A Lascaux Cave Painting

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Introduction and Objective

So, there are two types of art that predominate in Paleolithic cave art: drawing and engraving. At Lascaux, however, it is painting that dominates the artwork. These 2,000 or so images divide into two main categories: animals and symbols. The animals consist of species that Magdalenian cavemen would have hunted and eaten (like aurochs, deer, musk-oxen, horses, and bison), as well as dangerous predators that they would have feared (like bears, lions, and wolves).

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cave_painting,_Anthropos_(2).jpeg

Let’s delve into the specifics about how and why these animals were the focus for the cave artists.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crocuta_crocuta_cave_art_-_Lascaux_cave.png

By focusing on the animals they knew and interacted with, Lascaux’s cave paintings were interactive and realistic.

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So, what does all this “animal art” say about the Lascaux artists?

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lascaux-diverticule-félins.jpg

Well, according to the research done in the past, the cave art at Lascaux conveys a specific story or message, rather than simply created because it looks beautiful. To figure out what that message is, we need to ask ourselves some questions about the artists’ choices:

1. Why are only animals shown?

2. Why not trees and mountains?

3. Why ignore certain very common animals, like reindeer?

4. Why are certain areas of the cave more heavily decorated than others?

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lascaux,_replica_02.JPG

Remember, artists often portray what they know. So, let’s take another look at these questions.

Why are only animals shown? Well, animals were an inextricable part of daily life—they were hunted and eaten, they were seen every day. Animals were both scenery and characters in the story of these artist’s