like Picasso, he has found sources of inspiration in African art. This is interesting, as
those masks and sculptures have nothing to do with the traditions of the western world.
Whereas European art was largely a kind of window onto a more beautiful, more
inspirational, more perfect world, the art of Africa was created as a kind of link between
humans and the forces they sensed around them that controlled their destinies. For
them art was not an escape but an attempt at comprehending. This is also true of the art
of the American Indian. Even body painting and beading is not purely decorative, but
indicates a relationship or understanding with the forces of nature that controls daily life.
One could say that the entire history of western culture reflects how people separated
themselves from the effects of nature. To free them from its control. Hence air-
conditioning, freezers, air-shipped fruits and vegetables, relentless weather reports, and
electric heating. Even from seasonal effects, eating the same kind of food year
round, sleeping in constant temperatures, wearing much the same kind of clothing all
year round.
In cultures more in tune with nature, there has been an attempt to strengthen the bonds,
feel more strongly how the individual fits into the overall framework and process of the
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