{Cave Art Auction

Do Now: Which of the six culture patterns are unique to humans?

Caves were painted in Africa, Asia, Spain, France.

Made from 40,000 BCE to 11,000 BCE

Different locations, different time periods…but the same subject matter and similar “look” How can we explain this?

Mostly animals! Scenes of hunting, of movement

Little human representation No landscape scenes

What does this mean about what was important to this society?

Similarities in Subject Matter

Similarities in the way these paintings looked

Animals all seem to have rounded bellies Legs were thin Outlined in Black Use of the natural cave colors

Artistic Tradition?

Cave painting was a way to represent the world around them and to give order and meaning to their world

That’s what we use culture for today! Modern examples?

Cave painting seems to be a tradition Similar subject matter over a span of 30,000 years

there were long-lasting value and belief systems Painting styles appear similar in all of these caves

common beliefs Evidence of Spirituality?

The Shaft Scene/ religious beliefs? The Unicorn/ common myths Handprint/ritual theory Worshipping animals?

Evidence of a Common Culture!

Finding Cave Art helped anthropologists, archeologists realize that these Ancient Humans were as intellectually sophisticated as we are!

This is the first evidence of humans that not only look like modern humans, but ACT like modern humans as well

Cave Art as a Turning Point

After visiting the Caves at Lascoux in 1940, Pablo Picasso famously said, “We have invented nothing new”…What did he mean by this quote?

Charcoal Drawing on Rock

Length of one animal: 100 cm

Chauvet Caves, France

35,000-22,000 years ago

Lot 1“Fighting Rhinoceroses and Four Horses’ Heads

Painting on Rock Length: 400 cm Pech-Merle

Caves, France 28,000-22,000

years ago 

Lot 2:Panel of Black Dappled Horses

Painting on Rock Length of leftmost animal: 235 cm Lascaux Caves, France 22,000-17,000 years ago

Lot 3: Hall of the Bulls

Painting on Rock

Length of rightmost animal: 65 cm

Axial Callery Lascaux

Caves, France 22,000-17,000

years ago

Lot 4: Frieze of the Small Horses

Painting on Rock Length of animal: 103 cm Lascaux Caves, France 22,000-17,000 years ago  

Lot 5: The Shaft Scene

Lot 6: Three Auks

• Drawing on rock• length of each animal: 26

cm• Chamber 2• Cosquer Cave, Marseille,

France• 20,000-17,000 years ago

Drawing on Rock Length: 52 cm Panel IV Niaux Cave, France 17,000-14,000 years

ago

Lot 7: The Beautiful Ibex and Small Horse under the Ibex

Drawing on RockLength: 147 cmPanel IVNiaux Caves, France17,000-14,000 years ago

Lot 8: The Unicorn