Upper Paleolithic Sculptures: Venus Figurines

Another form of art that was common throughout Upper Paleolithic Europe was  that of "sculpture" figures of shapely women, known colloquially as "Venus figurines." These figures are particularly interesting because of their widespread occurrence throughout Europe starting from the Gravettian period (28,000-23,000 years ago) onwards. Subtle differences in shape and design are interpreted by many scholars as firm evidence for different "cultures" living in Europe during this time. But on the whole, the amount of similarity among the figures is striking. They almost universally depict obese-looking females with non-distinct facial features and reduced extremities. Secondary sex features like the buttocks, breasts, and genitalia are heavily emphasized in the Venus figurines. Many of the figurines are also adorned with what appears to be early forms of clothing made mostly of fibers and cords. Soffer and her colleagues recently proposed that this depiction of textiles  on the women's bodies may be indicative of differences in roles between the sexes during the Upper Paleolithic.

The Venus of Hohle Fels

The earliest undisputed example of a Venus figurine was found at Hohle Fels, Germany. This particular sculpture dates to around 35,000 years ago, placing it firmly in the Aurignacian period, which predates the Gravettian period, where we see these types of representations of the female become increasingly common. This discovery was significant because other examples of art that pre-dates this 35,000 year-old finding depict only animals, hunting scenes, and related activities, but never women.

                      

The (proposed) Venus Figurines of Berekhat Ram (left) and Tan-Tan (right)

Recently, however, some have suggested giving the title of "earliest Venus figurine" to two other carved figures from Morocco (The Venus of Tan-Tan) and Syria (The Venus of Berekhat Ram). These date from 200,000-300,000 years ago, however, and the claim is highly contested. These humanoid figures could easily have been produced as the result of erosion or other natural forces.

The Venus of Willendorf, another well-known example of a Venus figurine

These Venus figurines are found in the context of larger settlements. Very rarely are they found in burial sites, a clue which may reflect a purpose these figures served in everyday life. Many different interpretations have been posited relating to the purpose of these objects, which clearly had a symbolic meaning to Upper Paleolithic peoples. Some scholars believe these female figures represented generic fertility idols, others view them as indicators of social networks, and still others interpret the carvings as an early form of pornography. 

sources:

• d'Errico, F., Nowell, A. 2000. A New Look at the Berekhat Ram Figurine: Implications for the Origins of Symbolism. Cambridge Archaeological Journal. 10:123-167.
• Soffer, O., Adovasio, J.M., Hyland, D.C. 2000. The "Venus" Figurines - Textiles, Basketry, Gender, and Status in the Upper Paleolithic. Current Anthropology. 41:511-537.
• Wilford, J.N. Full-figured Statuette, 35,000 Years Old, Provides New Clues to how Art Evolved. New York Times. Pub. 13 May. 2009. 

images:

• Berekhat Ram: http://pleistoproject.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/venus20z20berekhat_ram20230t.jpg
• Tan-Tan: http://24.media.tumblr.com/y1q0RfLcE2lvkgqc6LqHhxId_400.jpg
• Willendorf: http://arthistoryresources.net/willendorf/images/willendorf-large.jpg
• Hohle: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Venus_vom_Hohlen_Fels_Original_frontal.jpg/220px-Venus_vom_Hohlen_Fels_Original_frontal.jpg

Altamira?

I titled this blog "From Altamira to Andy Warhol" with one goal in mind: to look at the development of art from its very beginnings in order to better understand art in our modern times. To root the blog, I chose two representatives from the art world from dramatically different time periods to illustrate how far art has come since the Upper Paleolithic period.
I chose Altamira to represent the earliest periods of pre-historic art because of its status as one of our best-known parietal art (a.k.a. "cave art") sites. It was also the first stone age cave site to be discovered that had paintings inside. Since it's discovery in 1879, it has opened the way for the discovery, excavation, and analysis of hundreds more Upper Paleolithic cave art sites throughout Europe.

