South Africa Travels Blog

Rock paintings and engravings are found on every continent, but nowhere else in the world did the technique reach the high standard achieved in South Africa. In this country it is commonly known as Bushman art, but the correct term is San art.

The works are scattered over an area stretching from the Cape to the Zambezi, and from the east coast lowlands to Namibia.

Many examples of Bushman art have been discovered in the South African Northern Cape.

The most striking characteristics of Bushman art are boldness and simplicity of design, accurate draughtsmanship and limited use of colour, the latter due to the small number of pigments available to the artist. Engravings were ‘pecked’ into the rock with flint and similar hard implements.

Until recently it was impossible to assess their age with any great degree of accuracy, but in the early 1980 sengraved stone fragments were discovered in the ‘Wonderwerk Cave’ near Kuruman and positively identified as being thousands of years old.

San Bushman rock art - Perdekop Farm, North of Mossel Bay

Natural weathering and vandalism have unfortunately destroyed many of these records of the ancient Bushman’s way of life, but today much is being done to preserve the remaining priceless works of art.