Prehistoric and Ancient Painting

Cave Painting, Lascaux

This portion of the cave painting in Lascaux, France, was done by Paleolithic artists in about 13,000 bc. The leaping cow and group of small horses were painted with red and yellow ochre that was either blown through reeds onto the wall or mixed with animal fat and applied with reeds or thistles. It is believed that prehistoric hunters painted these to gain magical powers that would ensure a successful hunt.

The earliest known Western paintings were executed deep within caves of southern Europe during the Paleolithic period, some 15,000 to 20,000 years ago. The early development of painting continued in the Mediterranean littoral.

Chauvet Cave Art
The Chauvet cave paintings in southeastern France are some of the oldest and most spectacular examples of Ice Age art ever found. The red and black drawings and engravings depict a wide range of animals, from the more common horses and bison to the rarer lions and rhinoceroses. Dating techniques suggest that the paintings are 32,000 years old.

Cave Paintings

Cave Painting, Lascaux This portion of the cave painting in Lascaux, France, was done by Paleolithic artists in about 13,000 bc. The leaping cow and group of small horses were painted with red and yellow ochre that was either blown through reeds onto the wall or mixed with animal fat and applied with reeds or thistles. It is believed that prehistoric hunters painted these to gain magical powers that would ensure a successful hunt.Bridgeman Art Library, London/New York

The paintings still preserved on the walls of caves in Spain and southern France portray with amazing accuracy bison, horses, and deer. These representations were painted in bright colors composed of various minerals ground into powders and mixed with animal fat, egg whites, plant juices, fish glue, or even blood and applied with brushes made of twigs and reeds, or blown on. The pictures may have been part of a magic ritual, although their exact nature is unclear. In a cave painting at Lascaux, France, for example, a man is depicted among the animals, and several dark dots are included; the purpose of the design remains obscure, but shows the cave dwellers' ability to record their thoughts with images, signs, and symbols. See Paleolithic Art.

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