Prehistoric/Stone Age Art

Transcription

1 Prehistoric/Stone Age Art This Month in Art Literacy Prehistoric / Stone Age Art 25,000 2,000 B.C.E. T he study of pre-historic man and his ancient remains began only about 200 years ago, and Stone Age man was so named because of the wealth of stone tools, weapons and figures found by anthropologists at ancient living sites. Although remains of early man have been found on all continents (except Antarctica), the focus of this unit is the early man who lived in northern Europe during the Ice Age, from about 40,000 to 2,000 B.C.E. He was a nomadic hunter, dependent on animals for food, shelter, clothing, and tools. His art is fascinating not only for its beauty, but also for the clues it gives us about the man who created it so long ago. The first art objects were created out of an attempt to control or appease natural forces. Stone Age man created three main types of art cave paintings, statues and engravings which pictured stylized symbols of animals and people that were believed to have supernatural significance and magic powers. The style of art evolved very slowly over thousands of years from simple, monochromatic outlines of animal heads to multicolored, full-length figures that suggest movement. Why did pre-historic man make art? Whether it was magic, or narrative storytelling, or for historical recordkeeping, we may never know its true purpose. We can only marvel at the rare beauty that Stone Age man was able to create. Vocabulary Fertility Symbol Also called Venuses, fertility symbols were female figurines with plump or exaggerated proportions likely created to enhance the fertility of the tribes or to insure the abundance of food and game. Pictographs A picture representing a work or an idea; picture writing. Relief Sculpture A picture made by cutting or scratching into a surface, so that it projects out from, and is attached to, a flat background. Stylize To use a simplified form to graphically represent a real object. Art Elements L i n e Line is a mark made by a pointed tool brush, pencil, stick, pen, etc. and is often defined as a moving dot. A line is created by the movement of a tool and pigment, and often suggests movement in a drawing or painting. Contour lines outline the edges of forms and shapes and actually describe shapes and forms in the simplest way. Gestural lines indicate action and physical movement. Stone Age man used both contour and gestural lines in their paintings of animals. C o l o r The sensation resulting from reflection or absorption of light by a surface. Color has three properties: hue, which is the name of the color; value, which is the lightness or darkness of the color; and intensity, which refers to the purity of the hue. Stone Age man used colors found naturally in the environment, such as black, browns, reds, and yellows, derived from natural sources, such as charcoal, minerals and animal blood. Early cave paintings were monochromatic done in d i fferent shades and tints of one color. Later works became polychromatic painted in many different colo r s. Art Principles E m p h a s i s Artists create dominance and focus in their works by the use of emphasis. Emphasis exists when one element in a work of art differs from the others. Emphasis can be created by contrasting elements ( l a rge and small shapes played against each other, dark and light colors used together); by isolating elements (separating one item from a group of elements); or by exaggerating the scale (or size) of different elements. Visual emphasis was achieved by Stone Age artists through contrasting, isolating or exaggerating color, value, and shape in their simple works of art. M o v e m e n t Visual movement is used by artists to direct viewers through their work, often to focal areas. Such movement can be directed along lines, edges, shapes and colors within the works, but moves the eye most easily on paths of equal value. Movement can also be suggested by the repetition of figures. A d d i t i o n a l l y, movement is influenced by our experience and memory, which tells us that some things move and some do not. There is suggested movement in the animal cave paintings of Stone Age man created with the use of line, position, and the repetition of figures. 1

