The Importance Of Prehistoric Art

Art: a tradition that connects and encourages us to look beyond reality. Prehistoric art, in particular, is very important because it gives us insight into the development of the human mind and ways. Evidence of artistic thinking in hominids dates back 290,000 years ago; the Palaeolithic age. From holes in the wall to elaborate frescos, art shows us that there was more to our prehistoric ancestors than neanderthalic behaviour.

There was an abundance of art created during prehistoric times, the majority holding important information that we can use to unlock mysteries about the early humans. The first signs of artistic thinking and capability were shown in Bhimbetka, India, 290,000 BCE. Nothing more than 10 cup shaped holes were found in the

Research suggests that early art was made for rituals and sacred ceremonies. One example of this is the murals that were often used to depict and map out what early humans believed to be their spiritual journey which they created while intoxicated. This suggests that art held specific meaning for people which may also indicate that painting was a possible first sign of independent thought and opinion. Prehistoric paintings also often included some form of wildlife. Some may think this is a depiction of the muralists daily life, but the animals on the walls of most caves actually represent animal guardians. The prehistoric people painted them to protect both themselves and the spirit of the animal. The predominance of paintings that this applies to were created in the upper Palaeolithic age. In addition to the paintings that show us how our prehistoric ancestors visualised the non-physical world, objects have also been found that many think were used to make sounds to drive away evil

The motion of sculpting and painting was at first done ambidextrously, but over time, it has been shown that ancient artists started to favour one hand over the other. Following this, people realised that one hand was stronger and more precise, so tools were also often used with that hand. This led to hand dominance. Judging from ancient art, the majority of prehistoric artists were right handed, and that predominance is still seen to this day. In addition to the use of brushes and tools, brain development and growth also contributed to handedness. As this happened, one side of the brain grew to be more dominant, thereby resulting in the corresponding hand becoming dominant. For instance, if you are left handed, the right side of your brain is dominant. At first, though, prehistoric artists didn’t notice this because they used both hands proportionally. The reason not everyone is right-handed, though, is because having the right hemisphere of your brain be dominant could have been useful during prehistoric times. It was proven that left-handed people had exceptional memory of landmarks, good direction, and were particularly skilled at navigation in unfamiliar terrain.

Art contributed to society in many consequential ways. Artistic thinking dates back many years and has continued to this day to make us ponder as it evolves at its own pace for each individual. Art holds the key to our understanding