Susan P. answered • 12/09/21
At Last, an ESL Teacher Who Understands Me!
The Hall of the Bulls in the caverns of Lascaux is an example of the art of a preliterate people. The Lascaux cavern works are estimated to be from 10,000 to 25,000 years old, far predating the first written languages that we know of (pre-dynastic Egyptian--Palette of Narmer from this list). From the beauty of the images art historians deduce a more than consumer-oriented appreciation of the animals. The clear understanding of anatomy and movement is breathtaking, particularly to modern sensibilities. Many inferences about the significance of the cave paintings to their creators have been made. Most of these assume some sort of shamanic culture. The comparison of the caverns themselves to the womb with birth or rebirth into the hall has been made very frequently. Another popular interpretation is the ecstatic effect of the long, dark, arduous passage coupled with emergence into the bright light of torches and the vivid colours of the artworks. These are very subjective interpretations of the works of people dead for at least 10,000 years, but nevertheless are among the most common responses of experts to the remarkable beauty of the images.
