[books 2016] What is Paleolithic Art?
39. What is Paleolithic Art? Cave paintings and the dawn of human creativity by Jean Clottes
This was reviewed in New Scientist recently and I had to order it right away. Clottes is *the* expert on the cave art in the south of France and leading proponent of the theory that cave art is an expression of a shamanic culture. I recognised his name from Cave Painting and the Human Spirit.
The first one third to one half of the book looks at rock art throughout the world, including cultures in the Americas and Australia that still do it, and how their approaches correspond to theories about how and why neolithic rock art/cave art was made. The last (long) chapter relates this to examples from European cave art.
Fascinating stuff; it's only short and well worth it. Parts of it are not easy (I'm a historian, not a social scientist) but it's accessible to a general reader. It has reminded me to get m sticky paws on a copy of The Mind in the Cave and its sequel ASAP.
This was reviewed in New Scientist recently and I had to order it right away. Clottes is *the* expert on the cave art in the south of France and leading proponent of the theory that cave art is an expression of a shamanic culture. I recognised his name from Cave Painting and the Human Spirit.
The first one third to one half of the book looks at rock art throughout the world, including cultures in the Americas and Australia that still do it, and how their approaches correspond to theories about how and why neolithic rock art/cave art was made. The last (long) chapter relates this to examples from European cave art.
Fascinating stuff; it's only short and well worth it. Parts of it are not easy (I'm a historian, not a social scientist) but it's accessible to a general reader. It has reminded me to get m sticky paws on a copy of The Mind in the Cave and its sequel ASAP.