Cave paintings are the oldest and most interesting source of knowledge about the cultural development of the past millennia. Each new image uncovered is an encouragement to a better understanding of the ancient world. The two remarkable finds, the murals in the Lascaux and Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc caves, are both the greatest treasure of humankind and a discovery, prompting more research and various discussions.
The main difference between the two murals is the style. Both murals depict animals (bulls and horses), but the Lascaux Cave painting style is traditional – animals are depicted in profile, but the horns are in frontal perspective. Researchers link this technique to the fact that the artist had to show the number of horns of the animal to create a complete image (Kleiner, 2017). In the Chauvet Cave, the horns are depicted in profile. Another difference between the two drawings is that the work in Lascaux Cave was done mainly in clay, while in Chauvet Cave, it was done mainly in charcoal. There is also a similarity between the two works – both murals have a plot – a hunting scene in Lascaux Cave and a battle between two bulls in Chauvet Cave.
The drawings in the Lascaux and Chauvet caves have thrilled the entire ancient art research community. The Lascaux cave drawings used twisted perspective techniques, but the Chauvet cave painter did not, which must mean that the Chauvet cave drawings came later. However, after analyzing the materials used for the drawings, the scientists found out that Chauvet is relatively older. This discovery came as a great surprise to researchers and forced them to reconsider their methods of periodizing cave art.
References
Kleiner, F. S. (2017). Gardner’s Art through the Ages: The Western Perspective. Cenveo Publisher Services. Web.