The art of orality: how the absence of writing shapes the character of tribal, ‘primitive’ art

This contribution aims to identify a clear link between whether culture is oral or literate and their distinct styles of visual art. It looks with particular interest the interconnectivity theories two thinkers from disparate fields: American philosopher theorist linguistics Walter J. Ong German art historian Wilhelm Worringer. considers what we can learn intersectionality principal theories: conception orality literacy as delineated by abstraction empathy elucidated will be shown how characteristics peoples explicated (that is, people entirely detached literacy, no written language, sometimes derogatorily called ‘primitive’, tribal peoples) are driven same ‘urge abstraction’ which identified Worringer in Abstraction Empathy. In turn, reason for certain specifically related being literacy; famously proposed, ‘writing restructures consciousness.’ this verified fact that movement away universal oral, abstractive (such constraint two-dimensionality, use repeated patterns symbolic counterparts figures objects) towards immersive, empathic (the mimetic, representational, realistic rendering space figures) historically concurrent shift widespread literacy. The implication theoretical synchronicity rather radical, allowing new alignments these fields. also sheds light on behind produced societies across time cultures: reflective status an ‘oral’ culture.