A History of Art movements – From the cave to now… really!

Why we wrote this.

For me… and I hope for you also… Art presses many buttons. This piece, is part of my art history journey, as yet unfinished. I believe it never will be. There’s always something new in the art world, particularly now in contemporary art. But how did it all begin?

Like many I guess my journey started in school art class. What began with curiosity and fascination moved on to a struggle with techniques, use of colour, medium types and subject matter. It has now become my all consuming passion and wonder. I still have a burning need to understand ‘how did the artist do that, and why?’

Likewise, when I first read an article about cave Art and mark making engravings, I was seriously impressed. The skill, use of colour and subject matter…mainly animals or were these creatures on the menu? Bones were also found in the caves to, used as tools. Perhaps a shoulder blade palate or paint pot…Cave artists certainly got into history quickly and very creatively!  

Why the Cave artists created artworks?

Its possible they meant cave paintings as decoration. Or depicting the beauty and respect for the natural world around them. Animal images are still artist subject matter today. We can only guess how cave art first began, there is nothing written, only the art remains. Possibly a shape or shadow on the rock wall that spoke to them> Suggesting the outline of a beast they knew and hunted? They drew an outline or coloured in the shape…tell us what you think? We’d like to hear your thoughts about ‘how did the artist do that?’

Where can you see Cave art?

Caves are everywhere in the world, and over 50 million rock and cave art images globally, in around 400 sites. So clearly, this was popular expression and enhancing people’s lives from the very beginning. That’s indicative that our hardwired creativity and innovation, the earliest humans started out with and still in our dna today.

The UK caves are over 12,000 years old https://www.creswell-crags.org.uk/virtual-tour#church-hole . There’s also 36,000 year old cave Art in Spain, https://www.cultura.gob.es/mnaltamira/home And more information here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Altamira to.

There’s far more caves, than can be written here. Some caves date back even further to the Oldowan period, 2.6 million years ago! Prehistoric art also developed into other forms…believed to be used in religious rituals…more of this later, as art became more entwined with religion

The cave art you see still… are the only records we have from this part of the human story. It’s not until 7000 BC! A massive leap from the end of the prehistoric period the first documented evidence about art, or ‘why the artists did that!’ showed up!

The next ‘art movement’ post soon. If you would like to contribute or give some feedback please do.   

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