Bison lying down, Altamira National Museum and Research Centre, Santillana del Mar, Cantabria at Spain is culture.

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Outstanding works / Prehistory / Altamira National Museum and Research Centre

Bison lying down

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Bison lying down. Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de Altamira © Pedro Saura

Category

Painting

Date

14500 BP

Cultural background

Palaeolithic

Original title

Bisonte encogido

Altamira National Museum and Research Centre
Santillana del Mar
Cantabria

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It is the best example of making the most of the support and natural materials when painting on Palaeolithic caves.

This bison lying on the ground was painted using a natural bump in the wall. The cracks on the wall were used to paint its head and body, forcing its posture a little, with the head between the front legs. This technique that involves making the most of the natural support is quite similar to what important 20th-century avant-garde artists would do later on.