This is a sandbox and The Painting Man doesn't exist. For other uses, see The Painting Man (disambiguation).
The Painting Man is the common name for the Late Pleistocene human who lived around 30,000 years ago. The Painting Man is noted for his detailed cave-art located in at least 23 different caves in modern-day Ethiopia, most notable being in the Roberts cave. The Painting Man's art is so detailed, Spanish artist Pablo Picasso said "We will never find an artist as talented as the painting man ever again."
The Painting Man's revolutionary painting techniques makes some call him "the father of painting", "the father of art", "the father of color theory", "the father of construction", "the father of portraiture", and "the inventor of history".
Discovery and Identification edit
Discovery edit
In 1959, Archeologist Henry Roberts, along with his archaeology team, found the paintings in a shallow cave, with art dating from between 30,000 and 34,000 years ago. Later on in 1969, the paintings, called Roberts' Painting Man, were given an ICOMOS designation (International Commission on the Definition of Cultural Property). This was in recognition of the work of Roberts and his team who found and mapped the paintings. According to the ICOMOS, "Roberts and his team, while working in Ethiopia, have found paintings that represent the most impressive cave art in the world." There are over fifty paintings, including of humans, animals, abstract patterns, and landscapes.
The paintings are of the most technically advanced at the time, with symbolism from spiritual, astronomical, and meteorological beliefs. The patterns are consistent, although placed in different rooms and objects, though, and include writings using cave ink.
Paintings and techniques edit
Custom paint edit
The Painting Man's sophisticated and unique methods of paint-crafting are the reasons why some call him "the father of painting". His paintings are far advanced from the known techniques of the artists before him, in terms of method, color, imagery, and consistency. He used pigments to create vivid images, mixed with red ochre (chromium-red ground), which had natural oxides in it. Although red ochre has a color of red, the addition of copper and tin gave the pigment a reddish-orange hue. It is not fully understood as to how the artist mixed these three elements together, but it is thought that the pigment would dry black or yellow on top of the oxides to create the full shade. Further, the pigment is mixed with a minute amount of burnt sienna in order to create a very intense black or dark brown color. One of the earliest known artists in the world to produce and create painting using this combination would be the Sumerians of Iraq who painted into cave walls.
Art style edit
The paintings often included human, animal, and abstract figures with highly stylized and beautiful expressions, that were placed within geometric shapes and designs. Because of the crudely painted appearance of the paintings, some say that they were composed by hand, or with animal hair.[citation needed] The artist's skill was so well developed that the patterns and forms on the artwork are consistent, despite the hand-sketching being quite crude. The paintings also featured incised lines that helped to produce even shading, in order to bring out the different shades of color. The painter would start from a dark object and fade into the light areas, such as the hair of the subject.
Life edit
Not much is known about The Painting Man's life except for what is documented in his paintings:
- From the chronology of his paintings it is thought he was in his mid-fifties when he died.
- He had at most 3 children.
- Spent most his life in the Louis cave.
- He was a hunter.
Legacy and Significance edit
The Painting Man's artistic abilities makes him one of the most celebrated, and one of the most known artist in the world. Scientist John Adams said "TPM's (The Painting Man) artistic abilities and documenting can not be unstated. He is the relic to show us what the paleolithic era was like, and complete detail show us what contemporary life was like."
In the year 2000, Ethiopia declared The Painting Man to be a National Treasure, and installed what is most likely a paint brush The Painting Man used and a prayer wheel at the entrance of the Roberts cave. In 2002, The Roberts cave was added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa.
