Introduction

Humans are artistic. We draw, paint, and sculpt. We make music and movies. Humans can make art because we are able to think abstractly. This means we can imagine more than what we see before us. We can make up things that do not exist, like monsters. We can also make pictures that stand for an idea or feeling.

Not long after humans began making art, they started trading it. They traded art for other goods. Now artworks could travel. Art moved from one community to another. Through this, humans learned. They found new ways to make art. They tried them. Then they improved them.

All people living today belong to the species called Homo sapiens. You might be wondering: Were we the only ones to develop artistic abilities? Did any earlier human species have these abilities? What about other kinds of animals? What kinds of skills are needed before a species can make art, anyway?

These are not easy questions. Archaeologists and anthropologists have a few ideas, though. Using clues from the past, they try to answer these big questions.

The Paleolithic Cognitive Revolution

Many experts agree that one important change made our species into the humans of today. They call it the Paleolithic Cognitive Revolution.

Cognition is the process of gaining knowledge. A revolution is a major change. So a cognitive revolution is a huge change in the ability to gain knowledge. The Paleolithic Cognitive Revolution was this shift for humans. We developed the brain-power needed to learn a language and think abstractly. This took place sometime in the Paleolithic Era.

It was a turning point. After the revolution, humans could make music and art. They could craft toys, tools, and weapons. For many experts, these abilities separate humans from all other species.

For many years, experts believed these skills first developed in Homo sapiens. Other human-like species lived on Earth for a time. Neanderthals are one example. These species' brains did not develop the same way as ours. Soon enough, they died out. Only Homo sapiens survived. Many believe this was due to the same skills that allowed us to create words and art.

The Upper Paleolithic Cognitive Revolution: Cave Paintings and Venus Figurines

Cave paintings are a well-known kind of Paleolithic art found all over the world. In Europe, most cave paintings are in Spain and France. Cave paintings there are about 45,000 years old. They were made during the Upper Paleolithic period.

These paintings fit our idea of art. Some show images of people. Others show animals. Many seem symbolic. They might stand for a religious idea.

Venus figures are another kind of Paleolithic art. These little statues might also have had some religious meaning.

These works might show that there was a cognitive revolution among Homo sapiens who lived in these parts of Europe. It was once thought that these abilities resulted from a sudden change. Scholars argued that this change made our species stand apart from all others.

New research suggests something different. It hints that these abilities might have developed slowly. Maybe the change happened over a longer period of time.

Middle Paleolithic Art: Tools, Weapons, and Beads

To consider this idea, let's go back to the Middle Paleolithic period. This was between 300,000 and 50,000 years ago. Some humans during this time painted their bodies with clay. They made tools. Tools are not usually thought of as art. Yet making them does take intelligence and skills.

The Middle Paleolithic period also saw the creation of beads. They were made from shells. Then they were painted and made into jewelry. Such art forms were made at least 75,000 years ago. That was about 30,000 years before the cave paintings.

What about human species that made tools even longer ago? We can go all the way back to 300,000 years ago. That was before Homo sapiens. Some of these early humans made musical instruments. They performed religious dances. These are forms of artistic expression. Like painting, they require abstract thought.

Conclusion

So, should our definition of art change to include the earliest forms of human creation? Some people argue that tool-making should be considered an art. It also takes skill and creativity. As humans shared their skills, tools improved. Humans got creative. They learned ways to make better tools.

This might also show that cognitive abilities began long before cave paintings. Perhaps human arts emerged much longer ago than 40,000 years. It can depend on what you consider "art" to be.