The visual psychology of European Upper Palaeolithic figurative art: using Bubbles to understand outline depictions

Meyering, Lisa-Elen; Kentridge, Robert; Pettitt, Paul

Abstract

How have our visual brains evolved, and exactly how did this constrain the specific way that animals were depicted in Upper Palaeolithic art? Here, we test predictions derived from visual neuroscience in this field. Using the example of open-air Upper Palaeolithic rock art of Portugal’s Côa Valley, we point out the frequently recurring outline strategies that past artists utilized to depict the prey animals upon which they were dependent for survival. Their depictional tendency can be mirrored onto the most visually salient anatomical aspects of these species, a finding that results from our use of a visual psychological experimental programme, called Bubbles. We find a remarkable correspondence between the aspects of the anatomy of horses and bison that modern participants found most helpful in successfully discriminating between the two, and those same aspects that are elaborated most in Upper Palaeolithic art. This leads us to conclude that the visual system of Homo sapiens drove the way that important prey species were depicted, and hence, the form of their art.

Citation

Meyering, L., Kentridge, R., & Pettitt, P. (2020). The visual psychology of European Upper Palaeolithic figurative art: using Bubbles to understand outline depictions. World Archaeology, 52(2), 205-222. https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2020.1891964

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Mar 10, 2021
• Publication Date: 2020
• Deposit Date: Jun 24, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 24, 2021
• Journal: World Archaeology
• Print ISSN: 0043-8243
• Electronic ISSN: 1470-1375
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 52
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 205-222
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2020.1891964
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1246485