Prehistoric painting was discovered in 1879 in the Altamira Caves in Spain by archaeologist Marcelino de Sautuola. It was the first significant pictorial ensemble from prehistoric times to be found and made public. The attribution of the animal paintings in Altamira raised questions at the time, however, about prehistoric man and his capacity to produce works of art. It was only much later in the early 20th century that parietal art was finally recognized and the wall decorations in the Spanish caves were dated to around 12,000 BC.
Parietal (or cave) art, which encompasses the works created by man on cave walls or rock shelters, can be engraved, sculpted, or painted. The first artistic expressions of prehistoric man date to the Upper Palaeolithic era (35,000 - 10,000 years BC) which saw the appearance of modern man (homo sapiens). At first man embellished the caves with schematic engravings. Painting techniques flourished during the Magdalenian period (17,000 – 10,000 BC). The most famous sites are mainly located in France and Spain, notably the caves of Lascaux, Pech-Merle, Font-de-Gaume, Cosquer and Altamira.
Prehistoric painting was basically animal-based, usually on horse and bisons, though deer, goats and mammoths were also found. Man very rarely represented himself: in the Trois-Frères caves in the Pyrenees, he seems to be disguised as the “sorcerer”. The artists used a palette composed mainly of black, different ochres, and reds derived from various oxides (manganese, iron, etc). The paint was applied directly, either sprayed or stump-drawn, and the painters used the reliefs of the wall to give volume to their representations. The exact meaning of these embellishments is unknown, though some believe they had a ritualistic connection to hunting or religion.
