Stephanie Roldan- Harrison and Ritual

Harrison's theory on the origin and meaning of art proposes that art came out of ritual and impulse. In many forms of art (such as the Dionysian dances) can be seen as a reaction to something significant in life, such as death, loss, joy, or bounty. However, I don't believe that her theory fully describes art as a whole. As we mentioned from the first day of class, art is intimately entwined with culture. As I see it, original forms of art are created as a response to experiences that we encounter in everyday life. However, after that initial response, the practice becomes ritualized and remains in existence even after the original circumstances that stimulated the art fades away. For example, music was once part of ritualistic dances and celebrations in a tribal situation, to celebrate the hunt or to appease gods. While those situations still exist in some cases, music has transformed beyond the initial reaction to these situations and has now become a form self-expression. It has also been commercialized, and reinvented for other purposes. I think Harrison's ideas work well when applied to the origination of art, but in contemporary times I think the description of art has evolved beyond her theory, somewhat.