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Concept paper about Paleolithic art
Concept paper about Paleolithic art
Concept paper about Paleolithic art
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Art of the upper Paleolithic period has been discovered around the world. From Africa, to the Americas, to Asia, and Europe there are cave paintings ranging from twelve thousand to thirty six thousand years old and are more concentrated in the regions of France and Spain. An example of such artwork was discovered in the Lascaux caves of southwestern France on September 12, 1940 and immediately put under monument protection. Rather than only one painting, archaeologists stumbled upon a complex cave system with chambers that divided the paintings into different subjects. There’s a “great hall of bulls” as well as the “Chamber of felines”, and the “Shaft of the dead men”. The cave paintings are believed to be around twenty thousand years old and
The article hypothesized that since the entrance of the cave had some fluvial action, there would no archaeological material that would have been preserved. The authors talked about the two natural contexts that is used by prehistoric mud glyph artists: alluvial mud bank and thin clay veneers. The authors claim that they understand the used and the preservations of the alluvia...
While digging in the far reaches of the African outback, now know as the western part of Kenya, archaeologist Bozo excavated a site that revolutionized the thoughts of the scientific world. At this site they found many interesting artifacts and paintings that included proof of an early civilization. At this time scientists are calling this civilization “Pontu” after one of the paintings suggested that a pontoon was used for transportation across Lake Victoria, one of the adjacent lakes.
The Chauvet Cave Paintings: The Oldest Known Cave Art on Earth. Anthropology and History. April 15th 2011.
... cave art that has been created and studied throughout France and Africa is a great tool to understanding what homo-sapiens have experienced and how they survived through the thousands of years, yet there is no definite answer to the reason behind these paintings. Whether it be for joy and creative reasons, or to document the types of animals and necessities of life that were a conscious need and tool of survival will remain unknown. The depiction of animals versus humans, and how shamanism can be a reason of how they could have been created is the best standing explanation to the cave art. The meaning behind the drawings may not be as factual as dating the art, the process and materials used, or the place the art has been found; but the meaning and what has driven our ancestors to this spur of creativity is the most important question that still remains unanswered.
Clottes, Jean. “Paleolithic Cave Art in France.” Bradshaw Foundation. Bradshaw Foundation. n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.
Otzi had various clothes and hand tools, which helped archaeologists figure out what his life may have been like. A cooper ax for chopping firewood, a six-foot bow with 14 arrows for hunting game, a woven grass cape for extra warmth, a deerskin coat for protection from the cold, a flint knife with a leather case for cutting, and leather pants of animal skins and leather boots insulated with grass to keep the legs and feet warm. These are the reasons Otzi was considered a significant artifact of this time period. Cave paintings also helped improve our understanding of what life was like for early man in the Paleolithic Age. On September 12, 1940, in the Lascaux cave (in Lascaux, France), 4 teenagers discovered a collection of prehistoric paintings (over 600). According to archaeologists, the Paleolithic people found a way to express themselves through their artwork. It was the first art in global history. In addition, the paint came from iron dust, sand, clay, crushed rocks, fruits, charcoal, and blood. Their artwork conveys different messages. The moving animals shows that they were
After looking at the art belonging to the Upper Paleolithic period Handprint at Pech-Merle, Dordogne, France it is safe to say that artists had a sense of ownership of their art. In the piece there were found several hand prints, which was a common thing for the Paleolithic art (Pech-Merle, 29). Based on a different work of art presenting in the book and during class lectures it is clear that the social hierarchy was not defined very well back then. It seems that people were all doing the same thing collectively as a community, looking for resources to make food, tools and some art. The cave paintings are a significant source proving how art was a part of everyday life routine, it was a hunting ritual. According to the textbook “Henri Breuil, believed such hand prints may have been made during initiation ceremony”(Pech-Merle,30). Perhaps, the hand prints on the painting indicated the spiritual connection between the hunter and the animal.
