Lascaux Horse Replica
Primitive art is a rather simple art form to recreate. It requires artists to let go of traditional ideas and embrace a world of spirit. Primitive art is the oldest form of artwork known to man, and its techniques are easily adapted to both sculpture and canvas.
Background
Primitive art is a term used for sculptures as well as paintings that were made by people living in tribal societies. This term does not infer that the artwork is inferior to other painting genres, but rather refers more to how the people who created it lived.
Magic Eye
In order to produce primitive art either sculpturally or on a canvas, the artist must remember that there should be no commitment to realism. Originally, primitive art was produced to allow the spirit world to enter into the physical one. This is often called seeing with a magic eye. So, the first thing an artist must do to create art in this style is to find his magic eye and let go of the traditional rules of composition.
Devoted to the Human Form
In order to successfully create primitive art, the artist must be mindful of the human form---but not in a traditional sense. The human form is a favorite subject of the primitive artist. It is represented in an elongated and fattened way. Apply this technique to both sculptures and paintings.
To portray the female form, paint or sculpt the form with large curvaceous body parts, including thighs and breasts. Large breasts and thighs are a sign of fertility in primitive art.
Male forms should be portrayed with large muscular shoulders, square jaws and fat lips.
Size Matters
When creating primitive art, the artist must understand that subjects should not only be elongated and fattened, but also be disproportionate. It is easy to create these primitive techniques. Simply paint or sculpt a body with a large head, or create a large body with a small head.
This also holds true for the animal world. Animals should be drawn or sculpted elongated and disproportionate.
The actual total size of the primitive form doesn't matter, nor does the completed work itself. The important thing is to have a body that is disproportionate to itself.
African Primitive Art
African tribal art is a good example of primitive art and should be studied as another means of learning primitive techniques. An artist can employ the African primitive technique by making use of expressive masks and bright, bold colors in his work.
Cubism Linked to Primitive Art
Cubism is considered the most influential art movement of the 20th century, but it isn't a completely original idea. Cubists such as Picasso drew upon inspiration from primitive art in order to create a new genre.
The would-be primitive artist should use Cubist techniques when working on a piece of art. These techniques include the use of ambiguous space, flattened forms and a simplification of objects into geometric shapes.
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