references:

https://discovernavajo.com/navajo-arts/

https://omeka.reclaim.stkate.edu/exhibits/show/s

wp/storytellers/navajo

http://rubens.anu.edu.au/raid1/student_projects97/aztec/AArtSculpture.html/Art1a.html

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/wabi-sabi

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/japanese-aesthetics/

http://rubens.anu.edu.au/raid1/student_projects97/aztec/AArtSculpture.html/Art1a.html

This type of art is not telling a story literally, but uses specific tools (like music, expression, and words) to create a dominant emotion or mood - like love, heroism, peace, or fury. It lets the audience temporarily “leave” their own reality and feel this pure emotional essence, achieving a state of bliss (ānandarasa). Art is a vehicle for spiritual experience, not just decoration.

https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/anandarasa

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasa_(aesthetics)

Tawhid: the fundamental Islamic concept of the absolute oneness of God (Allah), meaning God is indivisibly one, unique, and has no equal or partners.

Islamic Art is not about imitating the material world but about reflecting God’s unity, harmony, and infinity. This is why geometry, symmetry, and repetition is central:they point to reality beyond the visible

In this worldview, creating lifelike images of living beings is often discouraged because it might rival divine creation. Instead, art serves as a visual meditation on God’s perfection.

https://ziyadtheartnerd.wordpress.com/2018/05/21/78/#:~:text=Oneness%20of%20God%20%26%20Unity,with%20smaller%20shapes%20surrounding%20it.

The central philosophy of Navajo art is mainly connected with hozhó, the translation to english is well-being beating and harmony. it implies a deep connection between people and the land

references:

https://sacredecology.com/projects/navajo-nation

https://theojac.org/blog/2020/11/23/an-art-of-healing-navajo-sandpainting

According to ChatGpt, with prompt Toltecayotl what is the role of the artist.

Although beauty often appears, it is never the main aim. Maintaining a balance between the physical and spiritual realms is paramount.

For the Muslim, reality begins with and centers on Allah.

Allah is at the heart of worship and aspirations for Muslims, and is the focus of their lives.

So Islamic art focuses on the spiritualrepresentation of objects and beings, and not their physical qualities

The purpose of Islamic art is spiritual connection. Rather than existing for decoration, it creates an environment that draws the believer toward remembrance of God (dhikr).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/art/art_1.shtml#:~:text=The%20idea%20is%20that%20as,things%20of%20everyday%20life%20beautiful.

Tattooists, carvers, dancers and chanters are specialists who undergo years of training - often hereditary - to master the spiritual and technical intricacies of their craft. Their responsibility is to preserve tradition, adhere to ritual protocol, and ensure that mana is properly embodied through their work. There is room for creativity, but it is always exercised within cultural and spiritual boundaries, with the value of the artist seen in sustaining continuity across generations rather than personal expression.

The central concept of Yoruba art is Àṣẹ, the divine life energy breathed into creation and communicated by Olódùmarè, the Almighty. Àṣẹ resonates through deities, ancestors, and all living beings, and Yoruba art is important because it has the power to capture and express this force. Yoruba art is not about beauty or imitation, as proposed by some aspects of Western European thought, but about how effectively it can summon and communicate this spiritual power.

The Purpose of Art

The purpose of Yoruba art is, above all, community connection to the divine through spirit. Masks provide an avenue for ancestors to animate and participate in community masquerades, shrines and figures invite deities, while textiles or drums support ritual practice. While Yoruba art also communicates stories and wisdom, it is not primarily for entertainment or decoration. Its purpose lies in connecting the divine world to the lived world.

The Artist’s Role

Rather than being viewed as singular geniuses in the Western sense, Yoruba artists work within their communities, often trained through guilds or family traditions. The value of their work is not determined by originality, but by the efficacy of its use in ritual. Yoruba art carries an assumed responsibility to preserve traditions, and artists have the duty to ensure that the object serves its functional and spiritual purpose.

Key Characteristics

Yoruba art is characterized by balance, proportion, and symbolism. For example, the heads of sculptures are often enlarged to signify the inner or spiritual self (òrí). Materials are used for their assumed power: wood, bronze, beads, and textiles are considered carriers of spirit. Figures are generally stylized to emphasize moral and spiritual meaning rather than exact realistic likeness. Many works are “activated” - that is, they channel divine energy, only during ritual use. Masks, for example, only come alive when performed.

