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![ Rock art and paintings
The rock shelters and caves of Bhimbetka have a large number of paintings.
The oldest paintings are found to be 10,000 years old,[9][10][11][12][13]
but some
of the geometric figures date to as recently as the medieval period. The
colours used are vegetable colours which have endured through time
because the drawings were generally made deep inside a niche or on inner
walls. The drawings and paintings can be classified under seven different
periods.
Period I – (Upper Paleolithic): These are linear representations, in green and
dark red, of huge figures of animals such as bison, tigers and rhinoceroses.[
dubious – discuss][citation needed]
Period II – (Mesolithic): Comparatively small in size the stylised figures in
this group show linear decorations on the body. In addition to animals there
are human figures and hunting scenes, giving a clear picture of the
weapons they used: barbed spears, pointed sticks, bows and arrows.[14][15][29]
Some scenes are interpreted as depicting tribal war between three tribes
symbolised by their animal totems.[1][30]
The depiction of communal dances,
birds, musical instruments, mothers and children, pregnant women, men
carrying dead animals, drinking and burials appear in rhythmic movement.
[14][15][29]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/cavepaintings-250808051452-e9544ce3/75/CAVE-PAINTINGS-pptCAVE-PAINTINGS-pptCAVE-PAINTINGS-pptCAVE-PAINTINGS-ppt-13-2048.jpg)
![ Period III – (Chalcolithic) Similar to the paintings of the Mesolithic,
these drawings reveal that during this period the cave dwellers of this
area were in contact with the agricultural communities of
the Malwa plains, exchanging goods with them.
Period IV & V – (Early historic): The figures of this group have a
schematic and decorative style and are painted mainly in red, white
and yellow. The association is of riders, depiction of religious symbols,
tunic-like dresses and the existence of scripts of different periods. The
religious beliefs are represented by figures of yakshas, tree gods and
magical sky chariots.[citation needed]
Period VI & VII – (Medieval): These paintings are geometric linear and
more schematic, but they show degeneration and crudeness in their
artistic style. The colors used by the cave dwellers were prepared by
combining black manganese oxides, red hematite and charcoal.
The paintings are classified largely in two groups, one as depiction of
hunters and food gatherers, while other one as fighters, riding on
horses and elephant carrying metal weapons. the first group of
paintings dates to prehistoric times while second one dates to historic
times.[31][32]
Most of the paintings from historic period depicts battles
between the rulers carrying swords, spears, bows and arrows.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/cavepaintings-250808051452-e9544ce3/75/CAVE-PAINTINGS-pptCAVE-PAINTINGS-pptCAVE-PAINTINGS-pptCAVE-PAINTINGS-ppt-14-2048.jpg)
CAVE PAINTINGS.pptCAVE PAINTINGS.pptCAVE PAINTINGS.pptCAVE PAINTINGS.ppt
- 2. Prehistoric Cave paintings PrehistoricCave paintings
- 3. ICE AGE –STONE AGE ICE AGE – STONE AGE • Earliest upright human beings came into existence 4.4 million years ago. • Homo sapiens (“wise humans”) appeared about 200,000 years ago. • Earliest humans from Africa. • As the Ice Age glaciers receded, humans spread across Asia, into Europe, and finally to Australia and the Americas PRE-HISTORIC PERIODS PRE-HISTORIC PERIODS • Paleolithic Paleolithic - (35,000 – 8,000 BCE) (35,000 – 8,000 BCE) Old Stone Age - Paleo = old / Lithic = stone • Mesolithic Mesolithic - (8,000 – 4,000 BCE) Middle Stone Age - Meso = middle / Lithic = stone • Neolithic Neolithic - (6,000 – 1500 BCE) New Stone Age - Neo = new / Lithic = stone • Bronze Age - Bronze Age - (2300 - 1000 BCE) Bronze - alloy metal made from tin and copper. • Iron Age - Iron Age - (1000 BCE - ) Iron – cutting tools and weapons made from iron or steel
- 4. • Cave paintingsare paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. • The earliest European cave paintings date to some 32,000 years ago. • The purpose of the Paleolithic cave paintings is not known. • The evidence suggests that they were not merely decorations of living areas, since the caves in which they have been found do not have signs of ongoing habitation. • Also, they are often in areas of caves that are not easily accessed. CAVE PAINTINGS CAVE PAINTINGS
- 5. Prehistoric cave paintings Prehistoriccave paintings Prehistoric cave paintings have been discovered in caves around the world, such as the Chauvet and Lascaux caves in France, the Altamira cave in Spain, the Cueva de las Manos in Argentina, Aboriginal Rock Art in Australia and the Drakensberg Rock Artof the African Bushmen, to name but a few. These paintings are not just the simple, childlike drawings that one might expect from very primitive, almost pre-human artists. In many cases they exhibit amazing use of color, composition and perspective, as well as a fine grasp of the anatomical structure of the animals portrayed. Ever since these paintings were discovered in the last centuries, there has been much speculation over why early humans created such artistic masterpieces. While no fully agreed upon answers have as yet been produced, it is undeniable that the existence of these amazing artworks has radically changed our understanding of our very early ancestors and what it means to be human. And that is all on top of the fact that they are just remarkable works of art that are a total joy to look at!
