Rastafarian Symbolism In The Visual Arts Essay - 5414 Words

Rastafarian Symbolism In The Visual Arts Works Cited Missing [NOTE: BECAUSE OF CONCERN ABOUT RIGHTS, WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO POST THE IMAGES THIS ESSAY REFERS TO] Art has the power of liberating man from certain drudgeries and their way of life. A man who was born in the ghetto cant afford to be a Sunday painter, his whole life is involved in getting across his ideas; Rastafarianism, politics, Black culture and all that. Even our meeting here now is an artistic involvement. Some people do art with love here, politics there and so forth; now, to me art is one cosmic consciousness. The way you love, live, and even the way you hate: even your negative expressions connote a certain art-form. So I really do not separate my art from†¦show more content†¦The first Jamaican sculptor to be known internationally was Kapo, the famous Pukumina leader, whose works were all composed under religious inspiration (Barrett, 186). The birth of Rastafarianism created an important outlet for African-rooted artistic creativity, and the Rastafarian artists became the first ones to appear from a grassroots community. This incredible outburst of creativity is described by Barrett as follows:from the primitive paintings of Ras Dizzy to the superb etchings of Ras Daniel Heartman; from the rough sculpture of Ras Canute who works under the coconut tree in front of the Casa Montego in Montego Bay to the refined pieces in Joe James Gallery in front of the Holiday Inn at Rose Hall, St. James -Rastafarian and Rastafarian inspired art can be found everywhere.(Barrett, 186). During the 1960s, there was a rise in political awareness of the Rastafarians, along with an effort to aid them in the routinization of their movement with the rest of Jamaican society. This effort was instigated by the present Prime Minister, Edward Seaga, who was a noted anthropologist and sociologist. One of the results of this awareness was the participation of Rastafarians in the Jamaica National Festivals; in which many Rastas received medals for exceptional pieces of wood work (Barrett, 161). An example of a RastafarianShow MoreRelatedEssay On Body Art1302 Words   |  6 PagesBody Art as Visual Language 1. Body art is any kind of addition to ones appearance for aesthetic purposes. Body art is believed to be beautiful by the beings who wear it. When an individual decides to decorate their body, it becomes a part of their identity. Any unwanted alteration to an individual would not be considered body art. Those could be considered body markings. (Enid Schildkrout 2001:88) 2. A symbol is something that represents a complexity of associated meaning. An aspect of symbolismRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagesworkers, and anyone of social importance could not grow locks, and families would go into mourning when their sons would start sprouting them. I heard the term â€Å"black heart man† used again and again as a means of expressing fear or ridicule of the Rastafarian. And this was in the early 1970s—after Bob Marleys emergence as an international viii FOREWORD star, after Selassies arrival in Jamaica, and after so much had been written about the importance of Rastafarianism. The problem was that