Overview

Why ancient humans first began to represent animals is a question that has led to a bewildering number of theories since cave art was discovered in the 19th century. Drawing on insights from visual science, evolution, and art theory, the book takes the reader on a unique and intriguing journey showing how the development of visual imagery in the human brain throughout evolution eventually led to the first figurative depictions of animals 37,000 years ago.

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9781527562080

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Hodgson's analysis of prehistoric art in this publication is very extensive; he covers so much ground. One particular aspect I enjoyed, and one which I feel is underrepresented, is his explanation of a changing perspective of art. During the Upper Palaeolithic animals and humans were on an equal footing. This, however, began to change some 30,000 years ago as humans gained the ascendancy. Carnivores and large herbivores were gradually becoming extinct due to changing environmental and climatic conditions as well as human ascendancy. 'We are now the masters and you, the animals, are henceforward the pursued'. And so too the art was gradually changing. Individual animals in profile were giving way to hunting scenes that were more stylized - or schematic - in design. The Upper Palaeolithic, the Mesolithic and the Neolithic all had their own art galleries.While Hodgson isn't the first writer to analyse rock art using the neuroscientific lense, 'The Roots of Visual Depiction in Art' takes a realm of science that may intimidate many and links it with a genre of art that attracts us all. The result is a perspicacious, challenging and exciting publication that will appeal to the general reader as well as the specialist. Bradshaw Foundation, 2019

Author Information

Derek Hodgson is noted for research illustrating how the neuroscience of vision can shed light on why early humans began to depict animals. He has published numerous articles on the subject in international journals and edited books, and has been an invited speaker at conferences throughout the world. He has served as a Research Associate in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, UK, for many years and is a reviewer and advisor for a number of prestigious academic journals and institutions. His recent publications include The Origins of Iconic Depictions: A Falsifiable Model Derived from the Visual Science of Palaeolithic Cave Art and World Rock Art (in Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 2018) and Closely Observed Animals, Hunter-Gatherers and Visual Imagery in Upper Palaeolithic Art (in Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture, 2017). Other areas of research interest include cognitive evolution, neuroarchaeology, and early stone tools.

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