Art

8-mile-long Ice Age rock art discovered in the Amazon Rainforest | indy100

Published

3 months ago

July 2, 2024

Unearthing prehistoric art is exciting at the best of times, but when that art consists of eight miles’ worth of ice age paintings, it becomes the discovery of a lifetime.

Researchers in the Amazon rainforest uncovered an extraordinary “canvas” made up of drawings of mastodons, giant sloths and other extinct beasts, which is up to 12,600 years old.

The ancient artists used the red pigment ochre to create the monumental artwork, which spans some 13 kilometres (eight miles) of rock on the hills of the Colombian Amazon.

“These really are incredible images, produced by the earliest people to live in western Amazonia,” University of Exeter archaeologist Mark Robinson, who published a paper on the historic discovery in the journal Quaternary International,said in a statement.

Robinson and his team believe that indigenous people began painting these images at the archaeological site of Serranía La Lindosa, on the northern edge of the Colombian Amazon, towards the end of the last ice age.

During this period, which occurred between 12,600 and 11,800 years ago, “the Amazon was still transforming into the tropical forest we recognize today,” Robinson said.

Rising temperatures changed the rainforest from a mishmash of savannas, thorny scrub and forest into today’s tropical landscape, as Live Sciencenotes.

The stunningly preserved ice age paintings include handprints, geometric designs and a wide range of different animals, from alligators, bats, monkeys and turtles to three-toed hoofed mammals with trunks.

Other figures depict scenes of humans hunting or interacting with the surrounding nature, including with a number of now-extinct species.

“The paintings give a vivid and exciting glimpse into the lives of these communities,” Robinson said.

“It is unbelievable to us today to think they lived among, and hunted, giant herbivores, some which were the size of a small car.”

Many of South America’s large animals died out at the end of the last ice age, most probably thanks to a combination of human hunting and climate change, the researchers noted.

Robinson and his colleagues excavated the rock shelters in 2017 and 2018, as part of a project known as LastJourney.

This initiative aimed to discover when people first settled the Amazon, and what impact their activities had on the region’s biodiversity.

“These rock paintings are spectacular evidence of how humans reconstructed the land, and how they hunted, farmed and fished,” the study’s co-researcher and fellow archaeologist, José Iriarte, said in the same statement. “It is likely art was a powerful part of culture and a way for people to connect socially.”

A Channel 4 documentary on the finding, called ‘Jungle Mystery: Lost Kingdoms of the Amazon,’ aired in the UK in December 2020.

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Art

A misspelled memorial to the Brontë sisters gets its dots back at last

Published

4 days ago

September 26, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.

More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.

The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.

They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.

“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”

It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.

Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”

Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.

“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.

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Art

Calvin Lucyshyn: Vancouver Island Art Dealer Faces Fraud Charges After Police Seize Millions in Artwork

Published

2 weeks ago

September 13, 2024

Harry Miller

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.

Alleged Fraud Scheme

Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.

Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.

Massive Seizure of Artworks

In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.

Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.

Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed

In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.

Court Proceedings Ongoing

The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.

Impact on the Local Art Community

The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.

For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.

As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.

While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.

Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.

As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.