Form and volume

: " Une des preoccupations majeures des artistes paléolithiques était de rendre le volume des formes.... La forme ou volume évoque un animal .... la figuration s'est imposée a l'artiste" p.189 in S.A> De Beaune: "Les hommes au temps de Lascaux, 40.000 - 10.000 avant J.C."

The author describes how the paleolithic artists did look well at concave and convex forms in the rock walls, combined with the light of their oil lamps and torches it suggest volume and movement. The image of the animal was in that way imposed on the artists who only had to outline what he or she saw already. 
That is very similar how I did work as a sculptor looking at the textures and forms in the wood dialoging with the movement already present. In painting I start and first 'see', the colours interacting with each other, later forms come and also might go again. And in the final stage I see the volume and there is a certain depth, that is when the painting starts to breathe in a way and has a life independent of me.