De « l’art pour l’art » au chamanisme : l’interprétation de l’art préhistorique

Abstract

From « Art for Art’s Sake » to Shamanism: Interpretation of Prehistoric Art Interpreting fossil art – as Paleolithic art is – is an obviously difficult endeavor, because the ultimate meaning of the works is unreachable. This is why a few specialists were tempted by pessimism and recommended to abandon all research on meaning. However, it is still possible to reach a certain degree of understanding, an interpretative framework rather than a global interpretation. This can be done by using three types of arguments from the art itself, its archaeological context and from comparisons with some recent traditional societies that used to practice rock art. Since the second half of the XIXth century, several explanations were put forth, for portable as well as for wall art. The first one was the Art for Art’s sake theory. Engravings and carvings would have had no aim but to adorn weapons and tools, for the fun of it. It was abandoned because it could not explain the works of art deep inside the caves, out of sight far from habitation sites. Totemism briefly tempted some prehistorians and influenced many. It implies a narrow privileged relationship between a human group and a particular animal or vegetable species that will characterize the group and be venerated by it. Sympathetic magic was more successful. It was the prevalent theory for half a century. It is based upon a straight relationship between the image and its subject: by acting upon the image one can act upon the animal it represents. Magical practices would have had three main purposes: to help with the hunting and fertility of useful animals and to destroy the dangerous noxious ones. The second half of the XXth century was that of structuralism. Animals and geometric signs had a particular symbolic meaning and they were put all through the caves in relation to each other as well as in relation to topographic peculiarities. More recently, cave art was interpreted within the framework of a shamanic type of religion. Its authors would have gone underground to explore the supernatural world and to get into touch with the spirits that lived there. Taking advantage of the work previously done, this hypothesis is the one that currently explains best the data to-day known for portable and cave art in the Upper Paleolithic.