He rock art is all that drawing or prehistoric artistic expression that is found printed in rocks and caves, since the man of this time shaped his art there and spent a large part of his life in these caves to take refuge from predators and inclement weather. By the way, his artistic expressions are basically found in these places.
Artistic expression carried out by the prehistoric human being, on stones, in caves and caverns
This artistic manifestation is considered one of the oldest of which there is evidence, since there are testimonies that go back really far in time, 40 thousand yearsthat is, after the last ice age.
The first artistic expressions of which there is a record were made in stones and, by the way, those characterized by the use of this support have been called cave paintings.
The concept comes from the Latin language where rupes refers to stone. Any artistic creation that is made on stone will be called rock art.
In any case, it should be noted that although cave painting is a primitive artistic expression, as we have just pointed out, it can also be found, and very present indeed, in historical times after those mentioned and in almost all parts of the planet earth. , although the most outstanding were carried out in Spain and France.
Historical records and most representative cases
But turning clockwise further back in time, we will say that rock art spread during three recognized periods in the history of the human being: the Paleolithic, the Mesolithic and the Neolithic. The first that goes from approximately two million before our era and up to 10,000 BC; the following extends between the year 10,000 and 7,000 BC and finally the Neolithic that includes the remaining three thousand years that continue until our time.
In these times, the human being was a nomad, that is, he lived in different places, he moved frequently and it was difficult for him to settle in one place, sedentary lifestyle is more typical of the human being of our era.
Meanwhile, the human being depended on hunting and the collection of food that he did in his path to survive.
In the Mesolithic this began to change…
Among the oldest expressions of rock art is Altamira Cave paintings, in Santallina del Mar, Cantabria, Spain.
Regarding the magnificent conservation that many of these artistic pieces present, even despite the erosion, it should be mentioned that it is precisely because of the support on which they have been painted that is the reason for their persistence through time.
Meanwhile, the existence of these fabulous creations clearly demonstrates that since time immemorial human beings have been involved and committed to art.
Now, with regard to motivation, we find that in some cases cave paintings have a strong magical-religious charge, being used for the sole reason of being the prelude to a successful hunt. When it comes to this type of situation, it is common for them to be found in those most remote and hidden areas of the cavern or cave, on the other hand, when the artistic manifestations are arranged in full view of all, it is believed that it is the consequence of the simple adoption of art as one more activity within the daily life of those times.
In France, more precisely in the Lascaux cave, and in the figure of the Venus of Willendorf, which is presumed to date from the year 20,000 BC, is where what we mentioned above is best expressed and immortalized, since in the first case of In the cave there are representations painted in charcoal and pigments of figures of bulls, bison and human beings with hunting items, a fact that is interpreted as a faithful account of the daily life of man in those times, and the Venus reveals an image of a woman with large hips and breasts that was supposed to symbolize the fertility of the female.
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