The emergence of religion and art in primitive society. The emergence of art and religious beliefs The emergence of art and religion in antiquity

Religion (lat. religio - piety, piety, shrine, object of worship) - a specific form of social consciousness, worldview and attitude, as well as appropriate behavior and specific actions (cult), which are based on belief in the existence of (one or more) gods, " sacred”, that is, one or another variety of the supernatural.

In its essence, religion is one of the types of idealistic worldview that opposes the scientific one. The main sign of religion is belief in the supernatural, but this does not mean that religion is the relationship that connects man with God, as theologians usually define it. "... Any religion is nothing more than a fantastic reflection in the minds of people of those external forces that dominate them in their daily lives - a reflection in which earthly forces take the form of unearthly ones." In religion man is enslaved by the products of his own imagination. Religion is not only a specific form of social consciousness, but also performs the function of a regulator of social behavior.

According to modern scientific data, religion arose, apparently, in the era of the Upper Paleolithic (Stone Age) 40–50 thousand years ago at a relatively high stage of development of primitive society. Monuments of Upper Paleolithic art depict the origin of the cult of animals and hunting witchcraft. The presence of religious beliefs is also evidenced by the Upper Paleolithic burials, which differ from earlier ones in the custom of burying the dead with tools and jewelry. This speaks of the emergence of ideas about posthumous existence - about the "world of the dead" and the "soul", which continues to live after the death of the body. Similar representations and accompanying rituals have been preserved up to our time.

The emergence of religion is associated with such a level of development of the human intellect, when the rudiments of theoretical thinking appear and the possibility of separating thought from reality ( epistemological roots religion): a general concept is separated from the object it designates, turns into a special “being”, so that on the basis of the reflection by the human consciousness of what is, ideas about what does not exist in reality itself can appear in it. These possibilities are realized only in connection with the totality of a person's practical activity, his social relations ( social roots religion).

At the initial stages of human history, religion is a product of the limited practical and spiritual mastery of the world. In primitive religious beliefs, people's fantastic awareness of their dependence on natural forces is imprinted. Without yet separating himself from nature, man transfers to it the relations that develop in the primitive community. The object of religious perception is precisely those natural phenomena with which a person is connected in his daily practical activities and which are of vital importance to him. The impotence of man in front of nature caused a feeling of fear of her "mysterious" forces and the incessant search for means of influencing them.

Briefly(In primitive society, religion existed in the form polydemonism or paganism(poly - a lot, demon - the name of an elemental natural force, which in the full sense of the word cannot yet be called God, but, nevertheless, it possessed supernatural power). In terms of content, different peoples had different ideas about the gods and the structure of the world. However, within the framework of polydsmonism, one can distinguish forms of worship that are found among all peoples: animism, animatism, totemism, magic, fetishism, shamanism).

The simplest forms religious beliefs already existed 40 thousand years ago. It is at this time that the appearance human modern type (homo sapiens), which differed significantly from its supposed predecessors in physical structure, physiological and psychological characteristics. But his most important difference was that he was a reasonable person, capable of abstract thinking.

The practice of burial of primitive people testifies to the existence of religious beliefs in this remote period of human history. Archaeologists have established that they were buried in specially prepared places. At the same time, certain rituals were performed to prepare the dead for the afterlife. Their bodies were covered with a layer of ocher, weapons, household items, jewelry, etc. were placed next to them. Obviously, at that time religious and magical ideas were already taking shape that the deceased continued to live, that along with the real world there is another world where the dead live.

Religious beliefs of primitive man reflected in the works rock and cave art, which were discovered in the XIX-XX centuries. in southern France and northern Italy. Most of the ancient rock paintings are hunting scenes, images of people and animals. An analysis of the drawings allowed scientists to conclude that primitive man believed in a special kind of connection between people and animals, as well as in the ability to influence the behavior of animals using some magical techniques.

It was found that the veneration of various objects, which should bring good luck and ward off danger, was widespread among primitive people.

Spiritual culture, being formed over centuries and millennia, focused on the performance of at least two social functions - the identification of the objective laws of life and the preservation of the integrity of society. In other words, we are talking about the cognitive function that science (partly also art) implements in the system of spiritual culture, and the general logical, regulatory function that is performed by political, legal and moral culture, religion, and art. These elements of spiritual culture carry out "theoretical" and "practical-spiritual" development of reality. What place does religion play in this development? We confine ourselves to consideration of the interaction of religion with art, morality and science.

