development of the artist over time
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Christopher R. Whittle
Professor Jill Anderson
ART 111 SEC 01: A History of Art I
September 14, 2010
Development of the Role of the Artist over Time
The role of the artist in the history of our world has a very interesting tone. It is
one that dates from when recorded history even began, the time period known as
“Prehistory”, or the Paleolithic Period [Wilkins et al. 22]. At this time, the cavemen
chiseled “drawings” on their cave walls made up of stone. They may have not had
knowledge of what they were accomplishing, but they are allegedly the first artists. Cave
were discovered in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Altamira, Spain, and
Lascaux, France [Wilkins et al. 23].
The next major period in the time of the cavemen was the Neolithic Period, which
lasted from approximately 8000-5000 B.C. Architecture and pottery were founded for
defending barbarians and vessels to hold the hunted and gathered nourishment.
Stonehenge was the first structure reportedly to be built, which construction started in
2750 B.C., and ended around 1300 B.C., which was completed in three phases [Scott
240]. The purpose of Stonehenge was to practice Druidism, the religion of the ancient
Anglo-Saxons, Bretons, and Celts. Crafts such as basket weaving and pottery were
believed to have inaugurated in China. The ideas of sculpture and mask making were
said to have first been comprehended in Nigeria [Wilkins et al. 25-6].
Originally, artwork was created for worshipping of community deity, which began
with native pagan worship, and which holds true in the same matter in Judaism,
Buddhism, Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and
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sometimes in certain Protestant Christian churches. As a result of perfection, the
artisan, who was the most skilled in a community creating a certain object or had a
specific talent, was considered to be of the noble class [Wilkins et al. 29-30].
Artwork appears in almost every ancient civilization, including Ancient Greece,
Rome, China, Egypt, just to name some examples. Architecture also appears in every
time period when any type of structure was (and still is) constructed. Styles of art and
architecture go hand in hand (e.g. classical style, gothic, Romanesque,
international/modern, etc.) to create a juxtaposition and formal composition.
When artwork was subject to theft, art guilds were established to protect the
rights thereof, similarly to the present-day copyright and infringement laws. Protection
like this began in the Middle Ages, where the major clients were clergy and royalty. This
cliental expanded to any person who had a nice house [Wilkins et al. 19]. Today, the
artist can refer to anyone who performs videography, photography, or theatre, or acting.
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Works Cited
Scott, Robert A. The Gothic Enterprise. University of California Press, Berkeley: 2003
Wilkins, David G. et al. Art Past Art Present, Sixth Edition. Pearson-Prentice Hall,
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: 2009