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The Grease Lamp’s Flicker and Flare: Dark Caves Illuminate

Steve Zeitlin

in The Poetry of Everyday Life: Storytelling and the Art of Awareness

This chapter suggests that each of our souls is akin to that flickering, wavering light dancing upon the stone pallettes of early humans who painted in dark caves. It says a tiny lamp burns in each ... More

This chapter suggests that each of our souls is akin to that flickering, wavering light dancing upon the stone pallettes of early humans who painted in dark caves. It says a tiny lamp burns in each of us, flickering as we move through the cave of our experience, illuminating the bones of reindeer and fish, the small images of our daily lives. Our peak moments, however, are like the huge painted images—the aurochs, bison, and bulls—that appear suddenly before us in the flare of our lamps. In these transcendent moments, we witness the grand ideas that shape our path. In modern times, we are far removed from the cave painters' world of ceremony. The cave paintings represent a behest from our ancestors to record our own experiences on the page, canvas, stage, or screen so that others might discover them. Only a few of the many painted caves have been preserved, just as most—but not all—of our artistic works are destined to remain undiscovered.Less

El Castillo, Cantabria, Spain with Las Chimeneas, Las Monedas, and La Pasiega

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes the caves of El Castillo, Las Chimeneas, Las Monedas, and La Pasiega and their artwork. The caves display an unequalled array of subjects, techniques, compositions, styles, and ... More

This chapter describes the caves of El Castillo, Las Chimeneas, Las Monedas, and La Pasiega and their artwork. The caves display an unequalled array of subjects, techniques, compositions, styles, and locations of the images, and the study of this repertoire has been crucial to any understanding the phenomenon of Upper Palaeolithic imagery. Radiocarbon age estimates have demonstrated that paintings were created in the caves at different times, the widest range being evident in El Castillo where the results span almost 10,000 years.Less

La Garma, Cantabria, Spain

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes the cave of La Garma, and its artwork. More than 500 individual figures or symbols have been identified on the cave's walls. Only a fifth of these represent animals, the ... More

This chapter describes the cave of La Garma, and its artwork. More than 500 individual figures or symbols have been identified on the cave's walls. Only a fifth of these represent animals, the remainder being signs of various types. In common with other caves in Cantabria, the most commonly depicted animals are hinds (25%), followed by bison (17%), horse (17%), and ibex (12%). There are also a small number of stags, an individual bear, and a megaloceros, as well as a number of indeterminate figures. The figures and signs were executed using a number of techniques and styles, and appear to span a broad time range.Less

Altamira, Cantabria, Spain

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes Altamira cave, the first painted cave to be claimed as Palaeolithic. The cave's ceiling is painted with lifelike images of animals, mainly bison, in different postures, some ... More

This chapter describes Altamira cave, the first painted cave to be claimed as Palaeolithic. The cave's ceiling is painted with lifelike images of animals, mainly bison, in different postures, some apparently trotting, others rolling, bellowing, or merely standing still. More than forty club-shaped (claviform) signs have also been identified, as well as grids and star-shaped ‘comet’ signs.Less

Candamo, Asturias, Spain

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes La Peña de Candamo cave and its artwork. Its main Wall of the Engravings (Muro de los Grabados) features a crescentic swathe of intertwined paintings and engravings sweeping ... More

This chapter describes La Peña de Candamo cave and its artwork. Its main Wall of the Engravings (Muro de los Grabados) features a crescentic swathe of intertwined paintings and engravings sweeping across the available space. Facing the Wall of the Engravings, the inner side of a flat-topped stalagmite is covered with a jumble of deeply engraved lines. Amongst the curves and angles it is possible to distinguish the outlines of a horse and a hind.Less

Lascaux, Dordogne, France

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes Lascaux, considered the most famous decorated cave in France. Lascaux contains an estimated 1,963 individual figures or motifs. Of the overall total, 915 figures depict ... More

This chapter describes Lascaux, considered the most famous decorated cave in France. Lascaux contains an estimated 1,963 individual figures or motifs. Of the overall total, 915 figures depict animals, two-thirds of which can be identified. Almost all of the identifiable figures belong to just four groups of grazing mammals. Horses are depicted most frequently (364 representations), and make up slightly more than 60 per cent of all identifiable images.Less

Llonín, Asturias, Spain

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes the cave of Llonĺn and its artwork. The cave's wall images are found in seven discrete areas or ‘panels’ that feature animal figures and signs drawn in red and black.

Cougnac, Lot, France

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes the cave of Cougnac and its artwork. The principal decoration of the cave consists of a remarkable 15m long frieze of paintings. Detailed recording has shown that there were at ... More

This chapter describes the cave of Cougnac and its artwork. The principal decoration of the cave consists of a remarkable 15m long frieze of paintings. Detailed recording has shown that there were at least three principal phases of decoration on almost all its panels, during which red painting was followed by brown, then black. The red figures are associated with faint smears and small dots of the same colour, while the black figures are associated with double or triple finger marks. The paintings feature animals such as giant deer (megaloceros) and mammoths.Less

Mayenne-Sciences, Mayenne, France

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes the cave of Mayenne-Sciences and its artwork. Nearly sixty individual motifs have been isolated. As well as various red handprints and fingerprints and other simple signs, ... More

