Cave art, also known as Paleolithic art, includes paintings, engravings, and sculptures created by early humans in prehistoric caves. Some of the most famous examples are paintings found in the caves of France and Spain that depict animals, human figures, and combinations of humans and beasts. These paintings were created using pigments like ochre applied to cave walls by hand or through blown tubes. While the meaning of cave art remains mysterious, it provides insight into the lives and cultures of early humans and the animals that existed at that time.

2. Summary of Cave Art
Cave Art (or Paleolithic Art) is a broad term for the earliest known
art-making in human history. This movement is perhaps best-
known today for the paintings found on the walls of many
prehistoric caves, rich in depictions of animals, human figures,
and forms that are a combination of man and beast. The tradition
of cave art also includes relief carvings and portable sculptural
objects. The art created by our earliest ancestors is at one level
alien and deeply mysterious to us, and yet it serves as a reminder
of the common humanity we share with its creators. It rarely fails
to dazzle and astound with its meticulous detail, abstract
gestures, and rich scope for imaginative speculation on its
meaning and origin.

3. Key Ideas & Accomplishments
The art made during the Paleolithic era is the only document left to us by
prehistoric people of their lives. For this reason, it is both vitally important and
steeped in mystery, with no written records to accompany or explain it.
Archaeologists, historians, and scholars have for centuries attempted to
decode the motivations behind cave art, but all we can confidently assume is
that these images and objects must have held great importance given the time
dedicated to creating them, particularly given the nomadic lifestyles that held
sway in this era.

4. Paleolithic art is found throughout the world and on every continent except
Antarctica. However, the most researched and well-known examples have
come from Europe. According to archaeologist Bruno David, the cave art of
France and Spain "has reached especially great fame over the past century,
capturing the imagination of the general public as well as attracting the
attention of archaeologists. "

5. Paleolithic art was made with the limited materials that were available at the
time. This includes natural pigments such as ochre and charcoal applied to
cave walls by using plants or the artists' hands as brushes. Mixtures and
powders would also have been blown onto walls through reed-like tubes or
using the mouth, while portable objects were often carved out of animal tusks
such as those of mammoths, using pieces of flint or rock.

6. There are key differences between the cave art traditions of different regions,
suggestions different functions or influences for cave art dependent on
geography. European images, for instance, rarely ever feature a human and
almost always depict animals. The majority of human representations that are
found on other continents, most notably in Africa and Australia.

7. Beginnings and Development
Earliest Humans to Make Art
It is impossible to state exactly when Homo sapiens (modern humans) began
to create works of art, but famous examples date back to at least 40,000 BCE.
However, the oldest known cave art was actually created by Neanderthals
(Homo neanderthalensis), a species closely related to us, in around 63,000
BCE. Other excavated objects date from still earlier but are the subject of
debate as to whether they simply resemble crafted objects by chance.

8. A good example of the latter dilemma is the discovery of fossil sponges dating back
to approximately 62,000 years ago, during the era of two early human species,
Homo erectus and Homo heidelbergensis (the latter sometimes recorded as a
subspecies of the former). Many of these sponges were discovered with holes
running all the way through. Some archaeologists believe these holes were made
intentionally and that the sponges were strung together, while others believe they
are naturally occurring, or that the holes simply developed over time as a result of
age and deterioration. If these holes were intentionally made and the sponges then
strung together and presumably worn, than this would be the earliest examples of
beads and an attempt by an early species at ornamentation and decoration of their
bodies.

9.  Two other early objects subject to a similar
debate are the Tan-Tan figurine found in
Morocco, dating to 50,000-30,000 years ago,
and the 20,000-year-old Berekhat Ram figurine
excavated in Israel. Both objects can be traced
back to the Homo erectus or Homo
heidelbergensis groups and suggest the
appearance of a simplified human figure but
may have naturally assumed that shape. If
they were created, then it supports an
argument that species of human older than
Homo sapiens had advanced minds and
aesthetic inclinations.

