Ochre is an earth pigment and it is one of the most commonly found pigments around the world! Red ochre is also the world’s first red paint and it is used in a lot of prehistoric art, including Paleolithic cave paintings like at Chauvet and Lascaux in France, Cueva de los Manos in Argentina, Altamira in Spain, Sulawesi in Indonesia, Bhimbetka in India, Tassili n’Ajjer in Algeria, and many others. These are among the oldest paintings in the world!

This video looks at some of the origins of art, or rather some of the earliest materials used to create our earliest art forms. Explore how our earliest human ancestors used this earth pigment to create a visual record across the world. The materials artists use to create art can reveal fascinating histories!

Note: ochre can also be spelled as ocher.

Main artworks:

1. Bhimbekta rock painting, from 10,000 BCE onwards, India

2. Cueva de los Manos, 11,000 BCE–7500 BCE, Río Pinturas, Argentina

3. Hall of the Bulls, Lascaux Cave (replica in Lascaux II), Montignac, France, original: c. 16,000–14,000 BCE

4. Johannes Vermeer, View of Houses in Delft, also known as The Little Street, c. 1658, oil on canvas, 54.3 x 44 cm, The Rijksmuseum

5. Human figures with bows, rock art, c. 10,000 BCE, Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria