Rock painting: characteristics of this ancient artistic phenomenon

Do you know what cave painting is? These are different creations typical of prehistoric times, located practically anywhere in the world (especially Africa, South America and some European countries).

These paintings mainly represented hunting scenes, animals, symbols... But how were they created? What meaning did they have, and with what colors and materials were they made? In this article we will answer these questions and many more (with curious facts).

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What is cave painting?

What is a cave painting? Is about a very old pictorial work, a kind of drawing, sketch or painting, that we found in some rocks or cavernsespecially from prehistoric times. Cave paintings make up an essentially prehistoric expression and artistic manifestation (although they go beyond a specific era or period), full of history and culture.

Specifically, the term "rupestrian" derives from the Latin "rupestris" (this, in turn, derives from "rupes", which means "rock"). So, technically, when we talk about "rock" we mean

a type of human activity carried out on the walls of caves, rocks, ravines, etc.

Thanks to the fact that cave painting is usually protected from erosion and weather conditions (because of its location), it has endured over the centuries.

Thus, cave painting is actually a very old artistic manifestation (even the oldest). In fact, there are testimonies of them dating back more than 40,000 years (time of the last ice age).

However, some research (such as one conducted by the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa) reveals that there could be paintings further back in time, thanks to the discovery in 2018 of a stone with a cave painting (paleolithic drawings) from more than 40,000 years ago years; Specifically, it is estimated that this cave painting was recorded more than 73,000 years ago.

Fun facts

Rock painting has many years of history. Although it is more typical of prehistory, this type of painting can be located in all periods of the history of human beings.

As a curious fact: where do we find cave paintings? Well on all continents except one: Antarctica.

And where are the oldest and most famous cave paintings located? In two countries: Spain and France. Specifically, we find many of them in the transition period, from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic.

Which Spanish cave painting corresponding to the Paleolithic era is one of the most famous? One of the most relevant is the painting located in the Cueva de Altamira, located in Santillana del Mar (Cantabria, Spain).

Another curious fact about cave paintings is that today it is known that the vast majority of them were made by women (About 75% of them, although in reality, the different human groups that hunted and gathered fruits, made this type of painting, including men.

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The value of painting: meanings

Both cave painting and other artistic manifestations have the same function: represent art, express and organize a system of artistic representation. In addition, cave painting is related (especially its origin) to practices of a religious, mystical and magical nature, which had the objective of promoting hunting. These paintings have also been linked to places of sanctuary and prayer.

Where to find these prehistoric art forms?

Mainly, the cave painting appears in the caves, although it can be located in other structures. This type of painting has been located in remote and isolated areas of the caves (really inaccessible places), but also in more visible areas, in open areas, etc. Of course, as a general rule, This type of painting was located inside the grounds and caves, in areas where the darkness was complete. or practically complete.

Apparently, the artists of such creations used small stone lamps to create their artistic drawings, which were nourished by marrow (the marrow they used was the marrow of the bones of an animal).

Themes

What was drawn and what was symbolized with the cave paintings? Different themes. Thus, we find cave paintings of different types: in them we can appreciate animals, lines, symbols, human beings, hands, elements of the environment, nature, etc.

Paleolithic and Neolithic

If we divide history into the Paleolithic and Neolithic times, we find that in the first period (Paleolithic) rock painting symbolized above all animals and lines. In the second period, however, animals, the environment, hands and human beings appear above all (in other words, this type of painting is acquiring a certain complexity).

In the Neolithic, the habitual behavior of the communities was represented above all. through cave painting. The interaction of these groups with the creatures and living beings of the environment was also reflected. In this specific period, cave painting is based on figures (animals) such as: horses, reindeer, deer, mammoths, bison... It is common to also find wounded animals, especially with arrows.

materials and colors

Regarding the materials used to create this type of painting, today we know that they were made with different paints, very similar to each other in the different historical periods (and in different areas of the world).

On the other hand, what (and how many) colors were used to create the cave paintings? Generally, for each cave painting, only one or two colors were used. The most used were black, ocher, yellow and red.

Other types of colors, those of plant origin (called pigment colors), were also used, and were made from fluids, charcoal, mineral compounds (clay, hematite, manganese oxide, resin, fat...) and body waste (faeces).

How did they paint and create?

The creators of the cave painting used the colors previously described, smearing their fingers with them, and with the different materials available. Other options they had were to spit the paint on the rocks, or use a hollow reed (blowing thin lines of paint to make the cave painting).

On the other hand, it could be that they rubbed the powdered pigments of the colors on the wall, directly. They could or could not mix these pigments with another substance (for example a binder), and use reeds, rudimentary brushes or other tools.

They also used, on some occasions, pencils. To do this, they took burnt branches and balls of mineral coloring, which they bonded with another substance: the resin. To give a sensation of volume and realism in their creations, they sometimes chose to take advantage of the unevenness of the wall, as well as its irregularities and cracks.

For example, in paintings with animals, the artists scratched (that is, marked) the silhouettes of them to create incisions, thus producing a perhaps more realistic and noticeable contour on the rock.

Bibliographic references:

• Alonso T., Anna, and Alexandre G. (2007). L'Art Rupestre del Cogul. First Human Images in Catalonia, Pagès Editors, Lleida.
• Diaz-Andreu, M. (2002). History of Archaeology. Studies. Madrid: Classic Editions.
• Martinez C. and Diego and Botiva Contreras, A. (2004). Manual of rock art of Cundinamarca. ICANH-Government of Cundinamarca. Second edition.