Wood carving as an art still endures even in modern models and it is a difference of time. This work explores three primary wood forms chosen from the countless facets of civilizations ancient and modern to examine wood’s inherent identity and its value in tool-making and as a medium for art. Wood carving most especially has a rich cultural history reflecting not only utilitarian use of the material in diverse society but also for religious and aesthetic value.
This paper aims at reviewing this article on the beauty of ancient wood art, the techniques that were used, the importance of Wood art at that time and the historical aspects of it.
The Origins of Ancient Wood Art
Diverse studies show that from innumerable centuries, wood has been a basic structural material widely used to meet the population needs. Due to its flexibility, metallic resources were used to make virtually all objects of everyday use as well as artistic pieces. The history of wood art goes back thousands of years back to prehistoric ages when people used wood items in religious activities.
For instance, in the culture of the early Egyptian Societies people used wood carvings to produce gods and Pharaohs statues, chairs, and tombees embellishments. Some of these were very well developed just from the level of craftsmanship that had been witnessed during the time. The use of wood in artwork did not only spread across Egypt but other parts of the world in particular in Asia and Africa region where the art of woodcarving became eminent.
Wood, thus, was chosen so much in the ancient art due to flexibility. This could be chiseled into more intricate designs, molded and painted, gilded with gold and other suitable designs to be used for bowls and vases as well as other decorative items. This flexibility is one of the characteristics of antiquity wooden ornaments the unique participation which has allowed many works to remain in the world for centuries.
Recycled techniques and methods in ancient wood art
Different civilization has adopted the Art of wood carving and shaping in different ways but the techniques adopted in modern world are different from that of the ancient world. The early wood artists employed relatively basic tools that were made from stone, bone or metals. In terms of their tools the above artists were very limited but they were in a position to produce some of the finest art pieces today.
Wood carving was one of the techniques extensively used in ancient wood art. Later Carvers would then use chisels, knives and other instruments to copy these images onto the desired objects and carve out shapes and patterns on the wooden artifact. In Ancient Greece and Rome wood carving were used for artistic purposes including engraving of panels and furniture. These carved symbols were normally in form of myths or real life animals and geometrical designs which were used to decorate houses, temples or other social institutions.
Thus the wooden masks was also mostly used for religious and ceremonial uses. A lot of African, South America, and Oceania groups made highly decorated wooden masks and many wore them for spiritual reasons. These masks were in most cases employed for rites, religious ceremonies, and even theatrical performances so they remain a significant aspect of prehistoric wood carvings.
The second method identified inthe stylistic analysis of the artifacts of prehistoric woodwork is inlay, whereby artists incorporated the best materials like ivory, metal or stones in making an artistic design on the wood and then filled the gaps with the cuts to complement the design. This technique was widely spread in the ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia where used for decorating the furniture, the jewelries boxes and other kinds of valuable things.
Cultural Significance of Ancient Wood Art
The meaning of the ancient wood art is quite relative for different geographical areas, similarly to the fact that the wood was not only the utilitarian material in many cultures. The game was used in religion and in politics, and even to indicate different statuses. The use of idol was prevalent in ancient Egypt where wooden statues of gods and goddess were placed in temples and tombs so as to protect the decedent in the after life. Tons of wood was also used to make sarcophagi probably because wood meant so much in the Egyptian’s lives that even after death it was used to make a case for the Pharaoh’s mummy.
It was the same in Japan where, for example, wooden sculpture contained religious associations. A typical skillfully made statue of gods in the Buddhist temples was made of a wood masterpiece, and the traditional Japanese woodblock printing Ukiyo-e is yet another representative of ancient wood art that classified the world art history. The Japanese claimed that cedar and cypress woods, as well as other woods, have spiritual energy that is necessary to produce religious items for usage.
In the same respect, in Africa wood carving has always been linked with spiritualism. The wooden masks as well as the sculptures were not only aesthetic that were used for decoration purposes, but also had spiritual significance. It was pointed out that they were spiritual figures in the form of ancestors or minor deities of a Pantheon, and would be used for religious ceremonial purposes such as festivals and rites of passage.
Conservation of Prehistoric Cedar Statue
A major drawback however for most ancient wood art is the fact that wood is not really easily preserved. This is unlike other rigid materials like metal or even stone and due to these disasters, fire, and insects, moisture etc wood rots. Consequently, the original forms of the art of wood carving available for study at the present are often broken or sawn off.
Nevertheless, there are still some great examples of ancient wood art which could have been preserved due to special treatment. Shown in the Egyptian example, wooden artifacts tend to deteriorate less than in areas with humid climate. For instance, certain carved wooden figure and desk discovered in the tombs of pharaohs of Egypt have remained relevant for centuries now.
Collections of museums and individuals all over the world are still making efforts in improving the correct conservation of wood-art that are eaten away with time and other environmental factors by using technology that enables them to conserve these artifacts. Some of the extents used to protect the works are a clear indication of how this type of ancient art exposure is highly valued.
Impact of the pre-historic wooden artifacts on contemporary carving
The modern world still consists of artistic and artistic carved wooden works that have been inspired by designers and artists alike from the ancient Sumerians. The wood artists of today tend to arbitrarily derive inspiration from prehistoric civilizations based on both the techniques being used and symbolism.
India has provided a good example of wood carving art that has stringent calibre art in the modern world by carving precious furniture, sculpture and decorative art works by heritage practice. In Africa and South America where the art is popular the carving is still done to date and the artists make their works look like the traditional ones.
As for the modern art movements, they also quite appreciated wood as one of the objects of art or their analysis. It is evident that most of today’s artists try using wood either applying conventional carving methods in conjunction with the modern technique and styles. That ancient and the modern are intertwined may be explained by the timeless popularity of wood as a flexible and communicative material.
Conclusion
Ancient wooden carving is one of forms that prove the prehistoric creativity endeavours and the level of skill of ancient cultures. Simple carvings which are small in dimension to the more monumental sculpture of wooden figures and elaborate carvings are integral part of the artistic effort of many world’s traditions. Although wood has many drawback and it is not easy to preserve it, but the examples of ancient art which are made of wood still make historians and artists astonished and inspired.
Owing to its different uses for either religious, ceremonial or decorative purposes, wood art will remain part of the history of art. As we get to understand more about these ancient work and how they were made we come to having insights of the culture of the society that created them and the usefulness of wood as art material.