Religion is a very multifaceted, branched, complex social phenomenon, represented by various types and forms, the most common of which are world religions, which include numerous directions, schools and organizations.

In the history of culture, the emergence of three world religions was of particular importance: Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. These religions have made significant changes in culture, entering into a complex interaction with its various elements and aspects.

The term "religion" is of Latin origin and means "piety, shrine". Religion is a special attitude, appropriate behavior and specific actions based on belief in the supernatural, something higher and sacred. It appears as a form of reflection of reality, in which the psychological, irrational element prevails - various states of the soul, moods, dreams, ecstasy. However, the basis of religion is faith in God, the immortality of the soul, the other world, that is, myths and dogmas.

Religion and art

In interaction with art, religion addresses the spiritual life of a person and interprets the meaning and goals of human existence in its own way. Art and religion reflect the world in the form of artistic images, comprehend the truth intuitively, through insight. They are inconceivable without a person's emotional attitude to the world, without his developed figurative fantasy. But art has broader possibilities for the figurative reflection of the world, which go beyond the bounds of religious consciousness.

Historically, the interaction of art and religion was carried out as follows. The primitive culture was characterized by the indivisibility of social consciousness, therefore, in ancient times, religion, which was a complex interweaving of totemism, animism, fetishism and magic, was merged with primitive art and morality, all together they were an artistic reflection of the nature surrounding a person, his labor activity (hunting , agriculture, gathering). First, apparently, there was a dance, which was a magical body movements aimed at appeasing or frightening the spirits. Then music and mimicry were born. From the aesthetic imitation of the processes and results of labor, fine art gradually developed, aimed at propitiating the spirits.

Religion had a huge impact on ancient culture, one of the elements of which was ancient Greek mythology. From myths, we learn about the historical events of that time, about the life of society and its problems. Thus, the Homeric epic is considered an important primary source in the study of the most ancient period of Greek society, for which there is no other evidence.

Ancient Greek myths served as the basis for the emergence of the ancient theater. The prototype of theatrical performances was the festivities in honor of the very popular and beloved god Dionysus in Greece. During the festivities, choirs of singers dressed in goat skins performed special hymns - dithyrambs (from the Greek dithyrambos - song of goats). From these, Greek tragedy arose later. From rural festivities with comic songs and dances, a tragic comedy was born. Ancient Greek mythology had a great influence on the culture of many modern European peoples. Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Rubens, Shakespeare, Mozart, Gluck and many other composers, writers and artists addressed her.

Biblical myths, including the main myth of the god-man Jesus Christ, were the most attractive in art. Painting has lived for centuries with interpretations of the Nativity and the baptism of Christ, the Last Supper, the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. On the canvases of Leonardo da Vinci, Kramskoy, Ge, Ivanov, Christ is presented as the highest ideal of Man, as the ideal of purity, love and forgiveness. The same moral dominant prevails in Christian icon painting, frescoes, and temple art.

The temple is not only a place of worship, it is a fortress, a symbol of the strength and independence of the state (city), a historical monument. So, the oldest church in the Leningrad region is the church of St. George in Staraya Ladoga - was built in honor of the victory over the Swedes who besieged Ladoga in 1164, and is dedicated to St. George, the patron saint of military affairs. The main temple of Pskov - the Trinity Cathedral - was a symbolic expression of the capital functions of Pskov as an independent veche republic. A monument to the establishment of the Kyiv state, the main Christian church in Kyiv, St. Sophia Cathedral was built by Yaroslav the Wise in the 11th century. on the spot where the victory over the Pechenegs was won. In a luxurious setting, among the precious decoration and works of art of world significance, solemn ceremonies of consecration to the Grand Dukes and the highest hierarchical ranks, receptions of ambassadors took place here. Here was the chair of the Kyiv metropolitans. The first library in Russia was created in St. Sophia Cathedral, chronicles were kept.

Thus, the temples, being places of worship, were of great cultural significance: they embodied the history of the country, the traditions and artistic tastes of the people.

For each temple, ancient Russian masters found their own unique architectural solution. Knowing how to accurately choose the best place in the landscape, they achieved its harmonious combination with the surrounding nature, which enhanced the expressiveness of the temple buildings. An example is the most poetic creation of ancient Russian architecture - the Church of the Intercession in the bend of the Nerl River in the Vladimir-Suzdal land.

