The emergence of art is attributed to the Paleolithic and is associated with the emergence of Homo sapiens and the desire of man to know the world around him. The famous Russian psychologist L. Vygotsky wrote: "Art initially emerges as a powerful weapon in the struggle for existence."
In 1879, in the north of Spain, in the Cantabrian mountains, rock art of the Paleolithic (Stone Age) era was first discovered. It happened quite by accident. An archaeologist working in the cave illuminated its vaults and saw images of animals painted in red-brown paint: goats, deer, wild boars, fallow deer. The images were so perfect that scientists have long doubted their authenticity and antiquity. A little later, caves with images were discovered in France. And in 1897, the French archaeologist E. Riviere proved the authenticity of the petroglyphs found in the La Mute cave. Currently, in France alone, about a hundred caves with drawings from the Paleolithic era are known. The largest and best-preserved ensemble of ancient painting is located in the Lascaux Cave, which is called the "prehistoric Sistine Chapel". The painting on the walls of the cave is one of the most perfect creations of the Paleolithic era and dates from around the 17th century BC. The origins of art go back to antiquity. Numerous works of primitive art - rock paintings, statuettes made of stone and bone, ornaments on stone slabs and pieces of deer antlers - appeared much earlier than the conscious idea of creativity. The origin of art is attributed to the primitive communal system, when the foundations of the spiritual and material life of a person were laid. There are several theories about the origins of art. Supporters of the biological theory believe that an artistic instinct is inherent in a person. Therefore, the emergence of art is natural and natural. The emergence of art is also associated with the rituals, ceremonies and magical performances of ancient people. The appearance of images was stimulated by the rituals of hunting magic, which was based on the belief in gaining power over an animal through mastering its image. Drawing the silhouette of an animal, the prey of which was vital, primitive man knew him. He did not separate himself from nature, but identified with it and ascribed to himself the possibility of magical influence on the phenomena and forces of the surrounding world. Taking possession of the image of animals, it seemed to man that he was securing victory over them. This fantastic thinking embodied the desire of man to master the world, and contained elements of aesthetic perception, from which art developed. The first magical images are considered to be handprints on the walls of caves, which eventually became a symbol of the possession of power. Most likely, images of animals also served magical purposes. Bison, wild horses, mammoths and reindeer, sculpted from clay, applied to the walls of caves, engraved on bone and stone, were, according to archaeologists, the main objects of hunting. There is every reason to believe that in the Paleolithic era, when the monuments of cave art were created, there were no artists in the modern sense. Art was the result of not individual but collective action. Associated with this is the most important feature of primitive art - fusion with all spheres and phenomena of the life of ancient man. The art of the Paleolithic reflected a spontaneous sense of life and simplicity. But it is also distinguished by the narrowness of its content. Man has not yet cognized himself, therefore, primitive “venuses” (the simplest female figurines) did not depict facial features, and all attention was focused on the anatomical features of the body. Correctly perceiving individual objects, primitive man could not yet grasp the complete picture of the world.
