Life for early humans was hard. Food, clothing, and shelter were all hard to come by. People generally died before they turned 40. But even then, there were artists among the hunters. Archaeologists have found small statues that are as much as 25,000 years old. These figures were carved out of bone and ivory or modeled in clay. Colors found in the earth were used to paint the walls of caves.
Cave paintings have been found all over the world. In Europe there are famous cave paintings in Lascaux, France, and Altamira, Spain. In North Africa, cave paintings at Tassili show the green fields of the Sahara before sand took over from the grass. Cave paintings have also been found in South America and Australia.
Many cave paintings show the animals that were the main sources of food for early humans: horses, reindeer, bison, and wild ox. Some show lions and bears, or fish and birds. In some, animals are painted in a natural, realistic style, while others seem wild and imaginary. Some of the paintings were done 25,000 years ago, and some only about 7,000 years ago. The one thing they all have in common is showing that the urge to create has always existed, in all parts of the world.
Using the library, the Internet, and any other resources available, find out as much as you can about the cave art of the region you have been assigned. Write a short paragraph about this art. Your paragraph should provide answers to these questions:
• In what part of the world was this art created?
• When were these paintings made?
• What did the artists use for paint?
• Are the paintings realistic, or do they look unreal?
• Are the paintings realistic, or do they look unreal?
• What are the subjects of the paintings?
• What do archaeologists think the paintings were made for --as decoration, as artistic expression, or for some other reason?
Look at as many examples of the art as possible. Then use the materials provided to make your own reproduction of the art of that region. Attach your paragraph about the art to one edge of your reproduction.
© 1998 J. Weston Walch, Publisher