2 Prehistoric/Stone Age Art Background S cientists know that humans have inhabited the earth for hundreds of thousands of years. The term Stone Age is used to designate the period in prehistory when people used stone, rather than metal tools. The prehistoric, or Stone Age, people date from about 40,000 B.C.E., when massive ice sheets covered most of Europe. Around 2,000 B.C.E., a more temperate climate resulting from the receding glaciers allowed early man to develop a more settled society. Remains of prehistoric living sites have been discovered on all continents except Antarctica. During the early Stone Age, people were nomadic hunters, dependent on animals for food, clothing, shelter and tools. Because these primitive people lived before the development of written language, they created another form of communication: the visual arts. Many examples of sculpture, painting, architecture and other arts have survived over thousands of years providing insights into the lives of their makers. Although there is no way to be sure, it is thought that the art of Stone Age people was used in special ceremonies to ensure bountiful game during the hunt, and for fertility and proliferation of the tribe. Stone Age people created three main types of art: cave paintings, statues, and engravings. The style of art evolved slowly over thousands of years from simple, monochromatic outlines of hands and animal heads, to multi-colored, full-length figures that suggest movement, volume and depth. Perspective, however, was not accomplished. Subjects were placed next to and above each other. Over time, paintings were actually superimposed over earlier ones suggesting generations of people used the same caves. This also suggests that once the painting was finished and the ceremony was over, the painting had no further value or purpose. The earliest cave art that has been found dates back to 34,000 B.C.E. Most cave art has been found in Europe, although a few examples have been found in Asia, Africa and Australia. Typically, the paintings are found deep within the caves, far removed from the area of the caves where people lived. In some cases, art chambers are located as far as a mile from the entrance of the cave. Some art chambers are accessible only by crawling through very narrow passages. Because of their extremely inaccessible locations deep within the caves, it can be assumed that secrecy was desired adding to the theory that this type of art had a magical ceremonial purpose. Also, the remoteness of the art within the caves has served to preserve it by protecting it from the elements. The study of primitive cultures in recent years (such as Australia s Aborigines) has also given insight into the motivation behind Stone Age art. Much like the American Indian, Stone Age people had a deep reverence for the natural forces that ruled their world, particularly for the animals on which they were dependent for food, clothing and shelter. The principal subjects of the cave artists were the creatures of the hunt: auroch (wild cattle), stag, ibex, wild horse, bear, wild boar and others. There are almost no examples of human figures in the cave paintings of the Paleolithic Period (from the Greek paleo-, old, and lithos, stone ). However, human hand prints appear frequently amid the paintings: positive images (made by painting within a shape); and negative images (made by painting around a shape). These positive and negative hand prints are thought to be some form of identification for particular clans. The act of creating the cave paintings, and the supposed ceremony that went with it, seems to have had more significance than the finished work. Stone Age man may have believed that the magic was in the process of painting itself, and once completed the pictures may have lost much of their value. This could help to explain why many paintings are superimposed on older ones and why there does not seem to be any systematic regard for composition. Because of the skill evident in the paintings, it is thought that the tribes had a few master artists who created the paintings. The paintings were created by torch or stone lamp light. In some cases the paintings are done on the ceilings of the caves and required the use of scaffolding. Cave people had only the simplest tools to work with, usually made of stone and other readily available materials. Carving or engraving tools were usually made of flint. Color could be applied with the use of fingers, lumps of colored minerals, feathers, animal hair paint brushes, straws, hollow reeds or hollow bones through which to blow paint. Paints were made from colored soil and minerals which were often ground into a powder and mixed with water, urine or animal fat to form a liquid or paste consistency. The colors used were primarily those naturally occurring in earthen materials blacks, browns, reds and yellows. 2

3 Prehistoric/Stone Age Art Background The mastery of the cave artists of the later Paleolithic period (15,000 to 10,000 B.C.E.) can be seen in their remarkable use of line and color. In some cases, the paintings are quite large (some characters are 20 feet long) and are done on irregular surfaces. It would have been impossible for the artists to see the head of the animal while painting the tail. In some cases, artists used the natural contours of the caves to suggest the shape of some part of the animal, resulting in a sort of painted relief sculpture. There is also a sense of movement of the animal characters, achieved by the repetition of figures. Although human forms were not found in the early cave paintings, the female form was often represented in small hand-held carvings or sculptures called venuses. These figurines had no facial features, no arms, and legs that usually came down to a point. The emphasis of these figures was on the reproductive capacities of women, with stylized, exaggerated representations of the female form. It is thought that these figures were created to enhance the fertility of the tribes. Bibliography: Places in Time: Exploring Prehistoric Europe, by Chris Scarre, 1998 Oxford University Press, Oxford, England Early Europe: Mysteries in Stone, by the Editors of Time- Life Books, 1995 by Time Life Books, A l e x a n d r i a, Virginia The Annotated Mona Lisa, A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern, by Carol Strickland, Ph.D., 1992 by John Boswell Management, Inc., Andrews and McMe el, a Universa l Press Syndicate Company, Kansas City Prehistoric Art: Slide Guide, by Dorinda Davis, 1998 Universal Color Slide Co., Sarasota, Florida The art of prehistoric or Stone Age man offers intriguing clues into the character of early humans. The answers to the question why did they create their art? are uncertain. But the descendants of these early people later built great stone structures, such as Stonehenge. They learned to use copper and later bronze the metal that gave name to the Bronze Age, the period from roughly 3,000 to 800 B.C.E. They became less nomadic and began to farm and domesticate animals, enabling them to settle and form communities. They developed methods of writing and measurement, and the era of pre-history ended when they began to keep written historical records. These descendants of prehistoric or Stone Age man were the builders of modern European civilization. 3

