The Beginning of Art

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The beginning of art is mask in secret and mystery. Around 20,000 years ago, this period is call the Old Stone Age, where people painted images of wild animals on the walls inside their caves in where they lived. During that time, humans had not yet learned how to plant crops or raise herds of animals, and had to rely on hunting for food. They were equipped with simple wooden and stone weapons; men spent their days stalking vicious mammoths, bison, and wild cattle. Their success was in hunting is a matter of life or death. If they failed in the hunt, they would starve.

Slowly, cavemen progress from simple scratching in stones to impressive color paintings. Some of those paintings are 18 feet long and bigger. They used charred stick to draw the outlines and colored them with natural colors from the earth with colors like reds, yellows, and browns.

Many of the paintings are drawn or painted far from the entrances of the caves so it can only be seen by crawling long distances through dark, winding tunnels. Many of the art work only been recently found and accidentally discovered. For example, a group of boys searching for their lost dog found the paintings of Lascaux in France in 1940. The pet had fallen through a hole in the ground into the cave.

Although these paintings were unreachable, historians believe they formed part of a hunting ritual. There is evidence that cavemen hurled spears at these paintings. Primitive man most likely believed by conquering the painted image they drew, they somehow gained control over the animal drawn or painted on the cave and at the same time, possibly the caveman conquered their own fear of the animal.

Once they believe image was “killed,” it had no more value because an animal could not be killed twice, and the same as the painted image. Therefore, every time the cavemen embark on a hunt, they had to replicate the process. This explains the 500 different animals painted on the cave walls at Lascaux in France.

In addition to their “killing” power, these paintings also may have had “creating” power. During that period, Europe’s climate was getting warmer and that made the animals migrate north away from the hot weather. It is also believe that Cavemen may have painted animals with the hope of increasing their declining food supply.

In any case, it took a lot of talent to paint such believable pictures, and there may have been certain people who specialized in creating these vibrant images. These cavemen artists may have worked on their art work in the caves while other cavemen going off with their hunting.

Cavemen were very concerned with reproducings their offspring because life was so short and uncertain, and the success in the hunt depended on numbers. This mean men and women knew the significance of having children for their survival. They made small stone fertility figures to help assure the propagation and birth of healthy offspring. The most well known of these magical fertility figures is the Venus of Willendorf. She is only four and a half inches tall and can be held easily in the palm of one’s hand. She has big hips, heavy breasts, and protrude belly, which make her look pregnant. She is one of about 60 similar figures that have been discover by archaeologists. No two figures are the same, but they all highlight female sexuality. They represent the Great Mother who was entrusting to give birth to the next generation.

Around 8000 B.C., the Old Stone Age ended by a slow developing revolution. In the past, men had to hunt and always on the move to find food wherever they could. However, they slowly learned to control their environment. They started to grow edible crops and raised cattle. With their food supply secured, they settled in small villages, and they began the long journey of civilization.