Watch the whole thing or parts:
Cave of Forgotten Dreams is a 2010 3D documentary film by Werner Herzog about the Chauvet Cave in southern France that contains the oldest human-painted images yet discovered. Some of them were crafted as much as 32,000 years ago.
Cave_of_forgotten_dreams from Doru Diaconu on Vimeo.
Herzog talks about the difficulty of filming:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H-VodcRG4o
From this documentary, I have learned that there are many ways to create movement. For example, the cave paintings were not painted on a flat surface. The artist(s) used the rocky surface of the cave to their advantage to create movement, texture, and depth to their paintings. The artist(s) also painted the animals (horses, mammoths, rhinos, lions, bears, and bison) with multiple legs in order to create the illusion that the animals were running. Something else I noticed was that these paintings were only made in black and white. Color was not used to add depth like in the paintings created after this era. However, there is a nice quality to the simplicity of these cave paintings that has not been matched in modern art.
ReplyDeleteIn the commentary about the documentary, they explain that many artists contributed to these pieces; some many years apart. I think this is an amazing concept to take in because many artists over time worked together to create one outstanding image. Art of this form is not commonly used anymore, so it is refreshing to observe how people thousands of years ago expressed themselves.
*Danielle Sargent*
In the first video of the Cave of forgotten dreams what interests me the most is the time difference of 30,000 plus years, yet the technique of painting we have today, and have adapted from the past hundred years is so similar. This cave was only discovered 10 years ago and artists/painters today use a utensil (paintbrush vs. stick) to paint with, paint in repetition to represent movement or depth, and pay attention to their surface and what they're painting on.
ReplyDeleteIn Herzog's commentary they talk about the preservation of the cave and how he had to be granted permission to enter and film within the cave by the French government. I couldn't help but think what if Evolution never closed this cave? Would the evolution of painting have changed? Because over thousands of years would people have referred to these paintings, or added techniques or forms we've never seen before. It's almost more appealing to me that forces of nature prevented us from seeing this beautiful artwork and how it could have altered our entire knowledge of painting.
I was intrigued by the forms of indigenous art shown in the documentary, showing the advancement of art throughout the centuries of cultural diversity and development. The art in this cave was from 30,000 years ago and depicted simple drawings or patterns that described the lives of the people and what was important for their survival. Compared to other art forms from centuries earlier in different countries from all over the world, it is interesting to see the similarities and differences of the simple beauty of the cave art in France. For example, in Southern Africa, the San Bushmen painted similar drawings depicting animals and their spiritual beliefs using similar dark, earthy colors such as black, white, and brown mud-based paints. I find it amazing to compare these indigenous art forms from all over the world as well as comparing it to more modern art forms. The differences in colors, textures, and diverse materials used embody the beauty of cultural diversity.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly in the second video, Herzog's commentary focuses on preservation of the cave and the appreciation of the art found within them. This video allows us to realize the vitality of protecting art from over 30,000 years ago to understand the development of people and their culture, as well as understanding the advancements of art.
-Peri Levine