Religion, being a rich, centuries-old layer of world culture, had a huge impact on literature. She left the Vedas, the Bible and the Koran to the world.

The Vedas are an extensive fund of ideas, the most valuable source of ancient Indian philosophy and various knowledge. Here we are talking about the creation of the world, many concepts are introduced (cosmology, theology, epistemology, world soul, etc.), practical ways of overcoming evil and suffering, gaining spiritual freedom are determined. The attitude to the Vedas determined the authority and diversity of ancient Indian philosophical schools (Vedanta, Sakhis, yoga, etc.). On the basis of the Vedas, the entire ancient Indian culture arose, giving the world the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita - one of the most popular parts of the Mahabharata, which deals with the moral aspect of Hinduism, inner freedom, good, evil and justice. It also develops the doctrine of yoga as a system of practical improvement of the body, soul and spirit.

The Bible is a monument of Hebrew literature (Old Testament) and early Christian literature (New Testament). The Old Testament includes chronicle-legislative books, writings of popular preachers, as well as collections of texts related to various poetic and prose laurels - religious lyrics, reflections on the meaning of life (the books of Job and Ecclesiastes), a collection of aphorisms (the book of Solomon's Proverbs), wedding songs , love lyrics (the book "Ruth" and the book "Esther"). The Bible reflected the life of the peoples of the Ancient Mediterranean - wars, agreements, the activities of kings and generals, the life and customs of that time. Therefore, the Bible is one of the largest monuments of world culture and literature. Without knowledge of the Bible, many cultural values ​​remain inaccessible. Most of the art paintings of the era of classicism, Russian icon painting and philosophy cannot be understood without knowledge of biblical stories.

The Qur'an includes the Islamic doctrine of the fate of the world and man, contains a collection of ritual and legal institutions, didactic stories and parables. The Qur'an contains ancient Arabic customs, Arabic poetry, and folklore. The literary merits of the Qur'an are recognized by all connoisseurs of the Arabic language.

The role of religion in the history of world culture was not only that it bestowed on humanity "sacred" books - sources of wisdom, kindness and creative inspiration. Religion has had a considerable influence on the literature of different countries and peoples. Take, for example, Christianity and Russian literature. Having lost their bearings in the vain world, in the chaos of relative values, Russian authors have long begun to turn to Christian morality and later to the image of Christ as the ideal of this morality. In ancient Russian literature (in the lives of saints), the lives of saints, ascetics, and righteous princes were described in detail. Christ did not yet appear as a literary character: the sacred awe and reverent attitude towards the image of the Savior were too great. In the literature of the XIX century. Christ was also not depicted, but images of people of the Christian spirit and holiness appear in it: in F. M. Dostoevsky, Prince Myshkin in the novel The Idiot, Alyosha and Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov; L. N. Tolstoy has Platon Karataev in War and Peace. Paradoxically, Christ first became a literary character in Soviet literature. A. Blok in the poem "The Twelve" put Christ ahead of people embraced with hatred and ready for death, whose image, obviously, symbolizes the hope of people for purification and repentance at least someday, in the future. Later, Christ will appear in M. Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita under the name Yeshua, B. Pasternak in Doctor Zhivago, Ch. Aitmatov in The Scaffold, A. Dombrovsky in The Faculty of Useless Things.

Writers turned to the image of Christ as the ideal of moral perfection, the savior of the world and humanity. In the image of Christ, the writers also saw the common things that befell him and what our era is going through: betrayal, persecution, wrong judgment. In such an environment, a person is tired of living and has become disillusioned. Devaluing life, the fear of death gave rise to cowardice, hypocrisy, humility, betrayal in his psyche.

When people lose their spiritual orientation, break with eternal values ​​and begin to live only with momentary problems, taking care of food, clothing, housing, then culture and society inevitably find themselves in a crisis. So it was at the end of antiquity, so it was at the end of the last century, so it is happening now. The way out of the impasse is in the moral revival of people, which has always been carried out on a spiritual, including a religious, basis.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 5th, 2009 at 16:48 and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

The most ancient in their origin forms of religion include: magic, fetishism, totemism, erotic rites, funeral cult. They are rooted in the conditions of life of primitive people.

Totemism is the belief in the existence of a close relationship between relatives and their totem, which could be some kind of animal, less often plants, objects or natural phenomena. The genus bore the name of a totem, for example, a kangaroo or an onion, and believed that it was related to it by blood. It was believed that the totem helps relatives, so it could not be killed, harmed and eaten. Totemism ideologically reflected the connection of the clan with the natural environment.

