Artistic creation is one of the determining factors that distinguish humans from animal species. Through art, humans are able to express their most intimate ideas and feelings, without having the difficulty of trying to find the correct words to accurately describe their thought processes. Works of art can help us understand the people who came before us. This is evidenced by the knowledge that humans have discovered about prehistoric men and their symbolic cave paintings. The expression, style and meaning vary and archaeologists have put a lot of effort into discovering these works. The first evidence of rock art appeared in Western Europe (Berenguer 67). Early cave paintings were characteristic of Western art. They were supported by acute vision, deep expressiveness, enormous personality, and detailed execution (Berenguer 68). The art first appeared in the form of sculpture, then expanded to carvings on cave walls. Eventually, this led to experiments with colors, eventually evolving into paintings (Berenguer 69). In addition to decorating cave walls, prehistoric people also painted the surfaces of rocks and cave floors. How the paintings were made (the tools used, the minerals used in making the pigments) doesn't necessarily reveal much important information about their meaning. Even more, the location of the paintings reveals elements crucial to understanding (Curtis 142). The paintings were originally gathered at the entrance to the caves, but they were eventually moved further inside. This reveals that these paintings were not necessarily showpieces, but deeper, personal expressions. Paintings at the front of the caves indicated and often pointed to an inner sanctuary, serving as a call (Berengu...... middle of paper ......al fat. Scientists consider the paintings to have been designed 15,000 to 17,000 years ago (Sayre 13) The motivations behind the cave paintings of prehistoric humans will likely always remain a mystery since we do not have proper documentation of their incentives, inspirations, or practices. always, sometimes in. conflicts with each other The more we study these mysterious designs, the more we can begin to understand their lives and the way they lived them Works Cited Berenguer, Magín Prehistoric Man and His Art: The Caves of. Ribadesella Park Ridge, NJ: Noyes Press, 1975. Print.Curtis, Gregory. The Cave Painters: Probing the Mysteries of the World's Early Artists: Knopf, 2006. Print.Sayre, Henry M. Cave Paintings to Picasso: The Inside Scoop on 50 masterpieces of art. San Francisco: Chronicles Books, 2004. Print..