Why did ancient Indian artists use green to paint animals?

Imagine traveling back in time to central India, thousands of years ago. Artists back then created art on rocks using green, red, and yellow pigments. Some of these images are so realistic they seem almost alive! The animals painted in green and red are particularly impressive, and sometimes humans, depicted in dynamic S-shaped poses, appear to be dancing on the rocky walls. These paintings were mainly found around Bhimbetka, a famous site for rock art. Scholars believe these works date back to the Upper Paleolithic period, thanks to the discovery of green pigments in layers from that time. Today, unfortunately, only a few of these masterpieces have survived, but they tell fascinating stories from our past.

The green images in Indian rock art are a fascinating mystery. Scholars have discovered that the green pigment was obtained from minerals like malachite or from mixtures of iron oxides and other compounds. The technique used to apply these pigments on the rocks is still under study, but it is believed that prehistoric artists used brushes made from animal hair or even their fingers. The choice of green might be linked to symbolic or ritual meanings, or simply to the availability of materials in the region. The animal figures represented, such as deer and bovines, could have had cultural or spiritual significance for the communities of the time. The preservation of these works is another challenge, as green pigments are particularly sensitive to erosion and climate changes. Recent studies use advanced technologies, like spectroscopy, to analyze the chemical composition of the pigments and better understand the artistic techniques used.