4 Prehistoric/Stone Age Art Scanning Questions Scanning Slide Cave Painting, Left Wall, Hall of Bulls c. 15,000 10,000 B.C.E., Lascaux Cave, Dordogne, France Art Elements: What you see. Line What kinds of lines do you see in this cave painting? (Contour lines and gestural lines.) How has the artist used contour lines and gestural lines? (He used contour lines to define the shapes of the animals, and gestural lines to suggest movement.) Color Where do you see examples of monochrome? (The solid black and brown horses at the bottom of the wall.) Where do you see examples of polychrome? (The horse in the center, with his black head and mane and shades of brown through the body.) Art Principles: How the elements are arranged. Emphasis Why does the animal on the right side of the wall have emphasis? (Because of his size and isolation from the other animals.) What gives the Unicorn on the left side its emphasis? (Its coloration is unique and not found on any of the other animals on this wall.) Movement What gives us the sense that these animals are moving? (Their legs are realistically extended as they would be if in motion.) How does repetition help add to the sense of motion? (It implies the movement of a herd, which would be in motion across the countryside.) Technical Properties: How it was made. What did the artist use to create this? (Crushed minerals and pigments mixed with water or animal fats, possibly using their own fingers to apply the paint, or using brushes made from twigs or hair.) How did the natural shape of the cave wall affect the painting? (The bulging limestone above limited usable wall space. A smaller usable space on the left side gave only enough room for painting small animals, while a larger usable space was available on the right for larger images.) Expressive Properties: How it makes you feel. What do you think life was like for the artists who painted these animals? What would you feel like if you had to paint this scene in a cold dark cave, without any heat or electric lights? 4

5 Prehistoric/StoneAge Art Slide Images

6 Slide List 1. Entrance to Lascaux Cave Dordogne, France, photo c The Lascaux (pronounced las CO ) Cave was discovered in September, 1940, by four young men who were hunting in the area. The romantic version of the story is that their dog disappeared down a hole full of brambles. After a time, when the dog did not reappear, the d o g s owner volunteered to go down the hole himself. Once inside, what he found was a vast u n d e rground chamber full of thousands of engravings and paintings on the walls. (The truth of the story is that the young man had actually discovered the hole several days earlier, but covered it up until he had time for a more thorough exploration. When he returned on that day with his friends, he was armed with an improvised lamp and some rope.) Today the Dordogne (pronounced dor DOAN ) region of France, where Lascaux is situated, is a pleasant countryside of rolling hills, meadows and woodlands, but 17,000 years ago, Lascaux lay in a cool, dry setting that was harsh and inhospitable. The people who lived in this area were nomads, following the seasonal migrations of fish and game animals. T h e limestone geology of the region formed many caves and rock overhangs that provided improvised shelter for these nomadic people, although it is not believed that the creators of the cave paintings actually lived in the areas where the paintings were found. The art works were found deep in the cave, nearly 80 feet from the entrance and far from natural light. What do you think this person will find when he enters the cave? The Lascaux cave was painted around 17,000 years ago, a fact confirmed by the radiocarbon dating of charcoal recovered from sediments on the cave floor. The charcoal is presumed to have come from lamps and torches that were brought into the cave to light its dark recesses, but it was also a source of pigment for the black outlines on the paintings themselves. 2. View of the Main Hall, Lascaux Cave Dordogne, France The Lascaux Cave is an underground gallery formed by natural processes in the limestone bedrock. The view in this slide shows the Main Hall, also known as the Hall of Bulls. T h i s chamber is approximately 100 feet long and 32 feet wide. Pre-historic man must have used a scaffolding to paint the images on the limestone ceiling. Even from this view, we can identify the skill and accuracy of the artists who used l i n e and c o l o r to create these painted anim a l s. No fewer than 158 lumps of coloring materials have been found at several places within the cave. The bulk of them were black, followed by yellows, reds and white. The colors were created by crushing readily available minerals into a powder by using stone pestles and mortars, and then mixing them with water to form a paste or liquid. What colors can you find in this painting? Fun Fact: News of the discovery of the cave in 1940 spread like wildfire, but proper scientific exploration did not begin until after the end of World War II. In 1948, Lascaux was opened to the public, and for fifteen years it was a popular tourist destination. By 1963 the pressure of visitors was having a seriously harmful effect on the cave s environment, raising the temperature and humidity, encouraging the growth of green algae which began to invade some of the painted surfaces. The decision was made to close the cave for its own preservation, allowing access only to scholars. However, the French authorities successfully created a facsimile nearby, known as Lascaux II. Built of concrete and sunk into an abandoned quarry, it is a painstaking replica of the most famous sections of Lascaux Cave. It is open to tourists. 5

