Palaeolithic cave paintings, definition, description, Lascaux and Altamira caves and differences with Neolithic paintings.

1. CAVE PAINTINGS.
Cave painting
involves the
application
of colour
pigments on the
walls, floors or
ceilings of
prehistoric rock
shelters and caves.
Cave paintings are
monochrome, made with
only one colour (usually
black) or polychrome
consisting of two or more
colours.
Chauvet Cave, France
Altamira, Cantabria, Spain.
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2. The development
of cave art coincided
with the displacement
of Neanderthal man by
Homo Sapiens Sapiens,
starting around 40,000
BC.
At least two hundred painted
caves have been found
throughout the Pyrenees regions
of southern France and northern
Spain.
Lascaux, France.
Cosquer Cave, France.
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3. The paintings primarily
depict animals but also
include occasional
human forms, a variety of
non-representational
symbols, human
handprints, and
engravings.
Pech Merle, France.
Cueva del Castillo, Cantabria, Spain.
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4. ENGRAVINGS.
Engraved drawing is
made by cutting lines in
the rock surface with a
flint or stone tool.
Piedra Siega Verde, Salamanca, Spain. Mazouco, Portugal
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5. ALTAMIRA
The cave is approximately 1000 meters
long. Around 13,000 years ago a
rockfall sealed the cave's entrance,
preserving its contents until its
Bison, horses, deer, hands,
and mysterious signs were
painted or engraved over the
9,000 years during which the
cave of Altamira was
inhabited (22,000- 13,000
years ago). These
representations extend for a
length of more than 270
metres throughout the cave
although the best known are
the famous polychrome
paintings.
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6. They used the natural
contours of the cave
walls to give their
subjects a three-
dimensional effect.
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7. LASCAUX.
The cave contains nearly 2,000
figures, which can be grouped
into three main categories:
animals, human figures, and
abstract signs. The paintings
contain no images of the
surrounding landscape or the
vegetation of the time.
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8. Most of the major images have
been painted using red, yellow,
and black colours from mineral
pigments,
including iron oxide
(ochre) and haematite for red
colour, goethite for yellow colour,
as well as manganese-containing
pigments. Charcoal may also have
been used for black colour. The
colour may have been applied
using animal fat.
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9. PALEOLITHIC AND NEOLITHIC PAINTINGS
THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHS
Lascaux, France. Barranco de la Valltorta, Castellón,
Spain.
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10. Recolector de miel, Ripol Perelló,
Spain.
Humans depicted not only animals, human figure is now
present in the wall paintings.
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11. Altamira, Cantabria, Spain.
Humans depicted scenes of the daily life.
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12. Even, human figures performing rituals.
Cogul, Lérida, Spain. A group of dancers.
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