1. Paleoanthropsychobiological’ is the term that Dassanyake used to describe her perspective of art. As she said, “the arts have always been with us” (11), the ‘paleoanthro-’ part of the term refers to how art started as early as human history. Also art involves the anthropological aspect as anthropology reflects biological and cultural diversity of human across the time and space. It ties back to Dissanyake’s statement, “art is universal trait of human species” (1). ‘-psychobiological’ refers to how art has an emotional and psychological effect on humans.
2. Humans have innate instinct and tendency to survive from environmental changes and to create new things for a more convenient life. Observed behaviors of humans inventing new tools and accepting new concepts to adapt and evolve indicate the propensity of human of “making special” (8). Disanayake related this to human survival by comparing humans to animals. Simply, humans have “intelligence, resourcefulness, emotional and mental complexity, the ability to plan ahead” (8) which were necessary to survive from possible danger. All of this may stem from humans propensity of making “ordinary to extra ordinary” (8), and it was crucial for humans to survive.
3. One of the theories Dissanayake introduced involves the necessity of art to human’s survival in pre-modern period. Ritual ceremonies in tribes universally included artistic aspect, such as rain dancing during drought, decorating, and piercing bodies, etc. Ritual ceremonies were universal and crucial to humans’ life. Dissanyake states that, “[Art is] essential for quite literally, for life’s sake” (7). Also, it gave them “survival bonding and survival value” (9). Humans used it as a means to ease stress by choosing art as a force to maintain their life livable.
Modernism placed in 18thcentury. Dissanayake pointed out that art “was universal”(4). Any viewers could appreciate art and now know the meaning the artist initially wanted to express from the art work. However, Dissanayake said, “as paintings became less and less like mirrors held up to nature, so that views could no longer decipher or naively admire..” (4). Art became a kind of ideology which its principals were appreciated by only few who were educated and could afford luxury leisure.
In post-modern period, which developed around 19th century, art has become further widespread and is more common. However, it is often viewed as an activity found in high elite society. “High” art, how Dassanyake calls it, expresses class interests and it is “molding them to one’s own standards while blatantly dismissing or ignoring the standards of their makers and users” (5). Dssanyake also pointed out that postmodernists’ arts are based on only truth and reality.