Zoomorphic Superhero: The First Figurative Artwork
Lion Man represents an important conceptual development: a human artist reflecting on humanity and creating art that served as a mirror of self-reflection. Lion Man is the earliest known, documented figurative artwork. It predates the animal paintings of Chauvet Caves by a few thousand years and was found in the Hohlenstein-Stadel Cave in Germany. The Lion Man is an ivory, zoomorphic (a deity that is part animal) sculpture and called mobiliary art because, at 12 inches high, it was transportable. Its most notable features are the lion head, the narrow, long body, the hanging arms, the penis sheath or cloth, the ears, the mane, and lastly the legs. Pieces of it were found through a few excavations and it has been assembled and reassembled a couple of times.
The posture with the slightly extended left leg is assuredly a standing or stepping man. Some scholars claim it is a woman because of the triangular-shaped crotch and lack of mane. I don't agree for several reasons: The pubic area is too pendulous to be symbolic of a vulva; the body's shape is narrow in the hips and has none of the curves and no breasts like other prehistoric female figurines; and the mane is especially noticeable, with an abundance of form around the shoulders and suggested under the neck. It more resembles a man in a lion costume, or skin. The features seem to hang down from the lion head, which could be an elaborate headdress/mask and wearing a cape-like lion skin. (It is fun to note that this lion-skin image anticipates the legendary Greek hero Hercules). The question is: Why has the artist depicted this man dressed up as a lion?
By looking at the recognizable features of Lion Man, we can assume that the artist would have already gone through the similar steps of observations as the Chauvet Cave painters—abstracting visual chaos and translating those observations into representational forms, proportions, and edges. But instead of depicting limited animal images, this artist was ready to incorporate a human subject matter, but yet not completely.
What Do I Want to Be
Was there an acknowledgment that our humanity was wanting in comparison to lions? Lions were the alpha predators. They were agile, athletic, cooperative, powerful, fearless, and part of a pride; indeed exemplars for comparatively weak human species. These humans knew that lions ruled, and one important question occurred to them: could they be more like lions? The mental evolution in that question is staggering. To go from observing and living in the moment to questioning “What do I want to be? Or what do I want to be more like?” This artist's answer was to create a zoomorphic sculpture—a man that is enacting a lion personae—hopefully acquiring the lion's magnificent attributes.
What could the purpose of the sculpture be? It seems reasonable that Lion Man represents a man-lion hero. Could the Lion Man be a talisman? Its portable size, 12 inches and lightweight, would make it possible for hunters to take it along with them on extended hunting trips. Could it serve as a promise that they will be successful in their future conquests? Would it goad and remind them to use all the lion's attributes? (It is plausible that women participated in hunts, but they would have had the physicality of young teenage boys rather than that of adult males; they would not have been competitive in the realm of brute force.) Or could it remind children and those at home that their fathers, uncles, and friends are as powerful as the most powerful animal? Whichever purpose it may serve, the sculpture, tangible and real, represents a concept of a human imbued with power—perhaps the first superhero?
Lion Man marks three changes in humanity: conceptual, anticipating future events, and having will. It shows humans taking the first steps towards being conceptually unique animals, allowing plenty of space in their brains to "see" and imagine adversaries and situations; and the first indication of the will to become rulers of the animal kingdom. These three things could not be accomplished through physical force, but through their minds making new connections. Tremendous new evolutionary powers! And this phenomenon was given to them through art.
There was still the problem of seeing lions, not humans, as the important force in the universe. Yet to come was for early humanity to shift their focus to unzoomorphic humans. This revolutionary first would be woman.
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