Comparing Cave Paintings In Lascaux And Chauvert

To learn any subject in-depth, one ought to study its beginning. Though it's impossible to find out the first actual piece of art humans ever created, it is possible to study early, prehistoric art. This prehistoric art, like the cave paintings in Lascaux and Chauvert, is some of the oldest discovered works of art. They might show that even hunter-gathers had creativity and a need to create beauty. They might show the moment humans set themselves apart from other animals. Regardless, these first pieces are crucial to understanding how art evolved. Paleontologists and art historians seem to think these cave paintings were used for shamanic or ritualistic purposes. It's noted that the animals depicted in Chauvert's cave, creatures like lions,
bears, and rhinos, were not animals often hunted (Clottes). These prehistoric people weren't depicting things that they ate. In fact, the act of painting seemed to be more important than the finished work itself, as many pictures have another creature painted on top of them (Tedesco). Therefore, as many of the paintings are far from the cave's entrance, it's thought that these difficult-to-reach chambers were ceremonial or sacred (Tedesco). The paintings have several different and similar stylistic characteristics. The Lascaux cave art has a range of colors, including yellow, brown, and red (Tedesco). Meanwhile the Chauvert paintings have mainly red and black as their only colors (Clottes). A characteristic the two cave paintings share would be their use of superimposed images (Tedesco). An artist would paint an animal, then another artist would come along and paint another of the same animal next to it. Additionally, both paintings have a broad, rhythmic character to their outlines and shapes. These works of art seem to indicate that these Paleolithic people were our first ancestors. Why, one might ask? It could be argued that humans aren't human without creativity or the desire for beauty, also called 'art'. These paintings are the earliest works of art. They show that even these prehistoric people were intelligent, creative, and observant of their environments. While some animals might recognize a picture of themselves, none of them can draw one. This is just one way humans are separate from other creatures. When studying art history, it's critical to examine its beginning. Though cave paintings are no Mona Lisa, they are incredible as humanity's start into art. Prehistoric people had no electricity to light up the dark caves, no real paintbrushes, no set recipe for paint, and no teacher to show them how (Tedesco). Yet they painted. They did so most likely for shamanic purposes, thinking they could perhaps get closer to God this way. This means that they put energy into something that would bring them no food or shelter, but perhaps philosophical truths. To me, it's proof that even the early humans were more than hungry animals. They were creative, smart, curious people. It's amazing that their art lives on, even to today.