Altamira
The Spanish cave of Altamira , located at Santillana del Mar, close to Santander (Cantabrie), contains one of the pictorial whole most important of the Préhistoire. It completion date of the Paleolithic superior, the Magdalénien. Its artistic style concerns what one calls the prehistoric Art free-Cantabric, one of the chief features of which is the realism of the representations and by his animalist topics.
History of discovered and the recognition of Altamira
Paintings of Altamira were discovered in 1879, at the time of excavations led by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola. The cave was known since 1868 and Sanz de Sautuola paid visits there since 1876. It had observed the presence of geometrical drawings on the walls without attaching importance to it but it is its Maria young girl, then eight years old, who noticed the first the presence of “oxen” drawn with the ceiling. Sanz de Sautuola published since 1880 “Short notes on some prehistoric objects of the province of Santander”.Historically, Altamira is thus the first important prehistoric pictorial unit which was discovered and published. A discovery of this kind explains the polemic which it gave birth to since it called in question certain scientific ideas of the time. Indeed, as of the beginning, the realism of the scenes represented made doubt its authenticity. Its recognition as an artistic work carried out by men of Paleolithic was done at the conclusion of a long process which made it possible to better define the vision of Prehistory.
The first to defend these paintings was that which had discovered them and published, Mr. Sanz de Sautuola. Their authenticity was to be allowed only after its death, once confirmed by the abundance of other similar artistic works found in many European caves. At the end of the 19th century, especially in France, one discovered parietal paintings associated in an undeniable way with mural statuettes, sculptures and carved bones which belonged to archaeological levels Paléolithique S, the whole accompanying by the remainders of disappeared animals, at least of the area (Mammouth, Renne, Bison of the steppes, etc).
Emile Cartailhac had been one of the largest adversaries of the authenticity of Altamira. As from 1895, the discovery of engravings and paintings in the French caves of Mouthe, the Combarelles and Make-with-Gaume, made him reconsider its position. After having visited the caves, he wrote in the review Anthropology (1902) an article entitled “the cave of Altamira. Mea culpa of a skeptic”. After this article the paleolithic character of paintings of Altamira was universally recognized.
In this recognition, it is necessary to also underline the role of the abbot Breuil. Its work on parietal art, presented first once in 1902 to the Congress of the French Association for the Advance of Sciences , upset the way of seeing researchers of the time.
Once established the authenticity of paintings the debate moved on their significance and their implications. The divergences between researchers turned around the exact chronological dating, of the mysterious goal which were theirs and of their artistic and archaeological value. These questions related to not only the cave of Altamira, but prehistoric art entire.
Archaeological excavations
The first excavations undertaken by Sanz de Sautuola were followed those of H. Alcalde LED Rio in 1906 and those of H. Obermaier in 1924-25. Even if it is about old work, it seems established that the stratigraphic sequence of Altamira comprises Moustérien at its base, follow-up of Solutréen higher than points with notch and finally of Cantabric Magdalénien lower, with sticks borers. This last goes back to 15.000 BP.
Works of Altamira
With a 270 meters length, the cave of Altamira is relatively small. It has a simple structure, formed of a gallery to the rare ramifications. Three zones can be distinguished:- the first, formed by a vast hall, lit by light of day was a place of habitat privileged at the beginning of the Paleolithic superior;
- the second is a famous big room for her paintings Polychrome S;
- finally, the remainder of the cavity comprises rooms and corridors also comprising less spectacular artistic events.
The aspect of the big room to the bisons evolved/moved much since Maria Sautuola saw it for the first time. It is always 18 meters long on 9 meters broad, but its original height (between 1,10 and 1,90 m) was increased by lowering the ground to facilitate the examination of paintings.
The animal more represented is the Bison of the steppes. The composition counts 16, variable by their dimensions, their postures and their techniques of realization. They are accompanied by horses, deer tribe, two wild boars (rare animal in paleolithic art) as of various signs whose Tectiforme S. the artists of Altamira found solutions with the various engineering problems presented by the plastic representations since their origins, of which anatomical realism, volume, the movement and polychromy.
The feeling of realism is obtained by benefitting from the natural reliefs of the ceiling of the cave, which create an illusion of volume, but also thanks to the bright colors (red, black, yellow, brown) which cover interior surfaces of the animals and thanks to the techniques of the drawing and the engraving, which delimit contours of the subjects.
The “recroquevillé bison” is one of the most admired most expressive paintings and of all the composition. It was carried out on one of the projections of the ceiling. The artist knew to place the image of the bison, by recroquevillant it, by folding his legs and by forcing the position of the head downwards. All that indicates faculties of observation naturalist of the artist and immense expressive force of the composition.
The “large hind”, largest of all the subjects represented, reached 2,25 m length. She testifies to a great technical control. The stylization of the ends of the members, the firmness of the feature engraved and the modelled chromatic one confer a great realism to him. However, she shows a certain deformation, from her slightly heavy invoice. This one is undoubtedly related to the too great proximity of the artist compared to the wall. Under the neck of the hind a small bison with the black feature is.
The “ocher horse”, located at the one of the ends of the ceiling, was interpreted per H. Breuil like one of the oldest subjects of the composition. This type of horse had to be relatively frequent on the Cantabric cornice; it is also represented in the cave of, discovered in 1968 in Ribadesella. By its style, it evokes that represented in the cave of los Casares.
Age of paintings
A series of direct datings of the works of Altamira carried out with the charcoal was carried out thanks to the method of the carbon-14. These dates lie between 13.500 and 15.500 BP and correspond to the lower Magdalénien.
Visits of the cave
During years 1960 and 1970, the many visitors who had access to the cave deteriorated his microclimate and reflect in danger the conservation even paintings. The closing of the cave to the public was the object a debate and take place finally in 1977. It reopened only in 1982, with a daily number visitors strictly limited.The big number of people wishing to see the cave and the length of the withdrawal periods (more than one year) made necessary the realization of a counterpart. Since 2001, the Museo nacional there central of investigación of Altamira is drawn up near the cave. It shelters the most faithful reproduction which is original, such as it was 15.000 years ago. Another reproduction of paintings can be visited in an artificial cave carried out within the Museo Arqueológico Nacional de España with Madrid.
In 1985, the cave of Altamira was registered on the list of the World heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
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External bonds
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