Land of ExtremesImperial Valley Press  Saturday, November 15, 2014  A7

QUESTIONS? Contact Staff Writer Antoine Abou-Diwan at 760-337-3454 or [email protected]

39TH ANNUAL SAN DIEGO ROCK ART SYMPOSIUM to understanding Rock art is key ancient culture

D-Stretch imaging enhances subtle di erences in hue so that the photo reveals rock art that is not visible to the eye. The blue color seen in this image is a white paint. PHOTO COURTESY OF D. LIPONI BY NEAL V. HITCH Special to this Newspaper/Imperial Valley rcheology can provide answers to where and how people lived, but art provides a way of un- Aderstanding a people’s world view, culture and society. Art exists in Petroglyph at Palo Verde taken at night. The images have been carved deeply most early cultures and here in the Im- into the stone. PHOTO COURTESY OF HARRY CASEY perial Valley the earliest people used the attempted to discover etched symbols. land and the desert itself as their canvas. meaning in the art. Pa- Often rock art is van- pers presented at the dalized with graffiti, shot Last week was the 39th onto the surface of the Rock Art Symposium dis- at or chipped out of the annual San Diego Rock rock. Made famous by cussed various theories. landscape by souvenir Art Symposium. Peo- ancient cave paintings One paper from Northern hunters. While the first ple came to the Mingei in Lascaux, France, and California showed im- two speed the inevitable Museum in Balboa Park Sulawesi, Indonesia, pic- ages of rock art related natural erosion, the third from all over California tographs are what most to having good luck on causes even more dam- and the Southwest to people think of when technology to enhance a hunt; the images de- age. Removing the de- hear over 15 presenta- imagining “rock art.” elements that may be picted big horn sheep. signs not only disrespects tions on pictographs and Pictographs are more ley have been classified invisible to the human Several papers were about the original artist and petroglyphs --- rock art. common in the Imperial by archaeologists as the eye. Now being used by astronomical events. Re- culture, but it removes Glyphs and graphs: Valley. Paints are creat- San Luis Rey style char- researchers in Anza-Bor- searchers have been going the story of the art. what’s the difference? ed with various natural acterized by red zigzags, rego Desert State Park to specific sites during The natural landscape Pictographs and minerals: hematite for diamonds, dots and and the San Diego Rock both the solar and lunar is an integral part of petroglyphs are found red, charcoal for black, chevrons such as those Art Association, new equinox to document the the petroglyph or picto- throughout the Imperial gypsum or crushed shells found in Blair Valley, An- images are being record- position of sunlight and graph. One day nature Valley, but what exactly for white. When mixed za-Borrego Desert State ed in areas that were shadows. What is clear is will inevitably remove are they? Petroglyphs are with a binding agent, like Park, and the La Rumer- not documented before. that important events in these human marks, images made by “peck- cactus juice, the minerals osa style characterized by and the only record left What they are discover- the life of a community ing” or engraving into can be mixed into a paint. polychrome sunbursts, will be photographs and ing is that many more are the functions of petro- the rock itself. Made with Typically, pictographs divided circles and hu- memories. But perhaps rocks have paintings than glyphs and pictographs. stone tools, petroglyphs were painted by hand manoid figures. that was the intention of they had previously be- Rock art should be can include fine details. with fingers, although Invisible art the artist all along. It is lieved. treated with the respect, Some petroglyphs are brushes made of agave Rock art can erode due human nature to leave Respecting the artist: and reverence, that one just lines, some are pic- fiber or sharpened sticks to the environment. The our mark on the land. what does it all mean? would give to the art- tures. for fine details were also rock itself can spall or Eventually, however, Today, there are no work of any culture. Just Pictographs are paint- used. The two artistic fracture, and paint can nature will remove ev- definite answers to what as you would not touch ings that are applied styles found most often in fade in constant, harsh various symbols in rock erything we leave. What or remove art from the the Imperial sunlight. A new technol- art mean. However, we will be left with is The La Rumerosa artistic ogy called Decorrelation Louvre, you should not the imagination and the style involvesolves polypoly-- Val- while we may not know SStretch,tretch, oorr D-Stretch, is touch rock art. The oils in dreams that created the chrome images,mages, their exact meanings, we now beinbeingg used to ex- human skin can actively art in the first place. often withh do know they were, and damage the paint, and Neal V. Hitch is direc- sunbursts.s. plploreore ffadeda images on still are, important. rorocks.cks. D-Stretch uses continual touching will tor of the Imperial Valley PHOTO COUR-R- Researchers have slowly rub away even Desert Museum. TESY OF D. LIPONI

Pictographs in the San Luis Rey artistic style can be viewed along a clearly marked trail in Blair Valley, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVDM