Although questions remain about how culture originated, it is almost impossible to determine which things of the human world are natural and which are not. Scientists of many disciplines are trying to answer these questions from the evidence of prehistoric life found by paleontologists. The subspecies of mammals to which man belongs, Homo sapiens sapiens, appeared in Africa some 150,000 years ago, but the first traces of agriculture, industry, population centres and control over nature date from barely the last 10,000 years. Some believe that the definitive leap towards culture was achieved through the acquisition of a creative language capable of expressing ideas and sentiments more advanced than the simple communication of homo erectus.

The first artists

Cave paintings, like those of the caves of Altamira (Spain) and Lascaux (France), leave no doubt that those who made them truly possessed the attributes of human beings. Architecture had not arrived, but paintings had, engraved and sculptured in stone or bone. There exist various theories about the function of cave painting that consider the aesthetic, the magical, the social and the religious - not much different from the questions about art today.

Art on the walls

Cave painting is a phenomenon that was found mainly in the current regions of France and Spain. In France, there are more than 130 caves. Spain has some 60 caves in the various regions. Examples from other regions include caves at Italy and Russia. Portable art, on the other hand, was abundant in all Europe. Themes and motives include ‘horse’ painting, hunting scenes in the cave, hands imprinted, etc.

Cave painting techniques

Cave painting techniques they used were : Geometric designs and blowing. The pigments used were of natural origin such as, vegetable charcoal, red ochre and brown ochre.

Builders of objects 

Homo sapiens sapiens distinguished itself from its ancestors, who were already making rudimentary tools, through the growing use of such new materials as bone and above all for the specialization of new tools. Mortars l, knives, boring tools and axes had forms and functions continually more sophisticated. There also appeared, in addition to utensils and tools, objects with ornamental and representative functions that attested to humans' increasing capacity for symbolism. These manifestations, through which the art could leave the caves, are known as portable art. It produced objects that were utilitarian, luxurious or ceremonial, like the Palaeolithic ‘Venus’ figurines. Palaeolithic tools they used were two sided knife, harpoon, Polished axe, etc.

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