of representational power, new perspectives and methodological tools from a grassroots level are needed. Intersectional approaches and a renewed attention to relations around ethnographic objects, especially a rethinking of the categories “artwork” versus “ethnographica”, offer a promising route for engaging with heritage as a common ground. As such, they may enable relational politics outside the centres of power. A “queering” of anthropologist Alfred Gell’s art nexus model can be instrumental for the study of queer (non-normative) relations around artworks, including so-called ethnographic objects. The paper proposes an understanding of queerness as a method in the art and museum context, informed by the anthropology of art and kinship, queer studies, and museum studies. This methodology-in-the-making should be part of a toolkit with which researchers and arts practitioners will be able to understand and actively co-create queer relations around objects in ethnographic collections and beyond.

The Aesthetic Asceticism of the Mad

The Bauls of Bangladesh, West Bengal, and other parts of India are a distinct ascetic sect that practices spirituality through songs, music, and poetry that were passed down orally from a teacher (Guru) to a disciple (Shirsha). Their ideology is a mix of yogic-tantric practices of Buddhist Sahajiya, Vaishnavism Sahajiya, and later Sufi thoughts. Bauls are often called a heretic sect because of their rejection of institutionalized religion, consumerism, society, and, for many Bauls, even marriage. Baul songs and spirituality emphasize the search for the connection between man and the Divine and love and symbolize the Bengali folk identity. In this paper, placing Baulism within the Anthropology of Art vs. Aesthetics discourse, I show how Baul songs, and their lifestyle can be both. I discuss the rising appropriation of Baul folk music and aesthetics by modern media and in capitalist spaces and how it started to gain traction when the elite society started to acknowledge Bengali folk music. Baul giti (song) is an established genre of music, and they tend to mediate between both art while providing aesthetic appreciation. With the rise of village core aesthetics and romanticization, their music, style, and philosophy have found new spaces in media, fashion, and business.

The image expression of Beijing embroidery art in Qing Dynasty from the perspective of art anthropology

To explore the relationship between art and society in the history and culture of Beijing embroidery, and the embodiment of the social hierarchy system of the Qing Dynasty in Beijing embroidery. In this paper, from the historical origin of palace embroidery as the breakthrough point, combined with the theory of art initiative from the craftsman and the service object to explain the Beijing embroidery ontology, explore the social attributes of Beijing embroidery. Based on the field investigation method of art anthropology, this paper analyzes the separation of the specific objects of Beijing embroidery needlework, which is manifested in the luxurious embroidery materials, the pattern theme of the program composition, the color setting principle of five colors, and the needlework technique of north-south integration, so as to provide a new perspective and theoretical framework for Beijing embroidery needlework.

Unraveling the Sacred Connection: the Sidakarya Mask and Pemutering Jagad Sidakarya Temple in Balinese Culture

This article presents a comprehensive exploration of the profound relationship between the revered Sidakarya Mask and the hallowed Pemutering Jagad Sidakarya Temple, nestled in the captivating Sidarkaya Traditional Village of Bali. Employing an interdisciplinary approach that combines religious studies, art history, and art anthropology, this research sheds light on the interconnected narratives of these cultural treasures and their profound impact on Balinese society. The Sidakarya Mask holds a significant place in Balinese heritage, imbued with both religious sanctity and artistic brilliance. Within the sacred confines of the Pemutering Jagad Sidakarya Temple, this iconic mask finds its revered abode, celebrated as a testament to the preservation of Balinese culture. The article delves into the profound influence they exert on each other, exploring the realms of religion, art history, and art anthropology. Through qualitative methods, including observation, interviews, and literature studies, the study unveils the intricate and symbiotic relationship between Topeng Sidakarya and Pemutering Jagad Sidakarya Temple. Anthropology provides invaluable insights into the seamless integration of the Sidakarya mask into Balinese religious customs, illuminating its profound symbolic meaning within the cultural fabric of Bali. Cultural anthropology further unravels the pivotal role of masks in religious ceremonies, where the Sidakarya Mask assumes an indispensable position, connecting to the very existence of Pemutering Jagat Sidakarya Temple. Moreover, the lens of art history traces the evolution of the Sidakarya mask in Bali, unveiling its inseparable link with Pemutering Jagat Sidakarya Temple. Furthermore, an exploration of the religious context reveals the profound spiritual messages embedded within the Sidakarya Mask, playing a pivotal role in Balinese traditional ceremonies and necessitating a deep understanding of Balinese religious beliefs. This interdisciplinary study underscores the irreplaceable significance of the Sidakarya Mask in religious ceremonies, not only at Pemutering Jagat Sidakarya Temple but also across other sacred sites in Bali. Ultimately, this research offers a more profound and holistic comprehension of the cultural and religious importance of the Sidakarya Mask and its sacred alliance with the revered Pemutering Jagad Sidakarya Temple.

