Allyn Jones

March 26, 2012

The Cave of Altamira

In 1879, Don Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola was exploring a cave on his property on the

northern Spanish coast. While there, he saw some black painted signs on a rear wall, but thought

little of them. Later that year, he returned to do some excavating. He was searching for

prehistoric tools and portable art, similar to what he had recently seen at a Paris exhibition, while

is eight year old daughter, Maria, played in the cavern. While he had his eyes fixed firmly on the

floor, Maria’s wandered up the cave walls to the roof where she spotted the now famous bison

paintings of the Caves of Altamira (James).

After recovering from his initial shock, de Sautuola studied the paintings and found that

the figures had been rendered using a “fatty paste” and noticed a distinct similarity in style

between the work that he was viewing and the depictions of art from the Ice Age which he had

viewed at the Paris exhibition.

Sadly, his attempts to present his findings to the academic community were met with

accusations of naivety or fraud. Scholars immediately dismissed the Altamira paintings and

refused to visit the site to judge for themselves, convinced that Marcelino had either been fooled

by a forger or conspired with one. De Sautuola died before his claims could be substantiated

(Bahn).

However, in the years following his death, many more examples of cave art were

discovered in Europe, Africa, America, and Australia. After a series of discoveries of French

cave paintings in 1902, the genuineness of these works of art was finally accepted (James).

Carbon dating and other techniques indicate that the oldest European examples were painted

over 30,000 years ago. In some cases there is evidence that, prior to their discovery, these

paintings were actually viewed by relatively modern visitors who failed to recognize their

significance. In one instance, graffiti dated 1660 was inscribed less than a meter from the

famous images of the bison and ibex that decorate the walls (Southgate).

The cave of Altamira is found at the top of a smooth limestone hill which is formed by

parallel, horizontal calcarenite strata (Lasheras). Altamira is 296 meters long and is comprised

of a series of chambers and passages. It ends in a very long, narrow section known as the

Horse’s Tail. Although the site is best known for its elaborate ceiling, the many corridors

contain a large number of engravings, including carvings of deer heads identical to those found

engraved on deer scapulae found in the cave’s occupation layers. It is likely the engravings and

the carvings were completed by the same artist (Whitley).

These artifacts have been attributed to cultures such as the Mousterian and the Solutrean.

There are also a series of ‘masks,’ which are natural rock shapes which have been manipulated

into humanoid faces by the addition of eyes and other facial structure, and finger tracings, some

of which form a bovine head.

Changes in style and material indicate that there were multiple phases of decoration. The

earliest work consists of continuous-line engravings, followed by figures in red flat-wash, then

some multiple-line engravings, some black figures, and finally the polychromes. The multiple-

line figures are identical to some portable art from the cave dated to 14,480, which suggests that

the two earlier phases predate them whereas the black figures and polychromes are more recent.

Charcoal used in some polychrome bison on the painted ceiling has produced radiocarbon dates

ranging from 14,820 to 13,130 years ago. Archaeologists believe that the cave was likely

blocked soon after this period (Bahn).

Although Picasso said, “None of us could paint like that,” many past researches,

including de Sautuola, saw the ceiling as a unified work, and pronounced that the polychromes

could have been completed by a single artist of genius (Southgate). Recent more detailed

observations have confirmed this idea, and indicate that one expert artist was responsible for at

least all of the polychrome bison on the ceiling. Another series of radiocarbon dates indicate

subsequent retouching (Bahn).

Because of the immensity of the cave, the different subjects can generally divided by

category and location. On the right side of the roof there is a series of painted figures and

engraved signs which is referred to as “The Ceiling of the Red Horses.” In this area, seven

horses (varying in length from 150-180 cm) can be easily identified. The largest of these horses

is portrayed as rearing, raised on its hind legs while the tale hangs detached from the

hindquarters. Below the horses there is what appears to be a goat, painted with a thick red stroke

and standing up. In addition to these figures, polychrome bison decorate the area. Underneath

the polychrome group, red stains which correspond to remains of similar figures are described.

This section also boasts one of the oldest figures: a hand in positive surrounded by

several series of points made with fingertips (forming a “V” shape). In addition, there are two

hands in negative which were created later.

Towards the interior of the cave there is a small blind gallery full of red signs and a sign

composed of four irregular, internally divided ovals. In addition to these, more large signs and

depictions of animals can be found decorating various crevices and fissures (Lasheras).

The main gallery features numerous black figures drawn with charcoal. There are also

many more representations of horses, but also bulls, bison, mountain goats, deer, semi-human

faces, and signs. All of the bison at Altamira are in profile. They do not stand on a common

ground line, which gives the illusion of floating. The paintings also have no background or

indication of place (Breuil). The thickness and variety of the art in this chamber suggests that

during the period in which this art was created there were longer and more frequent occupations.

