Rock Art
Rock art represents humanity’s oldest extant and most widespread visual cultural expression. For contemporary First Nations and descendant communities it is a tangible connection to ancestors, and in some parts of the world the creation of rock art continues today.
What is Rock Art?
David Whitley offers the following definition in “Introduction to Rock Art Research” (2011).
Rock art is landscape art. It consists of pictures, motifs, and designs placed on natural surfaces, such as cliff and boulder faces, cave walls and ceilings, and the ground surface. Rock art is also sometimes referred to as cave art or parietal (wall) art. Regardless of designation, the defining characteristic of rock art is its placement on natural rock surfaces, thereby distinguishing it from murals on constructed walls, paintings or carvings on canvas, wood, ceramics, or other surfaces, and freestanding sculptures.
Despite the elegance of this unitary definition, there are many instances which some consider rock art and others do not. Carved inscriptions, megaliths, or paintings on bare rock associated with rock-cut architecture are examples on which even experts may disagree.
The Rock Art Network is dedicated to celebrating and preserving rock art heritage in all its forms and supporting the communities that care for it.
What is Rock Art?
Rock art is landscape art. It consists of pictures, motifs, and designs placed on natural surfaces, such as cliff and boulder faces, cave walls and ceilings, and the ground surface. Rock art is also sometimes referred to as cave art or parietal (wall) art. Regardless of designation, the defining characteristic of rock art is its placement on natural rock surfaces, thereby distinguishing it from murals on constructed walls, paintings or carvings on canvas, wood, ceramics, or other surfaces, and freestanding sculptures.
David Whitley offers the following definition in “Introduction to Rock Art Research” (2011).
Despite the elegance of this unitary definition, there are many instances which some consider rock art and others do not. Carved inscriptions, megaliths, or paintings on bare rock associated with rock-cut architecture are examples on which even experts may disagree.
The Rock Art Network is dedicated to celebrating and preserving rock art heritage in all its forms and supporting the communities that care for it.
