WAS ROCK ART CREATED BY AUTISTIC ARTISTS?

Chauvet lions, Internet 

image, Public Domain.
Overlapping images and 
attention to precise detail.

A relatively new thread of discussion about the creation of the magnificent cave art of Europe (and early art everywhere) is the question of whether the creators of the art might represent autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This is based on test results that indicate that persons on that spectrum, especially people who have Asperger's Syndrome, have natural abilities that seem to be represented in that art. Since the original discoveries of that great cave art one question is how could it seemingly appear from out of nowhere representing such a high level of realism and creativity? Savants on the Asperger's Syndrome portion of the autism spectrum could be one answer.

Lascaux painted horses, France.

Internet image, Public Domain.
Attention to precise detail.

It has been proposed that "similarities are observed between images portrayed in Upper Palaeolithic parietal art and those produced by some autistic individuals with splinter skills because autistic individuals were responsible for creating these Ice Age works of art. Autistic savants may be talented artists, skilled in the execution of real-life objects." (Pickard et al. 2011:358)

"Going back thousands of years, people who displayed autistic traits would not only have been accepted by their societies, but could have been highly respected. Many people with autism have exceptional memory skills, heightened perception in realms of vision, taste and smell, and in some contexts, an enhanced understanding of natural systems such as animal behaviour. And the incorporation of some of these skills into a community would have played a vital role in the development of specialists. It is very likely these specialists would then have become vitally important for the survival of the group." (Spikins 2017)

Embedded figures, Les Trois

Freres cave, France.

Internet image, Public Domain.

Modern embedded figures block test,

Internet image, Public Domain.

"Some Upper Palaeolithic art does clearly show traits comparable with art made by individuals with autism, such as a focus on parts rather than wholes, overlapping forms (also known as embedded figures), a notable realism and attention to precise detail. The right hand panel of engravings (nearly 3m in length) at Les Trois Freres, for example, is a good illustration of the kind of complex overlapping forms that we often see in the art produced by individuals with autism." (Spikins and Wright 2016 - the underlining is mine)

This is the result of a cognitive condition known as "local processing bias" which, in a layman's terms, is the inclination to focus one's full attention on details instead of the overall (or global) picture.

Lascaux Horse, Lascaux Cave,

France. Wikipedia, Public Domain.

Attention to precise detail.

"There is little question that amongst the corpus of European Upper Palaeolithic art there are many depictions such as the frieze of lions at Chauvet Cave, for example, which are the work of exceptionally talented artists. Rather than influenced by drug use, the similarities between such art and that of talented artists with autism are shown here to be a product of a cognitive condition - local processing bias - which brings with it exceptional abilities to observe and cognitively associated with an autism spectrum condition or not, and is a potentially significant area for future research.

'Autistic traits' in Upper Palaeolithic art do not necessarily signify the work of an individual with autism. However, since local processing bias is common in autism and yet so rare in neurotypical populations, it is inevitable that artists - who we might today characterize as having an autism spectrum condition - played some role in the creation of some of the exceptional art of the period. Nonetheless modern culturally constructed definitions of health or disorder may not be particularly helpful in understanding the creation of Upper Palaeolithic art. What is significant is that behind the most powerful and evocative images of the Upper Palaeolithic lay a level of tolerance and understanding which allowed talents to be encouraged and notable cognitive differences to be integrated and valued." (Spikins 2017:274-5)

Cat, purchased at CHARG art

exhibit many years ago.

Faris family collection.

I found this subject to hit closer to home than I might have anticipated. Among the works of art we possess, one of my favorites is a wonderfully colorful and creative cat which my wife purchased many years ago at an art exhibit sponsored by CHARG (Capitol Hill Action and Recreation Group) in Denver. This cat is, unfortunately, unsigned and we do not know the artist's name, but it shows unmistakable signs and clues of exactly conditions and symptoms explained by the authors above. (The mission of CHARG Resource Center is to advance a model of genuine partnership among individuals who live with mental illness, mental health professionals, and the larger community.)

NOTES:

1. My own family has had first-hand experience with this as a niece, Laura, had Asperger's Syndrome, but was musically highly talented. While she did not display great talent in the visual arts, she often needed to hear a piece of music once to then be able to reproduce it on violin.

2. In my attempts to distill down a number of complex papers into this introduction to the concept of prehistoric artists with Asperger's syndrome or ASD I may have missed some nuances of the author's emphasis, I may have even gotten parts of it wrong. I do, however, hope that I have managed to broach the subject in a way that will interest my readers and encourage further thought.

3. Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below.

REFERENCES AND SOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Pickard, Catriona, Benjamin S. Pickard and Clive Bonsall

2011 Autistic Spectrum Disorder in Prehistory, Cambridge Archaeological Journal, Sept. 2011, Vol. 21, (3), pp. 357-364

Spikins, Penny

2017 How Our Autistic Ancestors Played an Important Role in Human Evolution, March 27, 2017, https://theconversation.com/how-our-autistic-ancestors-played-an-important-role-in-human-evolution

Spikins, Penny, and Barry Wright

2016 Prehistory of Autism, Rounded Globe (online), roundedglobe.com

Spikins, Penny, Callum Scott and Barry Wright

2017 How Do We Explain 'Autistic Traits' in European Upper Palaeolithic Art?, Open Archaeology. 4 10.1515/opar-2018-0016