Caves of Altamira

Strictly speaking, art was born in the Upper Palaeolithic, some time after the year 35000 B. C, when the modern human beings practically inhabited the whole globe. However, its fundamental signs seem to be reduced to Europe, on the South of the limit that would be marked by the ice during the Würn Glaciation. The art origin tells us about the richness of the spiritual life.

During this period, the exploitation of the environment became more intensive. Deserted territories where economy is basically predatory (hunting, fishing, harvest) are colonized. Regarding social life, the first structures for living in and the cottages appear. During this new period, symbolical abilities such art, religion and language are developed.

But the real creator of visual arts is the modern human being: Homo Sapiens Sapiens, who colonized Europe, 40,000 years ago and whose presence in this continent coincides with the Upper Palaeolithic. It is usually considered that the Palaeolithic art is a cave art, because almost all discoveries come from the cave excavations or from the walls of these caves, in form of small figures and paintings, engravings using a wide range of objects and supports (stone, ivory, bone, clay…) taking advantage of the facility that these materials offered in the construction of arrows, needles, harpoons, hooks, etc.

Animals are usually represented: European bisons, wild horses, deers, reindeer, wild goats, bulls, wild boars, rhinos, bears…that appears alone or in groups. Abstract sings and hands are also represented. Hands are painted in two ways: in positive, pressing the hand stained in pigment, or in negative, colouring the area that surrounds the hand and without painting inside the form of the hand. We do not know yet the meaning and aim of the abstract signs and the hands.

Although not all the cave art is Palaeolithic (because it remained long time afterwards, even, in other historical times), not only all the Palaeolithic art comes from the caves.