AKT. 29 BUFFALO MOTIVE IX MIDDLE CELEBES HOUGH 3 



DESIGN 



The proliferation. of Celebes buffalo designs was facilitated by the 

 ])resence of a suitable, receptive, and prevalent medium for placing 

 and elaborating decorations. From these considerations the flo- 

 rescence of the introduced buffalo designs would be assured. No 

 doubt the presence or absence of media or fields for decoration has 

 ])rofoundly affected the progress of decorative art in all stages of 

 man's art history. 



Decorations of the Celebes bark cloth medium offered to the artist 

 all the interesting problems observed by the transmutation of de- 

 signs enforced by the areas to be covered, broader fields taking 

 l»older designs made up of complete figures, smaller fields, units or 

 fragments for bordering bands, and limited areas. 



Keeping in mind the process followed in the disintegration of 

 designs in which presence and coherence of all the elements in 

 juxtaposition is necessary at the beginning, we can trace the disso- 

 lution from the complex to the simple designs. The complex designs 

 drawn on broad areas are not and never have been realistic like the 

 carved hooks. They were put on the surface under rigid limitations 

 belonging to decorative art, and only when there has been a high 

 ticvelopment do realistic drawings appear, and then are not connected 

 with useful decorations but are a distinct branch of art. 



The presence in the water-buffalo design of several elements 

 capable of producing variety is especially noticeable. These are the 

 eye, the curved horns, the ears, the standing figure, the forehead 

 mark or diamond, which form the grammar of the designs. It is 

 seen that the elements are not harmonious in the larger designs on 

 account of the admixture of curvilinear and geometric elements 

 in one design. This is especially seen in the cases where the horns 

 remain in pairs with no terminus to the curves. Harmony is gained 

 when geometries reach ascendency in the border patterns. 



The complete buffalo designs were segmented by the Celebes artist 

 into several decorative units, all freely used in the various sequences. 

 It is evident that the art had not progressed to the state where a 

 surviving element, for instance the eye, only remains as a clew to 

 the zoomorphic origin of the designs. The segments used are the 

 horns in pairs and singly; the eyes; the ears; the diamond figure 

 placed in the area between the eyes and base of the bull's horns, 

 apparently a sex symbol. The female figure seems to have suffered 

 most from transmutation. Smaller adjuncts not clearly traceable 

 to the key designs shown in the hooks are bands of solid color, 

 hachuring, and series of short lines to diversify white areas. 



With these elements the Celebes artists produced unified results, 

 indicatinir what may be termed a school of design. A sinoular fact 