- 6. spotted hyena paintingfound in the Chauvet Cave THEMES OF THE CAVE PAINTINGS • The most common themes in cave paintings are large wild animals, such as bison, horses, aurochs, and deer, and tracings of human hands as well as abstract patterns, called finger flutings. • Drawings of humans were rare and are usually schematic rather than the more naturalistic animal subjects. • One explanation for this may be that realistically painting the human form was "forbidden by a powerful religious taboo.” • The main themes in the paintings and other artifacts (powerful beasts, risky hunting scenes and the representation of women in the Venus figurines) are the fantasies of adolescent males, who made a big part of the human population at the time. • Sometimes the silhouette of the animal was incised in the rock first. Cueva de las Manos (Spanish for Cave Cueva de las Manos (Spanish for Cave of the Hands)in Argentina of the Hands)in Argentina
- 7. • Humans hadnot learned to write during the prehistoric time period. They communicated through cave paintings. while other theories ascribe them a religious or ceremonial purpose. • Most of the paintings were of animals. However, there are a few paintings that have human figures either in etchings or in a painting, like the scene in Lascaux of the Dead Man. The face of the dead man is represented by a bird’s face, but it is the body of a human. Perhaps they did not want to portray a human face, thinking that it might take the soul. • There are three theories that the prehistoric man might have painted animals on the walls of the caves. • Perhaps the cave man wanted to decorate the cave and chose animals because they were important to their existence. • The second theory could have been that they considered this magic to help the hunters. Perhaps if the artist could capture the image of the animal, they could capture the animal in a hunt. • Prehistoric man could have used the painting of animals on the walls of caves to document their hunting expeditions. THEORIES ABOUT THE CAVE PAINTINGS THEORIES ABOUT THE CAVE PAINTINGS
- 8. Cave paintingsare found all over the world and vary quite considerably in the techniques used to create them as well as in the themes of the images. Prehistoric people would have used natural objects to paint the walls of the caves. • To etch into the rock, they could have used sharp tools or a spear. • The paint or color that they probably used was from berries, red and yellow ochre, hematite, manganese dioxide, clay, soot, or charcoal. • Many cave paintings are polychromatic made with mineral pigments, such as manganese, gypsum, malachite, hematite and the like, applied to the surface of the rock. • The tools used to apply the paint could have been made by attaching straw, leaves, moss, or hair to sticks. • They might have used hollow bones or reeds to spray the color on, similar to an airbrush technique. METHODS OF PAINTING One of the bisons on the ceiling of Altamira in Spain, representing the final stage of polychrome art in which four shades of colour are used. •Another common image in cave paintings is the human handprint. This element is found both in the common positive print form, in which a pigment was applied to the hand and then transferred to the rock. •A different technique, also found in many locations, involves spraying around a hand to produce a negative image.
- 9. Interpretation of CavePaintings The meaning of cave paintings has been discussed and disputed by scientists and lay people alike ever since these magnificent artworks were discovered. It is generally agreed that they served some purpose beyond mere decoration, although they are delightful to look at, since they are most often located in caves that have little sign of human habitation, or in a deeper section of the caves which was more difficult to access and appeared to be used only in connection with the artworks. Since many of the images are of animals that were hunted by the artists, it has been suggested that the paintings relate to the hunt. Perhaps they painted the animals they had killed in honor of them and their spirits; or perhaps they painted the animals prior to hunting expeditions, hoping that by painting them they would somehow cause the hunt to be successful; or perhaps they were just an account of successful hunts, or narratives of the life experiences of the artist who maybe painted animals he saw not those he killed, such as the frieze of swimming deer in the cave at Lascaux.
- 10. A moreritualistic interpretation has also been suggested for some of the paintings, particularly in locations where many hands are found. Rather than signatures of the artists's works, these hand prints appear as the paintings themselves. Since hand prints in the Cave of the Hands appear to be of young people, not fully grown men, it has been suggested that they are part of a "coming of age" ritual marking the transition from adolescence into manhood. Perhaps as each young man was accepted as an adult in the society he painted his hand print on the wall of this special cave. It has also been suggested that the images in many caves were painted by shamans, religious leaders who entered a trance state to contact the spiritual world. This type of interpretation is supported by the Bushmen (or San) of Africa, surviving hunter-gatherer tribesmen, who have agreed that their art represents shaman painting images from the spirit world after entering into a trance.
