The Vision of the Ancestors - Object and Shape Representation in Palaeolithic Cave Art

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WORK DATA

Lecturer:
Category:
EVENT
Type:
presentation
Keywords:
animal / colour / drawing / perception / viewpoint / visualisation
Creation Date:
2002-10-19
Language:
English
Description:
Some time between 30 and 40 thousand years ago modern humans began creating the first "signs" ever produced on Earth. The cave art of the Upper Palaeolithic is a remarkable record of the very earliest representational artistic expression. These were scratches, colored blotches and figurative art painted, drew on or engraved into bones or walls of the cave shelters. These paleolithic graphics (PG) consist largely of large animals (presumed prey of the creators) with some abstract geometric forms and very few human figurines. Developing an understanding of these early forms of art requires an understanding of the human perception of the images. The present paper is focused on the question what perceptual capacities do these graphics reflect? I will argue that PG are representations based on basic perceptual elements, the same elements that can be found in the modern human and already in macaques and that are reflected also in the neuronal activity of the macaque brain. (Gy.K.)

More Information

Original Title (Hungarian):
Őseink látása - alak és tárgy reprezentáció a paleolitikus barlangrajzokon
Location:
Budapest, Műcsarnok, Törley-terem / Kunsthalle, Törley Hall
Part of Collection: