A Study Of Animal Symbolism In Northwest Coast Indian And European Celtic Art

Anyone who comes across the stylistically unique art of the Northwest Coast Indians or the Celts of Europe will most definitely be brought to a halt where they stand,entranced by the simple yet intricate designs.The mystique of the art draws the hearts and minds of its viewers in through their eyes,and most people will become increasingly curious and attracted to the artwork the longer they look.Not only this,but the viewer is sure to wonder what exactly inside the twisting lines and shapes calls out to them,awakening some deep instinct within them that they have perhaps forgotten.The questions naturally begin to flow forward,some easier to solve than others.What is this artwork?Who made it?What was it made for?Why do I feel this way?How does art that is thousands of years old make me feel this way?How did the artists create such powerfully moving art?What were the artists trying to say?Animal symbolism in ancient artwork is still full of vitality after thousands of years,its creative background,motivation,and techniques needs to be thoroughly researched,but at present the research of Celtic and Northwest Coast Indian art,particularly in Chinese,is essentially nonexistent.This thesis aims to investigate the context surrounding these two ancient art traditions,to answer some of these questions,and to start a conversation about how this type of artwork might affect the work of artists currently working.The current state of this field of research in China is entirely undeveloped,there seems to be no current research on the animal symbolism in Celtic and Northwest Coast Indian art.Outside of China the two cultures’art has been researched quite thoroughly,but the research is separate,there has not yet been a study comparing the two cultures for the sake of deepening the scope of research on animal symbolism in artwork.The research was carried out using classical sources,books by leading experts in the fields of study,and by interviewing the leading archeologist and writer in the study of Celtic artifacts,Miranda Green.Drawing on the information from these resources and from exemplary examples of the artwork,this thesis investigates what materials and techniques formed the basis of the Northwest Coast and Celtic art traditions,what instincts and beliefs drove them to produce such powerful and moving art,and what specific techniques they used to capture and convey the powerful concepts,including animal symbolism and transformation.Section one covers the materials and techniques,motivations,and uses of the artwork,as well as its effects on intended audiences.With this basic understanding,section two seeks to delve deeper on the specific visual language of the two cultures,how they used this visual language to connect viewers to the supernatural,how and why they used animal symbolism,and the phenomenon of human to animal transformation as expressed in the artwork by shapeshifting imagery.Finally,after this thorough investigation,section three opens up the conversation on how this knowledge and technique may help working artists to reach the public at an instinctual level,and how that ability could begin to overcome the societal and global boundaries that cause so much of art’s power to be lost on the viewer.The questions the writer has been asking throughout this research is:“Could the key to a more powerful and viscerally moving art be hidden within the ancient techniques within ancient cultures?”“Are these deep,instinctual forms of symbolism linked to deep roots that lie deep in every human,and may be traced back to a common source?”“How might we be able to use these common roots to produce art that could reach people regardless of social,cultural,spiritual,educational,and chronological differences?”These are deep and complicated questions,worth more consideration than there is room for in this paper,but the author hopes to create a starting point from which further study might move forward.