- 11.
- 12. Bhimbetka rock painting Bhimbetkarock painting The Bhimbetka rock shelters exhibit the earliest traces of human life in India; a number of analyses suggest that some of these shelters were inhabited by humans for in excess of 100,000 years. The earliest paintings on the cave walls are believed to be of the Mesolithic period, dating to 12,000 years ago. The most recent painting, consisting of geometric figures, date to the medieval period. Executed mainly in red and white with the occasional use of green and yellow, the paintings depict the lives and times of the people who lived in the caves, including scenes of childbirth, communal dancing and drinking, religious rites and burials, as well as indigenous animals. Animals such as bisons, tigers, lions, and crocodiles have also been abundantly depicted in some caves.
- 13. Rock artand paintings The rock shelters and caves of Bhimbetka have a large number of paintings. The oldest paintings are found to be 10,000 years old,[9][10][11][12][13] but some of the geometric figures date to as recently as the medieval period. The colours used are vegetable colours which have endured through time because the drawings were generally made deep inside a niche or on inner walls. The drawings and paintings can be classified under seven different periods. Period I – (Upper Paleolithic): These are linear representations, in green and dark red, of huge figures of animals such as bison, tigers and rhinoceroses.[ dubious – discuss][citation needed] Period II – (Mesolithic): Comparatively small in size the stylised figures in this group show linear decorations on the body. In addition to animals there are human figures and hunting scenes, giving a clear picture of the weapons they used: barbed spears, pointed sticks, bows and arrows.[14][15][29] Some scenes are interpreted as depicting tribal war between three tribes symbolised by their animal totems.[1][30] The depiction of communal dances, birds, musical instruments, mothers and children, pregnant women, men carrying dead animals, drinking and burials appear in rhythmic movement. [14][15][29]
- 14. Period III– (Chalcolithic) Similar to the paintings of the Mesolithic, these drawings reveal that during this period the cave dwellers of this area were in contact with the agricultural communities of the Malwa plains, exchanging goods with them. Period IV & V – (Early historic): The figures of this group have a schematic and decorative style and are painted mainly in red, white and yellow. The association is of riders, depiction of religious symbols, tunic-like dresses and the existence of scripts of different periods. The religious beliefs are represented by figures of yakshas, tree gods and magical sky chariots.[citation needed] Period VI & VII – (Medieval): These paintings are geometric linear and more schematic, but they show degeneration and crudeness in their artistic style. The colors used by the cave dwellers were prepared by combining black manganese oxides, red hematite and charcoal. The paintings are classified largely in two groups, one as depiction of hunters and food gatherers, while other one as fighters, riding on horses and elephant carrying metal weapons. the first group of paintings dates to prehistoric times while second one dates to historic times.[31][32] Most of the paintings from historic period depicts battles between the rulers carrying swords, spears, bows and arrows.
- 15. Bhimbetka rock painting Bhimbetkarock painting
- 16. Altamira Cave Paintingsin Spain Altamira Cave Paintings in Spain Discovered in the late 19th century, the Altamira Cave in northern Spain was the first cave in which prehistoric paintings were discovered. The paintings were of such an astounding quality that the scientific society doubted their authenticy and even accused it’s discoverer Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola of forgery. Many people simply did not believe prehistoric man had the intellectual capacity to produce any kind of artistic expression. It was not until 1902 when the paintings were acknowledged as genuine. The artworks at Altamira are really outstanding, incredibly beautiful, even by contemporary standards. They evidence wonderful use of colors, which the artists used natural dyes to create. These artists also made use of the natural contours of the cave walls to give their images a three-dimensional impact. The Altamira cave paintings include a few images of animals like horses, a deer, and goats, as well as a number of human handprints. But it is the large herd of bison thundering across the ceiling that captures our imagination the most. The charcoal and ochre images of horses, bison and handprints in the Altamira Cave are among the best preserved cave paintings in the world.
- 17. Bisons, from theCaves at Altamira, circa 15000 BC
- 19. French Cave Artat Lascaux Nicknamed “the prehistoric Sistine Chapel”, the Lascaux Caves are a cave complex in southwestern France decorated with some of the most impressive and famous cave paintings in the world. The Lascaux paintings are estimated to be 17,000 years old. Most of the cave paintings are situated quite a distance away from the entrance and must have been created with the aid of candles. The most famous cave painting is The Great Hall of the Bulls where bulls, horses and deers are depicted. One of the bulls is 5.2 meters (17 feet) long, the largest animal discovered so far in any cave. The Lascaux caves in France are famous for their numerous cave paintings, realistic portrayals of a variety of large animals. There are depictions of bison, aurochs (an extinct type of wild ox), horses, deer, and felines, all animals known to have existed in Paleolithic times, as well as one single man. The man is dead, lying on the ground with a broken spear beside him, apparently defeated by a bison. Due to the damage resulting from too many people visiting the caves, the Lascaux paintings have been permanently closed to the public. The French government has built Lascaux II near the site where tourists can see a copy of the original cave.