It is possible that the groups became more numerous and likely took over the entire cave. From

the main gallery to the deepest and most remote chambers, the cave walls have been covered in

figures and images; there is no place without art.

Altamira also houses a number of Palaeolithic engravings. Although they are now faded

and difficult to see, during their prime they would have contrasted as sharply with the

surrounding stone. Although somewhat smaller than their painted counterparts, the carvings

feature engraved horses and bison. The horns of the bison are clearly visible, as if their heads are

turned somewhat towards the observer. This style is known as twisted perspective. This was

possibly meant to infuse the images with more magic and power (Whitley).

The most recent piece in the cave is a large, monochrome bison. It was created in a way

meant to imitate volume; the artist used charcoal smudging, which allows grey tones to be

created giving the illusion of space (Lasheras).

The motivations behind these works are still open to debate. Once the concept and

artistic significance of prehistoric art was recognized by the scientific community, many scholars

began to evaluate its aesthetic characteristics in a search for meaning (Berghaus). The term

“painting” does not fully convey the artistry and planning that was used to create these images.

The uneven contours of the rock have been incorporated to give the animals a three-dimensional

presence within the cave. Bovine shoulders loom up in the half light, and despite the fact that the

exact species of bison depicted is now extinct, the quality of this image lends itself to reality.

The images convey how the animals stood while at pasture, how they collapsed when ill or

wounded. The colors serve to add to the effect. Although the images are predominantly red and

black, shading can seen in brown, purple, yellow, pink, and white. Because of the earthen

quality of the media, the art merges with the rock to create an organic quality to the work

(Spivey).

However, although previous studies have enhanced our understanding of ancient cave art,

we are still unable to answer the question of what the artists meant by these works. It appears as

humans evolved, speech was supplemented with visual representations of ideas, concepts, and

feelings. The objects which indicate symbolic communication may also have religious or social

functions (Berghaus).

It may be tempting to dismiss the images as art for art’s sake. One could think of

Altamira as a type of gallery allowing for the admiration of the work of talented artisans.

Modern humans appreciate beauty and the pleasure that comes with an accurate imitation, so it

stands to reason that our ancestors would have as well. However, there are a variety of problems

with this theory. The subjects of the Altamira cave art are extremely limited; the images that

recur are those of animals, and the number of species is relatively few. No human figures occur

in the caves of Altamira, and in cave art from different periods the few human representations

that are found are simple and rarely done with attention to form.

In the early decades of the twentieth century, archaeologist Henri Breuil made the

suggestion that the cave paintings were a form of “sympathetic magic”. He argued that the

reason why Palaeolithic artists chose to depict animals was an effort to “capture the spirit of their

prey.” According to Breuil, the hunters believed that by making the images realistic and

accurate, he was able to harness power over the animal, virtually trapping it. Images gained the

magical capacity to confer success or luck in the hunt (Spivey).

Unfortunately, in recent years, tourism of Altamira has lead to the introduction of a

destructive microorganism. Under natural conditions, the temperatures of the air, floors and

roofs, air humidity, and carbon dioxide concentrations allowed for the preservation of the art

(Quindos). However, a recent study has shown that the introduction of increased humidity to a

substance called montmorillonite located in the rock walls of the cave is causing the paint to

flake (Valle). Luckily, action taken by archaeologists has allowed for the preservation of the

rock art.

Today, people from all over the world recognize the distinctive bison of the Caves of

Altamira. This icon of prehistory represents one of the first masterpieces of human civilization,

and is invaluable to the study of human culture.

Works Cited

Bahn, Paul G. Cave Art: A Guide to the Decorated Ice Age Caves of Europe. London: Frances

Lincoln, 2007. Print.

Berghaus, Günter. New Perspectives on Prehistoric Art. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2004. Print.

Breuil, Henri, Emile Cartailhac, Hugo Obermaier, and Mary Elizabeth Boyle. The Cave of

Altamira at Santillana Del Mar, Spain,. Madrid: Tip. De Archivos, 1935. Print.

James, Peter, and I. J. Thorpe. Ancient Inventions. New York: Ballantine, 1994. Print.

Lasheras, Jose A. "The Cave of Altamira: 22,000 Years of History." (2009). Print.

Quindos, L. S., A. Bonet, and N. Diaz-Caneja. "Study of the Environmental Variables Affecting

the Natural Preservation of the Altamira Cave Paintings Located at Santillana Del Mar,

Spain." Atmospheric Enviornment 21.3 (1987). Print.

Southgate, Christopher. God, Humanity, and the Cosmos. London: T & T Clark, 2005. Print.

Spivey, Nigel Jonathan. How Art Made the World: A Journey to the Origins of Human

Creativity. New York: Basic, 2005. Print.

Valle, F. J. "Montmorillonite: A Cause of Deterioration of Rock Paintings at Altamira Cave."

MASCA 1.2 (1979): 36-38. Print.

Whitley, David S. Handbook of Rock Art Research. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira, 2001. Print.