John most likely wrote this chapter for several different reasons. Perhaps for his appreciation of the painting’s artistic significance, or for their contributions to our understandings of prehistoric art, and by extension, prehistoric life. However, I find it most likely that John appreciates the cave paintings mostly for their interesting history. Its discovery by four teenage boys during the second world war while Germany occupied France is a very interesting story. One of the boys, the youngest of them, was in fact a Jewish boy who had fled the city for the countryside to be safe from the Nazis. I must imagine that this story is why John chose to write this chapter.
Green’s choosing of this topic does help with the understanding of what it means to live a life of significance. The cave paintings give us the opportunity to take a glimpse into the minds of humans in the distant past. Prehistoric human beings made art upon the walls of caves, and it is still preserved in these caves today. The idea that prehistoric human beings, when there was no food surplus, when comfort was certainly not in excess, still took time away from survival and committed it to art is interesting. It forces you to question how optional art is, perhaps it is a part of human nature.
My thoughts on the topic are entirely positive. In fact, the thought-provoking nature of the chapter made it especially intriguing. It forced me to reevaluate my thoughts on prehistoric humans. They devoted time to art and culture just like we do now, even without the modern connivences that give us the time to do so. It was certainly well written, and the chapter depicted John’s thoughts on these paintings very well. I rate The Lascaux Cave Paintings a four and a half out of five stars.