#altamira

Bison From Cave Of Altamira, Santander, Spain, ca. 10,000 B.C, with artist’s interpretation.

Cabeza de bisonte nas Covas de Altamira (Cantabria)

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Female Bison from the Altamira Cave Paintings 🦬

Images drawn in Altamira caves around 36000-11000 BC, Spain

I was trying this morning to distill what makes paleolithic European cave art...well cave art! And then apply it to an animal not seen in Europe. The technique was more important here than the results; I think the big bodies & smaller heads yet otherwise accurate features are a result of the artists having a sort of tunnel vision while working. As one drifts part to part lifting up the implement as little as possible the parts appear in proportion to their immediate neighbor. They are also distilled to their most important details & for the body that's a wide rectangular space. If you picture yourself working on a heavily textured wall as tall or taller than you are with the equivalent of a tea light (oil lamps) or a flickering torch you can imagine how easy it would be to get that kind of focused tunnel vision. While we see tunnel vision as a bad thing while learning art today in terms of cave art I just sort of see it as a natural consequence. You're going to focus really hard on what needs it; there are no erasers. Additional paint can't be bought at the store. Stone walls have limited access. You're going to make the best of every resource while you're there. Besides who said the animal had to be proportional anyway? You know exactly what you're looking at! Artist commentary: it was challenging deciding what was most important but also representing that important thing as accurately as possible. I feel like that's a common thread in all cave art from peoples across the world: draw what's most important. The rest will work out.