АНТРОПОЛОГІЯ МИСТЕЦТВА ЯК МЕТОДОЛОГІЧНИЙ ПІДХІД ДО ВИВЧЕННЯ УКРАЇНСЬКОГО ЖИВОПИСУ

Anthropology of art arose as a reaction to the need to include works of art in the study of various forms of human life. It is customary to refer to works of art as something made by a person, accordingly, it has an anthropogenic origin, and therefore should be the field of study of anthropology. Art is an embodiment of various socio-cultural processes, an indicator of transformations and an embodiment of progressive social ideas. Art appears as a challenge to established social norms, it denies previous standards and sets new ones. Turning to Ukrainian art, which developed in the context of European currents and trends, it can be argued that it naturally became a reaction to social challenges. Anthropology of art as a field of research opens new perspectives for the study of Ukrainian painting. It can offer a complex of approaches and methods for analysis, understanding of the role and significance of art in the formation of the cultural identity of the Ukrainian people. This work provides an analysis of the essence of the anthropology of art and its potential for the study of Ukrainian culture. Art in this context acts as a source for the study of the cultural characteristics of the people, its specificity and unique features, demonstrating the connection between man, society and the environment. This approach makes it possible to better interpret the symbolic meanings embedded in the works of Ukrainian painting. The works of Mykola Pymonenko, Serhii Vasylkivskyi, KostiantynTrutovskyi, Ivan Trush, and others occupy an important place in the history of Ukrainian culture and play a great role in the study of Ukrainian painting, which allows us to reveal its anthropological essence. An anthropological approach to the study of the work of these artists helps to reveal the connections between art and Ukrainian culture. The artists managed to create works that perfectly recreated the unique outlook of the Ukrainian people, their attitude to nature, religion and social life. The use of tools, methods and approaches of the anthropology of art to the study of Ukrainian painting creates the basis for the formation of an idea about the Ukrainian people, their culture, traditions, everyday life, mentality and worldview. This scientific direction is designed to reveal the characteristic features of the development of Ukrainian painting in the context of world art, general historical events, which, in turn, contributes to the understanding of general trends in the visual arts of this period, the choice of subjects, motifs, styles and directions. This approach makes it possible not to separate the artist from his work, from the political, social and cultural events of this period, comprehensively studying their influence on the ideas of the time.

A Functional Study of Tianchang Tianguan Paintings in the Perspective of Art Anthropology

A Functional Study of Tianchang Tianguan Paintings in the Perspective of Art Anthropology

Kajian Kostum Solo Batik Carnival 2019 dengan Pendekatan Antropologi Seni

This research aims to find out how Solo Batik Carnival performance viewed from an anthropological perspective. Therefore, it can be a reflection for the parties involved in the art performance in terms of the design contained in the batik clothing, the materials used, and describe the performance used in batik clothing. This research was conducted in Surakarta City, especially in the preparation, implementation, and post-implementation of Batik Solo Carnival (SBC) in 2019. The data source is primary data. It is from randomly selected informants in concarnival activities and secondary from supporting documents and journals. The methods of data collection is using method of observation, In Depth Interview, and documentation. The data analysis technique used in this study is interactive data analysis with a qualitative approach from theory of art anthropology. adventure Timor Leste, Vietnam Timeless Charm, Kingdom of Wonder Cambodia, Wonderfull Indonesia, Uniquely Singapore, Malaysia Truly Asia, Kay Ganda Philippines, Simply Beautiful Laos, and The Green Heart of Brunei. It is based on various types of costumes displayed from various countries, and then analyzed based on the design, batik materials and performance in appearance. impression of splendor, luxury, glamor, and festivity. (2) Batik material is a heritage has undergone extraordinary sophistication. It is especially for Javanese batik has the richest decorative patterns, the most developed coloring techniques, and the most perfect manufacturing techniques compared to batik from other regions (3) The performance of the 2019 Solo Batik Carnival is not only as a festive carnival event but also as a tool in introducing the culture of each ASEAN country.

Does Group Contact Shape Styles of Pictorial Representation? A Case Study of Australian Rock Art.

