Throughout this edition we have looked at numerous artworks that reflect upon the past. Yet all of the artists who have featured are very much alive, and their works, whilst they may centre upon the subject of history, have all been created quite recently. Of course, part of what makes the work featured in this edition so brilliant is that they allow audiences to understand how people interpret the past in our world today. But it also means that these works just fall short of providing an authentic indication as to how people who existed during those times may have felt. This segment helps to provide such an insight into the past by presenting readers with a brief analysis of an artwork that was crafted by someone who existed long before the living memory of anyone alive today.
Before writing came along, there was little way in which to record the past. Even when people did start writing things down, the people and events which they discussed were pretty narrow in scope and the descriptions themselves were often unreliable. Herodotus, 'The Father of History', may have introduced historical principles of truth and honesty but it would be a long time before his teachings were adhered to.
Nevertheless, apart from oral history, which seemingly changed with every generation that passed, there was another way which we could record our past - art. Obviously, just like the many hundreds of 'histories' that were written during medieval times or the many hundreds of recordings of 90 year old World War One veterans, historical artworks are not always accurate representations of the past, but they do provide a gateway into the minds of our ancestors.
Spong Man, dug up by archaeologist in the 1970's on Spong Hill in Norfolk, is said to be the lid of an Anglo-Saxon urn dating back to the 5th Century. It may seem rather dull, but from this interesting piece we can learn a great deal. Firstly, and most significantly to historians, is that it indicates that these early Anglo-Saxons who arrived on the shores of Britain were pagans. This is because the Romans, who were now leaving Britain during this time, after occupying it for the best part of 400 years, were totally against cremation. Secondly, from an artistic perspective, this work serves as an expression of the age, providing us with an inclination as to how the artist who created it, and subsequently the society which they belonged to, might have felt.
A seemingly direct predecessor of The Thinker, Spong Man, who once sat upon a large urn, goes to show that people have always contemplated deeply about notions of life and death. Unlike The Thinker, however, Spong Man is looking to the sky, presenting us with a sense of wonder rather than someone who is just straining to think. It also informs us that these people not only wanted to honour the dead, by decorating their urns, but also associate the act of them dying with their religion. In this regard, some scholars have considered the figure to be that of Wodin - the Germanic pagan chief God. Moreover, it tells us that, in a similar fashion to that of today, that these people were materialistic - be it through their chairs, clothes or hats.
Figure crafted by Clive Barrett
Above is a Wicker Man. These large wooden structures were once constructed by the ancient Celts before they too were converted to Christianity.
THE POWER OF CURIOSITY: EDITORS NOTE
It's amazing isn't it? The amount of detail you can get from something so small. All it takes is a bit of patience, research and most importantly, a sense of curiosity - that feeling of wonder that prompts us to start looking at things more closely in the first place. Like the Spong Man, everything can seem dull in the beginning, but with a bit of exploration we can inject colour into our seemingly black and white surroundings. Indeed, whether you are interested in something or not, be it the statue in the park, the dusty bridge that sits outside your window or the grand old decaying building in the middle of your town; deciding to look more closely at the ostensibly mundane world that exists around you may just make you realise that it is not quite so colourless after all.
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