Concrete and Abstract in Primitive Arts : Case of Jomon Pottery and Dogu or Clay Figures

第五百號記念特集號Since paleolithic art has not yet been found in Japan, the history of Japanese primitve art has its beginnings in the neolithic Jomon period which dates back to 10, 000 B. C. The primitive figures or Dogū symbolize the mother-goddess, which are comparable to those excavated in other parts of the world. Dogū as primitive clay sculpture is usually expressed in a very grotesque and cubistic style. Although the primary meaning of Dogū is the transcendental religious deity, it often bears a naive loveliness and somewhat concrete naturalistic appearance; namely the style of Dogū is both abstract and concrete even if it shows regional variations. There is a clear indication of the abstract style mainly as a result of the primitive technique. On the other hand, the extremely naive naturalistic style of Dogū can best be represented by the expression of the pregnant figure and the erotic feminine nude. There are two distinct aspects of the primitive abstract, one the means to express religious transcendence and the other, the lack of technique. The style in primitive sculpture, especially in the case of Dogū, is akin to abstract, but this pseudo abstract style is sometimes due to its primitive technique. The primitiveness in archaic art so often akin to abstract, but it is not said that there is no will to model the sculpture as concrete and naturalistic, even though it is too naive. Clearly, there was the will to express the object realistically, but primitive people did not have enough excellent techniques to express the object naturalistically, because they lacked the knowledge and ability to recognize a natural object as it really was. For instance, the primitive cavepaintings of the Altamira Bison and the human figures in Africa are expressed in a vitalistic and naturalistic style, but if we compare them with the classics of Greece or the Far East, they are still primitive. Thus, as a conclusion, the abstract style in art does not always mean that it is primitive nor the concrete style depict the naturalism of classic art. Therefore, the style of primitive archaic art must be treated as a primitive entity