“Primitive” Art and “Modern” Art.

As a Contemporary Artist/Modern art historian  (Minor in Art History) A reoccurring word and theme has been in much of the reading that I have been doing lately. “Primitive” Art! Always used in reference to Non European Art. Its as though the Western Art forms have developed independently from the rest of the world and have achieved a greater sensibility and understanding of our condition. What that implies is that Cultures around the globe who created and crafted their art to fit around their societies, cultures, and perceived realities can never be as great as the art forms originated in Europe. It is short sighted and ideologically Neo-Colonial to describe Non European Art as “Primitive” when much of “Modern” European Art Borrows so heavily from Indigenous art forms from around the globe. Picasso, Pollock, Rousseau, Gauguin… All studied and appropriated indigenous style to create their “Modern” Art in a time when European Art was going through its second renaissance. If you read about their now “classic” Modern Art you will find many historians writing about some of these artists works and reference “Primitive” art as their inspirations for works and even art movements like cubism and abstraction.

This is all that I can write for now… I have more ideas and thoughts for this post…Please check back or subscribe to my blog so that you can get a notice next time I post about this idea. I will also be uploading some images to better communicate my Ideas.

I would encourage any thoughts by anyone else interested in this topic.

-Vico

17th Century Nigerian Art

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