Your quote is a piece of text written by someone with very detailed and in-depth knowledge of a small area of human endeavour. Additionally it is laced with jargon and phraseology designed to feel inclusive and stimulating to 'those in the know', but will exclude and baffle people who do not have the same depth of knowledge.
This is not a new thing.
Throughout recorded history, humans have invented cliques and ways of reinforcing a smug feeling of superiority at being a member of one. Medieval aristocrats created a whole bunch of jargon around hunting. English has far too many words for animal dung (scat, spraints, fewmets, etc) because if every game animal has a different word for its poo, then the in-crowd can smirk at the ignoramuses who call things by the wrong word. Elsewhere there is Australian Aboriginal rock art which has different meanings to the male and female members of the community, because there is secret men's knowledge and secret women's knowledge.
A strong sense of belonging to a group is good for your mental health. 376
If the group help each other out in a practical way (do the baby sitting, loan you a spear, share food in hard times), then belonging to a group boosts your chance of survival. That's natural selection in action, right there.
So who were your 'art critics' in the Stone Age?
* The hunters who had obsessively studied the behaviour of one species of animal. Perhaps these were the men and women who had that lightbulb moment and domesticated the dog or the cow or the horse?
* The gatherer who obsessively studies the habits and locations of particular plants. Perhaps these were the men and women who had that lightbulb moment and invented agriculture.
* The shamans who know all the rituals and spells for every ceremonial occasion, and interpret signs and portents.
* The elders who initiate young men and women into secret societies, warrior brotherhoods and the like.
* The 'wise woman' or 'memory man' who can recall all the details of which village owes what favours to which other village, back for the last seven generations. They might be the ones who invented accountancy or writing.
* The storyteller who knows 15 different versions of each of the tribe's myths and legends, and can pick the right one for any particular audience.
* The trader who has learned 8 different languages and the customs of 8 different tribes, and travels between groups to barter his or her goods. 164