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Art had its origins in prehistoric times and it may be difficult to separate Music and Art, from philosophy and the beginnings of religion. One thing that is certain is that among the first evidence we have comes from stunning and breathtaking hunting scenes on cave walls such as the one above from Lascaux, in France.
Aesthetics has been closely associated with Ethics through much of our history. Many have forgotten that history. Aristotle's works on Art stood for nearly 2000 years, but may have been refined or even redefined by James Joyce, in "Portrait of An Artist As A Young Man".
It is also a common observation that the first stringed musical instrument was probably the hunting bow. This was demonstrated clearly by the last "stone age man" discovered in 1911 and thoroughly studied in San Francisco until his death in 1916. His most prized possession, was his bow, and it was buried with him. He used it for both hunting, and, for making music... Being an archer, I can certainly make the connection, and I know of other, much better Archer/Musicians - such as Brendan Perry. It is highly likely that the bow, was the first stringed instrument, though we may never be able to prove it.
Although this site is primarily concerned with Art, Music, Poetry, Philosophy, Ethics and Social issues, hopefully it will explore many ideas of significant importance to those who find this page and choose to participate - such as real Environmental issues, and the oppressive degree of corruption which dominates "Leadership", Government, Media and what little is left of our pathetic "personal freedoms" which somehow disappeared from our "Free State". Points of view and perspectives will hopefully be diverse enough to prompt significant thought rather than regurgitation of television rhetoric.
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Hopefully, we will be looking at some different art forms, and music will certainly be one of them. But there are principles of Art that may precede humanity. Did we humans make art, or did Art make us human? If you are an Artist, that point should be central to your consciousness, I would think. For the moment, I would suggest that none of us knows nearly enough about either Art, or Humanity. Improving that knowledge cannot help but make us both better Artists, and better Humans. But "where to start" in a search for this kind of knowledge? I'm going to make some suggestions based upon the suggestions of "teachers" and "professors" who have handed them down to me for "further investigation". The starting point, leads deeper and deeper into the "rabbit hole" into a Wonderland that will stun most, as it stuns me, with its depth and extent. From Cave Art, to James Joyce, to Quantum Mechanics? You betchum little beaver... and further yet!
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Below are some favorite books discovered for me by others. Much can be learned from Aristotle's works on Ethics and Aesthetics, but this jumps nearly 2000 years ahead, and 50,000 years BACK. Joseph Campbell will lead you into these other books, as well as many, many others. You could spend "more than a lifetime" enjoying all of them, but our time is limited. I wish I had started here, but some of this wasn't written during the years I spent in school. And this is much more fun... |
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