What factors influenced Oceanic art?
Religion and ritual
strongly influence every aspect of Oceanic life, and their association with the arts is especially close. Religious symbolism infuses not only the objects, dances, and speeches used in ritual but also the materials and tools used to create them.
What factors influenced European art?
Before the 1800s,
the Christian church
was a major influence upon European art, the commissions of the Church, architectural, painterly and sculptural, providing the major source of work for artists. The history of the Church was very much reflected in the history of art, during this period.
What has Pacific art been influenced by?
Pacific art was influenced by
the available resources, the local social structures, and external influences
. Away from a continental mainland, and scattered over an enormous ocean, most islands have very limited resources.
When did Oceanic art take place?
While the earliest examples of Oceanic art—the richly hued rock paintings of Aboriginal Australians—are believed to be
more than forty thousand years old
, the vast majority of extant material culture dates from the eighteenth century to the present day.
What is the Oceanic view of a person?
What is the Oceanic view of a person?
Oceanic peoples believe that people are an amalgam, or combination, of life forces, physical substances, and ritual knowledge
. They feel that that each person is always changing from the environment around them, and do not stay the same.
Oceanian culture is
the arts and other manifestations of human activities and achievements from Oceania
. Due to immigration from Europe since the 17th century, present-day Oceanian culture has been influenced by Western culture.
Reflecting some of the central artistic traditions of Pacific Islanders, the works on view attest to the diverse and expressive use of many materials and forms:
sculpted wood and stone, carved jade, engraved bamboo, delicate weavings and paintings on bark and wood
.
Both objects were made for the same purpose:
to protect a canoe’s crew from any harm while traveling at sea
.
An indispensable element of weather magic is the hos,
a potent charm frequently consisting of a stylized human image whose “legs” are formed from the daggerlike spines of stingrays
, which are the source of its supernatural power.
Early Medieval art had three major influences:
Christianity, the classical world of Rome and the pagan North
. Christianity strongly influenced the subject matter of early Medieval art, which very often depicts religious figures and scenes.
Why was tattooing such an important part of the culture in Oceania?
It indicated personal rank
.
The art of Ancient Africa was produced using a wide variety of materials. Unfortunately a lot of African art was produced using wood which has since been destroyed by time and the elements. Other materials such as
metals (like bronze and iron) ceramics and ivory
have survived.
Abstract Expressionism is an artistic movement of the mid-20th century comprising diverse styles and techniques and emphasizing especially an artist’s liberty
to convey attitudes and emotions through nontraditional and usually nonrepresentational means
.
The
camel period
is the lastest rock engraving period in Africa and it is characterized by the elephant as the primary animal shown.
The term
Lapita
refers to an ancient Pacific culture that archaeologists believe to be the common ancestor of the contemporary cultures of Polynesia, Micronesia, and some areas of Melanesia.
Cultures in Oceania reflect the native people peoples of Oceania. The four groups are
Australian Aboriginals, Polynesians, Melanesians, and Micronesians
. Each group and culture is distinct, but with some interaction and blending of ideas.
Ancestor worship is based on the belief that the deceased continue to have an active interest in the daily affairs of the living and that they may be able to influence what happens to the living
. On a regular basis, deceased ancestors are honored with ceremonies so that they will continue to help the living.
Crafted for ritual purposes, a large proportion of Oceanic art is associated with spiritual properties and made from both hard and soft wood
, depending on its geographic origin. It can also be ornately embellished with detailed carving, feathers, beads, or shells.
Oceania’s physical geography, environment and resources, and human geography can be considered separately. Oceania can be divided into three island groups:
continental islands, high islands, and low islands
. The islands in each group are formed in different ways and are made up of different materials.
