1916-17.] 



2 93 



views, many of them from the lecturer's own negatives. Afterwards, 

 Dr. Charlesworth and Mr. N. H. Foster made a few remarks, to 

 which Mr. Cleland replied. With the election of five junior 

 members the proceedings terminated. 



"THE CHILDHOOD OF ART. 



The second meeting of the session was held in the 

 Museum, College Square North, on 19th December, when an 

 address was delivered by Mr. A. Deaneon "The Childhood of Art" 

 as manifested in the works of the stone age of man. Professor 

 Yapp occupied the chair. Mr. Deane pointed out that it was 

 possible from a study of lower forms of life to understand better 

 the functions of higher forms, and an inquiry into the arts of 

 primitive people helped to elucidate the complexities of civilised 

 art. Palaeolithic man expressed his earliest artistic ideas by 

 drawings on bone and pebbles, of animals such as the bison, bear, 

 and reindeer, with which he came daily into contact. By a series 

 of beautiful slides Mr. Deane was able to show the progress of 

 these primitive peoples from crude drawings in profile to those 

 showing life and vigour in every line. These results were obtained 

 by the use of very simple implements, and it is thus seen, he said, 

 that art is not necessarily dependent on material civilisation for its 

 expression. Various tools have been found covered with drawings, 

 from which we infer that primitive man worked at art for the pleasure 

 it afforded him, and not from a utilitarian point of view. Palaeo- 

 lithic man next painted the animals, as evidenced by the discovery 

 of caves in France and Spain, the walls being covered with repre- 

 sentations of reindeer, &c, in colour. On coming to the Neolithic 

 age we find that the high artistic skill of Palaeolithic men was not 

 transferred to their descendants. Man had now more occupations, 

 such as cultivating the ground, spinning and weaving, also pottery- 

 making. Decorative art took the form of lines and curves of 

 various kinds. In the North of Ireland several urns have been 

 found showing this kind of ornamentation. The polishing of 



