|The cave paintings of Lascaux.
Legend has it that Pablo Picasso remarked upon emerging from a
visit to Lascaux cave that, "we have discovered nothing new in art in 17,000
years." The beautiful artwork from this ancient era is a reminder of our
innate impulse to create. Amazingly, research is showing that at the time
that the Lascaux paintings were being made (the upper Paleolithic era), humans
were using almost all of the major representational techniques already, from
oil and water- based painting to engraving and sculpture. "Primitive"
artists were also using sophisticated techniques of perspective and
shading. In many of the cave drawings, animals are drawn in a way that
suggests motion and were carefully situated so that the natural shape of the
cave walls gave them the strong illusion of three-dimensional form.
There have been so many theories and
counter-theories proposed by scientists over time about the purpose of this
prehistoric art. We will never know for sure. The interesting thing
is that the tribes of hunter/gatherers devoted many precious resources to
support the countless hours necessary for making the cave paintings and carving
the cave sculptures. All the evidence suggests that the caves where the
paintings and sculptures exist were heavily used by the entire tribe.
|Cave painting of the Megaloceros at Lascaux.
All we truly can know is that there was an impulse
to make the art by these first plein air painters and that the art was very important, perhaps even necessary in
the everyday life of the early hominids. Whether or not the drawings were
simply an early form of information gathering and networking, one cannot deny
that by any aesthetic standards, they are inspiring and exciting to see. One also cannot truly appreciate these works through photographs. The
cave itself is an active participant in the art experience.
We don't know why humans need to create visions of beauty and
art, but the evidence so far indicates this impulse to process our experiences
by the creation of objects and pictures has been with us for many tens of
thousands of years.
For more on
these interesting topics, including a mini-tour of the Dordogne River Vallery,
where the Lascaux caves are, visit us at The Artist's Road.
-John & Ann