From John Spencer
In her article on rock art, Kate Ravilious notes the existence of numerous cave symbols drawn in the same style in different parts of the world (20 February, p 30). The findings would have delighted Carl Jung, who nearly 100 years ago insisted that human beings everywhere shared a common collective unconscious. The myths, symbols and complex imagery of which it was made could, he proposed, become manifest in art, psychosis, dreams and ancient signs.
From Paul Mealing
In the sidebar “Doodle or da Vinci” on the last page of her article, Kate Ravilious asks if the art in the Lascaux cave, for example, was for an audience or for the artist’s own recreation.
Brian Boyd tackles the same question in relation to storytelling in his book On the Origin of Stories, and goes on to generalise his answers to include all art. He argues that attention-seeking is one of the main drivers behind artistic endeavour, and quotes H. G. Wells: “Scarcely any artist will hesitate in the choice between money and attention.”
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Art is the breaking-out of imagination, the physical manifestation of one’s internal world, and I would argue that it requires an audience to make it valid. All art, in all cultures, is effectively the projection of an individual’s imagination as an external manifestation so that others can also experience it. It is this sharing with the community that makes art worthwhile.
I’m sure the cave painters of Stone Age Europe knew their art would transcend generations, though I doubt they would have anticipated it enthralling us 30,000 years later.
Ivanhoe, Victoria, Australia
Sydney, Australia
