Cave and Rock Art

Some of the earliest human art to survive consists of engraved or painted works on open-air rocks or on the floors, walls, and ceilings of caves, some of them in deep crannies. They were created during the Upper Paleolithic period (40,000 to 10,000B.C.), and the best were done by what we call the Magdalenians (from the name of a site), peoples who flourished in Europe from 18,000 to 10,000 B.C. Such works have a unity and can be described as the Magdalenian art system, the first in human history. It was also the longest, lasting for much of the total time humans have produced art.

In any history of art, then, the Magdalenian system must occupy a place of importance. Also, of all the forms of art practiced on the planet, it is the one about which we know the least. But we do possess a reasonable amount of knowledge, bearing in mind that the first cave art was only discovered in the 1860s, and it was not until 1902 that it was accepted as a fact by anthropologists and art historians. By the end of the twentieth century, there were 277 agreed examples in Europe. Unfortunately, most cave art works are extremely fragile. When a cave is opened and the conditions that enable the paintings to survive are altered, deterioration can be rapid. Thus, except in places where expensive air-conditioning has been installed, caves are no longer open to the public. Even the Altamira cave in Spain, finest of them all, is now open only to small parties for brief periods. Scholars themselves find it difficult to gain admission. Some of these works are photographed, but the camera gives a poor idea of their nature and quality. Some are difficult to see anyway: the best part of Altamira has to be studied lying down. Hence inaccessibility is a real and growing obstacle to unlocking the secrets of the Magdalenian art system.

However, there is some knowledge on which we can build, beginning with subject matter. Cave art portrays human hands, large numbers of animals in different activities, including various species, such as the woolly rhinoceros, that are now extinct and a few that were extinct even at the time they were painted, geometric figures, and signs. Humans are also portrayed, but these instances are rare. Next, we come to methods and materials. The earliest and most rudimentary images are finger drawings in soft clay on the rock surface, the artist following the example of claw marks made by animals. Then came engraving (using a tool to cut into a material), by far the commonest method, using flakes of sharp flint and in some cases stone picks. Different types of rock, and rock formations, were used to give variety, add color, and produce depth, so that some of these engravings are akin to sculptural low reliefs (shallow sculptures carved into walls). Fine engraving is rare and late. Clay engraving on the floors has been obliterated by the feet of modern visitors, but some good examples survive.

Finally, and most impressively, we get painting. The first colors were red, iron oxide (hematite, a form of red ochre), and black (manganese dioxide), though black from juniper or pine carbons has also been discovered. White from kaolin or mica was used occasionally. The only other colors available to Magdalenian painters were yellow and brown. However, great ingenuity was displayed by artists. At Lascaux cave we have found pestles and mortars in which colors were mixed, together with no less than 158 different mineral fragments from which the mixtures were made. There seems to have been no shortage of pigment—large lumps have been found at some sites. Shells of barnacles were used as containers. One artist employed a human skull. Cave water and the calcium it contained were used as mixers, and vegetable and animal oils as binders. The artists had primitive crayons, and they applied the paint with brush tools, though none have survived. All kinds of devices and implements were used to aid art. Important lines were preceded by dots, which were then joined up. Sometimes paint was sprayed. Stencils were used. Blowpipes made from bird bones served as tubes for applying paint. By these means, Magdalenian painters were able to produce polychrome art.

【Paragraph 1】Some of the earliest human art to survive consists of engraved or painted works on open-air rocks or on the floors, walls, and ceilings of caves, some of them in deep crannies. They were created during the Upper Paleolithic period (40,000 to 10,000B.C.), and the best were done by what we call the Magdalenians (from the name of a site), peoples who flourished in Europe from 18,000 to 10,000 B.C. Such works have a unity and can be described as the Magdalenian art system, the first in human history. It was also the longest, lasting for much of the total time humans have produced art.

1. According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true of the artwork of the Magdalenians?

A. Its best features were later made part of a unified art system by other people after the end of the Paleolithic period.

B. It includes the finest examples of paintings done on rocks

C. Compared to the artwork of later groups, it was produced for only a short time.

D. Its earliest forms were on open-air rocks, while its later forms were in caves.

【Paragraph 2】In any history of art, then, the Magdalenian system must occupy a place of importance. Also, of all the forms of art practiced on the planet, it is the one about which we know the least. But we do possess a reasonable amount of knowledge, bearing in mind that the first cave art was only discovered in the 1860s, and it was not until 1902 that it was accepted as a fact by anthropologists and art historians. By the end of the twentieth century, there were 277 agreed examples in Europe.  Unfortunately, most cave art works are extremely fragile. When a cave is opened and the conditions that enable the paintings to survive are altered, deterioration can be rapid. Thus, except in places where expensive air-conditioning has been installed, caves are no longer open to the public. Even the Altamira cave in Spain, finest of them all, is now open only to small parties for brief periods. Scholars themselves find it difficult to gain admission. Some of these works are photographed, but the camera gives a poor idea of their nature and quality. Some are difficult to see anyway: the best part of Altamira has to be studied lying down. Hence inaccessibility is a real and growing obstacle to unlocking the secrets of the Magdalenian art system.

2. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

A. Because cave art was not discovered until the 1860s and anthropologists and art historians did not begin studying it until

1902, we still have little knowledge of it.

B. Cave art was first discovered in the 1860s, but it was not until 1902 that anthropologists and art historians first began to

understand it.

C. We know quite a bit about cave art, given that it was not discovered until the 1860s and not accepted as authentic until

1902.

D. We know a reasonable amount about cave art as a result of the efforts of anthropologists and art historians since the first

discoveries in the 1860s.

