Horney Theory and Literature: A Symposium: Introduction

The advent of literature as an art form resulted in unprecedented developments in artistic expression, in esthetic form, and ultimately, in the imaginary and expressive capacity of humankind. From the caves of Altamira-where some 17,000 years ago primitive men, godless and almost lawless hunters, left us a wall painting of Bisons-up to the modern symphony, art reflects historic human growth. We can only speculate about the purpose of our ancient ancestors in setting aside time to reproduce the image of the animal which they probably feared and adored as a deadly danger and a source of food at the same time. Whether it was some magic belief or ritual, the expression of needs, or just the product of leisure we do not know. It is doubtful that it was for what we would call the sake of art, and perhaps it was part of Totemism and ancient religion.

Through the centuries since then, art has served many purposes and taken many forms. It has also rendered pictures of what man was like and what his esthetic, social, and even developmental status were. The Classics in their sculpture use the almost lifelike three-dimensional form to reproduce their subjects until relief and texture began to reduce artistic renditions to two dimensions. Golden-age architecture reflects the lawfulness and grandeur of Greco-Roman imperialism, in the same manner that Egyptian arts express concerns with religion and afterlife. The painting of the early middle ages is lacking in depth or perspective; its figures lack reality and they look isolated, artificial, and idealized. If there is reference to action, it seems stunted and “as if.” Gothic cathedrals try to reach as high as possible to the heavens, unlike modern skyscrapers, which emphasize internal use of space and vertical mobility. In times when social conventions were challenged, people were painted in such forbidden acts as smoking or, later on, having a picnic with half-naked company. Either in content or form, artists