Part 59 (1/2)

says: ”There are people who show a decided impulse for the direct imitation of nature, and especially for the representation of events of daily life, as dancing, hunting, fis.h.i.+ng, etc. It is, however, remarkable that a real system of ornamentation is scarcely ever developed from pictorial representations of this kind; that, in fact, the people who carry out these copies of everyday scenes with especial preference, are in general less given to covering their utensils with a rich ornamentive decoration.”[11] Drawing and ornament, as the products of different tendencies, may therefore be considered separately.

[8] Mallery, Garrick: 'Pictographs of the North American Indians,' Rep. of Bur. of Ethnol., 1882-3, p. 13.

[9] Von den Steinen, Karl: 'Unter den Naturvolkern Zentral-Brasiliens,' Berlin, 1894.

[10] _Internal. Archiv s. Ethnog._, Bd. IX.

[11] Cf. Andree, Richard: 'Ethnographische Parallelen,' Neue Folge, Leipzig, 1889, S. 59.

The reason for the divergence of drawing and ornament is doubtless the original motive of ornamentation, which is found in the clan or totem ideas. Either to invoke protection or to mark owners.h.i.+p, the totem symbol appears on all instruments and utensils; it has been shown, indeed, that practically all primitive ornament is based on totemic motives.[12] Now, since a very slight suggestion of the totem given by its recognized symbol is sufficient for the initiated, the extreme of conventionalization and degradation of patterns is allowable, and is observed to take place. The important point to be noted in this connection is, however, that all these changes are toward symmetry.

The most striking examples might be indefinitely multiplied, and are to be found in the appended references (see Figs. 8 and 9).

[12] Haddon, _op. cit._; Frazer, J.G.: 'Totemism,' 1887; Grosse, Ernst: Anfange der Kunst,' Freiburg i. B. u. Leipzig, 1894.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 5.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 6.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 7.]

We may distinguish here, also, between the gradual disintegration and degradation of pattern toward symmetry, as seen in the examples just given, and the deliberate distortion of figures for a special purpose.

This is strikingly shown in the decorative art of the Indians of the North Pacific coast. They systematically represent their totem animals--their only decorative motives--as split in symmetrical sections, and opened out flat on the surface which is to be covered[13] (see Fig. 11). Dr. Boas argues that their purpose is to get in all the received symbols, or to show the whole animal, but, however this may be, every variation introduces symmetry even where it is difficult to do so, as in the case, for instance, of bracelets, hat-brims, etc. (Fig. 10). This may in some cases be due to the symmetrical suggestions of the human body in tattooing,[14] but it must be so in comparatively few.

[13] Boas, Franz: 'Decorative Art of the Indians of the North Pacific Coast,' _Bulletin_ of Am. Mus. of Nat. Hist., Vol. IX.

[14] Mallery, G.: _op. cit._; Haddon, A.C.: _op. cit._, p. 257; 'Decorative Art of British New Guinea,' Cunningham Memoir X., Royal Irish Acad., 1894, p. 26.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 8.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 9.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 10]

The primitive picture has for its object not only to impart information, but to excite the very definite pleasure of recognition of a known object. All explorers agree in their accounts of the savage's delight in his own nave efforts at picture making. All such drawings show in varying degrees the same characteristics; first of all, an entire lack of symmetry. In a really great number of examples, including drawings and picture-writing from all over the world, I have not found one which showed an attempt at symmetrical arrangement.

Secondly, great life and movement, particularly in the drawings of animals. Thirdly, an emphasis of the typical characteristics, the logical marks, amounting sometimes to caricature. The primitive man draws to tell a story, as children do. He gives with real power what interests him, and puts in what he knows ought to be there, even if it is not seen, but he is so engrossed by his interest in the imitated object as to neglect entirely its relation to a background.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 11]

Now, this very ant.i.thesis of ornament and picture is enlightening as to the dawn of aesthetic feeling, and the strongest confirmation of our hypothesis of an original impulse to symmetry in art. In the ornamentation of objects the content or meaning of the design is already supplied by the merest hint of the symbol which is the practical motive of all ornamentation. The savage artist need, therefore, concern himself no more about it, and the form of his design is free to take whatever shape is demanded either by the conditions of technique and the surface to be ornamented, or by the natural aesthetic impulse. We have found that technical conditions account for only a small part of the observed symmetry in pattern, and the inference to a natural tendency to symmetry is clear. Pictorial representation, on the other hand, is enjoyed by the primitive man merely as an imitation, of which he can say, 'This is that animal'--to paraphrase Aristotle's Poetics. He is thus constrained to reproduce the form as it shows meaning, and to ignore it as form, or as his natural motor impulses would make it.

To sum up the conclusions reached by this short survey of the field of primitive art, it is clear that much of the symmetry appearing in primitive art is due (1) to the conditions of construction, as in the form of dwellings, binding-patterns, weaving and textile patterns generally; (2) to convenience in use, as in the shapes of spears, arrows, knives, two-handled baskets and jars; (3) to the imitation of animal forms, as in the shapes of pottery, etc. On the other hand (1) a very great deal of symmetrical ornament maintains itself _against_ the suggestions of the shape to which it is applied, as the ornaments of baskets, pottery, and all rounded objects; and (2) all distortion, disintegration, degradation of pattern-motives, often so marked as all but to destroy their meaning, is in the direction of geometrical symmetry. In short it is impossible to account for more than a small part of the marked symmetry of primitive art by non-aesthetic influences, and we are therefore forced to conclude an original tendency to create symmetry, and to take pleasure in it. A strong negative confirmation of this is given, as noted above, by the utter lack of symmetry of the only branch of art in which the primitive man is fully preoccupied with meaning to the neglect of shape; and by the contrast of this with those branches of art in which attention to meaning is at its minimum.

The question put at the beginning of this section must thus be answered affirmatively. There is evidence of an original aesthetic pleasure in symmetry.

III. EXPERIMENTS IN SUBSt.i.tUTIONAL SYMMETRY.

_A. Method of Experiment._

A certain degree of original aesthetic pleasure in symmetry may be considered to have been established by the preceding section, and, without considering further the problems of real or geometrical symmetry, it may now be asked whether the pleasure aroused by the form of asymmetrical objects is not at bottom also pleasure in symmetry; whether, in other words, a kind of subst.i.tution of factors does not obtain in such objects, which brings about a psychological state similar to that produced by real symmetry.