An important communication tool was utilized during the Neolithic time. Cave drawings are essential to archeologists today because it is man’s method to illustrate the story of evolution. The symbols, colors, and locations will catch the eye of many, but the ultimate question still remains. How do the cave and rock drawings connect to the prehistoric times? Why is it important? Where is it located? The importance of Art presents archeologist with a picture into the Past. From Cave and rock art, to the preservation of the paintings, to finally the meaning behind the art, archeologists then can discover how people lived and what it was like back then.
Imagine you’re living in ancient Pompeii when all of a sudden, the ground begins to rumble, and the sky turns black. Mount Vesuvius is erupting! After thousands of people died, and their homes and paintings were destroyed, there was one remaining form of art that survived, the Roman Fresco. The key to it’s survival is that the art is in the walls! When people discovered that the Frescoes were unharmed, they were shocked! The frescoes were painted as soon as the walls were created and the plaster was put on. As the plaster began to harden and dry, they painted the design on the wall. The paint mixed with the plaster, and as long as the wall was up, the art was there.
The film “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” has brought a more sophisticated appreciation of the humans before “civilization.” Initially I viewed our earlier ancestors as uncompassionate brutes that beat each other and animals with clubs, as well as occasionally painting stick people on their walls - maybe beating it with a club as well. The orientation of the Chauvet cave demonstrates a great deal of organization and planning. The paintings are rather complex with attention to detail, it is obvious what a lion is and what a rhino. These paintings are not simple “stick” figures that I personally assumed that was all these people where capable of, not expressions of “life” nearly like portraits showcased. Also, the movement aspect of the art is an even
Throughout history man has always had a vivid imagination. In prehistoric times, old man used to write stories, tales and such upon their cave dwelling walls. These were performed through the use of symbols. These symbols, called hieroglyphics, portrayed the thoughts and creativity of their authors. Boszhardt once said while talking about the cave pictures in Wisconsin, "When I first visited the cave, I was skeptical about the possible art that Daniel had written to me about, But once my flashlight came upon some of the drawings, there was no question that this was authentic Native American art. The birds, deer, and bow hunters are of styles that had to be prehistoric, and the charcoal had been absorbed into the rock. I was literally stunned--this was real, this was old, and there was a lot of it."
Many, many years ago, a cave was in use, and many paintings, drawings, and engravings were put on the walls of the cave. About ten years ago, a man was diving in the Mediterranean and came across something that no one would ever think about finding. It was a prehistoric painted cave with an underwater entrance. It is known today as the Cosquer cave.
Under Clottes and Courtin many facts about the origin of these paintings have been uncovered. Apparently the creators of these prehistoric works of art used a pallet of colors consisting of hematite or ochre for the red mineral pigment, and manganese dioxide for the charcoal black pigment. Only about one third of the total artwork in Cosquer is done using paint; the others are engravings done in the cave’s soft limestone walls (“Grotto Cosquer”).
The Lascaux Cave in Dordogne, France is important to scientists because it explains the civilization’s culture and history in painting and the people’s artistic talents and use of paints. Further, the quality and bright paintings show animals, bison, deer, bears [Fig.1-4] and large mammoth animals. The cave and the paintings are significant because there are generations of paintings amongst one another. For instance [Fig.5] shows a horse that was painted over of the bull and then some smaller horses that were painted over that. Therefore, the paintings were done over a long period of time with many different painters and represents different time periods; archeologists saw that the people lived in a cave beside this one, so this cave could have been more spiritual and if there was many animals painted in the cave the people would believe that there would be enough food for them in the forests (Bolman, n.d.) It also supports animism, which is the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls (Animism, 2014). The paintings reflect the development...
Art was the first written language and to study the history of art is to study the history of civilizations and humankind. The Paleolithic cave paintings in France, when viewed in the modern western perspective can only be speculated at as to the intent and/or purpose of the original artisans. Perhaps the paintings of animals were the focal point of a religious ceremony or ritual, surveyed before the hunt, to bring success or perhaps part of a celebration or documentation after the successful hunt. It appears that art from the earliest history into the Renaissance focuses around religious ceremonies of some type.