Cave Art

Stone Age
 Cave Art

The earliest form of art which has survived is

often referred as “Cave Art”. That period is also
known as stone age because in that period most
of the work was done by the help of stones. It has
been found around the world from Europe Australia
Africa and China. Stone age is divided into three
periods.

1. Paleolithic
2. Mesolithic
3. Neolithic
 Paleolithic
It is prehistoric era. It is also known as the old stone age.In that period the stone
tools were developed. It’s covers the greatest portion of humanity time on earth
With the introduction of stone tools.

Mesolithic
Mesolithic means:- Meso means middle it is a Greek world litho means stone. It means
The middle stone age. It was the period of development between upper Paleolithic and
Neolithic periods of the stone age.

Neolithic
New stone age was a period in the development of human technology. It is the last part
Of the stone age beginning with the rise of farming which produced the “ Neolithic
Revolution” and ending when metal tools became widespread in the Copper Age.
 Cave Paintings (40,000-10,000 BC)
Cave or rock art consists of engraved or painted
work on floors walls and ceilings of
Caves. This was created during the upper
Paleolithic period.
The 1st cave art was discovered in 1860s.
The best was done by Magdalenian's.
People who flourished in Europe from 18000 to
10000 BC
Unity in work.
Can be described as the Magdalenian’s system.

Way of Life.
They were living in shape of tribes that ranged from 25-50 members.
Human were living a hunter gather life style.
Food ,Firewood, tools, clothes, shelter.
They used tiny stone lamps for light that filled with fat of animals.
Tools of stone, bone and wood.
Upper Paleolithic people used caves harpoons.
 Subject Matter
The hunter artist engraved and painted on the
walls pictures of animals Mammoth, Bison ,
Reindeer, Horse, Boar , Wolf , Humans , Bulls ,
Mother Goddess , tracing of Human hands.
Subject matter is animals not humans.
Rock formations were used to give variety.
Fine engraving is rare.
Some of there engravings are like sculptural
low reliefs.

Tools.
Blow pipes: They could use blow pipe reeds to
trace out lines of figures and put pigment
on out of each surfaces.Bird Bones
Stone Scraper : Stone scrapers for smoothing
the wall and sharp flint points for engraving.

Materials
A large flat bone served as a palette make brushes from reeds or bristles.
 Colors
For drawing they used chunks of red and yellow, ocher for painting ground some ocher's
into powders that he blew onto the wall or mixed with some medium like animal fat, before
applying.
Red, Yellow, Ocher, Charcoal.

Purpose

Purpose is not known and may never be. The evidence suggest that they were not merely
Decorations of living area. A way of transmitting information, religious or ceremonial
purpose.
 MESOLITHIC PERIOD ( 8500 BC to 4000 BC )
Characteristics
• Settlements along rivers and lakes shores.
• Pottery and the use of Bow developed.
• Trust on bow hunting over spear hunting.
• Pottery and the use of bow developed.
• Wide variety of hunting, fishing and gathering food.
• They used fruits, nuts, wild cereal crops.
• Moving in small extended family groups.
• Made complex tools, domesticated dogs for the
wild wolves.

Example
Marching Warriors.

5 warriors in it. It’s only nine inches in width.

They are in marching posture.
Also wearing headdress.
Artistic characteristics.
• Spotted Horses and negative hand in prints.
• Horses with dots.
• The artist approach to the figure is naturalistic.
• Each painting reflects the keen observation and
extraordinary memory of hunter artist.
• The artist saw and recorded only those expects
that were important to explain the
appearance and character of the animal.
• It’s grace, cunning, dignity or ferocity.

Motifs
• The naturalistic pictures of animals are with geometric signs some of which seem to
represent man made structures or checkers, dots, squares or other arrangements of lines.
• In many places where artist painted his hand against the wall and then painted or
blew pigment around it.
• He would dip his hand in paint and then press it against the wall, leaving a positive
imprint. These hand paints may had been magical.
• Significance or may simply have been the signature.
• We see one thing no proper placement on the walls of cave.
• They have no idea about composition and arrangements no perspective.
• Figures in different sizes.
• Figures were drawn randomly.
 NEOLITHIC PERIOD ( 8000 BC to 3000 BC )

• The Neolithic or “ New Stone Age “ was a period in the development of human technology
that is traditionally the last part of stone age.
• Beginning with the rise of farming and ending when metal tools became wide spread in
the copper age.
• Man changed from hunter to farmer.
• Art created during this time period was: Weaving, architecture and stylized pictographs
were the new forms of art.

Statues.
Statues were absent during the Mesolithic age but they emerged again in Neolithic era.
The sculptures was not created by carving only.
Mostly sculpture of this age were made of clay and baked.
Paintings
• Paintings became purely decorative elements.
• Stone and wood utensils were replaced by baked pottery and also became more highly
decorative.

Pottery ( 5000-4000 BC )
• The best example of pottery was found from a place called Sura is Iran. These pots are
decorated with the stylized forms of animals and humans. Borders were created on these
pots.
• Flamingo birds are made on these pots and with the help of line elements the running
posture of dogs is described and Ibex is also drawn with the help of simple triangular
shapes.

Architecture
• Stone Henge (2000 BC ) England.
• It’s in 97” diameter.
• 19 large stones used in this monument.
• Five largest topped pairs, each weights 45 to
50 tons.
• Blue stones and sand stone are used for this
purpose.
• For this monument stones brought from the mountains which were 190 miles away.
• It was built for the purpose of performing rituals, religious purpose worships of the sun,
buries dead under stones and ceremonies.

Neolithic I
The major advancement of Neolithic I was true farming, settlements became more
permanent with circular houses and single rooms. The houses were 1st time made of
mud bricks.The settlements had a surrounding stone wall and stone tower.

Neolithic II
Settlement have rectangular mud bricks houses where the family lived together in single
and multiple rooms

Neolithic III
Distinctive cultures emerged in during this time period.
 Sculpture
The major emphasis of the people of Neolithic was on Human. Man drawn as a superior
creature as compare to animals. The sculptures of animals are usually broken or had a symbol
of arrow on their body. Neolithic sculpture are stylized.

END