Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Mistery behind Secrets of the Cave painters Part .II


For a long time, the Lascaux caves, located in the Dondogne region of central France, were the most famous prehistoric site. This was due to the age of paintings found there about 17,000 years old and because of their exceptional artistic quality.

The discovery, in 1940 of The Lascaux caves brought a great influx of visitors to the site, and aroused fears that the paintings might be damaged by increased humidity, Careless Contact and even Vandalism. The caves were closed to the public in 1963. But in order to permit people to view the paintings, researchers commissioned Lascaux II an exact copy of the cave, with its numerous treasures.

The first sight of the rock paintings is unforgettable and a mystery. Each animal seems to emerge from the rock face. The spine of a horse melts into a crevice, the muscle of a bison runs along a rock edge, and the neck of a bull follows the outlines of a ledge. The artists of Lascaux used the rough texture of the rock to give a three dimensional quality to their creations. By candlelight, the bulls come to life and fill the cave with their presence.

How did the paint? Where did they get their colors from? And how did they apply them? What is the mystery behind it?To be able to reconstruct the movements of our ancestors, it was necessary for painters and archaeologists to work side by side

(Cont.)

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