Cave Art History

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Pages: 7

Cave art is a deep inspiration to everyone, it depicts the beginning of our species. The drawings on caves allow us to understand how our ancestors connect with the world and how they interpret it. Historic cave drawings are the first time mankind used symbols as a form of communication. The creation of cave art started around 36,000 years ago. The first artist’s drew depictions of animals. in fact, almost all of their art was of animals and it was rare to see one of a human being. The very first animal drawings were of predator animals such as lions and bears. Overtime the artists began drawing a wider variety of animals. The prehistoric artists drew about 500 animals over the course of thousand’s of years and it took up 400,000 square feet of cave walls. The first artist also used symbols and signs to communicate along cave walls. This was the oldest type of Paleolithic art. The symbols and other forms of cave art were all created in a similar way. First, they would outline the shape of their drawing. They would create this outline by …show more content…
The carvings they made into the rock added extra depth and dimensions to their art. The bull and cow bison were formed around a supporting rock. The figures were created out of wet clay and it is said that the finger strokes of the artist can still be seen going down the animal. The artist also used tools to carve into the clay and create some of the features. The cavern around them creates a real, 3D perception of the figures. The figures demonstrate bumps and curves, similar to the ones the real animals would have. People who have seen the sculpture say it almost appears to be real. The artwork was created 15,000 years ago and it is amazing it still reads so well today. Cracks surround the body due to the dying out of the clay and the amount of time they have remained