Tens of thousands of paintings of animals and humans, made up to 12,600 years ago, were found along the Guayabero River in the Colombian Amazon.
prehistoric art
Posted inIn Brief
Prehistoric Australian Rock Art in Danger of Serious Deterioration
Australia’s Aboriginal cave art is at risk of disappearance within 50 years, according to an expert quoted in the Guardian‘s recent investigation of the the threats facing the prehistoric art.
Posted inNews
Archaeologist Finds Prehistoric European Art World Dominated by Women
Was the majority of prehistoric cave art in southwestern Europe done by women? That’s the theory put forth in a study conducted by archeologist Dean Snow, and it’s a welcome challenge to the long-held assumption that our ancient artist predecessors were mostly men.
Posted inNews
Researchers Discover the Oldest Petroglyphs in North America
Petroglyphs in western Nevada have been identified as the oldest of their kind in North America. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder conducted a study that dates the rock carvings to between 10,500 and 14,800 years ago.
Posted inArt
The Hallucinogenic Origins of Art
A paper published in the most recent issue of Adaptive Behavior significantly updates the long-standing thesis that the global prevalence in prehistoric art of “certain types of geometric visual patterns” suggests hallucinogenic inspirations. The University of Tokyo authors — Tom Froese, Alexander Woodward, and Takashi Ikegami — conclude that this theory is largely correct, and go on to map specific neurobiological features to specific forms of geometric abstraction.
Posted inArt
Oldest Confirmed Cave Art Is a Single Red Dot
Neanderthal Minimalism? Are contemporary dot-errific artists Yayoi Kusama and Damien Hirst being subconsciously influenced by their prehistoric ancestors? Or did some prehistoric gallery forget to remove one of their little red “sold” dots after a major exhibition? The fact is that our understanding of prehistoric art continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Now, Science Magazine has published findings on what they believe to be the oldest cave painting ever, and it’s a simple red dot.
Posted inNews
Archeologist Uncovers Oldest Rock Art, Exclaims “Oh #$@&! A Vulva”
The new discovery, uncovered at a site called Abri Castanet in France, consists mainly of circular carvings most likely meant to represent the vulva.
Posted inOpinion
Earliest Known Paintings Discovered in Spain
While we once believed that art was the exclusive domain of the more evolved Homo Sapiens Sapiens but the latest find suggests that the earliest known painting was created by Homo Neanderthalensis. So, maybe you should think twice before calling someone a Neanderthal.
Posted inNews
World’s Oldest “Artist Studio” Discovered in South Africa
An exciting find in Blombos Cave east of Cape Town, South Africa, is believed to be the world’s oldest art studio.
Posted inArt
Has Werner Herzog Made the First Art Stoner Flick in 3D?
Director and filmmaker, Werner Herzog’s latest, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, is a strange mix of flighty pseudo-intellectual reverie and jaw-dropping documentary. Filmed in the famously inaccessible Chauvet Cave in southern France with 3-D enhancement, and sprinkled with the usual eccentric Hertzogian locals, the movie cannot fail to entertain and simultaneously irritate — just like the great man himself.
