Oldest artwork (hell, church, Islam, quote)

[justme58]

I thought of looking this up seeing that most cultures have art in some form or another to depict some historical figure.

This came off the top of the list
'Oldest' wall painting looks like modern art - Telegraph

The painting resembles the work of Paul Klee
French archaeologists have discovered an 11,000-year-old work of art in northern Syria which is the oldest known wall painting, even though it looks like a work by a modernist.

The two square-metre painting, in red, black and white, was found at the Neolithic settlement of Djade al-Mughara on the Euphrates, northeast of the city of Aleppo.

"It looks like a modernist painting," said Eric Coqueugniot, the team leader. "Some of those who saw it have likened it to work by (Paul) Klee. Through carbon dating we established it is from around 9,000 BC."

Another claim is

South African cave reveals the world's oldest works of art - Africa, World - The Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/south-african-cave-reveals-the-worlds-oldest-works-of-art-662814.html - broken link)

Archaeologists have unearthed the oldest works of art in the world – two slivers of rock on which Stone Age artists etched symbolic patterns about 77,000 years ago.

Archaeologists have unearthed the oldest works of art in the world – two slivers of rock on which Stone Age artists etched symbolic patterns about 77,000 years ago.

The rock art, found in a cave in South Africa, is twice as old as Stone Age cave paintings in southern France and demonstrates that humans living at this time possessed "modern" patterns of thought.

This obviously refutes the YEC claims of a 6k-10k old earth and furthermore, why do we not have any paintings of the real jesus?

Are we to assume the Hebrew folk 2000 years ago although likely illiterate could not paint or sketch? Surely if jesus was real, then the early church fathers could have accumulated many such depictions by alas all we have are pics showing a very European-like jesus.

Is the vanity of politicians a modern concept or do you think that back then governors would also have had their images enshrined in some form of artwork? For a people allegedly coming out of Egypt where we have ample evidence of ancient artwork and hieroglyphs extending way past 2k years ago, I find the absence of this artwork rather strange.

Thoughts and comments.

[Thomas R.]

Judaism had tendencies toward "aniconism" or opposition to depicting religious or human figures. Islam carries that to the modern age. There are paintings of Jews from roughly that era, but I'm pretty certain it was limited to heavily Hellenized Jews. So I don't think there are paintings of Anthronges, Theudas, or Simon bar Kokhba either. I find ancient coins linked to Bar Kohkba, but they don't have people on them. (I may have found a statue of him by Romans)

[justme58]

Yeah the graven image command.

Still IMO that relates to stuff like statues and not necessarily pictures. I find it hard to believe that jewish folk did not draw or depict the alleged miracles even in stick men form if they were so artistically challenged.

[Fred314X]

Originally Posted by justme58

"It looks like a modernist painting," said Eric Coqueugniot, the team leader. "Some of those who saw it have likened it to work by (Paul) Klee. Through carbon dating we established it is from around 9,000 BC."

...Which brought that expression to mind, what goes around comes around.