Was it a trick of the light that drew our Stone Age ancestors into caves to paint in charcoal and red hematite, to watch the heads of lions, likenesses of bison, horses, and aurochs in the reliefs of the walls, as they flickered by firelight? Or was it something deeper—a creative impulse, a spiritual dawn, a shamanistic conception of the world efflorescing in the dark, dank spaces beneath the surface of the earth where the spirits were literally at hand? In this book, Jean Clottes, one of the most renowned figures in the study of cave paintings, pursues an answer to this “why” of Paleolithic art. While other books focus on particular sites and surveys, Clottes’s work is a contemplative journey across the world, a personal reflection on how we have viewed these paintings in the past, what we learn from looking at them across geographies, and what these paintings may have meant—what function they may have served—for their artists. Steeped in Clottes’s shamanistic theories of cave painting, What Is Paleolithic Art? travels from well-known Ice Age sites like Chauvet, Altamira, and Lascaux to visits with contemporary aboriginal artists, evoking a continuum between the cave paintings of our prehistoric past and the living rock art of today. Clottes’s work lifts us from the darkness of our Paleolithic origins to reveal, by firelight, how we think, why we create, why we believe, and who we are.

What Is Paleolithic Art?: Cave Paintings and the Dawn of Human Creativity

Arts & Photography

Clottes, Jean

History & Criticism

University of Chicago Press

The discovery of the Chauvet Cave in December 1994 was a remarkable event. The incredible age of the paintings, which dated back 35,000 years, and their exceptionally high quality were the source of both astonishment and admiration, and the images of mammoths, rhinoceroses, lions, bears, horses and bison have since been seen around the world.Several years ago, a team of specialists from many different disciplines, led by Jean Clottes, began the first detailed scientific study of the cave. This collaborative project has been extremely fruitful and the cave has slowly revealed many of secrets of its origins: its dating, the traces left by animals and humans, the artistic techniques that were used, and the themes of the paintings and engravings. New light has also been cast on this unique art by art historians and ethnologists.All these discoveries are published together for the first time, accompanied by numerous colour illustrations, allowing the public to share not only this new knowledge but also the thrill and fascination of looking back thousands of years into an ancient world.

Return to Chauvet Cave /anglais

Thames&Hudson

This new title presents an unparalleled selection of over 300 works made between 35,000 and 11,000 years ago, featuring the earliest known evidence of human creativity. The artworks range from spectacular cave paintings to small, delicate sculptures. CAVE ART explores the origins of human artistic endeavour from key sites such as Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain, as well as less-known locations. The works featured in the book have been selected, sequenced, and described by one of the world's most respected experts on prehistoric art, Jean Clottes. The book includes examples of open-air rock art made after the last ice age at sites around the world, and includes a chronology, maps, a glossary, and a list of sites open to the public.

Cave Art

Phaidon Press

The discovery of pre-historic decorated caves in western Europe transformed the way we think about the development of art. The earliest known evidence of human artistic endeavor, the awe-inspiring paintings, dramatic engravings and small, delicate sculptures of animals and humans found in these caves still hold a unique power and fascination, more than a century after they were first discovered. In this book, internationally renowned expert on prehistoric art Jean Clottes explores the origins of art and creativity. He takes the reader on a guided tour of 85 caves and rock shelters, many of which are not open to the public, revealing the extraordinary beauty of the works of art within them. Cave Art features more than 300 works from the Paleolithic period, made between 35,000 and 11,000 years ago, presented in geographical and chronological order.This comprehensive, accessible introduction to prehistoric art includes such spectacular works as the famous horses of Lascaux, the buffalo in the Altamira cave in Spain and the ivory carving of a woman's face found at Brassempouy in the south of France, as well as examples from less well-known sites. A wonderful range of animals is presented, from cave bears to reindeer, as well as mysterious abstract signs and schematic representations of human beings. Examples of portable art and sculpture are also included. While most of the caves described in the book are European, Cave Art also includes examples of open-air rock art made after the last ice age at sites around the world. With an unparalleled selection of images, Cave Art offers a unique guided tour of the earliest expressions of human creativity. Each work in Cave Art is illustrated by a color photograph, and accompanied by a clear, vivid explanatory text. A concise introduction tells the story of the discovery of the caves, and gives a clear outline of current knowledge, research and debate on the subject of prehistoric art. The book also includes a chronology, maps of the main caves and sites, a glossary and a list of sites that can be visited.

A fine publication which tells the story of the discovery and subsequent investigation of Grotte Cosquer, one of the most stunning - and chronologically accountable - examples of paleolithic cave art yet to be found. With high-quality colour photographs the 18,500 year-old representations of horses, ibex, chamois, aurochs, megaloceros, and sea creatures such as seals and great auks are shown in all their glory. A remarkable account of a very unusual find.

Cave Beneath the Sea

Courtin, Jean

Harry N. Abrams

Book by Clottes, Jean, Lewis-Williams, David

The Shamans of Prehistory

Lewis-Williams, David

Harry N. Abrams Publishers

Chauvet Cave: The Art of Earliest Times

University of Utah Press

Although cave paintings from the European Ice Age have has gained considerable renown, for many people the term "rock art" remains full of mystery. Yet it refers to perhaps the oldest form of artistic endeavor, splendid examples of which exist on all continents and from all eras. Rock art stretches in time from about forty thousand to less than forty years ago and can be found from the Arctic Circle to the tip of South America, from the caves of southern France to the American Southwest. It includes animal and human figures, complex geometrical forms, and myriad mysterious markings. Illustrated in color throughout, this book provides an engaging overview of rock art worldwide. An introductory chapter discusses the discovery of rock art by the West and the importance of landscape and ritual. Subsequent chapters survey rock art sites throughout the world, explaining how the art can be dated and how it was made. The book then explores the meaning of these often enigmatic images, including the complex role they played in traditional societies. A final chapter looks at the threats posed to rock art today by development, tourism, pollution, and other dangers, and discusses current initiatives to preserve this remarkable heritage.

World Rock Art (Conservation & Cultural Heritage)

Getty Conservation Institute

La Grotte Cosquer. Peintures et gravures de la caverne engloutie

SEUIL

Les Chamanes de la préhistoire. Transe et magie dans les grottes ornées

Reference

Foreign Language Study & Reference

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Clottes, Jean. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Clottes, Jean

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Clottes, Jean. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

What Is Paleolithic Art?: Cave Paintings and the Dawn of Human Creativity

Return to Chauvet Cave /anglais

Cave Art

Cave Art

Cave Beneath the Sea

The Shamans of Prehistory

Chauvet Cave: The Art of Earliest Times

World Rock Art (Conservation & Cultural Heritage)

La Grotte Cosquer. Peintures et gravures de la caverne engloutie

Les Chamanes de la préhistoire. Transe et magie dans les grottes ornées