I love to see the connections between ancient sources of inspiration and contemporary design. During our lecture I got thinking about how much the earliest forms of design, cave paintings and other early narrative forms, are still used as inspirations in the design community, even subconsciously. I think the simplicity and honesty that is characteristic of these cave paintings is something that many designers today try to emulate in their own work.
One connection I made is found in the work of designers Robin and Lucienne Day, specifically in Lucienne's textile designs which rose to popularity in the 1960's and 1970's in Britain.
Lucienne's work is characterized by primitive forms and simplistic designs, which to me are very reminiscent of the cave paintings found in Lascaux!
Her works don't carry the same narrative elements as the cave paintings but I think they communicate in very similar ways. The use of abstracted forms and simple shapes and lines creates an interesting hand-drawn effect, similar to the natural forms seen in Lascaux (seen below).
