Harrison and Van Der Leeuw

  Jane Ellen Harrison’s “Ancient Art and Ritual” emphasizes the connection between art and ritual, particularly in ancient cultures as art and ritual are not separate entities but rather are deeply intertwined. In ancient times, rituals were a form of art that expressed religious beliefs and experiences, these rituals were often performed in a way that was artistic and symbolic, using dance, music, and visual elements to convey spiritual messages.

It gets more interesting when you relate this to Van der Leeuw’s perspective from “Sacred and Profane Beauty: The Holy in Art,” Van der Leeuw suggests that art originally had a sacred purpose, serving as a means to experience and express the divine. Over time, however, art has become more secular and focused on individual expression rather than communal spiritual experience. 

Harrison’s work shows us that the original purpose of art was not just to create beauty for its own sake, but to perform a function within a community’s religious life. This is very much in line with van der Leeuw’s idea of the sacred origins of art. Both authors suggest that there is a lost connection between the sacred and the profane in modern art and that understanding this connection can enrich our appreciation of both art and ritual.