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France's 17,000-year-old Lascaux cave paintings were sealed from the public in 1963 because the breath, warmth and lamps of thousands of visitors were feeding mould and algae on the walls.

Conservation (Lascaux)

ArtHistory

Why it matters

The idea in context

Carbon dioxide and humidity from the crowds began to eat at images that had survived since the Ice Age. Today people visit exact replicas built nearby instead, while the original rests in careful darkness. It is a strange modern problem: some things can only be preserved by refusing to look at them directly.

Türkçe

Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.

Fransa'nın 17.000 yıllık Lascaux mağara resimleri, binlerce ziyaretçinin nefesi, sıcaklığı ve lambaları duvarlardaki küf ve algleri beslediği için 1963'te halka kapatıldı.

Kalabalıktan gelen karbondioksit ve nem, Buzul Çağı'ndan beri ayakta kalan resimleri kemirmeye başladı. Bugün insanlar orijinal yerine yakınlarda inşa edilen birebir kopyaları geziyor; asıl mağara ise özenli bir karanlıkta dinleniyor. Tuhaf, modern bir sorun: Kimi şeyler ancak onlara doğrudan bakmayı reddederek korunabiliyor.

Source trail

Read beyond the card.

Lascaux (Dordogne, France), c. 15,000 BCE; closed to the public in 1963 due to microbial/CO2 damage; replicas (Lascaux II/IV) built for visitors.

Background reading: LascauxAttribution and context are revised when stronger evidence appears. Corrections are welcome through the editorial page.
Open in the iPhone appEditorial method

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