Time, and the tourists, erode caveman art

Press, 9 August 1976, Page 14

Time, and the tourists, erode caveman art

By'

TIM BROWN

in the “Sunday Times,” London

It now seems as though one of Spain's top tourist attractions — the beautiful pre-historic cave paintings at Altamira on the northern coast — is destined to be closed to the public. A growing demand among Spanish art experts is under way to force the authorities to close the caves because of the alarming deterioration among the dozens of creatures which were painted there some 15,000 years ago in blood, charcoal and grease. Already the number of tourists who can visit the caves has been restricted to 500 a day, but the odds are that they will soon be denied access altogether. The reason is that it is the tourists themselves, who flock to the caves buried in the hills at Santilla del Mar, who are slowly destroying the paintings, according to the experts.

The Altamira caves are 300 yards long and are possibly the earliest site at which ancient man recorded his grim struggle by vividly illustrating the animals he both feared and hunted — bison, deer, the ocre horse and other animals. One of the large caves is popularly known as the “Sistine chapel of prehistoric art ” Much of the vast cave is inaccessible for the average tourist who would need to crawl through narrow openings on hands and knees. But not the main gallery which measures about 20 yards by nine and where some of the greatest examples of the paintings have been done on the ceilings and walls. It is here in the "Sistine chapel” that, over the last few years, experts have noticed a fading in both colour and the quality of the prehistoric works. All agree that the deterioration is due to a change in temperature caused by the body heat and breath of the visitors.

Now a special commission of geologists and archaeologists drawn from Spanish universities is preparing a vital report from which the Government will decide whether the caves will be shut down to the general public. The commission was set up by the Director General of Fine Arts under the chairmanship of the professor of prehistoric studies at Barcelona University. Other experts, 'however, are calling for more immediate action before the commission makes its report. They are headed by Father Joaquin Gonzalez Echegaray, an expert in the history of mountains in Santander province. He has the support of many paleolithic art experts, including Professor Alfonso Mouref who knows Altamira as well as anyone as the prehistoric art specialist at Santander University. Father Ecnegaray maintains that, “The caves should be closed to the public at least for the moment. Preventive me” sures are necessary so that future generations will not hold against us the responsibility of not taking action.”

He cites one main example of the deterioration process — that of a stand-

ing deer, which is 20-25 ft long and the biggest painting in the “Sistine chapel.” The head of the great deer has noticeably lost its colour and so have other figures nearby. The local tourist trade, obviously, is not so happy. Blanca Iturralde, the lady mayor of Santillana del Mar, does not want the “outside experts” to decide. “They can raise the alarm, but the final decision should be taken by the commission who are experts in geology, biology, photography and colour.”

She did add, however, that it might be feasible for an artificial cave to be constructed nearby with photographs of the paintings as one idea to keep the tourists coming. The Altamira caves were the centre of great controversy when they were first fully investigated by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola in the late 1860 s. He spent the rest of his life (unsuccessfully) trying to convince the world that the works were genuine and not “the product of a mediocre mod- , em painter.” The caves were ‘finally accep.J as genuine only in the early part of this century.