Cave art in Europe survived because it was deep in caves and only recently discovered (20C). Much of it is now deteriorating fast due to tourists and air conditioning, thus many caves have been closed. Scholars assume that many more are yet to be found and maybe that will/would fill gaps. Carbon 14 dating helps to establish the dates for this work. I think you are right to assume that people continued to make things...but we must also assume that it has vanished due to decay. More ancient art is being found in Asia as the Chinese, especially, turn to archaeology. The record is very spotty overall. There's so much to find and so little to connect the dots so far. We don't know why the art was made or who made it (artisans were many or few?) What has been found in Europe is usually deep into caves...not easily accessible, thus maybe quite magical, secretive, etc. No one knows. But it's so excellent...so human. So sophisticated. Those folks were not knuckles on the ground brutes, at least mentally. WC
--- On Mon, 12/22/08, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: > From: [email protected] <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: Geoff, Neurology and "Art" > To: [email protected] > Date: Monday, December 22, 2008, 4:02 PM > In a message dated 12/22/08 4:39:08 PM, > [email protected] writes: > > > > If the European cave painters quit or disappeared some > 15-18,000 ago, that, > > added to the 20,000 yrs they did work equals almost > 40,000 years, more or > > less...so far we know. > > > I know I can be considered the resident skeptic, but I > don't ask the > following with any skeptical sub-text; I'm looking for > educational info from the > visual artists on the forum who know worlds more than I do. > > > I have an unreliable memory of reading recently of > discoveries of "very old" > artwork. Unfortunately, I can't remember how old. One > was the uncovering of > something in color on a man-built wall of a once vital > community (in Peru?), the > other had three-dimensional figures of feline-like > creatures (in Asia?). I > think the archaeologists claimed the wall-art was the > oldest known (I'll guess > they were overlooking the cave paintings), My question: If > the cave artists > quit, say, 15,000 years ago and the "very old" > art was done 5,000 years ago, do > scholars believe that humankind made no pictorial art for > 10,000 years -- after > the spectacular accomplishments in the caves? It's > hard to believe. (Even > as I write this I'm appalled by my ignorance of > "pre-history" history.) > > > > ************** > One site keeps you connected to all your email: AOL Mail, > Gmail, and > Yahoo Mail. Try it now. > (http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity& > ncid=emlcntaolcom00000025)