7 Slide List 3. Cave Painting, Left Wall, Hall of Bulls c. 15,000-10,000 B.C.E., Lascaux Cave, Dordogne, France This detail from the Hall of Bulls shows the left wall and ceiling of the chamber from a better vantage point. Painted high off the cave floor, early man must have used scaffolding to create these images. The images on this wall overlap each other, and likely were painted at intervals over a period of hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The largest images are the aurochs (wild cattle) created by black contour lines. Over these large figures have been painted a number of horses, two of them large and polychromatic, and the rest smaller and solid brown. All the animals on the left and center are faced towards the right, with their front and rear legs extended in positions of movement. The repetition of images also suggests movement we can almost see the herd moving across the countryside. What makes you feel that the animals are moving? Although the prehistoric artists likely never intended it, the outline of the auroch on the right is emphasized because of its size (approximately 11-1/2 feet long), and its isolation (few other paintings were superimposed over it). The image at the far left also receives visual emphasis because of the horseshoe shaped markings on its flanks, a coloration that is different from any of the other paintings on this wall (this creature has become known as the Unicorn, although it clearly has two long, straight horns, which also sets it apart from the other animals in this grouping). 4. Cave Painting Detail: First Bull with Red and Brown Horses, Hall of Bulls c. 15,000-10,000 B.C.E., Lascaux Cave, Dordogne, France In this detail, a closer view of the outlined auroch and polychromatic horse from the center of the wall can be seen. Black contour lines define the shape of the creatures, with color used to create the entire body of the horses. The size and unpainted outline of the auroch give it emphasis, making it stand out even though the solidly painted animals are superimposed over its body. The legs of all the animals are extended in poses of obvious movement. Where do you see black contour lines? 5. Cave Painting Detail: Frieze of Little Horses c. 15,000-10,000 B.C.E., Lascaux Cave, Dordogne, France At another site in the cave can be found the Frieze of Little Horses, from which this detail is taken. The artist s contour lines clearly define the recognizable shapes of horses, including details such as ears and manes. The bodies of the animals have been infilled with a brown earthy color, and the legs of the horses once again are extended, implying movement. Why don t these horses look like they are standing still? 6

8 Slide List 6. Cave Painting, Running Horse c. 15,000-10,000 B.C.E., Lascaux Cave, Dordogne, France This view of a running horse demonstrates the skill of the prehistoric artist. Although not in perfect proportion, the animal has still been clearly drawn, from his head and hoofs to his tail. The black contour outline of the horse has been infilled with color dark brown on the rump and lighter brown through the body giving the horse realism. Small detail lines across the stomach suggest the horse s shaggy coat. The lines of the horse s front legs extend as would occur if the horse was in motion, and dark diagonal lines across the shoulder further imply movement, suggesting the rippling muscles on the back of the running horse. What do the black lines on the animal s back represent? 7. Cave Painting, Spotted Horses/Human Hands c. 15,000-10,000 B.C.E., Pech-Merle Cave, Dordogne, France Handprints have been found in numerous caves in France and Spain, but unlike most animal art, handprints have been found near cave entrances. It is possible they were used as a form of identification of a clan or tribe. This slide shows the negative images of handprints, where color has been applied, possibly blown through a straw or reed, to leave a shadow of the hand print. Below the handprints, we see monochromatic, stylized paintings of two spotted horses. Black contour lines define the shapes of the horses, both of which have solidly painted heads and necks. The repetition of coloration and the horses faced in opposite directions combine to suggest movement. What is the one color used in this monochromatic painting? 8. Cave Painting, Hands c. 8,000-3,000 B.C.E., Castellon, Spain Contrasting with the previous slide, here we see painted hands from a cave painting in Spain in positive image, where the hand was dipped into color and applied to the wall. Although we do not know the purpose for the handprints in cave art, they at least convey a sense of the human who created them and his similarities to today s modern man. Do you think these hand prints all came from the same person? 7

