r 



ABORIGINAL, DECORATIVE ART KRIEGER 525 



(losi<j;n representing originally zoomorphic forms, as the horns of the 

 water buffalo in Celebes or the frigate bird in Polynesia, are almost 

 mechanically perfect when incised on bamboo or gourds in western 

 Polynesia. The spiral is crudely done in Melanesia and New 

 Cruinea. Not only are individual designs poorly or well done in one 

 area, but all of the designs share alike and take their cue from the 

 (juality of the key design. We may thus speak of the excellence or 

 of the crudity of design as characteristic of art areas. 



The discrepancies observable between a similar art design of one 

 tribe and that of another, and between one culture area and that of 

 anotlier show that designs and motives become devitalized as they 

 travel from area to area. Designs like the cross and the swastika 

 originated in more tlian one area, and have traveled no great 

 distances. 



Design motivation. — Types of art are recognizable by tlicir pre- 

 dominant motives. Realism in ]Magdalenian and early Mediterra- 

 nean art has been mentioned. Although realism enters into the de- 

 signs of several geographical art areas, there are peculiarities char- 

 acteristic of each of the areas. Dominance of a pattern of a simihir 

 nature in distinct or widely separated geographic areas, such as the 

 *' archaic " forms of human and animal figurines modeled in earth- 

 enware, found alike in the Valley of Mexico, and in South America, 

 has mistakenly led to the assumption that the areas were directly 

 related. Similarity in embellishment of an artistic nature is often 

 accompanied, however, by structural differences in the object on 

 which the artistic embellisliment appears. Differences in symbolism 

 or use may accompany similar artistic devices and designs. Plow 

 many meanings, for instance, have not been read into forms of the 

 cross or swastika? 



Geometrical motives predominate where the designs are associated 

 with basketry, or beads, or woven objects generally. It is a ques- 

 tion whether their appearance on other materials, such as shell, wood, 

 and other media, may be ascribed to the exigencies of a weaver's 

 technic, when, as is the case in the art of Plains tribes, where weav- 

 ing of textiles is not practiced, triangular and other painted devices 

 are applied on rawhide boxes and pouches. 



It is but recently in the history of our own western art that wo 

 have been freed from the tendencies to add features deemed essential 

 but which were not conveyed by a pliotographic impression, which 

 is but a momentary one. Thus, on the old pictorial maps we sec 

 not only lines of latitude, coast lines, and contour features, but ships 

 at sea, dragons of the doop, and perhaps other objects designed to 

 teach a moral lesson. A succession of impressions were placed in 

 juxtaposition. 



