Techniques of Paleolithic Art

Brief Definition of the Topic

Techniques used by Upper Paleolithic groups to produce their graphic works of art provide almost inexhaustible sources on “ways of doing.” They also enable us to reflect on the levels of practice of “artists,” on the internal organization of societies, and on the implication of the individuals in the procurement of pigments, tools, and mediums.

In studying the techniques of Paleolithic artists, we seek to identify the set of processes of formal construction from the level of a single trace, to their combination into the form of a drawing all the way to the use of the graphic space whether it be on a restricted medium like an object or on a wall.

The study of techniques allows for the understanding of the artists’ gestures and the mediums used in the different graphic works.

The mediums of prehistoric representations are multiple and varied from objects of portable art (including bone, stone tablet, ivory, antler) to cave walls, shelters under rock, and...