Even since these cave paintings and artifacts were
discovered the prevalent cultural fads have imprinted themselves on the
explanations. In the 19th century, when religion was the dominant
culture, people refused to believe that these works were so old and some of the
discoverers were accused of faking the paintings. In the sociology soaked
sixties and seventies it was all totemism and shamanism, as many of these
discoveries were made in France, the home of Levi-Strauss and other
structuralist luminaries. The contemporary template is ‘art’, a relatively
recent construct, with meanings and connotations that can infect inquiry.
Predators and prey
Much recent work on Cave Art has shown that, far from being
the result of worshiping shamans, cave art is eminently practical and
utilitarian, overwhelmingly representing predators and prey, for the purposes
of instruction. The images are strikingly realistic, naturalistic and shown in
poses that aid recognition. The images are also strewn with wounded animals and
spears.
Like cave paintings, these objects overwhelmingly exhibit (a
good calm word) animals. More specifically, the mammals that early man hunted
or was hunted by, they are prey or predators. Lions and bears are common, as
they lie at the top of food chain. Then there’s the large larder mammals such
as bison, mammoths, deer, aurochs, ibex and horses. We now know that the
extinction of the mammoth was accelerated, if not caused, by hunting. These
images simply reflect or represent the real world that these people inhabited.
These are useful, utilitarian images for communities where the young had to
learn what they had to hunt or fear.
Recent publications by Marc Azéma of the University of Toulouse–Le Mirail
in France and Florent Rivère have uncovered remarkable new interpretations of
the practical, hunting stories, represented by attempts at movement in cave
paintings and inscribed objects. Most cave images and inscribed art do show movement
that can be brought to light through partial reveals and flickering torches,
claim these researchers in Antiquity
(June 2012). The
Chauvet Cave painting seems to show a 10 metre hunting scene by lions as stalking
predators and bison and other animals as prey. The lions later lunge at their
prey. Multiple, superimposed heads, limbs and tails suggest running. See here
for some brilliant examples of this prehistoric animation.
Spear shafts
To illustrate my point about the practical nature of these
objects. There’s a case full of antlers with perfectly engineered round holes
in their shafts. It was once thought that these were ‘sacred’ objects used in
rituals. It is now recognised that they are used to measure and pare down spear
shafts.
Paleolithic pornography
One group of objects is worthy of deeper thought, the plump
female figures. Again we have to resist recent cultural debates when dealing
with these objects. For example, to see them as representing female goddesses
or maternalistic societies or shamanistic worship of the female form is premature.
We bring far too much cultural baggage to seeing the objects. In truth there
are images similar to the Wallendorf Venus, but there are many more images of
slim women. Rather than speculate on ‘art’ or ‘spirituality’ few, for example,
take the more obvious route of seeing these as paleolithic pornography, in my
view a far more likely explanation, as the sexually organs are exaggerated and
other features diminished, a well-known feature of eroticising imagery. These
are mostly hand-sized sculptures, like Japanese netsukes. I’m not claiming that
this was their purpose, simply pointing out that this is, of course, a contemporary
cultural norm that is politically incorrect, therefore not considered.
Conclusion
In line with my analysis of cave paintings in terms of the
practical function of learning how to spot predators and prey, mobile art seems
to have a similar function. Survival in these harsh environments surely too
precedence over art in a world full of beasts that you had to kill or would
kill you. This, so called art, has a far more practical and prosaic function in
this context. Appealing to our 21st century gallery-gawping habits dilutes
and diminishes the wonder of these objects.
Bibliography
M.
Azema and F. Rivere. Animation in Paleolithic art: A pre-echo of cinema.
Antiquity. Vol. 86, June 2012, p. 316.
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