 

3. Why does the author include the information that some cave art has been “photographed, but the camera gives a poor idea of their nature and quality”?

A. To help explain why lack of access to caves is an obstacle to understanding the Magdalenian art system

B. To suggest that these artworks have suffered less deterioration than has sometimes been claimed

C. To argue that air-conditioning should be installed in the Altamira cave in Spain

D. To emphasize the need to view these artworks while lying down

4. According to paragraph 2, why has the public been prevented from visiting most caves that contain prehistoric art?

A. Space within caves is usually limited, so priority is given to scholars and art experts.

B. Cave containing artworks are often located in difficult-to-reach places.

C. Artworks can be damaged by environmental changes that result from opening a cave.

D. Many caves containing artworks are unsafe for the general public to enter and wander through.

【Paragraph 3】However, there is some knowledge on which we can build, beginning with subject matter. Cave art portrays human hands, large numbers of animals in different activities, including various species, such as the woolly rhinoceros, that are now extinct and a few that were extinct even at the time they were painted, geometric figures, and signs. Humans are also portrayed, but these instances are rare. Next, we come to methods and materials. The earliest and most rudimentary images are finger drawings in soft clay on the rock surface, the artist following the example of claw marks made by animals. Then came engraving (using a tool to cut into a material), by far the commonest method, using flakes of sharp flint and in some cases stone picks. Different types of rock, and rock formations, were used to give variety, add color, and produce depth, so that some of these engravings are akin to sculptural low reliefs (shallow sculptures carved into walls). Fine engraving is rare and late. Clay engraving on the floors has been obliterated by the feet of modern visitors, but some good examples survive.

5. According to paragraph 3, which of the following is the least likely to the portrayed in Magdalenian cave art?

A. geometric shapes

B. human hands

C. groups of human beings

D. various species of animals

6. According to paragraph 3, which of the following statements is true of cave art?

A. The oldest known cave art was created using animal claws in soft clay.

B. No works of cave art created on floors remain today because all the examples have been ruined by the feet of modern

visitors.

C. Cave engravings were later followed by prehistoric finger drawings in clay.

D. Cave engravers employed different types of rock to create variety and texture.

【Paragraph 4】Finally, and most impressively, we get painting. The first colors were red, iron oxide (hematite, a form of red ochre), and black (manganese dioxide), though black from juniper or pine carbons has also been discovered. White from kaolin or mica was used occasionally. The only other colors available to Magdalenian painters were yellow and brown. However, great ingenuity was displayed by artists. At Lascaux cave we have found pestles and mortars in which colors were mixed, together with no less than 158 different mineral fragments from which the mixtures were made. There seems to have been no shortage of pigment—large lumps have been found at some sites. Shells of barnacles were used as containers. One artist employed a human skull. Cave water and the calcium it contained were used as mixers, and vegetable and animal oils as binders. The artists had primitive crayons, and they applied the paint with brush tools, though none have survived. All kinds of devices and implements were used to aid art. Important lines were preceded by dots, which were then joined up. Sometimes paint was sprayed. Stencils were used. Blowpipes made from bird bones served as tubes for applying paint. By these means, Magdalenian painters were able to produce polychrome art.

7. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 4 about the cave water and the calcium it contained in cave water?

A. It made the cave water unsuitable for drinking.

B. It was involved in combining paint pigments.

C. It helped to bind paints to the surfaces being painted.

D. It made paint last longer.

8. Paragraph 4 discusses all of the following with regard to cave painters EXCEPT

A. how they chose the locations of their paintings

B. what materials they used to create some of their colors

C. what techniques they used in making their creations

D. what kinds of tools they used

【Paragraph 2】In any history of art, then, the Magdalenian system must occupy a place of importance. Alas, of all the forms of art practiced on the planet, it is the one about which we know the least. But we do possess a reasonable amount of knowledge, beaning in mind that the first cave art was only discovered in the 1860s, and it was not until 1902 that it was accepted as a fact by anthropologists and art historians. By the end of the twentieth century, there were 277 agreed examples in Europe. Unfortunately, most cave art works are extremely fragile. When a cave is opened and the conditions that enable the paintings to survive are altered, deterioration can be rapid. ■Thus, except in places where expensive air-conditioning has been installed,

caves are no longer open to the public. ■Even the Altamira cave in Spain, finest of them all, is now open only to small parties for brief periods. ■Scholars themselves find it difficult to gain admission. Some of these works are photographed, but the camera gives a poor idea of their nature and quality. ■Some are difficult to see anyway: the best part of Altamira has to be studied lying down. Hence inaccessibility is a real and growing obstacle to unlocking the secrets of the Magdalenian art system.

9. Look at the four squares【■】that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

There is a potential for serious damage from the introduction of light, changes in air circulation, and the breath of visitors.

Where would the sentence best fit?

10. 【Directions】An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because the express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

Magdalenian artworks were created during the Upper Paleolithic period.

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Answer Choices

A. Examples of Magdalenian art are found in all parts of Europe, and there is evidence that artists in neighboring regions were influenced by the Magdalenian system.

B. Magdalenian artists created a variety of images, including geometric figures, and varied the type of rock chosen for engravings to produce different artistic effects.

C. A unifying aspect of the Magdalenian system was the tendency of artists to blend multiple colors together rather than to use colors individually.

D. Scholars know a fair amount about Magdalenian cave art, but the need to preserve the fragile works has prevented scholars from studying them as thoroughly as they would like.

E. Magdalenian painters were able to create impressive, multicolored artworks by using minerals and plant and animal materials to make and mix colors.

F. Some Magdalenian engravings and paintings are so sophisticated in design and skillfully executed that it was once doubted that prehistoric people created them.

 

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