Posted on 10/11/2007 1:31:49 PM PDT by blam
'Oldest' wall painting looks like modern art
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
Last Updated: 6:56pm BST 11/10/2007
French archaeologists have discovered an 11,000-year-old work of art in northern Syria which is the oldest known wall painting, even though it looks like a work by a modernist.
The painting resembles the work of Paul Klee
The two square-metre painting, in red, black and white, was found at the Neolithic settlement of Djade al-Mughara on the Euphrates, northeast of the city of Aleppo.
"It looks like a modernist painting," said Eric Coqueugniot, the team leader. "Some of those who saw it have likened it to work by (Paul) Klee. Through carbon dating we established it is from around 9,000 BC."
"We found another painting next to it, but that won't be excavated until next year. It is slow work," said Mr Coqueugniot, who works at France's National Centre for Scientific Research.
Rectangles dominate the ancient painting, which formed part of an adobe circular wall of a large mud brick house with a wooden roof. The site has been excavated since the early 1990s.
Mr Coqueugniot said the painting, which was dated using radiocarbon methods, will be moved to Aleppo's museum next year. Its red came from burnt hematite rock, crushed limestone formed the white and charcoal provided the black.
"There was a purpose in having the painting in what looked like a communal house, but we don't know it. The village was later abandoned and the house stuffed with mud," he said.
A large number of flints and weapons have been found at the site as well as human skeletons buried under houses.
"This site is one of several Neolithic villages in modern day Syria and southern Turkey. They seem to have communicated with each other and had peaceful exchanges," said Mr Coqueugniot.
Mustafa Ali, a leading Syrian artist, said similar geometric design to that in the Djade al-Mughara painting found its way into art throughout the Levant and Persia, and can even be seen in carpets and kilims.
"We must not lose sight that the painting is archaeological, but in a way it's also modern," he said.
The dating makes the designs at least 1500 years older than wall paintings at Çatalhöyük, the famous 9500-year-old Turkish village, among one of the first towns. Cave art dates back much further but it was not until the so-called Neolithic Revolution that people began marking up human-made surfaces.
Scientists are fascinated by the birth of art because it marked a decisive point in our story, when man took a critical step beyond the limitations of his hairy ancestors and began to use symbols. The modern mind was born.
Guess that means “Modern” art is de-evolutionary. Just a regression to early man or someone’s inner child.
Paul Klee painting
The gods had video games AND chariots?
Wow, shades of Picasso!! In the photo it almost looks like a patriotic ‘red, white and blue’!
It looks amazingly advanced for that time period.
How do they know it’s art? It could be graffiti....
Maryland flag.....
Which confirms my analysis of modern art.
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Lets hope the muzzies don’t try to blow it up.
I made a pot holder in summer camp that looked just like that.
I would suggest it is functional....perhaps plats of farmland
That's a hurl painting.
Having been to Santa Fe where there are real artists, I concluded that modern art is mostly salesmanship.
It seems to have elements in similarity with later heraldic design elements (much like game board features).
Guess we haven’t come very far, after all, — have we? :)
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