Animism is the belief in supernatural beings, encased in bodies (souls) or acting independently (spirits). Animistic beliefs are associated with the animation of nature. Scientists emphasize the fact that the concept of the non-material (or the bifurcation of the material) testified to the relative development of abstract thinking in primitive man, and this is a long stage in the evolution of his intellect, the accumulation of life experience. Therefore, the original types of religious beliefs were most likely totemism and magic.

Fetishism - belief in the supernatural properties of some inanimate objects, such as caves, stones, trees, certain tools or household items, and later specially made cult objects. A cave that saved people from a storm, a tree that fed them after a hunger strike, a spear that got food, etc. became a fetish.

Magic is the belief in a person's ability to influence other people, animals, plants, even natural phenomena in a special way. A man believed that with the help of certain actions and words, he can help or harm people, provide prey or failure in fishing, cause or stop a storm. Distinguish industrial or trade, medical, love and other magic. At the same time, magic can be "white" (protective) and "black" (harmful). Over time, religious ideas and cults become more complex, acquire an eclectic character. They mix with each other, forming the veneration of both family and tribal patrons, agricultural and cosmic spirits. Gradually, a hierarchy of objects of worship arises - from ordinary spirits to several especially powerful deities (cosmic, natural phenomena, fertility, war). A new stage in the spiritual culture of man is the establishment of polytheism, i.e. belief in many gods and worship them.

Fine art originates in the Upper Paleolithic period 40-35 thousand years ago. Among the archaeologically represented monuments that have survived from those times are plastic, graphics and painting. Over the course of several millennia, primitive art experienced a technical evolution: from finger drawing on clay and handprints to multi-color painting; from scratches and engraving to bas-relief; from the fetishization of rock, stone with the outlines of an animal - to sculpture. It fixed the social experience of people in an aesthetically mediated form, in concrete and realistic images.

The bulk of the plots of rock art in the Paleolithic era consisted of images of animals, usually made in natural size with primitive single contours: mammoth, rhinoceros, wild horse, deer, fallow deer, bull, bison, bison, elk. Paleolithic drawings also preserved traces of the rudiments of writing in the form of pictography. Geometrical figures (sticks, triangles, trapezoids), denoting the direction of the path, the number of animals killed or the plan of the area, served as a kind of information addition to the image. Natural and mineral paints were used for paintings. Iron ore was specially burned to obtain ocher, which was then mixed with blood or fat. Expressive cave frescoes and multi-figure compositions of a hunting and domestic nature (hunting and military scenes, dances and religious ceremonies) date back to the Mesolithic. The primitive artist learned to generalize, abstract, acquired the skills of a rational distribution of drawing elements on a plane, experimented with color and volume. Evidence of the development of abstract thinking was a departure from the principle of naturalism, schematism and a decrease in the size of images during the Neolithic period. The main purpose of the drawings stemmed from the practical needs of people and was of a magical nature. Painting was supposed to attract game animals to the territory of the tribe or promote their reproduction, bring good luck in hunting, etc.

In the Neolithic period, in connection with the development of ceramic production, the art of ornamentation gained unprecedented scope. Different tribes have their own specifics of painting ceramic products, which allows scientists to accurately determine the direction of their migration.

Plastic art is widely represented by sculptural images of animals (or their heads), female figures - the so-called Paleolithic Venuses, which symbolized fertility, the feminine principle of the earth. Monumental sculpture is a later phenomenon that reflected the social differentiation of society. Tombstones were erected for leaders and outstanding warriors. Taylor E. Primitive culture. M., 2009. S. 63.

The flourishing of applied arts is connected with the development of social relations, in particular, the development of crafts. Craftsmen created jewelry, expensive weapons, household utensils, decorated clothes. Art casting, embossing, gilding of metal products, the use of enamel, inlay with precious stones, mother-of-pearl, bone, horn, etc. have become widespread. The famous Scythian and Sarmatian products, decorated with realistic or conditional images of people, animals, plants, testify to the high level of artistic metal processing.