This chapter describes the cave of Mayenne-Sciences and its artwork. Nearly sixty individual motifs have been isolated. As well as various red handprints and fingerprints and other simple signs, there are sixteen animal figures, including nine horses, two mammoths, a bison, and four indeterminate animals, mainly painted in black.Less

Cosquer, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes the cave known as La Grotte Cosquer and its artwork. A survey has identified 177 painted animal figures, including several large herbivores, such as horse, goat, bovids, and ... More

This chapter describes the cave known as La Grotte Cosquer and its artwork. A survey has identified 177 painted animal figures, including several large herbivores, such as horse, goat, bovids, and cervids. Around 216 individual signs have also been isolated, ranging from simple strokes to complex geometric symbols, and their relationships grade from being individual isolated marks to complex palimpsests, doubtless reflecting their (unknown) meaning and significance.Less

Niaux, Ariège, France

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes the cave of Niaux and its artwork. The Salon Noir contains most (83%) of the animal figures in the cave, together with a significant proportion (37%) of its abstract signs. ... More

This chapter describes the cave of Niaux and its artwork. The Salon Noir contains most (83%) of the animal figures in the cave, together with a significant proportion (37%) of its abstract signs. With one exception, all the figures are painted black, and only a few of the signs are in red. The assemblage is dominated by large images of bison, forty-eight in total. However, horses and ibex, as well as a single stag, complement them.Less

Pech Merle, Lot, France

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes the cave of Pech Merle and its artwork. The images on the cave walls draw on the normal range of figures used in western Europe, but also have a distinct regional character. In ... More

This chapter describes the cave of Pech Merle and its artwork. The images on the cave walls draw on the normal range of figures used in western Europe, but also have a distinct regional character. In total, Pech Merle contains images of twenty-eight mammoths, thirteen bison, twelve horses, seven aurochsen, five anthropomorphs, four deer and one megaloceros, two ibex, one bear, one lion, three imaginary animals, twelve human hands, and eight schematic motifs (known as women-bison), as well as hundreds of simple signs and indeterminate traces. In addition, there are a number of engravings on the calcite-covered walls, and finger tracings in the soft clay of the ceilings.Less

Tito Bustillo, Asturias, Spain

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes the cave of Tito Bustillo and its artwork. The cave's decorated areas include small groups of red paintings and engravings, with deer, bulls, a horse, an ibex, and various ... More

This chapter describes the cave of Tito Bustillo and its artwork. The cave's decorated areas include small groups of red paintings and engravings, with deer, bulls, a horse, an ibex, and various abstract signs; a group of paired lines, marks, and stains in red; a groups of spots along with a series of explicitly female symbols in red; four panels of signs, possibly including several club-shaped (claviform) symbols, and vertical lines, mainly in red; and the engraving of what is thought to be a rare image of a sea mammal (probably a whale).Less

Covaciella, Asturias, Spain including El Bosque

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes the Covaciella and El Bosque caves and their artwork. The walls of Covaciella cave feature extremely well preserved decoration executed with a variety of different techniques, ... More

This chapter describes the Covaciella and El Bosque caves and their artwork. The walls of Covaciella cave feature extremely well preserved decoration executed with a variety of different techniques, and include images of bison and stag. The decoration of El Bosque forms three panels and feature signs and images of animals.Less

Le Portel, Ariège, France

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes the cave of Le Portel and its artwork. The cave's walls are decorated with animal images and symbols, including bison, horses, a human figure, the antlers of a deer, and a red ... More

This chapter describes the cave of Le Portel and its artwork. The cave's walls are decorated with animal images and symbols, including bison, horses, a human figure, the antlers of a deer, and a red ‘fan’ (actually two concentric curves).Less

La Pileta, Andalucía, Spain

Andrew J. Lawson

in Painted Caves: Palaeolithic Rock Art in Western Europe

This chapter describes the cave of La Pileta and its artwork. The cave's walls are decorated with animal figures, with 150 attributed to species. Mountain goats or ibex are the most frequent (54), ... More

This chapter describes the cave of La Pileta and its artwork. The cave's walls are decorated with animal figures, with 150 attributed to species. Mountain goats or ibex are the most frequent (54), followed by horses and deer (36 of each). Bovids are commonly represented (24), only four of which are considered to be bison. Unusually, there are fifteen fish, nine anthropomorphs, and five handprints. Although one black painting of an aurochs has been dated to the Solutrean period, other figures are stratigraphically earlier and others are later.Less

Meaning of Works of the Arts and of Artworks

Nicholas Wolterstorff

in Art Rethought: The Social Practices of Art

A second idea that is central in the alternative conceptual framework proposed for thinking about the art is the idea of the meaning of a work of the arts. The English word “meaning” is multivalent. ... More

A second idea that is central in the alternative conceptual framework proposed for thinking about the art is the idea of the meaning of a work of the arts. The English word “meaning” is multivalent. This chapter identifies and delineates what the author calls the social-practice meaning of a work of the arts and what he calls the maker meaning of a work of the arts; it is especially the former of these that is especially important for the subsequent discussion. The social-practice meaning of a work of the arts is the significance it has when engaged by the public in accord with some extant social practice; it is always relative to some particular social practice.Less