Where We Find Art This section is designed to expand children’s ideas about what art is and where it is found. It introduces children to ancient art and provides opportunities to explore new media. It follows art history from cave paintings to the Middle Ages, as children look at the many places we find art.
Lesson 22
Art in Caves
European Cave Drawings
Have you ever dreamed of making a great discovery? In France, four boys discovered some of the oldest art known to the world. They were enjoying a romp through the countryside with their dog, Robot. Suddenly Robot disappeared. They called for him, but could not see him anywhere. Their search led to a deep hole that had been hidden by bushes. The oldest boy
descended into the darkness with only some matches he had in his pocket to light the way. He found Robot! Robot had fallen through a crack in the ground. The next day the boy and his friends, along with their school teacher, returned with lights and went down into the 50-foot hole. There they saw oxen, horses, and deer drawn in motion on the walls and ceilings of the cave. Cave art is found throughout the world. We see human figures, animals, tools, maps, and symbols such as circles or hands in caves. Animals found in cave art include extinct ones like cave lions, saber-toothed tigers, mammoths, and horned buffalo. Pictures also include animals we are more familiar with like horses, bears, bison, reindeer, wild boars, fish, and birds. The four boys in our story were not the only children to discover drawings in caves. Many accounts of
discovering cave art tell of children who saw the art first (Casteret). Pictures of the cave’s interior can be seen in this article: “Art Treasures from the Ice Age: Lascaux Cave” by Rigaud, Jean – Philippe.
This lesson tells us that a discovery by four boys revealed some of the oldest art we know of. Paintings in caves were protected from elements that usually destroyed them like the weather, erosion, or people. We can still see them today!
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