10. Dating Paleolithic Art
Authenticating the year that Paleolithic art was made created immediate
challenges for archeologists, and even today it can prove difficult to secure
consensus amongst scholars. The greatest aid to the process has been
through the use of carbon dating from the 1990s onwards. According to
archaeologist Bruno David, "carbon dating is [today] the most commonly used
method of absolute dating in cave art research, because some artworks
contain organic carbon in such materials as charcoal or beeswax that can be
reliably dated. "

11. However, even carbon dating is not always reliable in this context. As David
continues, "caution is needed, as black charcoal drawings [found in a cave],
for example, could have been done with old pieces of charcoal that had lain
on the ground surface for long periods of time." In the theoretical example
given, the age of the charcoal would be greater than that of the painting,
making verified dating difficult.

12. Concepts and Styles
Cave Paintings
 The most widely known form of Paleolithic art is probably
the creation of paintings on prehistoric cave walls and
ceilings. In many cases, even the discovery of these
drawings is steeped in intrigue and excitement. For
example, the famous depictions of bison and other
animals in the Cave of Altamira in Spain were discovered
in 1878 by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola and his young
daughter Maria while they were walking the grounds of
their vast property. At the time of discovery, French
experts questioned the authenticity and date of the
paintings, perhaps in part out of jealousy that the cave
was not in their own country. It was not until two decades
later that the paintings were officially recognized by the
archaeological community.

13.  The discovery of the Lascaux cave was also
the result of a fortuitous accident. In 1940,
when France was under German occupation
during World War Two, seven young boys
were out walking their dogs when they
discovered the opening to the cave on the
property of the Count of La Rochefoucauld
(they were trespassing at the time). Burrowing
their way through a partially revealed opening,
they entered the cave and, after exploring its
depths, found themselves in the beautifully
painted cavern today known as the Hall of
Bulls. The boys had unwittingly stumbled on
one of the most important prehistoric sites in
the world.

14. Once similar ancient caves began to be discovered all over the globe,
archaeologists and explorers unearthed a full range of often beautifully
rendered animals and figures. Using charcoal and other natural pigments
such as ochre, the early artists of the Paleolithic period transferred the
drawings onto the cave walls by hand, often with the aid of simple brushes
made of leaves or by blowing pigment through tubes of reeds.

15. Great debate and mystery surrounds the creation of these cave paintings.
Prehistoric humans were nomadic, traveling from place to place, and so the fact that
they based themselves in single locations long enough to create these extraordinary
likenesses imbues them with undeniable importance even if we will never know the
artists' intentions. At the very least, the figures provide a good record of the types of
animals that existed in certain locations during the Paleolithic age, some of which
are extinct today. The representation of wild beasts has also led many to believe
that the paintings served as records of the fauna available for hunting in the nearby
area. The appearance of dots alongside some of the animals, meanwhile, may imply
some sort of tally or count, implying that the works could have been used to record
the success of previous hunting trips.

16.  The frequent placement of these drawings high
up on cave walls or even on ceilings, generally
in remote areas towards the rears of caves,
has led to other theories as to why some of
these paintings were made. Effort would have
been required to reach many artwork sites,
and as they often appear above or alongside
wide-open spaces, some believe the drawings
were placed where groups could have
gathered for secret or guarded ceremonies,
perhaps in an attempt to will a good hunt. In
the Niaux cave in France, for example,
according to archaeologist Jean Clottes, "the
comparatively vast chambers would have been
able to accommodate relatively large groups."
This supports the theory of the drawings
having a ritual function.

17.  There are also important distinctions to be
made between the cave paintings found in
different parts of the world. Very few images of
the human forms other than the occasional
composite creature (half human, half animal)
are found in the caves of Europe. As author
Justin E. H. Smith notes of European cave art,
"Paleolithic artists were singularly interested in
the nonhuman mammals with which they
shared an environment...Unlike Australian and
southern African art from the same broad
period, cave art in Europe offers no depiction
of landscape, no horizon, no vegetation,
almost no depiction of human-animal
interaction, almost no hunting scenes."

