The importance of any kind of art to society and culture is unending. One of such importance is its preservation of culture. Art, in its varied forms, preserves the culture of people and it does so using different forms of expression and touching different aspects of preservation.
In a world where thousands of cultures now blend, it is important, now more than ever, for people to honor the uniqueness of their cultures.
Art provides a picture of what progenitors looked like.
Visual artists show what ancient people in different cultures looked like. Because of artists, many people have a picture in their minds of their ancestors and their roots. Where no pictures of these people are available, visual artists can guess what they did look like, picturing what kind of outfits were worn at the time, the unique physical features that were ascribed to the said persons, their complexions, hair, and mannerisms. They also paint, draw, and sculpt unique features of these persons to aid the visual representation of who these persons are.
Through art, people can tell what their ancestors looked like and this creates a strong sense of connection to their roots. Through ancient art like the Bust of Nefertiti, people can picture and develop a strong affiliation with their ancestors and cultural figures.
Creation of cultural articles
One of the ways art preserves culture is through the creation of cultural articles for general use. Because of artists, cultural articles of home decoration like items made from raffia, pottery, and paintings are still being made today and are available for people to use. Items that were used for beautification such as beaded pieces of jewelry are also available for use. All these help in preserving the culture and age-long traditions of people.
Art provides a pictorial representation of history
Art gives people a mental picture of historical figures and events that have hitherto only been passed through generations via oral tales, songs, and writings. One such instance is the painting “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci. The painting was a picture of the last meal Jesus of the Bible had with his disciples. With his work, Leonardo da Vinci gave people a mental and physical picture of an event that had only before then, existed in words on paper. It is important that people not only know about their cultural history but it is also important that they can picture history in their minds, and art helps with the picturing.
There are numerous ways in which art serves as a tool for cultural preservation and more ways by which we can let art help preserve our cultures. Creating more historical museums is one such way.