Paleolithic Art

By Jacoblms_
  • Period: 40,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE

    Paleolithic Art

    Paleolithic Art (c. 40,000-10,000 BCE) consists of portable carvings, cave paintings, and sculpted figurines which feature animals and people with symbolic meaning. Some common themes within paleolithic art would be survival, hunts, fertility, ritual practices through the use of stone, bones, ivory, and paints. Paleolithic art transmits stories of our early hunter-gatherer ancestors through their natural endeavors, allowing us to comprehend their understanding of their religion and culture.
  • Unknown Artist (from Czech Republic), Venus of Dolní Věstonice, 29,000 BCE, ceramic, 11 cm tall, Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic
    29,000 BCE

    Unknown Artist (from Czech Republic), Venus of Dolní Věstonice, 29,000 BCE, ceramic, 11 cm tall, Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic

    The Venus of Dolní Věstonice depicts a small feminine figurine with exaggerated breasts, hips, and belly, clearly emphasizing a reoccurring theme of fertility during the Paleolithic era. This sculpture is also one of the earliest known clay fired ceramics, highlighting the ritual practices of the upper paleolithic communities and even features a fingerprint of a child embedded on its surface.
  • Unknown Artist (from Australia), Bradshaw (Gwion Gwion) Rock Paintings, 20,000 BCE, natural pigment on rock, 15–50 cm tall, Kimberley region, Western Australia.
    20,000 BCE

    Unknown Artist (from Australia), Bradshaw (Gwion Gwion) Rock Paintings, 20,000 BCE, natural pigment on rock, 15–50 cm tall, Kimberley region, Western Australia.

    The Bradshaw Rock Paintings demonstrate human figures with elegance, clothed with ornaments, tassels, and sashes, symbolizing the heirarchies that took place during the time. These artworks were tucked away in ancient rock shelters and are considered one of the earliest recordings of a cultural significance in a community, highlighting themes of ancient social order along with law.
  • Unknown Artist (from Northern Territory, Australia), Nourlangie (Burrungkuy) Rock Art, 18,000 BCE, natural pigment on rock, sizes range from several meters high and wide, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia.
    18,000 BCE

    Unknown Artist (from Northern Territory, Australia), Nourlangie (Burrungkuy) Rock Art, 18,000 BCE, natural pigment on rock, sizes range from several meters high and wide, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia.

    The Nourlangie Rock Art displays vivid paintings that spans from thousands of years, the subjects in these paintings, had long limbs along with very expressive facial expressions. The images surrounding the subjects in the photo display fish and wallabies that were made using natural pigments, emphasizing development of connection and movement between communities..