Challenging Western Concepts

Yoruba art challenges Western art theories by focusing on spiritual function over representation or form. It does not fit representation theory, since accuracy matters less than the effectiveness of its spiritual impact. It also rejects formalism, because form is not pursued for aesthetic purity but for channeling Àṣẹ. Yoruba art is not primarily concerned with personal expressiveness, which contrasts with expressionism, where the artist’s emotions are central. Finally, Yoruba art resists institutionalism, since recognition by museums or critics has little impact compared to its ritual life as an artwork.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%E1%B9%A3%E1%BA%B9

• https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/yoruba-art-and-language/ase/DA20ADAE93A1D28B66AE4885D2C91AFE

• https://www.historyofcreativity.com/mid122/yoruba-art

• https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/yoruba-art-and-language/yoruba-aesthetics/4880B7663B3B8330976F379FD80774DE

• https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/cubism

• https://www.theartstory.org/artist/braque-georges/

• https://news.masterworksfineart.com/2025/07/01/georges-braque-pablo-picasso

The goal is also ethical and spiritual: through material things, it serves as a reminder of transience, seasonality, impermanence, and that everything changes. This helps us live more consciously and be grateful for simple things.

https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/b02355/

https://twatanabe.faculty.wesleyan.edu/the-philosophy-of-wabi-sabi-by-quentin-rollet-2021/

references:

https://albiongould.com/a-brief-history-of-navajo-arts-and-crafts/

Emotion and scene are essential components of imaging and aesthetic idea, and their combination serves as the foundation for both. Each image in traditional Chinese paintings (such as mountains, trees, water, boats, birds, and so on) is inspired by a specific scene and represents the artist's deep emotions. The artwork transforms into an artistic world where emotions and scenes blend, producing a cohesive aesthetic concept.

Source:

Aesthetic conceptions and cultural symbols in traditional Chinese painting:

https://www.scielo.br/j/trans/a/8nGty4ggNZLKddpqzgG8bPj/?format=html&lang=en

Their task is to transmit the spiritual truths embedded in sacred geometry, calligraphy, and ornament.

An artist’s skill lies in their mastery of craft and their ability to harmonize human creativity with divine order, not in personal self-expression

Art is designed to be a vehicle for transcendence. By influencing specific emotions (the Rasas), a work of art allows both the artist and the audience to temporarily escape this reality.

The viewer becomes a "feeling-hearted connoisseur" (sahṛdaya) who tastes these universal emotional essences. This experience leads to a state of “ānandarasa” and slight spiritual liberation (mokṣa).

https://renaissance.aurosociety.org/the-spiritual-roots-of-art-in-india/

https://www.wisdomlib.org/history/compilation/triveni-journal/d/doc73710.html

https://www.prekshaa.in/indian-art-and-moksha

- Formalism, which focuses on visual characteristics (shape, color, line), is insufficient because the meaning of Polynesian art depends vitally on its ritual, spiritual, and contextual dimensions.

- Expressionism - which emphasizes individual emotion or artistic self-expression - stands in contrast with Polynesian art’s focus on collective identity, lineage, and cosmic harmony.

- Institutionalism, which defines art by its position in museums, galleries or western art institutions, is problematic because in Polynesian traditions art was embedded in all aspects of life - daily rituals, social structure, governance, religion - rather than being isolated in institutions.

Mainly, arts were produced from luxury items, like gold, silver, cornelian, turquoise, jadeite. Also, some items with religion and ritual purpose, like magnificent feathers of tropical birds.

Mainly it was trinkets, jewelry, ornaments, armor (helmets, chestplates, costumes). Showing the beauty, status and importance of the god

http://rubens.anu.edu.au/raid1/student_projects97/aztec/AArtSculpture.html/Art1a.html

In art, this philosophy means that the land itself is sacred knowledge and that artistic expression is a way to map and maintain the spiritual, moral, and ecological laws handed down by ancestors.

Reference: https://www.aboriginal-art-australia.com/aboriginal-art-library/understanding-aboriginal-dreaming-and-the-dreamtime/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Image: ancestral figure style art, which is symbolic of ancestral beings in The Dreaming.

Unlike Western traditions where art is often valued for beauty or self-expression, here art is epistemic: it safeguards sacred knowledge and connects people to land.

Reference: https://japingkaaboriginalart.com/aboriginal-dreamtime-stories/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Image: shows symbolic motifs, dots, and traditional design that help to tell Dreaming stories.

Because of the primitive nature of the societies which practiced it, shamanism was based on fear, specifically fear of the unknown such as the weather

The assumption was that everything, both animate and inanimate, was imbued with a spirit. The shaman had the ability to get in touch with these spirits (e.g., the polar bear) and use them to help heal the sick, provide food, etc.

https://inuitartsociety.org/meetings/2009summary/lorne-balshine-shamanism/

The primary function of Inuit art in the shamanic tradition is spiritual connection and survival. Carvings, masks, and drawings were used in rituals to communicate with spirits, seek healing, and ensure hunting success

Depictions of the human-animal connection and of ritualistic transformations became sought-after subject matter in Inuit carvings, prints, and textiles.

https://www.wildlifeart.org/exhibits/transformations-wildlife-in-inuit-art-and-culture#:~:text=Creating%20art%20was%20a%20way,animals%20played%20a%20pivotal%20role.

Kenojuak Ashevak became one of the first Inuit women in Cape Dorset to begin drawing. She is celebrated as a leading figure of modern Inuit Art and one of Canada's preeminent artists and cultural icons.

