1.1 Paleolithic Art

Cave painting

Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) artists painted animals deep inside caves such as Lascaux (France, c. 15,000 BCE) and Chauvet, using charcoal and ochre. Purpose is debated: ritual, hunting magic, or record.

Portable objects

Small carvings survive too: the Venus of Willendorf (c. 24,000 BCE), a limestone figurine emphasizing fertility, and the Apollo 11 stones (Namibia), among the oldest known figurative art in Africa.

Materials

With no metal, artists used stone, bone, charcoal, and natural pigments (ochre). Works were made by nomadic hunter-gatherers before farming or cities existed.

Key terms

Lascaux

French painted cave, c. 15,000 BCE

Venus of Willendorf

limestone fertility figurine, c. 24,000 BCE

Apollo 11 stones

Namibia — among the oldest figurative art in Africa

Materials

stone, bone, charcoal, ochre pigments

Paleolithic society

nomadic hunter-gatherers, pre-agriculture

Try an AP-style question

What does this placement most likely suggest?

1. The caves were used as art galleries
2. A ritual rather than decorative purpose
3. The paintings were meant as home decor
4. Artists wanted maximum public viewing