The shift from non-figurative (geometric designs) to figurative art (animals, mostly)—and what propelled it—is one of the big enduring puzzles of cave art.
We discuss a couple accounts of this shift, including
@izzywisher.bsky.social's intriguing suggestion that pareidolia offered a bridge.
Kensy Cooperrider
Exploring a cave by firelight, it's easy to "see things" in the walls. Bulges and cracks become bison or deer. Could pareidolia have inspired some of our earliest figurative art?
Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ @izzywisher.bsky.social!
Listen: disi.org/illuminating...
