Abstract
Art has come to be is a longstanding curiosity among archaeologists, psychologists, and art historians. Pablo Picasso theorized in documented conversations with friends that art first surfaced from natural irregularities in rocks which were then innovated upon, such as is evidenced in Upper Paleolithic cave art. Picasso’s quotes about the Upper Paleolithic caves of Altamira in Cantabria, Spain and Lascaux in the Dordogne region of France indicate that he had visited them. Little else has been established of the Spaniard’s connection to cave art or his working theory on the origins of art. In this study over 500 previously published Franco-Cantabrian Upper Paleolithic cave images from archaeological sites that were identified between 1868 and 1950 were examined. The findings include examples of borrowed pareidolia-based characters developed from natural irregularities in the rocks from Altamira and in Grotte de Pair-non-Pair in Gironde, France among Picasso’s paintings and that the Spanish artist’s working theory on the origins of art is consistent with his observations of pareidolia in Upper Paleolithic cave art. This study posits that Picasso drew heavily on Upper Paleolithic cave art styles and animistic metaphors in his work.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
MODERN ART, CUBISM, ART HISTORY, PABLO PICASSO, ANTHROPOLOGY, CAVE ART
