Paleolithic Cave Art

Introduction

Paleolithic Cave Art of the cornice of Cantabria is found in Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country. These are in addition to the 17 caves, of Altamira, has long been classified a World Heritage Site. The paintings found there, an average of 14 000 years old, represent the culmination of Paleolithic art in Europe. The number of caves, the variety of techniques and styles used and good condition highlight the importance of the cornice of Cantabria in Paleolithic rock art. The cave art was discovered by the Spanish archaeologist Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola who searched the cave of Altamira between 1875 and 1879. The discovery contributed to the scientific recognition of wall art Paleolithic as a form of art in itself (Whitley, 35).

Discussion

Prehistoric art

Paleolithic art is known to the public through paintings found in caves. But this art is not limited to paintings. Researchers found a large number of finely decorated objects including the famous Venus. If the first discrete events of the prehistoric art dating from the late Middle Paleolithic, it takes a real scale until the early Upper Paleolithic (30 000 to 12 000 BC). It is very diverse in its themes, techniques and media. It includes figurative animal, representations anthropomorphic often sketchy, and many signs.

The wall art includes paintings, engraved or sculpted. These are often associated with rock-shelters. The Lascaux cave has more prints than paintings. Depending on the hardness of the wall, the artist used his own hands (clay walls) or tools of stone and wood to cut into the wall. Some designs are modeled real masterpieces, like the bison of Audoubert Tuc. For painting, different colors were used such as the ocher, yellow, red or brown. The coal used was manganese oxide for black. The pigment analysis showed in some cases the production of complex recipes including mineral fillers unstained (Ucko, 141).

In some cases, the artist drew an outline with a brush or directly with a piece of coal and then filled in various ways such as brush, application by hand, blowing into a tube. The latter process finely speckled wall, allowing subtle effects of gradients. Paleolithic artists were able to use and play with the natural shapes of the walls to create figures. Thus, sometimes only a few contours of the figure are represented, the rest being suggested by the shape of the wall.

Theories to Explain Prehistoric Art

Art for art: prehistoric man of artistic concerns.

This theory was an early advocate of Mortillet Gabriel does not work for the wall art which is often in dark caves or inaccessible.

Art as ritual of hunting magic

They believed that the representations of animals and hunting scenes give them the magical power of possession and dominion over the animal, thereby ensuring a successful hunt. This theory does not work for the representations of animals or things that have nothing to do with hunting (Devlet, 54).

Art as a testimony of religious concerns

The prehistoric people refer to a divine power represented by animals (including a special case is the totemism), ...