{"id":32,"date":"2021-09-30T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/makaylacrenshaw\/?p=32"},"modified":"2021-10-01T03:37:32","modified_gmt":"2021-10-01T03:37:32","slug":"the-prehistoric-leonardo-da-vincis-of-the-stone-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/makaylacrenshaw\/2021\/09\/30\/the-prehistoric-leonardo-da-vincis-of-the-stone-age\/","title":{"rendered":"The Prehistoric Leonardo Da Vinci’s of the Stone Age"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Makayla Crenshaw<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love history and art, so why not learn about the world’s first style of art known to mankind? Cave paintings are the first discovered art form that can date back to being more than 44,000 years old! Cave art started in the Upper Palaeolithic period (which is also known as the Stone Age). Various prehistoric caves have cave art spread across Europe: in areas such as France, Spain, England, and Italy. Cave art is also in Indonesia, the USA, South Africa, West Australia, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I often question, why does cave art exist? What purpose did these paintings serve in the Stone Age? Researchers believe that specific artistry like animal paintings was for magically attracting the animals for hunting purposes. The cave art paintings ranged from mythological storytelling of half-man\/half-animal creatures, an exhilarating day of hunting, to just a simple handprint. I also wonder, what did these prehistoric humans use for paint; what were the paints made of? To my surprise, humans were creative by using what was accessible to them. They collected earth pigments from red ochre, yellow ochre, umber, charcoal mixed with spit or animal fat, burnt bones, and grounded calcite to create different colours; and painted by using their hands, spearing, dabbing, and spraying pigments onto the caves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In general, the main idea of cave paintings was to make markings of proof of ancient human existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cave Paintings:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were three popular types of cave paintings done in the past: handprints<\/strong>, animals<\/strong>, and stories<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handprints<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Prehistoric
Cave of hands, Argentina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As I mentioned earlier, ancient humans wanted to create their mark; they did so by decorating their caves with handprints. Handprint paintings came in either prints or stencils and typically were, painted with red, white, or black pigment. A hand would be painted and pressed onto the wall; or placed on the rock’s surface with pigment blown through a hollow tube, leaving a hand silhouette. If the painting were stenciled, then people back then would spit pigment directly onto the wall by mouth or by painting around the stencil with a pad\/brush dipped into pigment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Animals<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"10
Altamira Cave, Northern Spain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ancient humans enjoyed painting animals and creatures, whether they were mythological or real. Some researchers believe that painting animals would influence the success of their hunt, exert dominance over larger animals, or increase the fertility of herds in the wild. Some other types of animal paintings portray shamanic rituals, meaning the conversion of shamans into and out of animal forms or other ritual trances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stories<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stories
Magura Cave, North-Eastern Bulgaria.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What I find most interesting about cave art is its storytelling. The art in the image above is from the Magura Cave, made from bat guano (bat excrement), and on top, it portrays people dancing, and on the bottom, there are people hunting animals. Interestingly, some paintings have creatures that carry out human and animal-like qualities are called “therianthropes.” Therianthropes appear in various stories and myths across cultures. They appear as “gods, spirits, or ancestral beings.” In different caves across the world: storytelling cave art has a common theme of telling folklore, religious myths, spiritual beliefs, and more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citations:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/blackswamjourneys.com\/stories-in-stonerock-art-across-the-world.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.touropia.com\/prehistoric-cave-paintings\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/www.webexhibits.org\/pigments\/intro\/early.html<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/artanddesign\/2019\/dec\/12\/humans-were-not-centre-stage-ancient-cave-art-painting-lascaux-chauvet-altamira<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Origin of the World\u2019s Art: Prehistoric Cave Painting<\/a><\/blockquote>