30,000 years ago, give or take a month, in front of a group from his tribe, in an attempt to explain the mysteries of life, early man put his hand on the rock face of an underground cavern, the better to commune with the spirits beyond, and spat ochre from his mouth to further add to the illusion that he was indeed passing into the spirit world. In the flickering torchlight the people gathered around him gasped in awe at the spectacle, the magic, the emotion, and felt better for it.

Our man took his hand away at the end of the ceremony, and there, on the rockface, deep in the earth, remained the outline of his hand. People would come back and see this outline and recall their feelings. Man had made a mark and art was born.