Kenojuak mainly painted animals in fantastical, brightly-colored aspects, but also painted landscapes and scenes of everyday life, in a desire to make them beautiful by her own standards, and convey a spirit of happiness and positivity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenojuak_Ashevak

Reference: https://creativenative.com.au/blogs/blog/understanding-the-cultural-significance-of-aboriginal-art?srsltid=AfmBOoqmsFtGqrz08m7hpsxSm-uC1yM2Vq6_1uGR6BL_B4fJXcMDrrss&utm_source=chatgpt.com

Image: shows a known Dreaming narrative (‘Seven Sisters’), painted by Aboriginal artists, indicating both community responsibility and artist’s link to country and story.

Materials: Inuit artists traditionally used local resources such as bone, ivory, stone, and antler to make carvings and other works.

Sculpture: Carving is one of the most recognized forms, often depicting animals like seals, bears, and birds, as well as figures connected to spiritual life.

Printmaking: In the 20th century, Inuit art became known internationally through stonecut and stencil prints produced in communities like Cape Dorset.

Themes: Many works focus on Arctic wildlife, everyday life, and mythology, showing the close connection between the people, their environment, and their beliefs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit_art

Their primary role is to preserve and interpret a sacred tradition. The forms, techniques, and emotional codes (the theory of Rasa) are already established by ancient wisdom, such as the Nāṭya Śāstra. The artist must follow these rules.

However, they are not just copying. Artist use their devotion to bring those traditions to life. They act as a conduit to create universal emotions (Rasa) and guide the audience to a spiritual experience.

https://ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in/icp04/chapter/the-rasa-theory-of-bharata/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasa_(aesthetics)

Abstraction vs realism: art represents spiritual landscapes rather than naturalistic ones.

Restricted knowledge: some meanings are only accessible to initiated members, art encodes layers of public and secret knowledge.

Materials: ochre, bark, rock, sand, and in contemporary times acrylics, linking knowledge to land.

Reference: https://www.kateowengallery.com/page/10-Facts-About-Aboriginal-Art?srsltid=AfmBOooHdjy_j942rG5WYfUS616WbpqVw4CijEsijYKJNV-5SQ4PAbdX&utm_source=chatgpt.com

Image: emphasises symbolwic lines, circles, traditional iconography, showing how meaning is embedded in form.

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/japanese-aesthetics/

Representation: Art does not imitate appearances but maps spiritual knowledge.

Formalism: Form cannot be separated from meaning, symbols only work within cultural knowledge systems.

Expressionism: Focus is not on emotion or self, but on law, tradition, and collective identity.

Institutionalism: Art existed long before galleries it is “lived knowledge” embedded in ceremony and land.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_%28Australian_Aboriginal_art%29?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Formalism: Formalist theory prioritizes line, shape, and form as the measure of artistic value. In Inuit traditions, form is secondary to purpose. A piece may appear abstract or simplified, but what matters is its spiritual efficacy. Whether it works as an amulet, mask, or ritual object.

Expressionism: In the Western sense, expressionism emphasizes the artist's personal emotions. Inuit art differs in that it expresses the community's collective relationship with animals, spirits, and survival. The artist functions less as an individual "genius" and more as a mediator of cultural and spiritual knowledge.

Institutionalism: Western institutional theory holds that something becomes art when validated by galleries or museums. Inuit art existed as art long before it entered galleries, valued instead for its ritual and spiritual power. Its meaning comes from the community, not from outside recognition.

• Against Representation: Western art history often emphasized mimesis (representation of reality). Islamic art instead values abstraction and symbolism.

• Beyond Formalism: While form is central (geometry, pattern), it is not valued for its own sake but as a gateway to spiritual truth.

• Not Expressionism: The artist’s personal feelings are secondary to expressing divine order.

• Beyond Institutionalism: Art is not confined to galleries or museums but integrated into everyday life—mosques, textiles, ceramics—blurring boundaries between “fine art” and “craft.”

The seen and the unseen: Balinese art often features invisible spiritual forces. Art is used as a bridge between material and spiritual worlds. Dances and rituals are used together with wood carvings such as statues and masks, which is believed to imbue them with the spirits giving them a temporary body in the material world.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri_Hita_Karana

2. Designed to Evoke Emotion (Rasa): Every element aims to make the audience feel a specific spiritual mood.

3. Sacred Themes: Draws primarily from Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain stories and gods.

4. Dynamic Forms: Figures are often in rhythmic, moving poses full of energy.

5. Intricate Detail: Heavy ornamentation reflects the belief that the divine is in everything.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasa_(aesthetics)

· It uses symbols to show universal emotions, not to copy the real world.

· The artist's personal emotions don't matter. The goal is to make the audience feel a specific spiritual mood (Rasa).

· Beauty and form are important, but only as tools to create a spiritual experience, not for their own sake.

· Its value comes from ancient sacred texts and tradition, not from modern museums or critics.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasa_(aesthetics)

Much of Balinese art is performed rather than just displayed as music, dances, and puppetry.

Art is not made just for decoration. Masks, temple sculptures, dance costumes, and offerings all serve a spiritual function.

Most Balinese art is based on stories — from Hindu epics, local legends, or village myths. Paintings, carvings, dances, and puppetry are all used to retell these stories