The Cave at Lascaux II
The discovery of the cave at Lascaux and the artwork found within, generated so much interest that at it’s height almost 1200 visitors a day would venture into the cave. It soon became obvious that the open acess to the cave was causing damage to the paintings. In 1963 the French government decided to close the site.
A great historical treasure would have been lost to the average public except for a ingenious plan to recreate the most interesting parts of the cave, The Great Hall o f Bulls, and The Painted Gallery
Realizing that society would suffer from the closing of the site, the French officials decided to build an artificial structure with a concrete shell that recreated the walls of the original to exacting specifications. They dubbed this shell Lascaux II. The paintings were reproduced on the walls of the replica by projecting the images onto the new cave.
A great resolution to a chronic problem in the Art History world was accomplished by the French government. This solution ensures the protection of the original cave and the enrichment of human society by revealing the hidden artifacts to a new generation.
April 11th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
This is really great. Its to bad that the originals are to fragil for the public to see. But at least we can see a replica. too cool.