The monuments of proto-architecture include megalithic structures already known in the Neolithic (from the Greek - a large stone). They were erected in many regions of the world, had various forms and purposes. Monoliths-menhirs are free-standing stones up to 20 m high, their parallel rows are called alinemans. A dolmen is two or more large stones covered with a huge slab and forming a burial chamber. The most complex megalithic structure - the cromlech - consists of multi-ton vertical stones arranged in a circle, covered with carefully crafted crossbeam stones. During the period of decomposition of primitive communal relations, monumental architecture arises. Raw fortifications, temples, tombs appear, built, as, for example, in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, for the needs of major leaders. Stonehenge is a unique megalithic structure.

The emergence of art and religious beliefs

Prerequisites

Awareness of one's mortality and an attempt to come to terms with one's mortal nature led to the emergence of a belief in an afterlife. The desire to influence natural phenomena and events led to the emergence of magic and religion.

Primitive art was part of religion. It was closely connected with the rites and rituals of ancient people. It had a magical function.

Art already existed in the Late Paleolithic (about 40-10 thousand years ago).

Events

The emergence of belief in the afterlife. Scientists draw a conclusion about this from the excavations of ancient burials in which red ocher was found. She symbolized blood, which means life (belief in life after death).

The emergence of religious beliefs
. Animism: belief in the animation of all objects surrounding a person (belief that they all have a soul). Anima - lat. "soul".
. totemism: belief in the origin of a group of people (kind) from any animal, plant or object.
. Fetishism: the worship of inanimate objects to which supernatural properties are attributed. Fetishes (amulets, amulets, talismans) are able to protect a person from trouble.

The advent of art
. Figurines carved from soft stone, from mammoth tusks or molded from clay.
. Rock paintings: Created in dark caves, scientists suggest that they were not intended for aesthetic perception. Most likely, they played some role in the rituals of primitive man.

Conclusion

In the late Paleolithic era, religious beliefs such as animism, totemism, and fetishism first appear. The religion of primitive people was inextricably linked with magic. The art that arose in the same period was not separated from magic and religion, and did not have a purely aesthetic function.

Abstract

For a long time, scientists did not know that there were skilled artists among primitive people, but the discoveries they made spoke for themselves. Ancient artists drew not only for their own pleasure, but also to "enchant" the beast. How did religious beliefs originate? What cults were worshiped by our distant ancestors? You will learn about this in our today's lesson.

One of the main manifestations of the spiritual life of man is religion. All peoples had religious beliefs. Some scientists believe that religious beliefs date back to the Neanderthals. Archaeologists find burials in which, in addition to the remains, they find household items and tools (Fig. 1).

Rice. 1. Ancient grave ()

The Neanderthals had a bear cult. The skulls of cave bears served as objects of witchcraft, from which religious beliefs and rituals subsequently developed.

The religious beliefs of the Cro-Magnons were more complex. In the graves near their camps, in addition to household items and tools, scientists found ocher, which had the color of blood - the color of life. It can be assumed that the “reasonable man” had a belief in the immortality of the soul. Animation of objects, forces and elements of nature is called animism.

During the period of the emergence of tribal communities, a religious idea arose about a supernatural relationship between members of the clan and totem- a mythical ancestor. Most often, various animals and plants served as totems, even natural phenomena and inanimate objects. Among the natives of Australia and the Indians of North America, totemism is the basis of the traditional worldview.

A fishing cult is also associated with totemism. There were witchcraft rites associated with hunting and fishing. Primitive hunters were afraid that there would be fewer animals in the forests, the meat of which they ate, and fish would disappear from the lakes. People have a belief that there is a connection between an animal and its image created by an artist. If you draw bison, deer or horses in the depths of the cave, people thought, then living animals will be enchanted and will not leave the surrounding area (Fig. 2). If you draw a wounded animal or hit its image with a spear, then this will help you succeed in hunting. With amazing skill, the ancient artist painted a mammoth with a flexible trunk, a deer with branched horns thrown back, a bear, wounded and bleeding. Images of a mortally wounded bison and a hunter killed by it have been preserved. In some caves, people depicting animals are painted. A man has horns on his head, a tail behind; he seems to be dancing, imitating the movements of a deer.

Rice. 2. Man enchants the beast ()

About a hundred years ago, a Spanish archaeologist examined the cave of Altamira, where people lived in ancient times. Unexpectedly, he found on the ceiling of the cave images of animals painted with paints. At first, scientists believed that these paintings were painted quite recently; no one believed that ancient people could draw. But then similar images were found in many caves. Archaeologists also found figurines of people and animals carved from bone and horn. No one doubted that the paintings and figurines were works of art of the distant past (Fig. 3).

