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SeeingisBelieving.AnthropologicalVisionsofCulture
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Herodotus,describingthesocietiesoftheMiddleEastandtheMediterraneanwas
asmuchimportantaspicturingGreekmilitaryvictoriesoverthePersiansinthe
formofbas-reliefs.Ancientartwasn’tregardedasdeadrepresentationofaliving
reality.Pictureswerebroughtintolifethroughtheadditionofaspecificsocio-cul-
turalandpoliticalpraxis(i.e.rituals)emphasizingGreeksuccessasamoralandin
consequenceaculturalvictoryoverthebarbarichordes.musthevisualaspectof
culturewasinthatcasedependantonallotherspheresofhumanculturalagency.It
wasapartofavastspectrumofculturalactions,undertakenwithtobringitcloser
totheviewer’sexperienceofit.Apureandsterileimagewasvirtuallynon-existent
withoutthepraxis,thathadputitinmotion.Ancientarthaddeliveredpeople
aneededrelevancetothereality,thatwassurroundingthem.Inconsequence,cul-
turewasbackthenvisualinthestrictsenseoftheterm.Itcouldn’tbedeprivedof
itsvisualaspectbyputtingpicturesintotheframeworkofartunderstoodasan
abstractsetofestheticalideasandnorms.Everythingcouldbeseenandlooked
atbyaddingourownlifeexperiencetothegivenimageandimmediatelycould
begraspedbytheviewerasrealityitself.medistinctionbetweenwhatisrealand
whatisdepictedwasdrawnaccordingnottotheideologybehindtheimage(or
thediscourseaswewouldsaynowadays),butthroughthethingsportrayed.Gods,
heroesorothermythicfiguresrepresentedthroughancientartwerepartofevery
daylifejustasanyotherpersonas.meirinfluenceonthewaypeoplemaketheir
choices,howtheyactandwhattheydowasessentialincomprehensionoftheir
worldview.
AswellEuropeintheMiddleAges,althoughrejectingmostofancientaes-
thetictraditions,didnotdifiermuchinthatmatter.Religionbecameaninstant
keytoallquestionsandwasregardedastheonlysourceofreality,includingvisual
perception.EventhewordofGodhadtobetranslatedintopicturesinorderto
bringitclosertothemasses,whenwetakeintoaccountthelowliteracyinthat
time.Religiouspassiondepicturedinthechurchpaintingsdidmakepeopleofthat
timebelieve,thatthefinaljudgmentwillbebroughtuponthewicked,sinners,
savages,pagansorsimplynon-Christians.meironlysinwasnotbeingus,butthe
Lord’spunishmentforbeingdifierentwascertain.merecouldbeonlyoneGod,
oneChurchandonevalidcivilization-aChristiandominionfightinganeter-
nalstrugglewithinfidels.meculturalbasisforthisassumptionwasdrawnfrom
asingleandunquestionablesource-theHolyBible,ortobemorespecific-the
Church’sinterpretationofit.Historicaleventsthatfollowed(Protestantrevolu-
tionforexample)showedthateventhissourcecouldbemisleading.Ontheother
hand,CatholicChurchdeprivedofitsformerpoliticalpowermaintaineditscul-
turalinfluenceinthenextagesshapingtheanthropologicalconceptofmanand
cultureinstrictlyreligiousterms.OfcoursetheculturaldiscourseoftheMiddle
Agesandtheyearsańerwasnotanthropologicalinthecontemporarysenseofthe
