Paintings - Amalgam of Emotions and Cultures Essay

Paintings - Amalgam of Emotions and Cultures - Essay Example The paper "Paintings - Amalgam of Emotions and Cultures" will focus on how the art of paintings has been viewed in two different cultures namely the African culture and the Asian culture by throwing ‘light’ on the rock art and paintings that was practiced by the Asian and the African people. The painting media followed in both the cultures will also be discussed. â€Å"African paintings first emerged as those that still appear on rock and in caves.† The African paintings were discovered in Nambia and are thought to be approximately 27,000 years old. (Plessis). In addition, there were nearly 30,000 rock paintings scattered throughout the Drakensberg Mountain in South Africa. (Plessis). Thus these artistic medium was used by the ancient Africans to convey certain types of information, depict the day to day activities, to relate to certain key events and importantly to communicate with the spirits of the ancestors. Thus in this manner the rock art was used a vital li nk between the physical and the spiritual worlds. On the other hand, the Asian Paintings encompasses a wide array of paintings and sculptures from different parts of Asia. Thus each geographical area has developed their unique style of expression, painting styles and methods, techniques, etc. They were the blend of various cultures and traditions. â€Å"The Asian paintings reflect influences from different religions and cultures.†The Chinese paintings are considered to be one of the oldest paintings among the Asian paintings. The Japanese paintings are known for their varied styles. The themes of historical significance and the Buddhist themes are portrayed in the Korean paintings. The Indian paintings on the lines of African paintings originated from the caves and they date to the pre-historic period. Thus all form of the Asian cultures has their unique style and history. With this brief introduction about the Asian and the African paintings, the next concept about the views of the rock art and paintings in the Asian and the African culture will be discussed. Rock art was a common way of expressing emotions among the ancient Africans. Thus it has been estimated that Africa has more number of Rock art sites than any other continent and they are widely distributed. (Plessis). Archeological reports reveal the fact that in most parts of the African continent namely Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa has the densest concentration of the rock art. â€Å"The region has both the rock engravings (Petroglyphs) and rock paintings (Pictographs).†(African Rock art and Painting). Especially the South African rock art encompasses the rock paintings of the hunters-gatherers, farming communities, etc. On the other hand the Asian rock art was considered to be the mixtures of aesthetics which reveals the events and philosophy of the past. Thus in the evolution of mankind from the Homo erectus to the Homo sapiens, these Asian rock art depicts the images of the early man. The Asian rock art unlike the African art started 40,000 years ago during the upper Paleolithic era. The custom of rock art also followed in the Mesolithic age and it gained its final development in the Chalcolithic era. Among the Asian rock art paintings, the Indian Rock art are considered to be the most ancient and significant since they reflect the development of the Indian civilizations of Indus and