Origin of art

The origin of art started 35000 thousand years ago. The earliest works of art originated in the pre

historic era. The exact gradual process of the origin of prehistoric art is still unknown. We find

these Old Stone Age art in form of cave paintings and also sculptures. The very first cave

paintings were found in Europe – Spain and in Southern France. In Spain, a cave named

‘Altamira’ has a painting called bison on the wall which shows a wounded animal. Another one

in Southern France – Lascaux (Dordogne) shows animals attacking each other from the opposite

side.

We already know that the Stone Age life was very primitive in nature. Man would go hunting,

gathering food and travelling in search of a suitable settlement. The fourth ice age was on its

verge of meltdown. There was no other major activity that would keep man occupied. Hunting

and ritualistic ceremonies were considered the major occupation of man.

Why did they start painting?

How did it first originate?

What prompted them to paint show the events of their lives in visual form? The pigments that the

cavemen used were naturally obtained from leaves, trees, plants etc. and how did it stay intact for

such a long time?

Prehistoric people were sensible enough to make these paintings in the inner reaches of the cave

where it is remote and safe. Since the mouth of the cave would be prone to human invasion and

destruction, they were never made at places easily reachable. In fact, these paintings are so deep

inside the caves that one has to crawl and reach.