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The colours used in paintings are principally variants
of red - including oranges, pinks and browns. These
are derived from red ochre (iron oxides), ferric oxide
or haematite which is ground down to a fine powder.
Various shades of red can be obtained by heating ferric
oxide in a fire. Red is the most durable colour.
Yellow paints were made
from yellow ochre, or limonite.
Black paint was made from charcoal, soot and minerals
such as manganese.
White, the colour that preserves the most poorly and
the first to vanish, was made from a range of substances,
including silica, clay, lime and gypsum.
The medium or liquid in
which these pigments were mixed has been subject to
much controversy. Chemical tests done on some thicker
paints have revealed the presence of amino acids. Blood
was the most probable source of these amino acids, especially
eland blood, which held great spiritual significance
to the Bushmen.
Other possible media that have been suggested include
fat, urine, egg white and plant sap.
A great deal of research
needs to be done on the ingredients of the paint but
researchers are reluctant because it entails the destruction
of the paintings.
In some instances the paint
was applied to the rock with a finger but the fine lines
of many of the paintings suggest the use of quills,
feathers or very thin bones.
Paint could have been stored in small containers made
of animal horn, since a number of these 'paint pots'
were found in a cave in the Drakensberg, South Africa.
Paintings may be monochrome
(consisting of one colour), bichrome (two colours) or
polychrome (more than two).
Learning the techniques
How did the artists learn
these painting and engraving techniques? Where did they
practise? Most of the art seems highly accomplished,
and one seldom encounters what appear to be preliminary
sketches or the attempts of novices.
One possibility is that
amateurs practised on some perishable materials such
as hide that has not survived. Another possibility is
that they practised in the sand. This seems unlikely
because the sand wouldn't prepare the artist for the
fine lines, delicate shading and tiny details that the
paintings show.
The most probable explanation
is that the novices learnt by apprenticing themselves
to an experienced artist. This way they could have participated
in the production of the painting. Having done a painting
outline, a painter may have requested the student to
fill in the colour.
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