What is culture, what is nature?
Here are more words that will help in understanding these two concepts:
Culture: learned, society, meaning, values
Nature: instinct, fact
How culture and nature interact with the individual can be seen in several models. Some call the interaction nature vs. nurture but the concept is the same.
1. N C 2. N 3. N - C
\ / C |
I I I
Through these depictions, we can see that in every instance, nature and culture are above the individual. Whether the two concepts are independent factors, in a chain of command, or equal concepts, both influence humans.
Now if we look at how nature and culture relate to art, there are two prominent connections. First, art (whatever that is) is influenced by our natural world, environment, and societal beliefs. Second, art influences our culture by provoking new thoughts or capturing a certain quality.
When creating art, we often think a piece is a collection of ideas representing a culture. My metaphor for this is a funnel - all the factors are poured into the piece. But what if we turn the concept around and see art as a fountain? The ideas and concepts and influences are bursting out from the art piece. Instead of serving as a collection pot that represents culture, the art becomes the starting point of cultural ideas.
My ideas presented here are a bit muddy, but let's go backwards - from abstract thinking to concrete theories. Again, the idea is to simply create fuzzy-edged boundaries between our disciplines of thought.
[BAM
Here are more words that will help in understanding these two concepts:
Culture: learned, society, meaning, values
Nature: instinct, fact
How culture and nature interact with the individual can be seen in several models. Some call the interaction nature vs. nurture but the concept is the same.
1. N C 2. N 3. N - C
\ / C |
I I I
Through these depictions, we can see that in every instance, nature and culture are above the individual. Whether the two concepts are independent factors, in a chain of command, or equal concepts, both influence humans.
Now if we look at how nature and culture relate to art, there are two prominent connections. First, art (whatever that is) is influenced by our natural world, environment, and societal beliefs. Second, art influences our culture by provoking new thoughts or capturing a certain quality.
When creating art, we often think a piece is a collection of ideas representing a culture. My metaphor for this is a funnel - all the factors are poured into the piece. But what if we turn the concept around and see art as a fountain? The ideas and concepts and influences are bursting out from the art piece. Instead of serving as a collection pot that represents culture, the art becomes the starting point of cultural ideas.
My ideas presented here are a bit muddy, but let's go backwards - from abstract thinking to concrete theories. Again, the idea is to simply create fuzzy-edged boundaries between our disciplines of thought.
[BAM
 |
Water Lilies; Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926)
Boundaries begin to disappear between perspectives, natural cues, and environments. They all commingle.
