Section 2: The Day Pictures Were Born
We live in a highly complex world, one that requires many different skills and abilities to make our way through it. One of thee skills is to look at lines and shapes that we see around us and give meaning to them. We understand that these are symbols - pictures that have meaning, or representing something. If we didn't have the ability to understand pictures, life as we know it, would be impossible. Our world would be unrecognizable!
The prehistoric world was imageless. And them something changed...
When did Art begin? Who were the first artists? Why did prehistoric humans make cave paintings? Did artists create images to entertain themselves of for the enjoyment of and audience? Was art connected to the fertility of animals and the success of the hunt? Or, was it something else.
One day in the autumn of 1879, a Spanish nobleman and his young daughter, Maria, set out on a little adventure. They were going to explore a cave not far from the family estate in northern Spain. Together, they set out for the hillside of Altamira, which had lately, be reported as a site of prehistoric occupation. As a keen amateur archeologist, the father had high hopes of what he might find. He hoped find the bones of strange animals, or rudimentary tools or implements.
Once he and Maria were inside the cave, he crouched down and began to examine the ground by lantern light. It was cool and dark in the cave, but spacious too. While her father was poking and scraping the floor, Maria went wandered off to do some exploring on her own. It was not long before the darkness of Altamira echoed with a child’s wondrous cry.
“Look Papa – paintings of oxen!”
So a young girl was the first modern human to set eyes upon the gallery of prehistoric paintings for which Altamira would become world renowned.
The Day Pictures Were Born explores the origin of the image and why the first images were created.
The prehistoric world was imageless. And them something changed...
When did Art begin? Who were the first artists? Why did prehistoric humans make cave paintings? Did artists create images to entertain themselves of for the enjoyment of and audience? Was art connected to the fertility of animals and the success of the hunt? Or, was it something else.
One day in the autumn of 1879, a Spanish nobleman and his young daughter, Maria, set out on a little adventure. They were going to explore a cave not far from the family estate in northern Spain. Together, they set out for the hillside of Altamira, which had lately, be reported as a site of prehistoric occupation. As a keen amateur archeologist, the father had high hopes of what he might find. He hoped find the bones of strange animals, or rudimentary tools or implements.
Once he and Maria were inside the cave, he crouched down and began to examine the ground by lantern light. It was cool and dark in the cave, but spacious too. While her father was poking and scraping the floor, Maria went wandered off to do some exploring on her own. It was not long before the darkness of Altamira echoed with a child’s wondrous cry.
“Look Papa – paintings of oxen!”
So a young girl was the first modern human to set eyes upon the gallery of prehistoric paintings for which Altamira would become world renowned.
The Day Pictures Were Born explores the origin of the image and why the first images were created.
Supplemental Resources
sec3-cave_art.pdf | |
File Size: | 600 kb |
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sec3-san_rock_paintings.pdf | |
File Size: | 1758 kb |
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How Art Made the World: The Day Pictures Were Born Video Summar
sec3-video_summary.pdf | |
File Size: | 1303 kb |
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