Cave Paintings Essay - 958 Words

Creating art is one of the single defining factors that set humans apart from animal species. Through art, humans are able to express their innermost ideas and feelings, without having the difficulty of trying to find the correct words to accurately describe their thought processes. Works of art can help us to understand the people who have come before us. This is evidenced by the knowledge humans have discovered of prehistoric men and their symbolic cave paintings. The expression, style, and meaning vary and archaeologists put in much effort to uncover these works. The first evidence of cave art appeared in Western Europe (Berenguer 67). Early cave paintings were characteristic of Western art. They were supported by an acute vision,†¦show more content†¦It is often found to be extremely animalistic. The animals most commonly depicted are horses, deer, reindeer, bison, ipex, aurochs, woolly rhinoceroses, and mammoths. Sometimes lions and bears are also created, but rarely fi sh or birds. Humans were also commonly represented (Berenguer 73). Prehistoric men also created abstract designs that have proven hard to identify. They are referred to as signs and a special nomenclature has been developed to better understand their meaning. Tectiforms are generally quadrangular shapes, with crossing vertical lines inside forming a trellis or mesh design. Tectiforms often appear near naturalistic figures of animals. Scutiforms have been thought to represent the female vulva. They are formed by red patches, often in the form of a comma or a key. Other types of signs are penniforms, ramiforms, and claviforms. The exact meanings of most of these signs remain unknown (Berenguer 82). The French scholar Leroi-Gourhan formed a theory regarding the animalistic and abstract art representations. He believed all depictions revolved around the law of sex, noting that the philosophy of the prehistoric men concentrated all explanations on sex and sexual relations. Cave art depic tions of animals are divided into male and female. The male animals are horses, she-goats, and deer. Bison, bovidae, and mammoths are female. The signs are also divided into gender categories. Triangles, rectangles, ramiforms, tectiforms, and scutiforms areShow MoreRelatedEssay on Cave Paintings1253 Words   |  6 Pages The Cave of Lascaux and Cave Art nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Cave paintings might possibly be the oldest known form of communication that exists today. Cave paintings date back to a period of time called the Paleolithic Age. The Paleolithic Age took place from 40,000 to 10,000 B.C. Prehistoric Age is divided into three parts: Paleolithic being the earliest, Mesolithic being the middle at 10,000 B.C. and Neolithic Age being the latest at 8,000 B.C. During the Paleolithic Age it is believed thatRead More The Unwritten History of Cave Paintings Essay1613 Words   |  7 Pageswas cave painting. Cave painting is a form of prehistoric art that dates back hundreds of thousands of years. Analysts are unable to specify the reasoning behind these paintings of objects on cave walls, but many theories have been formulated to surmise the rational behind the art. Questions arise like, â€Å"why did man find a need to paint the walls of caves† and is this part of the foundation of the origin of human life as we know it? ( Beacon) The ecumenical belief is rooted at history, cave paintingsRead MoreCave Paintings Such As Those At Lascaux And Altamira2077 Words   |  9 Pages What are common motifs found in cave paintings such as those at Lascaux and Altamira? 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The cave dates to around 30,000 years ago and there is a unique aspect of how everythingRead MoreThe Cave Paintings Of Chauvet Pont D Arc Cave1038 Words   |  5 Pages The cave paintings of Chauvet-Pont-D Arc are one of the oldest prehistoric sites in the world. It is located in the Ardeche region of southern France. Chauvet-Pont-D Arc cave was only discovered as recently as 1994. Jean-Marie Chauvet and his team of cavers just happened to stumble upon it when they removed a rumble of stones that blocked the passageway (Introduction to the Cave). This is such an extraordinary piece of art history due to the time period a nd what it can tell us about our historyRead MoreDiscovering Prehistory : Chapter 11687 Words   |  7 Pages The author Joy McCorriston, was a student at the Institute of Archaeology in London and found out about the chance to visit the Lascaux cave from a radio show contest. Although she didn’t â€Å"win† she was lucky enough to join the tour. She listens to stories from Monsieur Jaceues Marshal, a discoverer of the cave and the cave’s guard as she gets to tour the cave. Lascaux Cave’s discovery had come about because four local boys found a hiding place to tease and abandon an outsider, a Jewish boy sentRead MoreThe Evolution of Graphic Design792 Words   |  3 Pagessets were popular, painting was the main form of graphic design. Paintings date back through time to the Paleolithic ages when paintings were made on the cave walls of local tribes. It is speculated by Josà © Luis Sanchidrià ¡n, that the earliest paintings were most likely to have been created by Neanderthals instead of early modern humans. One notable example of an ancient painting is the Grott e Chauvet, located in France and estimated to be about 32,000 years old. 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In this essay I am going to discuss what made the features on the cave so special? And why were they made? The stunning prehistoric cave art at AltamiraRead MoreIran Before and After the Revolution Essay794 Words   |  4 Pageshuman was creating markings on the surfaces of the caves and , since the down of civilization , on the walls of ancient structures Although in certain cases motivations to produce such marks are covered by mystery , wall paintings , and engravings definitely serve as factual evidence of humans presence along various locations . The appearance and production of techniques of graffiti have been varying throughout decades , but cave paintings of prehistoric period , ancient engravings , or