Rock art theories VII
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Rock art theories: a brief overview of the salient theories concerning Palaeolithic rock art in Europe and around the world.
Distribution and topography
This rock art theory - or approach - is based on the distribution of figures within a rock art site and consideration of the wall shape. To this extent it follows on from the work of André Leroi-Gourhan and his theory concerning observation rather than interpretation, involving a statistical approach to prehistoric cave paintings.
The shape of the rock affecting the artist's vision and placement may be seen on the Great Ceiling of Altamira.
This theory, still in its infancy, attempts to analyse the distribution of figures according to spatial characteristics of the cave within a geographic region. Moreover, it considers the cave topography, with analysis of paintings located on concave and convex panels. Research in the Cantabrian caves has identified a pattern whereby horses are painted on concave panels whilst bovids are painted on convex panels. Another factor is the positioning of the animals; those facing into the cave and those facing out.
The placement of the animals may have significance in the Spanish cave at Covalanas
Clearly, this approach requires support from direct dating of the paintings, but it may help to explain why some panels are blank and some are very full.
Read more on the various approaches to rock art in Cave Art by Dr Jean Clottes:
http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/books/cave_art.php
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