Rice. 3. Altamira. bison ()

Works of art show that "reasonable man" was observant, knew animals well, and his hand drew precise lines on stone and bone.

Bibliography

1. Vigasin A. A., Goder G. I., Sventsitskaya I. S. History of the Ancient World. Grade 5 - M .: Education, 2006.
2. Nemirovsky A. I. A book for reading on the history of the Ancient World. - M .: Education, 1991.
3. Ancient Rome. Book for reading / Ed. D. P. Kallistova, S. L. Utchenko. — M.: Uchpedgiz, 1953.

Additional precommended links to Internet resources

1. Ancient world history ().
2. Miracles and mystery of nature ().
3. Ancient world history ().

Homework

1. What were the oldest religious beliefs?
2. Fairy tales say that a boy turned into a goat, a girl into a willow, what beliefs are associated with these fabulous transformations?
3. What objects found by archaeologists during the excavation of ancient burials confirm the assumption that religious ideas arose among people?
4. Why did primitive people depict animals?

The theme of the relationship between religion and art is very important both for atheistic theory and for the practice of atheistic education.

It is known that throughout a long historical epoch, art was closely connected with religion. His plots and images were largely borrowed from religious mythology, his works (sculptures, frescoes, icons) were included in the system of religious worship. Many defenders of religion argue that it contributed to the development of art, fertilized it with its ideas and images. In this regard, the question arises about the true relationship between art and religion, about the nature of their interaction in the history of culture.

Even in the era of the dominance of religion in the spiritual life of society, art often acted as a force hostile to religion and opposed to it. The history of freethinking and atheism is inextricably linked with the history of art. The progressive art of the past can still be successfully used in the system of atheistic education of the working people. Soviet art is called upon to play an important role in shaping the scientific outlook of the workers of a developed socialist society. The power of art is in its intelligibility, in its emotional and psychological impact. With the help of art, atheistic ideas can penetrate the most diverse segments of the population. In the formation of the new man, an essential role is played by the development of the aesthetic creativity of the masses, the ever more complete satisfaction of their aesthetic needs. Hence the importance of studying the question of the role of art in the system of atheistic education.

At the origins of religion and art

A scientific understanding of the relationship between religion and art is impossible without studying their genesis. The problem of the origin of religion and art has caused and is currently causing heated discussions. The disputes between scientists of different specialties (archaeologists, ethnographers, etc.) on the origin of art and religion are partly due to the fact that scientists have at their disposal only fragmentary, scattered facts relating to the primitive era, and also to the fact that the interpretation of archaeological sources (rock carvings that have come down to us, small plastic items, ornaments, etc.) is, as a rule, not unambiguous and creates the possibility of several hypothetical judgments. However, this is only one side of the matter. Another - and much more important - is that the problem of the origin of religion and art has been and remains the arena of a sharp ideological struggle, the struggle of idealism and religion against the scientific, materialistic worldview. Therefore, both the methodological prerequisites and the conclusions of many bourgeois scientists are determined by their general philosophical, worldview positions, which inevitably leaves an imprint on their interpretation of the facts known to science.

Primitive art was discovered only in the second half of the 19th century. In archeology at that time, there was an opinion about primitive man as a "troglodyte", who stood at a very low stage of cultural development and whose life was limited only to satisfying basic material needs. Therefore, the first finds in Europe of engravings on deer bones with excellently executed images of animals were originally dated by researchers to the beginning of our era, while in reality they were created at least ten thousand years earlier. The discovery of colored images of animals in the Spanish cave of Altamira in 1879 was met with disbelief by most archaeologists. The brightness, liveliness and perfection of primitive images contrasted so much with the usual ideas about "troglodytes" that it took a quarter of a century (and the discovery of similar images in a number of other caves in southern France) to recognize the authenticity of Altamira primitive painting. Only at the beginning of the XX century. it was generally recognized that the primitive man of the Upper Paleolithic was actively engaged in artistic creativity and left us a number of rock paintings, sculptures and engravings, distinguished by artistic maturity and perfection. In this regard, the question arose: what were the motives that forced primitive man to engage in artistic creativity?