Image-making is a nearly universal human behavior, yet the visual strategies and conventions to represent things in pictures vary greatly over time and space. In particular, pictorial styles can differ in their degree of figurativeness, varying from intersubjectively recognizable representations of things to very stylized and abstract forms. Are there any patterns to this variability, and what might its ecological causes be? Experimental studies have shown that demography and the structure of interaction of cultural groups can play a key role: the greater the degree of contact with other groups, the more recognizable and less abstract are the representations. Here we test this hypothesis on a real-world dataset for the first time. We constructed a balanced database of Indigenous Australian rock art motifs from both isolated and contact Aboriginal groups (those often in contact with other groups). We then ran a survey asking participants to judge the recognizability of the motifs and to provide interpretations. Results show that motifs from contact Aboriginal groups were more likely to be judged as inter-subjectively recognizable and also elicited more convergent descriptions than motifs from isolated groups. This is consistent with the idea that intergroup contact is likely to be an important factor in the cultural evolution of pictorial representation. We discuss the implications of these findings for the archaeology and anthropology of art, and the parallels with language evolution.

The Analisis Of Islamic Value In Bedhaya Demak Dance

Bedhaya is usually only found in Javanese palaces, bedhaya developed outside the palace is marked by the development of a more open type of bedhaya dance, meaning that bedhaya dances developed outside the palace are not always based on the existing bedhaya dance rules, one of which is the Bedhaya Tunggal Jiwa dance. The Bedhaya Tunggal Jiwa dance is packaged differently from the existing Bedhaya dance because it is adapted to the area and environment of the Demak community, so the formulation of the problem is as follows: How are the Islamic values contained in the creativity of the creation of the Bedhaya Tunggal Jiwa dance in Demak Regency. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze Islamic values in the creativity of the creation of the Bedhaya Tunggal Jiwa dance by Dyah Purwani Setianingsih. The benefits of this research are divided into two, namely theoretical benefits and practical benefits. The research location chosen by the researcher is Pendhapa, Demak Regency. The method used is qualitative with an ethnochoreological approach, art anthropology, and art sociology. Data collection techniques include observation, interviews, and document studies. The technique of validating the data is using the source pol- ulation technique. Data analysis techniques were carried out by describing the dance, understanding the components of the performance, and interpreting it

Çağdaş Kültürel ve Sosyal Yapıda Sanat Olarak Dövmelerin İncelenmesi

Body painting has been practiced in the wide variety of cultures which includes Tattooing, Marking, and Ink Painting. In this study, we have explored whether tattoos should be counted as art and if they should, their aesthetic characteristics have been extracted based on the Franz Boas analytical method in anthropology of art. In this study, we attempted to investigate two issues about tattooing: 1) How the common aesthetic characteristics in art theories could be understood in tattoo as an artwork, And 2) According to the fact that, in addition to the aesthetic features, tattoo is also associated with social and cultural dependencies, we sociologically attempted to look for the tattoo’s functions in the contemporary social and cultural structures. Furthermore, considering the similar features of tattooing art in the world, the cultural style of this art has been studied in our society. According to the observations in this study, tattoo not only has aesthetic value in a cultural context, but also has symbolic meaning which influences and is influenced by individual and social leaning. Keywords: Tattooing/ Marking, Anthropology of art, Aesthetic value, Symbolic meaning, Historical and cultural context.

ЕЙДЕТИКА УКРАЇНСЬКОГО НАРОДНОГО КОСТЮМУ В КОНСТРУКЦІЇ ТЕОРІЇ НЕЙРОАРТУ ТА АНТРОПОЛОГІЇ

The purpose of the article is to outline the relationship between the traditions of the Ukrainian folk costume and the theory of neuroart based on the anthropology of art. The cultural and artistic foundation of the Ukrainian nation is embodied in the folk costume, and the worldview of Ukrainians is personified in its sign and symbolic system. The artistic image of the Ukrainian costume is a phenomenon that embodies the historical, cultural and artistic progress of the Ukrainian people, which has a visual-material and immaterial component expressed in the semantics of the costume. Among the plant motifs, the central symbol is the Tree of Life, which encodes a rather simple form of manifestation, the archaic perception of Ukrainians of the construction of the world, where the heavenly, earthly and underground worlds are represented. Plant symbols in embroidery and weaving include images of roses (roses), lilies, oak leaves, hops, and grapes. The use of geometric signs personifies the agricultural orientation of the Ukrainian nation. The schematic representation of various combinations of these figures in the ornaments present on the elements of the costume represents the material world. That is, land, field, and, therefore, fertility. The most common signs include the cross (straight, oblique, double) as a symbol of nature and its four elements. As for the sign of strife, it is a cross in motion – one of the oldest solar symbols, representing the dynamics of the Sun (summer and winter, night and day). The structure of the universe and all life cycles is embodied in the spiral. Among anthropomorphic images of animals and birds, preference is given to the image of Berehyna. The image is a structural model of human eidetic thinking and a way of human communication with the real and divine world. The complex of clothing of the Ukrainian people is considered as an image that has been formed over the centuries and represents, first of all, a peculiar eidetic of the primacy of life. Because each material and immaterial element of a traditional costume is created by the power of human creative thought and a thousand-yearold ethno-cultural background, realized with the help of a number of techniques of decorative and applied art with a utilitarian and aesthetic purpose and, as a result, introduced into human life. Creative understanding of the worldview of previous generations gives us the opportunity to analyze the traditional costume of the Ukrainian people from the point of view of eidetics. The eidetic aspect of the image problem in Ukrainian folk costume has not been studied. The determining influence of the surrounding environment on the formation of eidetic ideas of a person and his search for an emotional and artistic expression of the worldview concept of life has been clarified. In the costume, it was a sign-symbolic system of ornamenting the outfit with the help of embroidery, weaving, beadwork, etc. This includes the range of colors, where white, black and red play a key role – the colors of the natural cycle. In the construction of the theory of neuroart and the anthropology of art, the eidetics of the Ukrainian folk costume appear as a vivid affirmation of the worldview dominant, the sources of which take their origins in the primitiveness of human existence.

