Looking and learning: Upper Palaeolithic Art and information gathering

The paper identifies a theme in Upper Palaeolithic art of information gathering. It demonstrates that a significant number of images relate to the activity of information gathering from the natural environment about the location and state of large game. To do this, it describes some of the information gathering methods used by modern foragers, such as using tracks and trails, and then shows how the subject and stylistic traits of certain images relate to such methods. Having established this theme, the paper considers its implications for general explanations of Upper Palaeolithic art.