'A 20,000 Year Non-Linear History of the Image' was an introductory lecture on the history of the image. Detailing the start of 'visual communication' through the medium of cave paintings in Lascaux, France (approx. 17,300 years old), it drew links between these early examples and more contemporary artists such as Cy Twombly, stating that despite time and cultural differences, both exhibit the same act of pure mark making.
There were interesting points made about artists such as Rothko, and their ability to communicate emotions and/or physical feelings through the use of only one or two colours. It is said that viewing Rothko's paintings is like 'looking into a void' and that many people cry when surrounded by his work in the Rothko Chapel. However the question was then posed that people may experience these emotions simply because of the 'framing' of these paintings (the stories that surround them, the story of Rothko's suicide) - people subconsciously think they have been told to feel these emotions, and so do. We were then asked to decide if we thought these paintings communicated anything at all. Personally I think they do - they are a reflection of the viewer, and the subconscious knowledge of the 'framing' of his paintings only adds to the experience.