Four French Boys

When historians discuss some of the finest examples of prehistoric art, many of them will reference the cave paintings in Lascaux. The paintings are thought to have been created in Upper Paleolithic Era, and the majority of them represent animals such as lions and stags, as well as some mythical creatures and even a figure which could be a shaman or a hunter. The paintings have such high importance because of the incredible detail and size of them. Around 600 paintings and 1500 engravings cover the 66 x16 foot cavern.

What I find the most fascinating about these artworks- quite apart from their quality and content- is the way in which they were discovered. In the mid-1940s, whilst walking their dog in France, four teenagers dug around the area and stumbled across the cavern which has been estimated to be around 15,000 to 20,000 years old. These pieces-which have now substantially helped develop understanding into prehistoric lives- went unnoticed for so long, and were not eventually excavated by archaeologists but by teenagers. It is the kind of magic that makes me love history- what next wonder is just under our feet, waiting to be discovered by an energetic dog and their curious owners?

In 1947, Ralph Morse was the first professional photographer to visit the array of rock art. Speaking to LIFE magazine, now in his late 90s, he recalled how “the first sight of those paintings was simply unbelievable, I was amazed at how the colours held up after thousands of years-like they were painted the day before.”

As a very visual person myself- I always prefer to  see things when I learn about them, rather than just hear about them- I feel I can very much relate to these pieces. Of course, at a time when people did not communicate with the written word or even very much with shared spoken dialect, they would turn to art. Instantly, emotions and messages can be conveyed with particular colours or the pressure used when creating a mark. When looking at history, a common thread is often drawn between connections we have with our ancestors, and this here seems to be a very blatant one. Humans have always craved a connection and have always craved to share their knowledge and experience.

By starting at this beginning point, I have created my first common link with the past, and hope to find and develop many more.