Prehistoric Art in Europe Answers

The Paleolithic period is divided into three main phases: Lower, Middle, and Upper. The division is based on the sophistication of the tools created and used. The Neolithic period came after, and showed a greater degree of sophistication, as well as actual examples of art.

These phases took place before 40,000 BCE. During the Lower Paleolithic period, humans made tools by flaking and chipping flint pebbles into blades and scrapers with sharp edges. The crude tools found during the Lower and Middle phases were not considered art and were intended for practical purposes like hunting.

This is called, Spotted Horses and Human Hands. It was made between 25,000 and 24,000 BCE, and was found in Pech-Merle Cave, which is located in Dordogne, France. There is a hand-print as a type of signature created by the artist. The artist created this by chewing-up charcoal in his/her mouth. Then he/she would place a hand on the wall, and blow the chewed-up charcoal over the hand. This would create a negative hand-print on the stone.

In the Paleolithic example (left), there images are simply painted, with a bit of color. In the Neolithic example (right), the style is abstract with sharp, clean lines and no color besides black showing. It shows humans and animals interacting together.