INTRODUCTION TO ANTHROPOLOGY

ART - AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF A CULTURE

Research question: Why is art an important component of a culture?

Thesis Statement: Art, in simple words, can be defined as a mode of communication that can be used be people to share information with each other and their future generations. As a result Art plays quite an important role in the culture of a place.

Summary: Culture can be defined as a set of values, morals, ethics, ethnicity, cuisine, religion, etc. that a particular group of people follow. Culture is said to be comprised of seven components, which are - social organisations, customs and traditions, religion, language, art and literature, forms of government and economic systems. Cultures are deeply rooted in the human society and each culture has its own variety of components that define it and the people who follow it. Art and literature are the most important component of a culture as artistic pieces from our cultural ancestors have helped us in getting more information about our root values. S.K. Langer, in his article, tells us that a culture with no art forms, irrespective of its strength, is nothing as compared to a culture that has its own artistic forms and values. Further, he also suggests that art is born right from the inception of a culture and is quintessential for the development of human beings. Similarly, the research by Arts Council England also demonstrates the importance that art has in our society and as a component of culture. The research demonstrates the cultural importance of art by analysing its effect on four different factors - economic, social, education and health. Ramirez, I., Williams, J., Tate, J. and Lopez, D. in their presentation have proved the importance of art as a component of culture by referring to the knowledge the human have gained using various forms of art, such as statues, paintings, manuscripts, sculptures, etc., which would not have been possible if there was no art. They also talk about the development of art that started right from the beginning and how it has helped the human beings to gather knowledge about other components of culture, such as languages, symbols, religions, etc.

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