9 Slide List 9. Cave Painting, Deer Hunt c ,000 B.C.E., Castellon, Spain By about 7,000 years B.C.E., cave paintings became more sophisticated and more detailed. This painting from a cave in Spain shows the inclusion of stylized human figures functioning as agents of their own survival. They are shown wielding weapons of the hunt bows and arrows and spears and successfully striking their animal targets. We sense the movement of the hunt by the poses of the hunters the extension of their arms and legs and of the animals. Are the animals merely wounded and running, or are they dead and lying on the ground? No sense of perspective gives us an answer, but we sense the frenzy of activity between the hunters and animals. Can you tell if these animals are running or lying down? The painting was done in monochrome, putting the emphasis on the results of the hunt rather than the details of the men and animals involved. However, it also appears that the artist considered the surface of the cave wall as he executed his painting the whitest areas of the wall were used as a backdrop for the hunters and a large wounded (or slain) animal, giving those figures emphasis. 10. Cave Painting, Head of a Stag c. 15,000-10,000 B.C.E., Lascaux Cave, Dordogne, France In this detail of a monochrome image from the Lascaux Cave, we see the head and antlers of a deer. The antlers are elaborately drawn with simple lines, but hugely disproportionate to the stag s body, giving them emphasis. Although we do not see the entire animal, the head and the lines of the back and neck are created with solid color rendering a realistic pose. Drawn below the stag were geometric symbols and a series of dots markings that appear throughout the cave paintings. The meanings of these markings is unknown, but possible theories include tribal markings of the artist s clan or tallies of animals seen or killed. What part of the animal is emphasized? How? 11. Antler with Carved Bison c. 15,000-10,000 B.C.E., Lascaux Cave, Dordogne, France Stone Age art was not limited to paintings on cave walls. It also took the form of carved objects out of bone, stone and ivory. These carved objects were a more portable form of art that early man could carry with him in his nomadic travels. These small carved pieces were likely used in rituals or attributed with supernatural powers. This example of a carved antler shows a relief sculpture, where the surrounding material was carved away to a certain depth, forming a background that sets off the image of a bison. Contour lines define the shape of the bison, and additional etched lines add details. The shape of the antler may have also suggested the shape of the sculpture, as the artist covered the entire width of the antler with the sculpted bison s shape. What type of lines define the carved bison shape? 8

10 Slide List 12. Bison Carved from Reindeer Horn c. 15,000-10,000 B.C.E., from La Madeleine near Les Eyzies, France In this example, the shape of a bison takes up the entire piece of reindeer horn from which it was carved. Most likely the artist came upon the piece of horn in this basic shape, and embellished it with the detailed lines which identify the animal. Again, surrounding material was removed to create the relief sculpture of the bison s head. This is particularly evident above the bison s eyes, where the background was carved away to show its second horn. The overall shape of the piece of reindeer horn itself suggests the bison s body in repose, and it also suggests the movement of the bison s head as it stretches back to lick its flank. If you could touch this relief sculpture, would it feel flat or raised? 13. Woman with Bison Horn, relief sculpture c.25,000-20,000 B.C.E., Laussel, Dordogne, France This relief sculpture in stone shows one of many images of the female form found in prehistoric art. Because so many female figures have been found, scholars speculate that prehistoric societies were matriarchal, but others believe that they are merely a reflection of early man s preoccupation with perpetuating the cycles of life. Birth, both of humans and animals, ensured the survival of the tribes. Thus these female figures, with the emphasis on their exaggerated features, have come to be considered fertility symbols. The prehistoric artist who created this relief sculpture removed material from the stone to create the contour lines of her shape. He also captured a sense of movement in her pose her arm is held out and up to hold the bison horn in her hand. How did the artist create this relief sculpture? 14. Venus of Willendorf carved stone, c. 25,000-20,000 B.C.E., Museum of Natural History, Vienna, Austria This figurine from a site in Austria is also believed to be a fertility symbol. Portable figures like this one, called Venuses, have been found at ancient living sites. The Venus figurines are stylized representations of female bodies, with the exaggerated proportions of the figure s breasts and stomach emphasizing the importance of childbearing to the survival of Stone Age peoples. Venus of Willendorf is made of stone, with no facial features, tiny arms, and the legs tapered to a point, allowing the sculpture to be stuck into the floor. The contour lines of her exaggerated shape created a stylized representation of a female figure, emphasizing the parts of her body associated with motherhood. Because traces of red ochre pigments have been found on its surface, suggesting that it was originally painted, it is presumed that color was incorporated into this small, portable figurine. Is this sculpture realistic or stylized? 9

