Prehistoric Cave Art

Gaa Hin’s “Prehistoric Cave Art” art piece is part of the “Prehistoric World!” series.

This art piece transports us away from the city and into prehistoric days. Cave paintings by early man were achieved through natural colour pigments, e.g. reds, from iron oxide, or blacks, from manganese. Vivid stories and battles over years were recorded on cave walls and rocks. Animals were detailed and realistic, while humans appeared as stick figures.

Gaa Hin’s painting depicts a standoff between a lion (chalk) and an antelope (oil pastel) on the plains (acrylic paint). The mountainous outlines creates a sense of vast space between the plains and the hills behind. The symbols could have been added later on the wall. A bird, an insect, a fish, and the sun – important parts of the cave man’s life in Gaa Hin’s imaginative and creative mind. The burnt edges of the painting suggests the arduous journey this artifact was put through before it was claimed by Gaa Hin.