After Altamira

"After Altamira, all is decadence."
–Pablo Picasso

I've always been fascinated with cave paintings, perhaps because they combine my interests in art (outsider art, in particular) and history. (Click on my bison illustration above to see the original painting from the Cave of Altamira, which was made c.15,000 BCE.)

Artists like Picasso, Matisse, Klee, Monet and Pollock were all in some way inspired by Paleolithic cave paintings. It's easy to see the influence of the Altamira Bison on Picasso's "Bull Plates". "After Altamira," Picasso famously once said, "all is decadence ." This cave drawing of a Megaloceros from the Lascaux caves even reminds me of Dr. Seuss's "Sea-Going Dilemma Fish!"

The Lascaux Caves, located in the Dordogne region of southwestern France, have been called "The prehistoric Sistine Chapel." Here is a quick study of a painting in "The Hall of Bulls" section of the cave. (Click my drawing below to see the original.)

Here's a horse. (Click my drawing below to see the original.)

The Lascaux cave complex is just one of many decorated cave systems populating the Vézère Valley north of the Dordogne—the highest concentration of Stone Age art found in Europe.

The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave in southern France—only recently discovered in 1994—contains some of the earliest known and best-preserved cave paintings in the world.

Cueva de las Manos—the "Cave of the Hands"—in Patagonia, is especially haunting. Tens of thousands of years ago, people left their mark by placing their hands against a cave wall and blowing pigment over them to create silhouettes.

(Click my drawing below to see the original)…

Someday visiting these decorated caves in person holds a prominent spot on my bucket list.

"The best moments in reading are when you come across something—a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things—which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours."
–Alan Bennett

Bits, Bytes & Nybbles,
culled from the depths of the Internet…
"Parietal art" is the archaeological term for cave art. • More links to prehistoric cave paintings. • I would've liked to have given credit to the original cave painters mentioned above, but I don't know their names. Speaking of which, here's a very interesting article: Who's the first person in history whose name we know? • The surprising things missing from ancient art. • Ice age art: An exhibition 40,000 years in the making. • J.K. Rowling posts letters of rejection on Twitter to help budding authors. • Facebook patents software that detects cool new slang before it goes mainstream. • 'Counterfeiting is an art': Peruvian gang of master counterfeiters churns out $100 bills. • Here's a nice little presentation tool. • This guy spent 6 months recreating a Van Gogh painting using plants in a 1.2-acre field.

"The opera reminds me of my tax audit. It was in a language I didn't understand, and it ended in tragedy."
–Jeff MacNelly

April Print Giveaway

A Mother's Heart by D.E.Uhlig

This print started out as a gift for my wife.

SIZE: Artwork is matted to 8 x 10 inches (fits in 11 x 14 inch frame).
EDITION: Artist proof.
MATERIALS: Hand-signed, limited edition, Giclée fine art print, matted but unframed.
PAPER: Printed on Hahnemuhle William Turner — a 310g, acid-free, natural white, mould-made paper with 100% rag content (highly archival).

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"The past beats inside me like a second heart."
–John Banville, The Sea

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About Me

Hi. I’m D.E.Uhlig. I’m an artist, author, husband and father.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved to draw. Years ago I gave my wife a hand-drawn card for our anniversary, and she loved it so much she made me promise to ALWAYS hand-draw her cards. Then our three kids made me promise to do the same with their birthday cards. And when I posted some of my drawings online, people began asking how they could purchase my work—so I created this newsletter. I believe in something I like to call “The Happiness of Art” and I hope it makes you smile.

Official Bio

D.E.Uhlig is an award-winning illustrator whose work has appeared in numerous publications including the Kansas City Star, Christian Science Monitor, University Daily Kansan, Editorial Humor Magazine, and World Policy Journal. Commercial illustration and design clients over the years have included Samsung, Sprint, and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, among others—and his Starbucks RedCup illustrations have been featured on the company's Pinterest and Facebook pages. In 1989, Mr. Uhlig co-founded Uhlig LLC, a leading provider of cross-media publishing and communication services in industries ranging from residential housing to book publishing to cancer care. Mr. Uhlig is married with three children and resides in Kansas City. He is currently working on children’s books, ebooks and apps.

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