Symbolic views of reality

Includes bibliographical references (pages 6)I consider the visual arts a form of communication.\ud Historically, they have been used to reinforce socially\ud accepted ideas, creating tangible evidence of theoretical\ud beliefs; making the invisible visible. The visual arts\ud have given substance to the imaginings of priests, kings\ud and peasants. What better assurance of a king's godliness\ud than the Great Pyramids of Gizeh or the Temple of Amen-Re.\ud And who would not bow down before the great stone sculptures\ud of Quetzalcoatl which first came to life in some\ud unknown mind. And who would deny that countless hundreds\ud can still be moved to tears at the Wailing Wall, or stand\ud locked in soul searching thought before Michelangelo's\ud "The Last Judgement". But these examples are reflections\ud of cultures that no longer exist: cultures where art and\ud religion were part of every day living. (See more in text.