Cave Art

The cave art that is found around southern Europe has always fascinated me. A shocking level of precision, detail, size and difficulty makes one take a second thought about our early ancestors and what life was like 30,000 years ago…for instance, who knew there were rhinoceros in France? Plus it’s one the earliest forms of muralism (another thing I’m passionate about). To make matters more interesting still, some cave art appears to predate homo sapien existence on the Iberian peninsula, which makes me wonder did neanderthals teach us to paint? All of this makes for a great collaborative art project with anything from humanities and science to Spanish or French classes. I use it as a chance to teach students about where the most basic pigments come from, like the iron content in clay or compressed charcoal. It’s also a great chance for students to work collaboratively and change the scale they’re used to rendering things. I do this with middle school students.

Here’s my cave art unit in nutshell (I like the MYP creative cycle for middle school art units, so you’ll notice things start with an investigation, then move on to developing skills and creative thinking, and finish up with a reflection):

Have students investigate the artwork in the caves of Chauvet, Lascaux, and Altamira focusing on when and how they were made. Next they practice drawing the ancient animals which include bovines (bulls/buffalos), deer, horses, lions, and even rhinoceros. A large canvas is rolled out on the floor and students then work on filling it with animals based on their practice using charcoal and conte sticks…modern versions of the ancient materials. I encourage them to add modern accessories…which often gives them a Marc Chagall or Basquiat sort of look. After rolling on a coat of clear paint, the work can be hung in a cave-like space at the school! Finish up with a reflection about the work. The last time I did this, we had great collaborations with a science lab on natural pigments and dyes and reinforcing vocabulary in Spanish class.