Altamira Cave paintings

These beautiful figures in the Altamira Caves were painted in the Magdalenian phase of the Upper Paleolithic, which lasted from 20,000 to 11,000 years ago. Altamira is also the home of the oldest painted example of "art" discovered to date, the red dot discussed in a previous post. The cave ceiling is particularly grand, showing many figures of bison and other animals. It is commonly thought that the depictions represent images of a hunt, which was the predominant subsistence strategy of Upper Paleolithic peoples. If so, the illustrations may express ideas relating to animal fertility or represent a form of sympathetic magic, such that by painting scenes of the hunt, the people would have been more likely to be successful in later hunting ventures. 

The Great Ceiling at Altamira, notable for its many bison figures

Going beyond Altamira, a variety of interpretations have been proposed for the production of cave art in general, including (but not limited to): 
1. figures as representations of totems, standing for certain individuals or groups 
2. painting as an act of sympathetic magic (as suggested for the Altamira cave art)
3. scenes shown as products of shamanic hallucinogenic events
4. or simply "art for art's sake"

One of the most interesting explanations that has been recently proposed, is that these paintings are actually examples of graffiti! Dale Guthrie published a book, The Nature of Paleolithic Art, in which he highlighted that the most common themes in Paleolithic art correspond to earthly or "casual" themes. Cave art in general is dominated by hunting scenes and images of female figures, or, put more plainly, "big mammals and big women." He analyzed many instances of parietal art, and determined that the majority were done sloppily and quickly by individuals of both sexes and of all ages. The themes of the images (hunting and women) suggest that most artists were young men, however. This evidence refutes the proposition that the images were painted by senior shamans, but is based on very modern conceptions of "teenage boy" behaviors, which are highly unlikely to have been the same during the Upper Paleolithic.

Tying our exploration of early art to the present, he other namesake of this blog, Andy Warhol, emerged some 20,000 years later and produced these iconic images. It is incredible to see how art has developed from prehistory to our modern times!

 

sources:

• Bicho, N., Carvalho, A.F, Gonzalez-Sainz, C., et al. 2007. The Upper Paleolithic Rock Art of Iberia. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory. 14:81-151.
• Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain. UNESCO. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/310.
• Fritz, C., Tosello, G. 2007. The Hidden Meaning of Forms: Methods of Recording Paleolithic Parietal Art. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory. 14:48-80.
• Guthrie, R.D. 2006. The Nature of Paleolithic Art. University of Chicago Press. vii-x. http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/311260.html. 

images:

• Ceiling:http://www.spainisculture.com/export/sites/cultura/multimedia/galerias/museos/mugran_techo_museo_altamira_c.jpg_1306973099.jpg
• Altamira: http://www.elpais.com/recorte/20100608elpepucul_4/LCO340/Ies/cuevas_Altamira.jpg
• Soup: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/95/Warhol-Campbell_Soup-1-screenprint-1968.jpg/170px-Warhol-Campbell_Soup-1-screenprint-1968.jpg
• Marilyn: http://utenti.romascuola.net/bramarte/pop%20art/img/war1.jpg

Seeing Red

Sites that represent early "artistic" tendencies are notable for the prevalence of the color red found in the material record, specifically in the form of red ochre. What does this mean? Could it be just that red ochre was the only material available, or does the prevalence of red at these sites indicate something deeper, like an early form of symbolism? 

Some researchers have proposed that the preference for certain colors (usually red or black) indicates that symbolic meanings were embedded in these types of materials, usually ochre. At Blombos Cave in South Africa, evidence of a 100,000 year-old "paint workshop" has been found, where ochre was fixed with marrow fat to make paint. Another site, the 92,000 year-old Qafzeh Cave site in Israel, is also notable for its ochre remains. A team of researchers working at Qafzeh Cave determined that the ochre remains found there were mined and selected specifically for their red hue. They asserted that these findings represent an early form of symbolic behavior incorporating the use of color.

A selection of common modern color-associations

Symbolic color systems are found throughout the world in modern human societies. Some scholars believe that these or similar systems were around at the time of the Qafzeh Cave occupation. This belief is supported by the notion that human brain anatomy from that time (about 92,000 years ago) was similar to that of modern Homo sapiens today. In any case, red in particular carries a lot of symbolic power throughout the world. In modern societies, it is often associated with life, success, and victory; and red is thought to have been associated with life, death, menstruation, and fertility in prehistoric times, as well. 

