Numerous methods and creative solutions are used to find or to see rock art. Anyone who has visited a rock art site knows how hard it can be to see the figures. When it comes to paintings, the best time is to see them when the weather is moist since water makes the
paintings more visible45. Painted sites with superimposition make it very hard to discern the different figures (see Figure 27). When it comes to the polished rock art, even small amounts of lichen have made it impossible to see the figures (e.g. Fykanvatn, northern Norway).
Lichen is a problem since it covers the rock art (see Figure 28). Applying water onto the carved figures often makes them more visible46. To feel the rock surface with the fingertips was early used to distinguish natural from cultural lines (Brunius 1868:74). In Scandinavia, there has been a tradition to paint the carvings to see them better. This practice was early questioned by Hallström (1931). It is not recommended to paint the carvings due to preservation causes. It is also a problem when the key interpretations are painted onto the rocks. New documentation, (Gjerde in prep-b), shows that more is to be found on the same panels and thereby the paint is showing a “flawed” interpretation. The paint is also visually challenging since the paint dominates the rock surface, making it harder or virtually impossible to see the unpainted carvings.
Figure 27 Värikallio, northern Finland. It is somewhat hard to distinguish the figures due to the superimposition.
However, right of the middle of the photo, one can see human figures. Photo Jan Magne Gjerde.
The most effective practice when looking at rock art is to be at the site at the right time according to light conditions, applying different methods to see the rock art (see Figure 29).
When the sunlight is at the right angle according to the rock surface angle or inclination, the
45 Researchers have applied sterilized water onto the rock surface, however, this is not recommended due to preservation causes.
46 To apply water onto the rocks to make carvings more visible was already commented in the mid 19th century (Holmberg 1848).
relief in the figures stands out. Most often, this occurs when the sun is low on the sky, during spring or autumn. Numerous mornings and evenings during the sunrise and the sunset have been spent on the rock surfaces trying to see rock art in the “right” sunlight. Previous researchers have emphasized the importance of observing the rock art in different lighting before documentation (Brunius 1868:74).
Figure 28 Photo of the lower parts of Bergbukten 1 where the lichen is covering the rock art. The back legs of the elk is not visible in normal daylight. Photo: Jan Magne Gjerde.
Unstable weather conditions forced experiments to “replace” the sunlight when studying rock art. Already in the mid 19th century artificial light during nighttime was applied to see the rock art (Brunius 1868:74) The advantage over the sunlight was that the light source could be moved around. Apparently, Gustafson used bicycle lights when investigating rock art in Østfold, eastern Norway in the beginning of the 20th century (Engelstad 1934:17). Per and Eva Fett applied lights during nighttime to see the rock art, then during daylight critically reconsidered the chalked lines made during night (Fett & Fett 1941:8). The creative minds when trying to favor the best conditions to see the rock art was presented to me in a friendly chat with Juri Savvateev a few years ago. Fishing boats at Lake Onega was lighting the lake while fishing. The light reflected onto the rock surface making the figures more visible47.
47 Juri Savvateev, personal communication, 2004.
Figure 29 Photo of Bergbukten 1 in daylight and photo of Bergbukten 1 under black plastic. The boulder was chalked after working with black plastic. In photo middle right, one can see is depicting the halibut fishing scne that is invisible on photo bottom right. All the figures on the boulder are chalked and can be seen in the bottom left photo. When comparing the two photos of the boulder,on the left side, one can see a ridge on the top left photo that is not visible at the bottom left. Another interesting observation is that the halibut fishing scene is depicted where the rock surface is “dropping” There is no fishing scenes in Alta depicted on horizontal rock surfaces. They are always depicted in vertical locations mirroring the depth of the fish in the fishing scene.
Photos and illustration: Jan Magne Gjerde.
With the help of mirrors, Almgren could reflect the sunlight onto the rock surface at the right angle to see the rock art. Unwanted light could be taken away with black plastic
(Mandt 1991:101). Michelsen, Bakka and Hagen first applied a modification of Almgrens method in western Norway during the 1960’s, where the rock surface is covered with black plastic, then letting the light in from the wanted angle48. The use of black plastic have recently been successfully adopted by Russian researchers (Lobanova 2007). The method is regarded one of the best methods to see rock art in northern Fennoscandia. The main problem when