“paleoanthropsychobiological” is a very long word which combined three important words in the author’s article and can separated as “palaeolithic; anthropological; and psychological.” Ellen Dissanayake coined this term in her book, and those three parts of this term include three ideas that Ellen wants to tell which were “the idea of art encompasses all of human history; it include all human societies; and art is apsychological or emotional need and has psychological or emotional effects.” (p15).

According to Ellen’s article, the phrase “Making special” claimed that “one cares deeply about or activities whose outcome has strong personal significance” (Dissanayake 22). It’s like when people do something ordinary, but make it extra-ordinary. In a word, make something special is to show difference from normal with your talent in an original way. For instance, in this world, most people can draw, some of them can called as “painter”, but only a few people can named “artist”. To human survival, not like the animals, human have their ability by their “intelligence, resourcefulness, emotional and mental complexity. Those special could take a significance in human history than “simply alertness to possible danger” (Dissanayake 22).

According to author’s opinion, she identified three different theories of art that mentions in her essay. First were “Medieval and Renaissance.” However, they were actually two totally separate periods each with it’s own approach to art. The Medieval was 5^th century which was “God-Centered” art. And the Renaissance was from 15^th Century, and it was a “Man- Centered” art. The second one was “Modernism”, which was about 17^th Century, refers to art as ideology and aesthetics. This theory such as“ Art had become if not a religion. An ideology whose principles were articulated by and for the few who had leisure and education enough to acquire them” (Dissanayake 18). The third theory was called “Postmodernism”, came out in 20^th Century, Which brought an idea of art as interpretation. It had challenged the “Modernism ideology” and pointed out the art is everywhere during people’s daily life, there is no such a specific definition to what is art. Thus, this theory is like a development and progress of Modernism.

According to Ellen Dissanayake’s artice “What is art for”, she mainly discussed about what is Art and what is art for. She first introduced the background of the human art history. She gave her own view of art for life’s sake, and suggest like “First, that the idea of art encompasses all of human history; second, that it include all human societies; and third, that it accounts for the fact that art is a psychological or emotional need and has psychological or emotional effects.”(p15). She briefly but precisely pointed out the relationship between art and human’s life. In my personal view, I think art’s generate is inevitable during human’s history. Because with the development of human culture and society, the art comes out automatically and naturally, people like and enjoy beautiful things in their lives, it is such human nature, life should be spent on good things. Ellen then specifically talked about the history and the development of Western art in different times. She talked about in medieval times, how did the art performed in Renaissance times, and compared art in the 18^th century and modern times. To let us know much more histories and how did art developed in human’s culture, and showed us how did the art effect human’s life and society. The author also discussed the interpretation of what art actually is.

I am very impressed of what she said in this article which is “Art is not confined to a small cotcric of geniuses, visionaries, cranks, and charlatans. Art-like activities exist in all societies and all walks of life.” (26). It is true, although not every people in this world is or could be an artist, however, art is not created by artists only, we can find art everywhere during our lives. So, I personally think there has no such a definition of what art real is, although people might have some agreements of art in common, such as “The Mona Lisa Smiles.” However, every people could have their own definition of “Art” in their mind. In the other hand, art come from everywhere, art is not only from some famous artists like Vincent VanGhon, Da vinci, or Mozart, but also from the nature like Colorado Grand Canyon. And art also comes from street, even from a homeless people with a broken guitar, he played a nice song not only brought happiness to himself but also to people who walked passed by. It is also can be called “art”. This is the charm of art, and what the art really is.