Types of Early Art

Paleolithic art can be classified as either figurative (depicting animals or humans) or nonfigurative (taking the form of signs and symbols)


 


                       


           

                          Figurative Art                                                         Nonfigurative Art

                 (Venus with Horn at Lassel)                                (Handprints at Gargas)

 

The most commonly depicted animal species in Paleolithic art vary according to period and region.  Cave art most often portrays horses and bison, although mammoth or deer dominate at particular sites.  Fish and birds are occasionally found in cave paintings or engravings, but are far more plentiful in portable art.  Representations of insects and plants have been found in a few portable objects.  Human images are rare in cave paintings but more frequent in portable art.  Small female statuettes known as Venus figures, with exaggerated breasts, abdomen, and hips, have been found principally in central Europe.  Signs and symbols are far more abundant in cave art than depictions of humans or animals.  Markings range from a single dot or line to a large panel of complexly grouped linear marks.  In some cases these signs are totally isolated in a cave, but in other cases they appear alongside figurative images.  The simpler symbolic motifs, including handprints outlined in colored earth, are abundant and widespread.

 

Three Main Types of Art in the Upper Paleolithic:

 

Body Art – personal adornment (pendants, necklaces, headbands, etc.), tattooing, scarification, skull deformation, and teeth removal.

(ivory pendant, Dolni Vestonice)

Portable Art – ivory beads, carvings, figurines, and other shaped or decorated pieces that can be moved from place to place.  Portable art is found throughout Europe. 

(Willendorf Venus)

Parietal Art – rock art, finger marks on cave walls, engravings, petroglyphs, prints, and stencils.  The best-preserved examples of cave art are deep inside caves of France and Spain.

(Lascaux, France)

 

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