Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-03-20
Puiinted by
Our Cave
Dwelling
Ancestors
of
Prehistoric
D0ys

most interesting department Of q
the American Museum of Nat !,
ural History, New York, is now ap ~
preaching completion. NJ
This hall, by means OF models and 81
pictures, presents complete view Of
the various stages in the evolu. =,
ton OF man, as well as Of the x,I
ori,ro,s +hot ,,,rro,,d ,,,,, =, Womel
tho irroro,, oc lie aov,,ono,. Wore
in various parts of the world neh
Perhaps the most singular fact haar II
about prehistoric man sb3wn Their
here Is tho high dorreo of .rtis. Cave
tic ability which he displayed r1omeS
1t is amazing to find that men
living 10000 years ago, and even more.
could make life-like pictures of animals
and natural scenes that compare credit
ably with the work of some of our ablest
modern artists.
For example, there is mural painting
in the American Museum which shows the
men of the Cro-Magnon period in France,
who lived probably 10000 years ago, deco
rating the walls Of their cave in the Dor.
dogne district. The wall painting which
the prehistoric artists are finishing is an
exact reproduction of Il prehistoric paint.
Eng actually found in a cave in Dordognc
The prehistoric painting shows group
OF gigantic hairy mammoths who lived ut
the same time as the artists and must
have been one of the most exciting fea-
lures of their existence. This picture,
executed very realistically in colors, there.
foreiEives us a very characteristic scene
of life in that early time and corresponds
to what an American artist might seek to
portray in decorating the walls of a public
building in these days.
The prehistoric wall painting may be
compared. for instance, with the mural
painting executed by Mr. L. II. Blashheld
for the court house at Wilkesbarre,
Pa, The artist is one of the best
known of contemporary mural
painters. and in this work he
symbolizes the relation OF the =
law court to our American life He is our
counterpart Of the cave-painter and,
strange TO say, the difference in artistic
ability shown is not as great as might be
expected
When Mr.. Blashheld's attention was
Cdi!'t 10 his matter he was not at all
offended at the suggestion that he might
be compared with prehistoric cave
painter. and he furnished this interesting
comment:
There does not seem to be any such
thing as absolute and consecutive progress
in art There are variations in different
periods. and in each period there is new
progress, but only along lines upon which
attention has been newly concentrated.
The Greek artists 1000 years arc
reached higher points than any other art.
list; so did the medieval artist, the renais.
sance artist the modern artist, each In his
turn But the artists of each cpoch
reached the highest point in certain ql,ali
ties only ~ tho cost Of losing or ignoring
certain other qualities which artists OF
ether epochs developed TO higher degree.
in a word or two, modern art reaches
higher points in certain directions than
any earlier art. IN certain other direc.
lions early art reaches points which no
modern art attains."
OF course, thes. cave men were rough
and uncul,iyate,Cn other respects. They
h9d little social organization, as we un.
aersland IT today, they had no govern.
Ment, no army, no universities; they had
little knowledge Of the mechanical arts:
IN iact they lacked most OF the things that
We regard as making up civilization They
mad no agriculture and lived by hunting
and fishing.
The cave must have been n kind of art
schoo!, where many OF the tribe stayed at
nome ana learned 10 paint. This leads TO