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Paleolithic Art: a Cultural History

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Paleolithic Art: a Cultural History J Archaeol Res (2013) 21:269-306 DOI 1 0. 1 007/s 1 08 1 4-0 1 2-9063-8 Paleolithic Art: A Cultural History Oscar Moro Abadía * Manuel R. González Morales Published online: 24 January 2013 © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013 Abstract In this article we review the history of the terms and ideas that have been used to conceptualize Paleolithic art since the end of the 19th century. Between 1900 and 1970, prehistoric representations were typically divided into two main groups: parietal art (including rock and cave art) and portable (or mobiliáry) art. This classification gave rise to asymmetrical attitudes about Paleolithic images. In particular, many portable and nonfigurative representations were overlooked while a small number of cave paintings were praised for their realism. Although the por- table/parietal division has remained a popular divide among archaeologists, in the last 30 years increasing numbers of specialists have crossed the boundaries estab- lished by these categories. They have developed new frameworks within which more kinds of images are meaningfully approached and incorporated into the analysis of Paleolithic art and symbolism. The emergence of new approaches to Pleistocene imagery is the result of a number of interrelated processes, including the globalization of Paleolithic art studies, the impact of new discoveries, and the development of new approaches to art, images, and symbolism. Keywords Paleolithic art • Cave art • Portable art • Art history • Pleistocene imagery • Globalization O. Moro Abadía (CE3) Department of Archaeology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1C 5S7, Canada e-mail: [email protected] M. R. González Morales Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistóricas, Edificio Interfacultativo, Avda. de los Castros s/n, Universidad de Cantabria, 3901 1 Santander, Spain e-mail: [email protected] â Springer This content downloaded from 132.174.250.11 on Mon, 09 Jan 2017 18:49:02 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 270 J Archaeol Res (20 13) 21 :269-306 Introduction The animals represented in Paleolithic art are divided into: (a) impossible to identify, (b) beasts, (c) spirited, (d) humans with lions heads, (e) docile, (0 carved in deer horns, (g) terrifying felines, (h) jumpers, (i) restless, and (j) robust bison. Paleolithic art, the art of the last Ice Age, is usually divided into four groups: (a) portable or MOBILIÁRY ART [...] (b) deep engravings or bas-reliefs on large blocks of stone in rockshelters [...] (c) art on rock in the open air [...] (d) cave-art or PARIETAL ART (Bahn 2001, p. 344). These two ways of arranging Paleolithic representations certainly foster different reactions among readers. The opening list, inspired by a famous short story by Borges (1996, pp. 85-86), will likely be considered a bizarre way of grouping prehistoric images. Paleolithic representations here are classified in a random fashion and grouped into a strange set of categories. The classification is unreasonable and illogical in reference to current standards. The absurdity of the Borges-inspired system contrasts with the feeling of familiarity associated with the second typology, proposed by Bahn (2001) in the Penguin Archaeological Guide. Most readers will find Bahn's approach a more useful way of ordering Paleolithic artwork. After all, archaeologists, anthropologists, and art historians have used categories such as mobiliáry art, engravings, rock art, and cave art for more than a century. This example illustrates how scholars operate within traditions that define appropriate and inappropriate ways of thinking and, of course, acceptable and unacceptable classifications. In this article we examine the history of the terms and ideas used to conceptualize Paleolithic images. We begin with a detailed study of the language employed by archaeologists to describe Paleolithic representations. Textual analysis reveals that since the beginning of the 20th century, Paleolithic images have been primarily divided into two main groups: parietal art (including rock and cave art) and portable (or mobiliáry) art. The prevalence of this classification relates to a number of factors. First, the parietal/portable dichotomy is a technological classification based on an objective division of Paleolithic artwork; one form of art is movable and the other is not. Second, these categories are firmly rooted within the modern system of art, i.e., the system of ideas, practices, and institutions that have determined Western understandings of art throughout the last two centuries. This system has influenced the interpretation of Paleolithic images in many ways. In particular, we argue that the parietal/portable