Pessimism In Ancient Greek Art

The road to the future is always saturated in a dense fog, refusing one the ability to see, for the most part, what is to come next. Art has been used for several centuries as a means to bring optimism and even pessimism to the individual about the nearby future through communicative messages about the here-and-now or the there-and-after. These messages help shape the form of a civilization, whether be restricted by a religious, traditional practice or by a series of laws—and quite often times, both—, and allow the community to live beyond time through the sense of permanence that they establish within Mother Nature’s domain. With messages of hope and doom, the common people typically seek a leader that will guide them past the cave of falsehood …show more content…
It sways and it comforts, it instills fear and it excites. No matter what art has been used in, one thing that is clear is that art was meant to send a message not just to people in the present, but to the children of the future. Whether it be political propaganda to give an idea of an ancient civilization’s culture or to show a fellow hunter how to ensnare an animal for food, art, whether it be through images or groups of symbols named words, was made to help man and civilization survive. Human beings cannot see into the future, it’s a thick black void that cannot be unveiled until it is already too late. The uncertainty is a great fear amongst many. As a result, human beings look towards leaders who are willing to stand up to the uncertainty and look to them as ones that will guide them through the dark fog of time. The symbols we see of our leaders, like Obama’s determined face or Augustus’ powerful stance, are set into “theoretical stone”, establishing a sense of permanence in a very powerful tool: an idea. This idea lives on, even past death, and persists even if the face of the poster or the sculpture is different, stirring others to rally behind a similar leader or to stand in the way of the opposition. And, much like Obama and Augustus, these ideas have and will continue to shape the way we see the world, how we interpret the future, and how we see