It is important to be aware that some scholars have proposed practical, rather than symbolic, functions for the ochre, such as in medicine or as a sealing substance. It is very difficult to draw conclusions about a subject as abstract as color symbolism, so we may never be certain about the true significance of the ochre remains at sites like Qafzeh and Blombos Caves.  

sources:

• Hovers et al. 2003. "An Early Case for Color Symbolism: Ochre Use by Modern Humans in Qafzeh Cave". Current Anthropology. 4:491-522
• Wilford, JN. "In African Cave, Signs of an Ancient Paint Factory". New York Times. 10/13/2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/14/science/14paint.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&ref=johnnoblewilford&adxnnlx=1348722285-Shsqq6HAEKa6TljExgTewA

images:

• Ochre: http://www.bnminerals.com/red-ochre-mineral.htm
• Chart: https://teknonics.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/color-meanings.gif

The Oldest Cave Painting

Ever since they were first discovered in 1994, the 32,000 year-old paintings shown below from the Chauvet Cave site in southern France were considered to be the oldest representations of European cave art found to date.

an image from the Chauvet Cave paintings

Earlier this year, however, a study was published that dated Paleolithic art from eleven different sites in Spain. At one of these sites, El Castillo, the researchers found an image dating back to 40,000 years ago. This finding displaces the Chauvet Cave paintings as the "oldest" examples of European cave art, and places that honored designation on the site of the El Castillo cave complex.

At 40,800 years old, the tiny smudged dark red dot below the handprints is the oldest dated piece of cave art found to date.

At over 40,000 years old, the El Castillo site confounds our previous notions regarding cave paintings because these particular images could be attributed to Homo sapiens or Neanderthal artists. We know that Neanderthals occupied this area of Spain until around the time they were painted. Conveniently, the 40,000 year date also coincides nicely with the proposed 41,500 year-old date for the arrival of Homo sapiens in Western Europe. Attributing the Neanderthals as the producers of these artworks would most notably imply that humans were not the only ones adept at expressing themselves and communicating through the use of symbols in the Upper Paleolithic. It is clear, however, that we still have a lot of investigating to do before firmly assigning either species as the definitive artists of the El Castillo images.

It is important to keep in mind, also, that just because our oldest concrete archaeological evidence of cave painting dates back to 40,000 years ago doesn't mean that "art" in general dates to this time as well. The painters of scenes at Chauvet Cave and at El Castillo were clearly gifted and well-practiced in their art. It is evident that people must have been practicing art of this sort and other forms of symbolic expression much earlier as well in order to have developed such a rich and complex vocabulary of images by 40,000 years ago. Art doesn't just spontaneously "pop" out of a community without precedents, so, clearly, symbolic expression is older than the first examples we have of it. For researchers on the origins of art, the problem then becomes how to identify "symbolic expression" in otherwise mundane objects. The farther back one goes in time, the more difficult it is to see a clear distinction.

sources:

• Balter, M. "On the Origin of Art and Symbolism." 2009. Science. 323:709-711.
• Zilhao et al. "U Series Dating of Paleolithic Art in 11 Caves in Spain." 2012. Science. 336:1409-1413.

Images:

• Chauvet Cave: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipj15VRLGwjCExMUnsxmAlb31xGSAmHohzlKt8yBUObzto-pdLDbxyIhtaaS77-0_otsI9YaK9XCgah2mT4PYGSB0JSCX1pBcmqUJGPGWoa0x6DS5lVG9bb5QKugZ-ggBZz4AVm3vfoNtJ/s1600/lions.jpg
• Dot: http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/549/overrides/spain-cave-art-dated-oldest_54922_600x450.jpg
• Cartoon: http://www.creationism.org/books/TaylorInMindsMen/TaylorIMMhjMammothCavePaintingsM.jpg

About the Blog

This blog was created as part of an ongoing project for a prehistoric archaeology class, and is meant to address the origins of art in our world. As a double-major in the fields of Anthropology and Art History, this blog provides a platform for me to combine my interests and to fuel my investigation on the development of art as we know it today.

Paleolithic cave painting from the Lascaux Cave complex in southwestern France

Image:

• http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/aitc/images/agart/lascauxbulls2.jpg