11 Slide List 15. Stonehenge c. 2,000 B.C.E., Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England As the glaciers receded, and the Stone Age gave way to the Bronze Age, early man could be less nomadic and establish more permanent settlements. They began to construct stone dwellings and ceremonial monuments out of huge stones that, in some cases, were transported over long distances. Monuments so constructed are known as megalithic (from the Greek mega-, large, and lithos, stone ) architecture. Of all the megalithic monuments in Europe, the one that has stirred the imagination most strongly is Stonehenge, in southern England. Stonehenge is a circle of large, freestanding stones, surrounded by a ditch with built-up embankments. It was repeatedly reworked to incorporate new elements, and the construction process is believed to have been accomplished through four major building phases from about 2750 to 1500 B.C.E. In the earliest stage, its builders dug a deep circular ditch, and used the material removed from the ditch to form an embankment over 6 feet high. Digging through the turf, they exposed a chalk substratum that is characteristic of this part of England. Within the ditch a brilliant white chalky circle about 330 feet in diameter was created. An avenue from the circle led outside the embankment to a pointed sandstone megalith some distance removed. Called the heel stone, this megalith stands about 16 feet high, weighs about 35 tons, and was brought from a quarry 23 miles away from the Stonehenge site. Do you think any one stone is more important than another in this isolated arrangement? Later construction stages saw the horseshoe-shaped arrangement of five trilithons (pairs of upright stones, topped by a horizontal lintel). This group was then surrounded by a circle of smaller sandstone uprights, capped by a continuous lintel secured by mortise and tenon joints (a conical projection from the upright fitting in a hole on the underside of the horizontal piece). Stonehenge has obvious emphasis because of it s isolation. No other structures, ancient or modern, have been built near its site to detract from its solitary and mysterious position in the middle of open countryside. The mystery of Stonehenge is not only the transportation of such huge stones from a distance away to this site, or the sophisticated construction techniques used. Because its orientation is clearly related to the movement of the sun (a dawn visitor to Stonehenge on the summer solstice can stand in the center and see the sun rise directly over the heel stone), some scholars think it might have been an observatory, helping early astronomers track cosmic events. Anthropologists believe Stonehenge was an important site for major public ceremonies. Whatever its function, Stonehenge continues to fascinate to this day. 10

12 Hands-on Project Stone Age Drawing Goal To create a stylized line drawing of cave animals in motion using earth colors simulating the look and feel of the cave surface. Criteria Outline the animal contour in black. Show animal in movement. Materials Fine grained sandpaper Off-white or tan construction paper Crayons (black, brown, red, yellow and orange only) Crayola Crayons are specified for this project Examples of cave animal drawings For Ironing Station (executed by parent volunteers only!) Iron Old bath towel Oven mitt Procedure 1. Use black crayon to draw the contour lines of an animal on the sandpaper. 2. Go over the lines again to make them thick and dark. 3. Highlight some areas of the body with the other colors. Press hard with the crayon to apply the color very thickly. 4. Add details with heavy black line. 5. [Parent volunteers] heat iron to medium hot (no steam). Lay out the bath towel on a flat ironing surface. 6. Lay the blank sheet of construction paper on the towel. Position the sandpaper on the construction paper with the drawing side down. 7. Keeping the papers stationary, iron the image onto the construction paper for about 5 seconds using firm pressure and slight motion. 8. Lift off the sandpaper to reveal the transferred image. (NOTE: the image will not transfer well if the crayon has not been applied very thickly. Make sure students really apply the crayon with heavy strokes.) 9. Consider mounting both pieces together or separately for display. Another suggestion would be to create a mural by ironing all images onto one large mural paper. Note: Having the students draw their image on the sandpaper gives them the experience of drawing on a textured surface, such as the wall of a limestone cave. Ironing the image onto a piece of construction paper leaves an imprint that more closely simulates the look of the ancient cave paintings today. The images can also be ironed onto white cloth (such as muslin). If the ironing step is not desired, this project can be modified to eliminate that step. 11