Fischer, in one of his texts, mentions that in primitive communities, the crazy collective dance before going on a hunt increased the community's sense of confidence; the war paint applied to the face and the war cries actually made the warrior more determined and could frighten the enemy. Animal paintings painted in caves really gave the hunter a sense of confidence and superiority over his prey.
Similarities between the lives of primitive people and the lives of modern people continue from past to present. The most important difference is that the understanding of reality of primitive communities is not as complex as it is today. The perception of reality in primitive communities included the effort to dominate nature with magical features. The first person to draw pictures on the cave wall was producing his art with the aim of dominating nature or showing power against it.
In the 21st century, magic has dominated the modern world after natural objects, and "reality" has turned into a kind of parody. The age we live in has become a demonstration of the desire for radical democratization. Mutual "cries for freedom" in television programs or the display of an unlimited show on social media are the new understanding of "magic" of our age. Written, visual and social media seem to have replaced the cave of primitive man. The show of power here is no longer against nature, but of modern man. It is done against one's own appearance.
Network connections and groups established through technology eliminate the concept of the "other". In a world where opposing views are constantly discussed, but fundamentally economic, political and sexual poles are becoming increasingly blurred, power is no longer played on the other in global competition. We can now say that we are transforming into both the hunter and the prey, in the state of mind of the first man before he went hunting.
The development of science has saved societies from the influence of magic, but all we have left from a broken spell is nothing but spectacle and transcendence. Art has inevitably had its share of these great changes. The ability of the first man to use tools to hunt has now turned into the ability to use technology. While in the past the aim of all these spells was an attempt to gain superiority over nature, today it has turned into a show of power of these big brands, companies, and governments against each other. While reality and art were the same thing in primitive societies, today's art has turned into the ability to use technology. Capital has received the reward of reality.
What is important for capital is the marketing value of a produced work of art. Another important aspect of marketing is brand assurance and promotion. The way the work and artist are perceived and presented by the society is important to carry brand value.
In cave paintings, what is important is not the way other people perceive this drawn image, but the image of the animal to be hunted. (That's why art is a spell. Reality and art are the same). In short, while producing art in primitive ages was a product of pure thought, today art is produced to be seen (exhibited). Our belief in art has today turned into a belief in the production of art. In the modern world, art without an audience and a buyer is unthinkable. In other words, art now exists to be produced and marketed.
As art's interest in the natural diminishes, it has resorted to reinventing itself. This reinvention has led to the emergence of an emphasis at the core of contemporary art, which is; It is the exaggeration of the importance of art. Today, art is perhaps no different from any everyday object or event (happining), but for some reason this has not prevented art from exaggerating its own importance. On the contrary, art has gained more importance and prestige in society compared to the past and continues to do so today. The most important reason for the insistent increase in the claim of art is undoubtedly capital. The many kinds of games and charlatanism that have been played since the beginning of the 20th century have led to the end of art. On the contrary, all these developments cause art to grow in terms of production and market, and this artistic network grows day by day. In this context, the content of the concept of art and artist is also disappearing. At a point where the forms of production lose their importance, we can now say that we are all artists and capital is art.
Today, art has become a product of a tamed perspective and many tricks, rather than a representation of a natural instinct since primitive man. Art can no longer help human nature while facing the shocks of life. In the process from primitive man to modern man, it is as if the spell has been broken and we are left with nothing but spectacle and transcendence.
Ali Alışır
2013