division is reminiscent of the modern distinction between arts and crafts. A survey of the terminology sets the stage for further exploration of the complex and multiple ways in which Paleolithic representations have been conceptualized during the last century. We examine the period during which the parietal/portable division became the prevalent way of classifying Paleolithic representations (c. 1900-1970). At that time, French specialists Henri Breuil and André Leroi-Gourhan dominated the field of Paleolithic art studies and publications focused on the Franco-Cantabrian region. Furthermore, the interpretation of Pleistocene images Ô Springer This content downloaded from 132.174.250.11 on Mon, 09 Jan 2017 18:49:02 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms J Archaeol Res (2013) 21:269-306 271 was subject to the authority of art history. For instance, Paleolithic art specialists borrowed some of their working concepts (such as style, perspective, and realism) from art historians. Similarly, the "naturalistic" ideal, prevalent in art theory since the Renaissance, guided the interpretation of prehistoric images. In this setting, the most realistic cave paintings and statuettes were generally praised for their accuracy and truthfulness and nonfigurative artwork was largely ignored. The main effect of the repeated use of the parietal/portable distinction at that time was that most specialists focused on cave paintings and underestimated the importance of thousands of portable artifacts and personal ornaments. While terms such as cave art, rock art, and mobiliáry art have passed into the common parlance of Pleistocene art specialists, modern research has ceased to be driven or conditioned by a broad acceptance of the portable/parietal dichotomy. As we discuss below, in the last 30 years (c. 1980-2010) innovative approaches that integrate new kinds of images into analyses of Paleolithic imagery have emerged. This process is the result of new discoveries (such as Grotte Cosquer, Fig. 1), new methodologies, and certain changes in a number of disciplines concerned with prehistoric images, including archaeology, anthropology, art history, and visual studies. In the last three decades an increasing number of Paleolithic representations have been reported in Africa, America, Asia, and Australia. These discoveries have made clear that European cave paintings are among hundreds of depictions that constitute Paleolithic visual cultures, including cupules, geometric marks, dots, and finger markings. In addition, since the 1970s archaeologists have shifted their focus from the study of Paleolithic art (mainly cave paintings) to the analysis of all kind of Pleistocene images. This shift parallels similar developments in the conceptu- alization of art and images in anthropology, art history, and visual studies. The broadening of the concept of Paleolithic art has thus entailed a rapid diversification of approaches to Pleistocene imagery and symbolism. In this setting, different kinds of specialists have approached Pleistocene visual cultures from diverse viewpoints and perspectives, including hunter-gatherer material culture, the origins of modern human behavior, and the relationships between art and technology. In short, the parietal/portable distinction has ceased to play an encompassing role in modern Pleistocene art research. We conclude by raising the question of whether the above- mentioned developments reflect a paradigm shift in the conceptualization of Pleistocene images. The conceptualization of Paleolithic art To determine the origins and meanings of the main categories used by Western scholars to classify Paleolithic images, we examine a select corpus of English and French publications that have appeared since the 1960s. Our analysis consists of three levels. First, we analyze archaeology and prehistory textbooks. Rarely written by specialists on Pleistocene art, these books are marketed as comprehensive reviews for archaeology students. Second, we focus on dictionaries and encyclo- pedias in which archaeologists provide comprehensive coverage of the main concepts used in archaeological research. These reference works are generally â Springer This content downloaded from 132.174.250.11 on Mon, 09 Jan 2017 18:49:02 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 272 J Archaeol Res (201 3) 2 1 :269-306 Fig. 1 Grotte Cosquer (photograph by and reproduced with Jean Clones' permission) written for teachers, students, professional archaeologists, and archaeology enthu- siasts. Third, we examine books and papers written by Paleolithic art specialists that are addressed to a more specialized audience. Here we focus on works in which the conceptualization of Paleolithic art is explicitly addressed. The picture that emerges from this textual corpus is homogeneous. Analysis
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