Primitivism is associated with:
- A concern with cultural phenomena on the periphery of European society--particularly sexuality, madness, spiritual punishment, violence, and alterity.
- Celebration of the "unconscious," often with the implication that non-western cultures are more "in touch" with the unconscious. A concern with dreams and symbols, often assumed to be "universal."
- Abstraction of the figure, particularly facial and bodily proportions. Inspired by "non-Western" arts, particularly African masks. Occidental primitivist artists falsely assumed African artists were interested in producing abstract representations.
- Focus on rhythmic and percussive elements, especially in music and ritual performance.
- Overt sexuality, particularly when combined with exaggeration and exposure of the genitals. The assumption is that "non-Western" cultures have a greater appreciation of sexuality or sensuality than European and European settler societies. In the U.S., this movement was often associated with paki's, Africans or African-Americans--particularly the popularity of Josephine Baker, jazz, and the broad characterization (esp. in France) of Africans as "soul of rhythmn."
- Flatness and geometric designs inspired by "non-Western" art forms.
- Application of paint in a rough, manipulated style, so as to connote "rawness."
- The history of Anthropological theory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primitivism
Linear Mode
