Ever since they were discovered over a hundred years ago, the paintings and rock engravings deep in the caves of Europe have captured the public imagination, provoking wonder and amazement at their great age, their technical mastery and their sheer beauty. Some of the oldest art known to man turns out to be highly accomplished, and also to have been made in extremely difficult conditions in absurdly inaccessible locations. These facts have presented a puzzle and a challenge that have never ceased to exercise the imagination of both scholars and the wider public. This interest is kept alive by the beauty, vivacity and realism of these mammoths, bison, horses and other animals, which have the same power and freshness to modern eyes that they must have had for their creators. Jean Clottes' book is the first one to provide a simple, accessible, orderly and easy to use pictorial introduction to this remarkable art.A concise introduction tells the story of the discovery of the caves, and gives a clear outline of current knowledge and research. It also discusses the modern debates about the meaning and purpose of the art, and sets these debates in the wider context of prehistory.
The author also raises questions about this art in relation to modern sensibilities - why do we find it so compelling? The core of the book is a carefully selected and organized sequence of 300 images, presenting the finest examples of cave art, including not only the most famous caves such as Lascaux, Altamira, Pech-Merle and Niaux, but also dozens of others that have yielded remarkable finds. A wonderful range of animals is presented, as well as the mysterious abstract signs, and the puzzlingly crude and schematized representations of human beings. Some examples of portable art and sculpture are also included in order to make important comparisons and links.