1. By Mrs. Erica Lemberg-Flores
Paleolithic Cave Art
By Mrs. Erica Lemberg-Flores

2. Lascaux cave-40,000BC
Located in southwestern France Lascaux cave is one of the first discovered painted works of art created by Paleolithic humans.
Discovered by French archaeologist Henri-Edouard-Prosper Breuil.

3. Subject matter
Typically,in Paleolithic 2-dimiensional art animals are depicted. While 3-dimensional art mostly portrays the human figure.
Images painted in the Lascaux cave contain horses, red deer, stags, bovines, felines, and symbols. These are the type of animals that would be a source of food or worship.

4. About the images
Images of animals created are in either silhouette , profile or both. The images are primitive with basic line drawing and limited in there color values.
The colors used consist of colors that come from the earth known as earth colors. These colors are oranges, reds, black, browns and some dark violets.
Colors and tools to paint with were created from natural elements. An example is burned animals bones, which created black colors. Rocks were used to create reddish ground pigments.

5. Tools
Tools that may have been used:rocks, moss, branches, bones, and of course fingers!

6. What were Paleolithic people like?
Paleolithic people were people like you and me. Their diet consisted of plants that were gathered or animal meat that was hunted.
The climate was unpredictable with the recent end of the ice age.Which brought on strong and hazardous winds.
The people were nomadic often wandering to find better sources of food and shelter.

7. So why was this art created?

8. Vocabulary words
Paleolithic - The Stone Age that began about 2.5 to 2 million years ago, marked by the earliest use of tools made of chipped stone.
Symbols-An image that represent an idea.
Silhouette- An outline that appears dark against a light background.
Profile-A side view of an object or structure
Value-How dark or light an image is.
Earth Colors- colors like those of soil or earth; brownish-reds and browns.

9. Sources
Cornwell, J. (1995). lascaux cave paintings. Retrieved from
lascaux ca bc. (n.d.). Retrieved from
The cave paintings of lascaux cave. (n.d.). Retrieved from