18. By contrast, figures appear regularly in the cave art of Australia and Africa.
There is no known reason for this. However, many people tend to attach a
clearer religious function to non-European cave art, even suggesting that
images could be documents of shamanic or religious ceremonies.

19. Paleolithic Sculptures and Portable Art
In addition to cave paintings, the Paleolithic period boasts a rich variety of
sculptures and portable art (small objects that could be carried from place to
place). Works from this period includes representations of the human form,
most notably a number of "Venus" statues featuring women with enlarged
breasts, hips, and pubic areas; animals such as a lion carved from mammoth
ivory found in the Vogelherd Cave in Germany (40,000 years old); and
composite creatures such as the "lion-man" of the Hohlenstein-Stadel (40,000
years old).

21. As the earliest humans did not live in settled communities, their three-
dimensional artworks had to be small enough to carry with the pack as it
traveled from place to place. Early humans also had access to only the
crudest and simplest tools, such as pieces of flint, which they used to work on
relatively tough materials such as ivory. The painstaking care taken to create
these pieces supports the belief that they must have been of great
significance to prehistoric people.

22. Many different theories exist as to why portable artworks were made during the
Paleolithic era. According to K. Kris Hirst, "during the mid-twentieth century,
archaeologists and art historians explicitly connected portable art to shamanism.
Scholars compared the use of portable art by modern and historical groups and
recognized that portable art, specifically figural sculpture, was often related to
folklore and religious practices." Hirst goes on to speculate on other theories, noting
that, while "a spiritual element may well have been involved with portable art
objects...wider possibilities have since been put forward by archaeologists and art
historians." These include the idea of "portable art as personal ornamentation, toys
for children, teaching tools, or objects expressing personal, ethnic, social, and
cultural identity. "

23. Composite Creatures and Religious Expression
One of the most fascinating aspects of Paleolithic art is the creation of painted
and sculpted composite creatures. Sometimes referred to as therianthropes,
these forms combine certain human features with other, animal
characteristics. While not a common occurrence in cave art or ancient
sculpture, enough of these animal-human hybrids have been discovered to
support the idea of their importance to people of this era.

24. Notable examples of composite creatures in Paleolithic art include the "lion-
man" of the Hohlenstein-Stadel (40,000 years old), the "bird man" panel in the
Lascaux cave (16,000-14,000 BCE), and the figures found in San (Bushman)
rock art in South Africa, including a male figure with the head and hooves of
an antelope, holding on to the tail of a large beast. The depiction of imaginary
creatures suggests a highly developed frame of mind and creative faculties
amongst many early humans. These artists were not only interested in
capturing what they saw in the world around them, but also in forging new
worlds and sharing them with their communities, an urge that connects artists
of all eras.

26. The biggest mystery surrounding these composite creatures is around their
community function. Many believe that they had some kind of religious significance
and may have been depicted during ceremonies or rituals. According the Bradshaw
Foundation website, "some archaeologists believe that therianthropes represent
humans wearing costumes such as masks, antlers and animal skins. This may be
true literally, but the fact that the practice appears to be so universal [with composite
creatures found in caves all over the world and not limited to one geographic
location] suggests that it is also true figuratively; it is a metaphor that represents the
ancient belief involving the permeability of boundaries between the human and
animal worlds. This belief allowed people to pass from one domain to another.
Humans could be endowed with the qualities and characteristics of a particular
animal species."

