A Journey in Prehistoric Art of the Lascaux and
Chauvet Caves of Southern France, and others…
Paleolithic Picassos?
Where are the caves? How were they discovered and when?
• And…there are other places in the world where painted caves exist!• Like Spain, South America, Australia, etc…
Discovery!
Chauvet Caves
The Artists• Lived approx.
17,000 to 30,000 years ago during the Stone age and the Ice age
How did they create the images?• Using bone, sticks, brush
made with animal hair, hands/fingers, and sharpened rocks
• Paints came from the earth - crushed and mixed with cave water to create color
• Dark caverns were lit with torches and prehistoric lamps: made with animal fat, etc etc
• In Lascaux, scaffolds and ladders were built to get to the high points.
What did the artists paint?• Why did they
paint and carve on the cave walls?
• Did they live in the caves also?
• What evidence of human life do we see in the caves?
What is the significance?• What is represented in
these paintings?
• Why are there so few images of humans?
• How does this artwork reflect life of prehistoric peoples?
Map of the Lascaux Caves - Southern France
Lascaux - Chinese Horses & Bulls
Chauvet
Lascaux - Shaft of the dead man
Reindeer - Lascaux
Lascaux - horse and harpoons, or plants?
Chauvet, horses
Chauvet
Chauvet
Chauvet - Ibex
Chauvet - bear
Chauvet - herd of rhinos
Chauvet
Chauvet
Chauvet
Chauvet
Hand Stencil - Chauvet
Horse with handprints at Pech-Merle
Bison from Altamira Caves - Spain
How do these cave drawings compare…
…to these animals of today?
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