HUMANITY'S TRYST IN DECIPHERING MARRIAGES FROM MYTHOLOGY: BRAIDING LITERATURE AND ART

Studying Anthropology of Art has been a matter of long-term qualitative research studied under Cultural Anthropology. Understanding Anthropology of Art is therefore something which involves transcending over the regimented boundaries of culture and art. Entering this complex process of interpreting anthropological aspects, we delved deep into the context and examination of Indian art and iconography. Our heritage has evidently focused very strongly on the meaningfulness of art to society, interpreting human cognition into a concrete order. The depiction of the divine union of Shiva-Parvati, is thematically represented extensively in Indian sculpture art. Regrettably, this very fascinating matter did not receive a very comprehensive consideration so far. Our purpose for undertaking this analysis is to reckon wisdom of the extant of incorporating mythological culture and rituals into present human society, diverse expressions of art, associated with different age and time period, all with a single awe-inspiring theme- The Marriage of Shiva and Parvati. Thereafter, keeping in mind the textual references available, we have kept ourselves restricted to the study, strictly coinciding with the theme depicted in Indian sculpture. Indian art has an immense affinity towards mythology and depiction of the events in a cosmic scale. Indian temple sculpture is a celebration of the divine ceremonies. Doing this, we find relevant textual interpretations and references from Kalidas’ Kumarasambhava, an epic recounting the events leading to the ‘Kalyanasundara’- the iconographical depiction of the wedding rites of Shiva and Parvati and the birth of Kartika, making the art study an extension of literary apotheosis. KEYWORDS: Anthropology of Art, Cultural Anthropology, Indian Art and Sculpture, Kumarsambhava

The Art of Gardens: An Introduction

ABSTRACT This volume argues that looking at gardens through the lens of art and aesthetics generates new insights into the role that gardens have for those who make and depend on them. Drawing on some of the debates around the anthropology of art, we suggest that aesthetics provides a rich analytical perspective on the importance of gardens to many wider aspects of social life. We argue for the critical conceptual significance of gardens in Melanesia, and in Amazonia. In doing so, we foreground the importance of diversity in gardening: in plants and knowledge practices, and in the recognition of non-human beings and their collaboration with gardeners. This is, in part, a factor of the satisfactions that people find in growing beautiful and diverse gardens that link to myth, to history and to place. This introduction sets out these arguments and also provides a summary of each of the papers presented in the volume.

Visual style hermeneutics: from style to context

This essay re-examines the once promising idea that style analysis can provide an independent source of insight into an artifact's non-stylistic context. The essay makes explicit the consequences of treating collective style as such a source in archaeology and anthropology of art, and further develops a new framing for the idea that avoids the criticisms largely responsible for the decline in theoretical interest in the epistemic import of visual style analysis since World War II. This re-framing proposes that inference from style to context is permissible on those occasions when a collective style signals by its morphology its suitability to serve a certain function. And it does so because it prescribes publicly certain modes of behavior or spectatorship. Furthermore, the public nature of the signaling may be such that it allows even uninitiated spectators to get a sense of it and thus to gain access to some of the motivations and norms informing the collective's form of life.

Becoming traditional: Contemporary san art and the production of (non-) knowledge

The contribution of arts for development has recently received a great deal of attention from international donors ad organizations. The anthropology of art, however, has participated in a limited way in these debates. Borrowing theoretical tools from the socio-anthropology of development, this paper questions the politics of knowledge involved in the implementation of art projects in postcolonial context. Drawing on ethnographical research in Botswana on an art project opened by a NGO for the San people, it describes the ways areas of knowledge and non-knowledge have been attributed. It shows that the conceptions of knowledge at stake in the making of contemporary San art indirectly reproduce a Great Divide between modernity and tradition, which has direct impacts on the ways the practice is appropriated by local actors.

