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Essay on ancient art cave paintings
Arts and cave painting in neolithic
Cave paintings introduction
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Introduction and Objective
So, there are two types of art that predominate in Paleolithic cave art: drawing and engraving. At Lascaux, however, it is painting that dominates the artwork. These 2,000 or so images divide into two main categories: animals and symbols. The animals consist of species that Magdalenian cavemen would have hunted and eaten (like aurochs, deer, musk-oxen, horses, and bison), as well as dangerous predators that they would have feared (like bears, lions, and wolves).
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cave_painting,_Anthropos_(2).jpeg
Let’s delve into the specifics about how and why these animals were the focus for the cave artists.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crocuta_crocuta_cave_art_-_Lascaux_cave.png
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By focusing on the animals they knew and interacted with, Lascaux’s cave paintings were interactive and realistic.
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So, what does all this “animal art” say about the Lascaux artists?
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lascaux-diverticule-félins.jpg
Well, according to the research done in the past, the cave art at Lascaux conveys a specific story or message, rather than simply created because it looks beautiful. To figure out what that message is, we need to ask ourselves some questions about the artists’ choices:
1. Why are only animals shown?
2. Why not trees and mountains?
3. Why ignore certain very common animals, like reindeer?
4. Why are certain areas of the cave more heavily decorated than others?
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lascaux,_replica_02.JPG
Remember, artists often portray what they know. So, let’s take another look at these questions.
Why are only animals shown? Well, animals were an inextricable part of daily life—they were hunted and eaten, they were seen every day. Animals were both scenery and characters in the story of these artist’s
While the story may appear unrealistic at first glance since it literally makes use of animal caricatures, the characters are complex
People can have many different opinions depending on a topic, but what is truly difficult is getting a complete level of understanding from every opinion, or understanding the point of view of each opinion. Even accepting the points of view can be difficult for some people, who believe that their opinions are right. Luckily, people can learn about the other person’s frame of reference, and at the very least understand the topic or the person a little better. This particular topic is art, which is known for its multiple possible perceptions or its many different messages that it can send a person or group of people. In this way, people can learn more about the thought processes and feelings of others. Unfortunately, with differing opinions,
Soon after, many visitors began coming to the cave. What was it these people were so excited to see? When visitors first entered the cave they had to go down a twenty-meter slope, which led to the first hall, The Great Hall Of Bulls. The first thing they saw in the Great Hall of Bulls were the black bulls. Attention is quickly focused on them because of their great size compared to the other paintings. Also found in the Great Hall of Bulls are pictures of horses, deer, a small bear, and a primitive unicorn. “The strange so-called Unicorn appears to be walking towards the interior of the cave.
Through what we have studied of the artist, we know that he sees various things in his
The cave is a symbol of life close minded people live. The prisoners in the cave have never seen anything but the cave. For example, people who are taught to be racists from the time they are born are most likely will grow up racist, they don’t understand other people’s ideas or reasons of others just the ones they were taught. Another example, could be when I went on vacation and at
The writer uses imagery, because he wants to let the readers into his mind. By describing the scene for the readers, makes the readers fell like they were there. Therefore, it gives us a better ability to emphasize with him.
In fact, some of the works presented depict mythological paintings that resemble the transcending Metaphysical matter of nature. Take for instance, the general aspect of the artworks presented in this chapter. They depict different social levels through the use of objects, emotions and various conditions. The lower status contradicts, the slaves to the wealthy and royalty, all delineate the role of the people present in the society and their everyday life. In the images, the poor and the slaves depicted with little to no possessions, looking tired and over-worked. Through their everyday labor, they must survive as a less fortunate person. In contrast to the images of the po...
In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and the song “The Cave,” by Mumford and Sons, they both treat the metaphor of a cave as a dark, bad, and evil antagonist that restricts you from seeing the truth and reaching your full potential. The cave can be seen as a permanent chain or an opportunity for change.
The Idols of the Cave represent the illusions of the individual. Everyone has their own "cave" which alters their opinions differently, depending upon their...
One painting depicts a man fatally wounding a bison with a spear, but himself mortally wounded from being gored. The paintings also have hand and forearm outlines, possibly being some sort of ancient signature. Many of the paintings also tell a story through artistic detail. One painting titled Falling Horses, was painted upside down. Many researchers regard the meaning behind the painting, as ancient hunters would drive herds over the side of cliffs. One of the most famous paintings, is of a prehistoric animal that is not known to man. The painting is titled The Apocalyptic Beast, which researches speculate is an ancient ox or rhinoceros. Breuil and other Archeologists determined the Lascaux paintings may be as old as 15,000 to 10,000 B.C.E., with other researchers believing the cave may be from an older period (Cannon, 2006). Archeologists adopted this new period that they coined, the Perigordian
The Wachowski brothers improved the allegory of the cave by focusing the direction on human emotions and feelings bringing in a more humanistic approach. Both the Allegory
They are in the dark about the truth and reality because they are unwilling to see the truth about the light, or the real world. They live with illusions of the real world but never get to see what really happens because of this unwillingness to believe others to see. They are stuck in their predisposed ways because they were never exposed to reality. If you can only see what is in front of you can ever know true reality. This story is representative of they way people live their everyday live and how what they live constantly might not be the highest knowledge. Ultimately when he can finally see the sun it represents what s the truth and goodness. The cave represents how people live their lives, in the dark, and “world of illusion” (Plato). The shadows in the cave represent the false reality everyday people see. This allegory make one question their own believes and reality. It teaches one to think about all their experiences in their life and think if the reality they know is true. He uses this story to explain how being a philosopher is like being the prisoner that can see, and the others stuck in the cave are the general masses that will not go though the pain of losing their reality to see the
For vast majority of art history, the artist has been very unimportant. Cave paintings are considered a way to learn about the lives of prehistoric man. Cave paintings are of interest to the archieologist and the curious. No painting has any signatures, at least none have been interpreted as such. No none ever tries to "get into the mind" of a prehistoric artist. No one knows who the artist is until the egyptian artist Imhotep began putting his name on his work. Until then, no none was concerned with the artist as anything but a tool to express the culture of the time.
Animal motifs provided a lot of information to the viewer. Therefore, by encompassing important information into imagery the context behind the Seal was more widely understood. Imagery played an important role during this time as many individuals were illiterate. By allowing the viewer to identify an animal they could make the connection to the clan the Seal may have belonged to. In addition a Seal may have more than one animal depicted.