Birth of primitive art 16： What did precede the primitive art? Part2

＜　The Himba woman in northern Namibia　＞

Last time, we looked at the oldest fine arts and the ocher that were used abundantly over the world.

Using the red selectively has concerned with the creation of fine arts.

This time, I will consider this.

The Himba woman has covered their body and hair with red ocher that dissolved with oil.

This is not only sunscreen, but also the female beauty that has symbolized blood color of life.

前回、地球最古の美術とオーカーが多用されたことを見ました。

赤色を選択的に使うことは、「美術の創出」に関わりがあります。

今回、これを考察します。

ヒンバ族の女性は油で溶いた赤色オーカーを体と髪に塗ります。

これは日焼け防止もあるが、血の色が生命を象徴する女性の美しさなのです。

 ＜ the ancient architecture in China, Japan, and South Korea　＞

The ancient architecture in East Asia was almost red color.

Fig. A is the oldest Buddhist temple in Luoyang, China (the 1st century).

Fig. B is a gate of Heian Jingu in Kyoto and was reproduce a part of Heiankyo of the 8th century.

Fig. C is a tower of the Buddhist temple in Koyasan, Japan.

Fig. D is a gate of the detached palace of the 15th century in Seoul, South Korean.

At present, although many of temples of the ancient city were fading, they were shining with vermilion at when they were built.

Since ancient times, the appearance of the king's palace, the shrine, and the temple in East Asia was applied red.

東アジアの古代建築は赤一色。

Aは洛陽にある中国最古の仏教寺院（白馬寺）です（1世紀）。

Ｂは京都の平安神宮の門で、８世紀の平安京を一部再現したものです。

Ｃは日本、高野山の仏教寺院の塔です。

Ｄは韓国ソウルにある１５世紀の離宮の門です。

現在、古都の寺院の多くは色褪せているが創建当時は朱色に輝いていた。

古来、東アジアの王宮、神殿、寺院の外観は赤く塗られていた。

＜　Left side, a Ryukyu king is standing in front Shuri Castle. Right Side, Buddha Amida was painted in Tibet.　＞

In Asia, the red had an important meaning.

Ryukyu Dynasty was the style of China as same as Korean Peninsula.

The dress for courtesy in three nations was the same crimson.

In Buddhism, the body color of the highest Buddha Amida was red.

The red color symbolizes authority and dignity。And it gives people an idea of great benefit.

アジアにおいて、赤は重要な意味を持っていた。

琉球王朝は朝鮮半島と同様に中国風でした。その儀礼用装束は三カ国同じ真っ赤でした。

大乗仏教の最高仏阿弥陀如来の身色は赤で表された。

赤色は権威と尊厳を象徴し、人々に絶大な恩恵をイメージさせた。

＜　Red color in Europe, Egypt, and South America　＞

On other continents, what is the red role?

Fig. A is a room of the Palace of Knossos in Crete (around the BC 19th century).

It was rare to apply red color to building in Europe.

Fig. B is Seth God in ancient Egypt, and its body color is red that means the calamity.

Fig. C is a Mass of martyrdom by the priest with red vestment.

In Christianity, although the red color meant the love, yet it more meant the evil and the sacrifice.

Fig. D is the female doll that was decorated with red for sacrifice in Inca Empire.

Probably, latter three were emphasized the minus images of the scorching sun or blood.

他の大陸において、赤色の役割は・・・

Aはクレタ島のクノッソス宮殿の一室です（BC１９世紀頃）。ヨーロッパの建物が赤で塗られることは少ない。

Bは古代エジプトのセト神で、この邪神の身色は災厄を意味した赤でした。

Cは赤い祭服の司祭による殉教のミサです。キリスト教で、赤は愛を示すこともあるが、悪魔や生け贄をより意味した。

Dはインカ帝国の赤で飾られた生け贄用の女性人形です。

後の三つは、灼熱の太陽や血のマイナスイメージが強調されたのだろう。

What do the red color mean?

Since ancient times, the red color was strongly concerned with good luck, disaster, love, and authority (sacredness) around the world.

It changed by the cultural sphere or the religion little by little.

The meaning of red was probably separated to two, because the people that lived in Middle East of dry climate or in Asia of moistness climate had the difference in the consciousness to the sun.

Even so, because it has a meaning that originates a long time ago, the red color has still continued to give strong impact.

赤色の意味するもの

古来、赤色は世界各地で吉兆、厄災、愛、権威（神聖）などと強く結びついていた。

それは文化圏や宗教によって異なっていた。

赤色イメージは、湿潤なアジアと乾燥した中東とで、太陽への意識の違いにより、二つに別れたのだろう。

それでも赤色が強いインパクトを与え続けてきたのは、赤色に遙かに時代を遡る意味があったからだろう。

We look back the evolution a little.

All from insect to primates, when it has been born, it has the smell (sexual pheromone), taste, and vision image (snake) that stir up a feeling of likes and dislikes.

A scholar says, “the reason that human beings have feeling special to red originates in having asked for fruits ripe of red color on tree.” 

The period from birth of the primates is 60 million years.

少し進化を振り返ろう。

昆虫に始まり霊長類は生まれながらにして、好悪の感情を呼び覚ます臭い（性フェロモン）、味、視覚イメージ（蛇）がある。

ある進化学者は、人類が赤色に特別な感情を持つのは、霊長類の誕生から始まる６千万年間の樹上生活において、赤く熟した果実を求めたことに起因すると言う。

What is art?

The primitive man came to use the red color selectively, probably, because it had satisfied their comfortable feelings.

The revolutionary change occurred in that time, because the ability of associating some imagery and expressing the imagery was being born in their brain.

They had associated some imagery with the law of causality that they thought. Then they expressed it. It will give them a pleasant sensation and a sense of relief, and might had induced art.

At that time, if there was dense group society, the art was born at a breath, and the culture grew.

It produced the necklace, the Venus, the statues of lion man, flutes, and many rock arts of game animal.

Next time, I look at other mysteries hidden in primitive fine arts.

芸術とは何か？

原人が赤色を重宝し始めたのは、それが良好な感情を満足させたからでしょう。

画期が生まれたのは、彼らの脳に、イメージの連想と、表現力が誕生しつつあったからでしょう。

彼らは考えた因果律と心象を関連づけ、それを表現することで、快感や安堵感を覚え、芸術を生むことになった。

もし、この時に密な集団社会があれば、その芸術は一気呵成に花が開き、文化が生まれた。

このことが首飾りに始まり、ビーナスやライオンマンの像、フルート、狩猟動物の岩絵を生みだした。

次回は、原初美術に秘められた他の謎を追います。