Even though the Andean people lived in such harsh environment and experienced extreme climate their art is considered some of the most transcendent the world has ever seen. I believe that they were able to create such abstract and unique art because they understood and lived by these four philosophical principles: collectivity, reciprocity, transformation and essence.
By collectivity they meant that the well being of the group is more important than the well being of the individual. Andean society had a hierarchic basis, which kind of counterfeits this concept. However I think that they still lived by it, because if they wanted to survive in this crude environment they had to stick together.
Reciprocity represents their dualistic thinking and the idea that one part is countered by and connected to another. I believe this describes their ability to think about life issues from multiple angles; rather than just seeing the good in things also the bad. This perspective helped them achieve more balanced life.
Andean people believed life to be a cycle. Rather than ending at death, they believed one transformed into another animal. Along with reciprocity, the belief of transformation also strongly influenced their artwork.
Essence over matter means that Andean people were focused on the core of things rather than on how things looked from the outside. A great example here is Pollock's art. One could truly understand it only if one look deep into it and think about it. And so is with Andean art. They wanted people to appreciate their art for the essence and the whole meaning of it rather than the looks.
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