par Groenen, Marc 
Référence Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Anthropology, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., page (590-593)
Publication Publié, 2025-01
Référence Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Anthropology, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., page (590-593)
Publication Publié, 2025-01
Partie d'ouvrage collectif
| Résumé : | The art of the European Upper Palaeolithic (35,000–9,000 BC) surprises, not only by its millenary duration and its geographical extension, but also by the abundance and quality of its documents. With some 400 decorated caves distributed from the Atlantic coast to the Urals (Kapova), consideration of the art as an aesthetic production is fully justified when facing representations whose graphic and technical qualities have required a high level of expertise. This is why we may legitimately consider that cave art fully belongs to the aesthetic heritage of humanity, just like the other famous artistic productions of human history. This can be seen in the mimetic potential of the representations, in the graphic quality of their strokes, and in the diversity of the processes implemented for their realization. However, what specifically characterizes cave art is the intimate interaction between the motifs and the morphology of the rock support, on the one hand, and the architectonic structure of subterranean spaces, on the other. Yet, the quality of the works should not obscure the fact that the images and walls of the decorated caves were also the support for various other actions, reminding us that this art aimed at performing a function. |