Autoethnographic (D)escriptions: performance in dialogue with anthropological research approaches

ABSTRACT The goal of this article is to develop the notion of sensory autoethnographic (d)escription to experience possibilities of making the scene present through writing. The article draws on anthropology of art and performance studies to analyze three poetic writings and the mediated senses based on the experience of seeing the shows Caprichosa voz que vem do pensamento, by Aderbal Freire Filho, Maria Alice Poppe and Tato Taborda, Casa de especiarias, by Terpsí Teatro de Dança, directed by Carlota Albuquerque, and a dance video by the dancer Marcela Reichelt. It is concluded that autoethnographic (d)escription as a writing genre is a means of making the scene present and illustrates new perspectives in which the personal experience is inscribed.

The Art as a Representation of the Existential

The survey research was fulfilled within the interdisciplinary approaches “anthropology of art” and “existential art science”, updating the concept of “anthropic principle in artistic creativity” demanded by modern humanitarian science. The relevance of the topic is due to the special attention of the art of modern times to existential problems: art practice of the late 19th – the first two decades of the 21st century to the present day in its species, style and genre diversity actively present anthropological terms and meanings. The author of the article emphasizes the immanent nature of the existential foundations of artistic creativity, points to the special role of the phenomenon of Homo faber (man creating) in the composition of Homo sapiens as a biological species, but at the same time pays attention to the role of existential philosophy (starting with S. Kierkegaard), which influenced shaping strategies in world art. The author is interested in ways to represent existential meanings with the plastic capabilities of fine art, procedural forms of neo-avangard, screen arts, theater, poetry, and artistic prose. Special attention is paid to the anthropological potential of the art form — minimal elements of the language of art, plastic nuances of the means of artistic explanation. Within the stereoscopic existential-art-historical approach, the reader is invited to evaluate both the works of modern painting, graphics, sculpture, poetry and fiction, cinema and video art of Russia and the world, which have already become classics and practically unknown to the general public. A detailed panorama of images and languages of art is designed to represent the hypostasis of an existential person — transcending, creating, free, suffering, lonely, loving, frightening, experiencing the experience of death. The mentioned phenomena are considered as structural elements of the system of the existence of human being created by the author, analyzed from an aesthetic and artistic perspective. A similar method of analysis in this context is used for the first time in world science.

Art and anthropology in the discourse of european studies

The purpose of the study is to highlight the thematic areas of scientific study by European scientists of the theoretical and practical foundations of the relationship between anthropology and art. Methodology. In accordance with the set goal, a set of research methods of contemporary art history based on an anthropic approach to the analysis of artistic phenomena, as well as methods of heuristic and hermeneutic cognition in combination with the use of bibliographic and historiographical methods. The use of these research methods contributed to obtaining their own results. The scientific novelty of the obtained results lies in the formulation and development of a topical, little-studied in domestic art history theme of the anthropology of art. The results of the study can serve as an important component in the study of contemporary art, anthropology, and the development of art history. Conclusions. Historiographical analysis has shown the existence of scientific art discourse on the place and role of art in anthropology and its impact on the theory of art history and art practice. It is concluded that the anthropology of art appears as a theoretical basis of artistic practices, considers the artist as a socially significant phenomenon that produces an internal reflection on social processes. The importance of the relationship between anthropology and contemporary art has long been recognized, however, the debate is still ongoing, usually among scholars from North America, Europe, and Australia. Research and anthropological experience from other regions are largely absent from the debate.

The artist Karl Marx and the auctioned god: ‘post-practice’ ethnographies of the art world, impossible collaborations, and renewable anthropologies

ABSTRACT Drawing upon ethnographic moments recorded at two of the most prominent art world institutions, the Venice Biennale and the auction house Christie's at its New York headquarters, this article reflects on what it means to investigate the global art world ethnographically and interrogates some of the current trends within the anthropology of art. In particular, the article shows the potential of re–focusing the attention on the interconnectedness of art-world actors, institutions and objects in time and space in order to produce expansive narratives on the art world which reflect not only how art is produced in the present and in the past but also its circulation and commerce. Moreover, by challenging the anthropology of art's focus on the anthropologist–artist dyad, their practice and collaborations, the article shows how a renewed engagement with the art world as an ethnographic field site brings about possibilities for a renewal of anthropology itself.