My year 4/5/6 students created some aboriginal cave paintings. We gave our paintings the texture and look of rock surfaces by using coloured plaster of paris on hessian fabric. I created a PowerPoint showcasing cave art. We discussed the features of ancient aboriginal cave art, including how they painted animals in an x-ray fashion-showing the bones for decorative effect. The most important aspect of cave art is that it was a vehicle for storytelling. Some of Australia’s cave paintings are up to 15000 years old.
First students designed their rock art painting based on some of the images in the slideshow. I was pleased that most students used this to inform them when it came to doing their painting. This was important, because ancient artists did not have pencils, they would have gone straight into their painting on the rock. We surmised that perhaps they practised their designs by drawing in the sand first.
Alyssa Kanitsch 