Art Discovery Update: Oldest painting found in Borneo dated around 40,000 years old!
After finishing reading the first chapter on “Strange Beginnings” in Gombrich’s The Story of Art, I was left feeling slightly frustrated at an implicit Euro-centric narrative on the story of art. Specifically, I was annoyed by how some indigenous work in the nineteenth century is still categorized as primitive, strange, or insultingly impressive when the artwork obviously matches the quality of their Western counterparts. An implied justification for a more linear narration was that Europe was the place where scientists had first discovered the oldest human figurative paintings.
After sharing my initial reflection, my art teacher forwarded me a timely November 7, 2018, New York Times article by Carl Zimmer that reported scientists have recently discovered new paintings of cattle-like creates that are dated over 40,000 years old in Borneo caves! (Previously, the oldest known paintings were similar style animal cave paintings were found in Spain and France up to 37,000 years old.)
Important note on art timeline: Zimmer’s article also shared that scientists have found ivory sculptures of horses, birds, and people in Germany that were at most 40,000 years old before. Additionally, older abstract patterns (e.g. crisscrossing lines) have been discovered too. However, Zimmer explains that “the switch to figurative art represented an important shift in how people thought about the world around them — and possibly themselves.” That’s why the cave paintings hold a significant place in Art history.
The new discovery supports that the story of art is not as Euro-centric as previously thought (or told). “The new findings fuel discussions about whether historical or evolutionary events prompted this near-simultaneous “burst of human creativity,” said lead author Maxime Aubert, an archaeologist and geochemist at Griffith University in Australia. (CBS, 2018)
I believe the stories of art are much more global, cross-cultural, and innately common to being a human.
Thank you, my awesome art teacher for continuously inspiring and enhancing my curiosity and knowledge of the delightfully creative world. I can’t wait to keep on learning more =)
