{ Cave Art Auction
Jan 18, 2016
{Cave Art Auction
Do Now: Which of the six culture patterns are unique to humans?
Caves were painted in Africa, Asia, Spain, France.
Made from 40,000 BCE to 11,000 BCE
Different locations, different time periods…but the same subject matter and similar “look” How can we explain this?
Mostly animals! Scenes of hunting, of movement
Little human representation No landscape scenes
What does this mean about what was important to this society?
Similarities in Subject Matter
Similarities in the way these paintings looked
Animals all seem to have rounded bellies Legs were thin Outlined in Black Use of the natural cave colors
Artistic Tradition?
Cave painting was a way to represent the world around them and to give order and meaning to their world
That’s what we use culture for today! Modern examples?
Cave painting seems to be a tradition Similar subject matter over a span of 30,000 years
there were long-lasting value and belief systems Painting styles appear similar in all of these caves
common beliefs Evidence of Spirituality?
The Shaft Scene/ religious beliefs? The Unicorn/ common myths Handprint/ritual theory Worshipping animals?
Evidence of a Common Culture!
Finding Cave Art helped anthropologists, archeologists realize that these Ancient Humans were as intellectually sophisticated as we are!
This is the first evidence of humans that not only look like modern humans, but ACT like modern humans as well
Cave Art as a Turning Point
After visiting the Caves at Lascoux in 1940, Pablo Picasso famously said, “We have invented nothing new”…What did he mean by this quote?
Charcoal Drawing on Rock
Length of one animal: 100 cm
Chauvet Caves, France
35,000-22,000 years ago
Lot 1“Fighting Rhinoceroses and Four Horses’ Heads
Painting on Rock Length: 400 cm Pech-Merle
Caves, France 28,000-22,000
years ago
Lot 2:Panel of Black Dappled Horses
Painting on Rock Length of leftmost animal: 235 cm Lascaux Caves, France 22,000-17,000 years ago
Lot 3: Hall of the Bulls
Painting on Rock
Length of rightmost animal: 65 cm
Axial Callery Lascaux
Caves, France 22,000-17,000
years ago
Lot 4: Frieze of the Small Horses
Painting on Rock Length of animal: 103 cm Lascaux Caves, France 22,000-17,000 years ago
Lot 5: The Shaft Scene
Lot 6: Three Auks
• Drawing on rock• length of each animal: 26
cm• Chamber 2• Cosquer Cave, Marseille,
France• 20,000-17,000 years ago
Drawing on Rock Length: 52 cm Panel IV Niaux Cave, France 17,000-14,000 years
ago
Lot 7: The Beautiful Ibex and Small Horse under the Ibex
Drawing on RockLength: 147 cmPanel IVNiaux Caves, France17,000-14,000 years ago
Lot 8: The Unicorn