1. Prehistoric “Chinese Horse” 15,000-13,500 BC Cave ceiling, Lascaux, France   Some of the earliest known art work is found in the Lascaux (pronounced las cow) caves in France. This prehistoric cave painting is called “Chinese Horse” because it resembles a Sung Chinese horse painting. Paints were made by using charcoal and minerals from the earth. Brushes were made from an animal manes, sticks, and strips of animal skin. Spray paint techniques were used by blowing paint through a hollow reed. The cave (which contained hundreds of paintings) was discovered in 1940 by four teenagers. They kept it a secret for a week until they told their teacher.

2. Sung Chinese horse drawing--inspired the name “Chinese Horse” for the cave drawing.

3. This horse seems to leap across the cave wall
This horse seems to leap across the cave wall. The artist used color and shading to define the lines of the animal. He placed the feet in a running position to create the sense of movement.

4. In 1940, four local teenagers and a dog named Robot were out hunting rabbits in the woods when they discovered a hole left by a fallen tree. Looking for rabbits, Robot crawled into the hole and disappeared completely. One of the boys, Marcel Ravidat, went after him into the hole. After making it wider to accommodate his size, Marcel slid down a steep-sided wall and ended up in a large cave. The other boys soon joined him. By match light, they could see an incredible sight: the walls were covered with paintings of huge animals.

5. The Painted Gallery at Lascaux is 3. 5 meters high (about 11 feet)
The Painted Gallery at Lascaux is 3.5 meters high (about 11 feet). This means that these Paleolithic artists had to get up that high to paint the walls. How did they do it? Halfway up the walls along both sides of the gallery is a series of evenly-spaced holes. Experts think the holes once held a wooden scaffold of sorts that would allow the artist to reach the upper parts of the cave.

7. 2. Albrecht Durer
“St Eustace” German
Durer was the first artist to use printmaking as a major medium for art. At the age of 13 he was apprenticed to a painter and designer of woodcuts. This print is an etching which uses strong acids to cut into unprotected parts of the metal to create a design. This etching can be found at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.

8. 3. Pablo Picasso “The Guernica” 1937 Spanish Picasso is often referred to as the most famous artist of the 20th century. He invented a style of art called cubism which allows more than one view of an image. This mural depicts the feelings of rage when Picasso learned of the slaughter of 2000 civilians when the warplanes dropped bombs on the Spanish town of Guernica. Picasso used several symbols to depict his anguish such as: Bull: Spain, Flower: Regeneration, Sword: Defeat