Reynolds, Christine Sara, 1981-2008-07-082008-07-082008-03https://hdl.handle.net/1794/6783viii, 101 p. ; ill. (some col.) A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.In this essay, I propose a method by which humans may understand themselves in relation to our imagined origin. Many believe that humanity's origin offers great insight into our present condition, yet its historical distance renders it unknowable. I suggest, drawing on Martin Buber, that we engage our origin as a You; that is, we gain self-knowledge by confronting the otherness of our origin. This sort of encounter may be accomplished through engagement with works of art that embody or represent our origin. In two chapters I respectively discuss artistic representations of nature and interpretations of the Paleolithic cave paintings of Lascaux, France. Through my evaluation of these two examples, I conclude that human meaning comes from our ability to encounter others, and that every moment in which we are addressed by otherness is a moment of creation.5296291 bytes51674 bytesapplication/pdfapplication/pdfen-USThesis