Index p. 341-346

The dawn of art is sometimes equated with the birth of the human spirit. But when and how did figuration - sculpture, painting, drawing - actually begin ? And did these first figurative creations coincide with the emergence of our own species, Homo sapiens ? Is figuration a general and fundamental feature of the human condition ? In this challenging volume, leading experts review the evidence now available from the worldwide practice of prehistoric archaeology, and go on to formulate some important conclusions.
No : the practice of drawing, painting and sculpting was not a universal in the early days of humankind, in permanent materials, at least. Such things emerged at different times on the continents of the globe. The astonishing "cave art" of ice age France and Spain was a precocious forerunner not equalled elsewhere until much later. The discussion here leads on to the role and meaning of representational art in different early communities, and to consider the place of imagery in the world's earliest religions.
The scope of this work is global. It sets out to explore the first stirrings of artistic endeavour and of figurative imagery on each continent, and to consider the social context in which they arose. It will be a fundamental resource for all those seeking to understand the origins of art and the beginnings of human spirituality.
(Source : éditeur)