From Gesture to Myth: Artists’ techniques on the walls of Chauvet Cave

Chauvet Cave's decorated walls, dating back approximately 36,000 years, reveal a sophisticated and homogeneous artistic tradition. The cave's artworks, comprising charcoal drawings, red paintings, engravings, and finger-traced designs, are organized into distinct panels that exhibit formal diversity while sharing common themes and compositions. Ethological studies highlight the central role of cave lions in the artists' symbolic vision, providing insight into their myths and worldview. The research employs a survey of techniques used across three colors (white, black, red) and integrates 14C dating to model human use of the cave accurately. This approach confirms the antiquity of certain components, such as torch-marks and charcoal, attributed to the Gravettian period, while also emphasizing the coherence and continuity of Chauvet's artistic expression.

Fritz, C., & Tosello, G. (2015). From Gesture to Myth: Artists’ techniques on the walls of Chauvet Cave. Palethnologie, 7. https://doi.org/10.4000/palethnologie.876