Alison Dearborn (American, Contemporary). "Primal Dream" acrylic paint on canvas, 2008. Signed on lower right and again with title on verso. A remarkable painting by Alison Dearborn whose works pay tribute to magnificent creatures of the animal kingdom in a manner inspired by prehistoric cave paintings. In "Primal Dream" Dearborn presents a large cave bear in profile walking toward the left. All is delineated in warm shades of gold, vermilion, slate blue, siena, and violet with lighting that suggests firelight, a bridge across time, or perhaps a transition between the seasons. Dearborn's technique involves painstakingly applying thin layers of translucent paint, and the resulting textures give the impression that the composition was painted on stone. A striking painting by Alison Dearborn capturing the magic of Paleolithic paintings that decorated the walls and ceilings of caves such as Lascaux and Altamira. Size: 36" W x 24" H (91.4 cm x 61 cm)

The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) was a European species that became extinct 25,000 years ago. Male cave bears weighed up to 1,500 pounds, which is 50 percent more than today's largest grizzlies. In addition, they had wider heads and very strong shoulders and forelimbs. Countless bear bones have been found in caves where prehistoric bears hibernated, from Spain to Romania. Just what led to the demise of the cave bear is still being investigated. Some suggest cave bears could not adapt to climate change during the last ice age. However, a recent study proposes that as Neanderthals and modern humans moved into caves, the bears had fewer places to hibernate, thus leading to a shelter shortage that perhaps in combination with climate change led to the cave bear's extinction. (Source: Andrew Curry, "Fate of the Cave Bear: The lumbering beasts coexisted with the first humans for tens of thousands of years and then died off. Why?" Smithsonian Magazine December 2010 )

The meaning and purpose of cave art has posed a mystery for decades and is still up for debate. Since most surviving images depict animals, some scholars have linked these parietal paintings to the practice of hunting - serving as an attempt to control the animals early humans hunted via visual representations. However, others have challenged this interpretation, arguing that since the locations of these cave paintings were oftentimes difficult to access, far from the locations where early humans were thought to live, and only accessible by crawling through long circuitous passageways, it is possible that cave paintings were part of a religious ritual. This remote placement in concert with the immense scale and grandeur of cave paintings have led scholars to suggest that these sanctuaries were holy places reserved for spiritual practices.

Provenance: private Boulder, Colorado, USA collection

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#175306

Overall superb. Signed on lower right and again with title on verso. Stunning painting that extends to the sides of the canvas. Fit with suspension wire and ready to display.