Paleoanthropsychobiological is a term that is used to suggest that art includes all of human history, includes all human societies, and covers the face that art is a psychological or emotional need and has psychological or emotional effects. This term was original coined by Ellen Dissanayake, and she uses this term to describe her view that “in order to include human history, human cultures, and human psychology, art must be viewed as an inherent universal (or biological) trait of the human species, as normal and as natural as language, sex, sociability, aggression, or any of the other characteristics of human nature.” (pg. 15)
Dissanayake explains the phrase “make special” as to “make special” things that someone cares for or activities that have aftereffect with a big meaningful significance. Ellen describes making special as a fundamental human productivity or need. This idea is related to art and human survival because art is something that needs to be “made special” by the artist in order to be unique or considered art.
One theory of art is postmodernism and it insinuates art as interpretation. The time period when this was developed was around the 20th century. Ellen describes how using this, artists and everyone else “interprets art according to their individual and cultural sensibilities.” (pg. 20) This theory shows that art can be fundamental and essential to everybody and the fact that we are actually able to find art everyday.
Another theory of art is modernism. This theory was developed during the 18th century and it was when a genuine appreciation for art truly started. Modernism was when individuals really started to focus on the ideology behind art and its different forms, and what inspired each different type of work. It was “a concern with elucidating principles such as taste and beauty that govern all the art and indeed make them simply not paintings or statues.” (pg. 17)
One last theory of art is art that is from Greek and medieval times. This theory shows that regular people’s interpretations of art are completely different from the work of real artists. Art was pretty much used as a way of religion in those times. Dissanayake describes that art is “having a correct understanding of the principles involved,” (pg. 17) as opposed to the ways of what we think art is.