- 20. Paleolithic Bulls andOther Animals Crowd Calcite Walls at Lascaux, France
- 21. Chauvet Cave TheChauvet Cave in southern France contains some of earliest known prehistoric cave paintings in the world. Based on radiocarbon dating the oldest paintings in the cave may be up to 32,000 years old. It was first explored in 1994 by a team of archaeologists including Jean- Marie Chauvet, hence its name. Another French archaeologist, Jean Clottes, also carried out detailed research at the site. The cave contains hundreds of animal paintings, including several species not found in other prehistoric paintings. In this cave the paintings are not just of the animals that would have been hunted by the artists and which are usually found in cave paintings (horses, deer, bison), but also many predators are depicted in the Chauvet cave, including bears, lions, panthers, hyenas and rhinoceroses. These paintings contain images of animals such as the ibex, mammoth, horses, lions, bears, rhinos and lions. Advanced techniques such as the use of perspective is clearly demonstrated in the ‘panel of horses’ which shows several animals on the same plane.
- 22. Hyena in Chauvetcave
- 23. Drakensberg Rock Art DrakensbergRock Art The Bushmen or San of South Africa and neighboring Botswana and Namibia are famous for their beautiful cave paintings. The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, and some 20,000 rock paintings have been found in its numerous caves and overhangs. There are incredible images of a variety of animals including rhinoceros, elephant, and various antelope species. Originally thought by Europeans to be primitive, crude representations of hunting scenes, lacking perspective and three-dimensionality, these artworks gradually became appreciated for their exquisite color and fine detail. San Rock Art, Monk's Cowl, Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
- 24. Cueva de lasManos in Argentina Cueva de las Manos in Argentina Cueva de las Manos, in English "Cave of the Hands," so called because of the numerous painted hands found there, is located in the Patagonian region within Argentina. The cave has a collection of paintings of people, animals such as guanacos (camelids), rheas (flightless birds) and other animals native to South America, hunting scenes and geometric shapes. However it is the collection of hands that is most striking and has attracted the greatest attention. Most of the hands are left hands, which suggests that painters held a spraying pipe with their right hand. The paintings are thought to have been created between 13,000 and 9,500 years ago. Cave of the Hands
- 26. Magura Cave TheMagura Cave is one of the largest caves in Bulgaria located in the northwest part of the country. The cave walls are decorated by prehistoric cave paintings dating back about 8000 to 4000 years ago. More than 700 drawings have been discovered on the cave walls. They are painted with bat guano (bat excrement) and represent hunting and dancing people as well as a large variety of animals.
- 27. Serra da Capivara Serrada Capivara The Serra da Capivara National Park in northeast Brazil is home to numerous rock shelters that are decorated with cave paintings. The paintings include scenes of rituals and hunting, trees and animals capivaras. Some scientists believe that the oldest cave paintings in the park are created 25,000 years ago. The stone artefacts are better preserved because of the absence of waterfalls here.
- 28. Laas Gaal Laas Gaal Laas Gaal is a complex of caves and rock shelters in northwestern Somalia that contain some of the earliest known rock art in the Horn of Africa and the African continent in general. The prehistoric cave paintings are estimated to be between 11,000 and 5,000 years old. They show cows in ceremonial robes accompanied by humans, domesticated dogs and even a giraffe. The cave paintings are excellently preserved and retain their clear outlines and strong colors.
- 29. Tadrart Acacus Tadrart Acacus Tadrart Acacus form a mountain range in the Sahara desert of western Libya. The area is known for its rock paintings dating from 12,000 BC to 100 AD. The paintings reflect the changing environment of the Sahara desert which used to have a much wetter climate. Nine thousand years ago the surroundings were green with lakes and forests and with large herds of wild animals as demonstrated by rock paintings at Tadrart Aracus of animals such as giraffes, elephants and ostriches.
- 30. Kakadu Rock Paintings KakaduRock Paintings Located in the Northern Territory of Australia, Kakadu National Park contains one of the greatest concentrations of Aboriginal art sites in Australia. Approximately 5000 art sites have been discovered in Kakadu along the escarpment and on rock outliers. The Aboriginal painting are estimated to range in age from 20,000 years to the recent present although most of the paintings are less than 1500 years old. The site at Ubirr has some of the finest examples of “X-ray art” in the world. The Aboriginals not only painted the outside but also the bones and internal organs of the animals.
- 31. Aboriginal Rock ArtPainting of a White Kangaroo at Australia