As a westerner, Oregonian and small town child, it’s pretty safe to say that my view of art was somewhat skewed throughout my childhood, as I had no need or appreciation for it until my recent anthropology class. This anthropology class opened my eyes up to the fact that in most other countries, art is a form of self-authenticity. It describes you and gives you purpose. It gives one the ability to express certain feelings and emotions that tell a vivid story. Dissanayake explains it perfectly and correlates everything I’d learned in my anthropology class in her quote about understanding art that says, “In order to include human history, human cultures and human psychology, art must be viewed as an inherent universal trait of the human species, as normal as language, sex, sociability, aggression, or any of the other characteristics” (16).
After reading this article and seeing all the comparisons between my recent class and everything I’ve read thus far, it hurts me that for so long I’ve been blinded as to what art really is. Originally, I would just look at a piece of art and think “yeah that’s cool”, but I wouldn’t truly feel how moving the piece actually was. In my mind, I was under the impression of, as Dissanayake said, “the idea of art for art’s sake, suggesting that art had no purpose but to “be” and to provide opportunities for enjoying an aesthetic experience that was its own reward” (18).
My biggest example I can see throughout my life is simply through the artwork of my dad. Ever since my father was a kid he has been doing carpentry. He started out building organs for churches and slowly progressed his craft from there. He soon realized that this wasn’t going to be a profitable profession so he switched over and is now working in Portland but he still does these projects on the side. Now after 9/11 my father set out on a project to honor all of the people who lost their lives from the civilians in the towers, to the firefighters who rushed in, and to the armed service men who fought trying to bring these men to justice. He built a 5’x5’ flag all out of wood, complete with waves as to give it the effect of it blowing in the wind. Looking back after he finished the project I was amazed at this piece that he had created but it never really hit home until now. This piece that my dad made gave him closure. It gave him a sense of pride to know that he was part of the greatest country on earth. Beforehand I hadn’t seen it, but now every time I look at that flag I see a part of him, his history, his background, his patriotism and his ever dying love for this country. It brings me to tears every time I see his piece now and it kills me to think that I was so blind to this deeper meaning of his artwork.
Dissanayake is spot on in her article. Her species-centered view of art is exactly the way my dad sees everything that he makes, I just never knew it. She explains that, “There is a valid and intrinsic association between what humans have always found to be important, and certain ways, called the arts, they have found to manifest, reinforce, and grasp this importance” (26). My dad has grasped this importance for years now and I’m proud to say that I officially have as well.