Most foreign researchers, relying on the so-called magical concept of the emergence of art, believed that the rock carvings and sculptures found in the caves were created by primitive people for magical purposes. Around these images and sculptures, magical rites were arranged, which were designed to ensure the successful hunting of animals, as well as their reproduction, which guaranteed a successful hunt in the future. From this a general conclusion was made, according to which art allegedly grows out of magic, out of religion. For example, the well-known West German researcher of primitive art Herbert Kühn wrote: “Picturesque images have always been associated with a cult, not only in the Ice Age, but also later, in the Mesolithic, in the Neolithic, Bronze Age, and, finally, throughout all the Middle Ages, up to until now". Art, as well as religion, according to G. Kuhn, is "the way of a person to reveal the eternal secret of the deity", is one of the ways to get closer to God.

Indeed, many of the cave paintings and sculptures found in them were created and used for magical purposes.

However, it cannot be assumed that all primitive art is connected with magic. Many works of primitive art (engravings, figurines) are known, which are made on tools and household items. So, for example, spear throwers were found, on the handles of which graceful figures of a goat, partridge, and other animals were carved. Many household items of the Paleolithic era are decorated with ornaments. All such items were used for industrial or household, but not cult needs. Here, the aesthetic development of the world was not connected with primitive religion.

But it's not only that. The mere fact of the connection between primitive art and magic does not at all indicate that it arose from magic. As many researchers point out, the primitive consciousness was of a syncretic, fused, undifferentiated character. It intertwined and merged mythological and magical images and ideas, the beginnings of the aesthetic development of the world, the original norms that regulated people's behavior, and, finally, the first empirical knowledge about the objects and phenomena surrounding people. Research by Soviet scientists (A. P. Okladnikov and others) showed that works of art are inextricably linked with the entire life activity of primitive people, that they are polyfunctional, that is, they simultaneously satisfy several of their vital needs. The unity, non-differentiation, syncretism of primitive consciousness does not mean that some of its elements (aesthetic) arose from others (magic). On the contrary, it should be emphasized that the social needs that gave birth to primitive art and primitive magic are not only different from each other, but also opposite.

Aesthetic attitude to the world and its aesthetic development arise on the basis and in the process of labor, production activity of people. The process of labor is not only the process of appropriation by man of the products of nature. At the same time, as Marx showed, it is the process of "humanizing" nature, in the course of which a person imprints his goals, abilities, experience and skill in the objects of labor. Using the properties, laws of natural things, a person transforms, forms these things according to his plan, his goal. He reveals their inner possibilities, implements them in the direction he needs, and at the same time embodies his abilities and powers in objects. Creating objects for utilitarian purposes, a person at the same time seeks to realize in them the "measure" inherent objectively in each object, in the best possible way to reveal in them such properties as symmetry, harmony, rhythm. At the same time, a person enjoys the very process of creativity, the ability to master each object, to subordinate it to his goals. Thus, in the process of labor activity, for the first time, as a side of this process, an aesthetic attitude to the world arises. In the future, this relationship develops, becomes more complex, embraces an ever larger range of objects, and, finally, separating from the utilitarian process of production, acts as a specific form of activity, an independent form of mastering the world. Art is born.

Thus, the aesthetic development of the world and its highest form - art - appear in the process of creative, free human labor, based on the subordination of the forces of nature to him, in the process of ever more complete realization of human abilities, skills and knowledge. It can be said, therefore, that art is one of the manifestations of human freedom.

As you know, the social origins of religion in general and magic as one of its first forms are directly opposite. Religion arises as a product and reflection of the impotence of primitive people in the face of nature, it gives rise to fear of the unknown and alien phenomena of the surrounding world, the inability to master them. Primitive magic is closely connected with the labor process, but this connection is very peculiar. Magic is a combination of fantastic, illusory representations and witchcraft actions, with the help of which primitive people try to achieve practical results (successful hunting, fishing, victory over foreign enemies, etc.) in cases where they lack confidence in the possibility achieve these results through real practice. The English ethnographer B. Malinovsky successfully defined the socio-psychological basis of magic, describing it as "oscillations between hope and fear." Undertaking a magical rite, primitive people, on the one hand, are afraid of the impact on their lives of forces unknown to them and uncontrollable by them (for example, the disappearance of game in the forest, fish in a river or ocean, a sudden mass illness of relatives, attacks by enemies, etc.) , and on the other hand, they hope that this rite will protect them from the disasters and misfortunes that they fear. From this it is clear that the social basis of primitive magic is the practical impotence of people, their dependence on natural and social forces, which they are unable to master and the nature of which they do not understand. Consequently, religion and magic as one of its forms are a reflection and manifestation of people's lack of freedom.