27. Further Developments
As our world continues to be explored, there is still the possibility of more Paleolithic
art discoveries being made. A cave unearthed on the remote Indonesian Island of
Sulawesi in late 2019 suggests the range of finds. As Katherine J. Wu explains,
within the cave was discovered "a red-tinted painting depicting what appears to be a
vivid hunt or ritual. In the scene, two wild pigs and four anoas, or dwarf buffaloes,
scurry about as their apparent pursuers-mythical, humanoid figures sporting animal
features like snouts, beaks and tails-give chase, armed with rope- and spear-like
weapons. " With some historians ready to date the artwork as 44,000 years old, it
could be one of the oldest cave paintings ever discovered, although there is already
debate over the age of the piece amongst scholars.

29. With the excavation of ancient artistic sites occurring over centuries, theories as to
their provenance and role have changed along with social mores. Justin E. H. Smith
notes, for example, that "the first French scholars of cave art were mostly abbots
and priests, and they saw their work as contributing to the vast project of Catholic
apologetics...Their explicit concern was to find, in the symbolic world of early
inhabitants of the continent that would much later become Europe, evidence for an
awareness of the existence of a higher realm beyond the senses, and thus of a
mental and spiritual capacity that could eventually accommodate the truth of
Christianity. Over the twentieth century the discipline would develop into a proper
science." Today, there is a wide range of theories as to the function of Paleolithic art,
ranging from teaching and storytelling to the ideas of religious significance, mapping
and even hunting tallies already noted.

30. Cave art has, in any case, played an important role in the advancement of
theories around mental evolution during early human history. Bruno David
notes that "cave art, both as buried portable objects such as personal
adornments and as designs on rock walls, plays a key role in scientific
debates concerning the degree to which cognitive modernism evolved with, or
independently of, biological modernism. One reason for this is that artistic
expressions are 'proxies' for aesthetically loaded forms of representational
behavior, for the ability to simulate and think in abstract ways that also tap into
senses of appeal. "

31. The documentation of Paleolithic art has also allowed for increasingly
sophisticated technologies to be tested and utilized. Initially, sketches and
tracings had to be made on site, but scientific developments soon allowed
more accurate reproduction. According to David, "one of the most complex but
rewarding ways of documenting a site and its art is by making a high-precision
three-dimensional digital model. At the Chauvet Cave, the French government
not only commissioned such a three-dimensional recording, but then used it to
physically build a life-sized model of much of the cave so that the public can
see what the underground space looks like without detrimental effects to the
original cave itself. "

32. Legacy
With the development of Modernism during the early-twentieth century, many
artists became interested in ideas of untutored creative purity, leading to a
new wave of fascination with cave art. Pablo Picasso reportedly visited the
famous Altamira cave before fleeing Spain in 1934, and emerged saying:
"Beyond Altamira, all is decadence. " Since then, artists including Picasso's
fellow Cubist Amédée Ozenfant and the French Tachiste painter Pierre
Soulages have spoken of their fascination with ancient painting and sculpture,
and its influence on their practice. The British figurative painter Jenny Saville,
meanwhile, has spoken of the influence of the Venus of Willendorf on her
visceral depictions of female flesh.

33. Formal and thematic traits reminiscent of cave art can be found across a
number of modern and contemporary art movements, from Cubism to Abstract
Expressionism, and Art Brut. Picasso's depiction of bulls and other animals is
frequently reminiscent of the elementary line and shape of Altamira's beasts,
while Jackson Pollock explicitly honored ancient cave artists by leaving
handprints along the top edge of at least two of his paintings. Jean
Dubuffet sought to emulate the most instinctive and unschooled creative
gestures through his work in ways that often brought to mind the art of the
earliest human societies.

34. Land artists such as Giuseppe Penone, meanwhile, have brought a scale and
primitivism of gesture reminiscent of cave art to much of their work.
Penone's Sculptures of Lymph (2007), for example, involved covering walls
with tanned leather molded to the shape of tree bark, suggesting the texture
and atmospherics of the painted cave wall. The argument can even be made
that Graffiti art has its roots in the early cave paintings and the leaving of one's
mark on a wall traces back to the hand stencils made by the earliest humans.