Stu Rose - In Search of the Cave Man

Dr, Redick offered descriptions of cave drawings, with comments about why they were drawn and the relation of those drawings to art (or beauty).  Some added thought ...

The people who drew on cave walls did so for a diverse range of reasons ...

• To document a picture of daily life.
• To document what was awe-inspiring.
• To document what most intrigued them.
• To document the beauty they experienced.

The reasons are diverse.  No one can be in the mind of people who lived roughly 30,000 years ago.

• They may have had a successul hunt and brought five deer back to their cave.  Then they'd commemorate their success with a cave drawing of five deer.
• They also had a reverance for the abilities of animals.  Many were very powerful  Many were extremely swift.  Many flew.  They might document their reverance with a cave drawing.

However ...

To document something meant that what they drew was important to them, at some level.  It may have been solely food or procreation, as Harrison cited.  Or to document their cave as a womb, as Dr. Redick suggested.  But it also likely included documenting emotions ... feelings of beauty or reverance.

Today, our search for food is a lot easier than it was then.  But did the cave dwellers experience the sense and react to beauty?  Yes.

And how important was it?

They had very long walks to their nearest art supply store!