Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The article discusses the particular symbolism of Paleolithic rock art from a philosophical perspective, drawing primarily on Hegelian aesthetics and Paolo D’Angelo’s interpretation. It examines the role of rock art as an expression of the human need for meaning and sense, placing it within the broader context of symbolic behaviors in human evolution. Following D’Angelo’s Hegelian interpretation, the analysis highlights how symbolic form in art mediates between internal ideals and external materiality, underscoring the intrinsic inadequacy and creative tension of this relationship. The article also reflects on the symbolic nature, in the Hegelian sense, of Paleolithic rock paintings, raising the question of whether Homo sapiens possessed the linguistic and cognitive capacities necessary for such expression. He argues that rock art represents not only a precursor to ideal meaning, but a reintegration of bodily presence and the embodiment of signification, in response to the existential and cognitive challenges posed by the emergence of articulated language.
Source: Aesthetica Preprint
Author: Montani, Pietro
Institution: Sapienza University of Rome
Language: Italian
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7223563718