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The role of the artist in contemporary society as compared to pre-Christian and early Medieval society in Northern Europe

The role of the artist in contemporary society as compared to pre-Christian and early Medieval society in Northern Europe

By Peter R. Hupfauf

Paper given at the 11th International Saga Conference (2000)

Introduction: When I was about thirteen or fourteen years old, like many kids at that age, I puzzled over the one and many secrets of the world. One particular question kept me intrigued: how is it possible to depict a circle, as viewed from the side. Logically this shape would show up only as a straight line. However, I was never quite satisfied with this solution because the straight line to me did not represent two fundamental elements of the circle: The first being the idea of movement and the second the notion of infinity, both being suggested through the absence of beginning and end.

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In my quest to find an answer, in which my parents and teachers could not assist, I consulted a friend of our family who was a commercial artist. I admired this gentleman’s artistic skills tremendously. After a brief explanation of my problem he easily came up with an answer: he quickly drew a sketch, adding some body to the profile of the circle. This allowed him to shade the object in. The result was an image, representing a perfect disk, seen from its narrow side – the profile.

Click here to read this article from the University of Sydney

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