The ‘Lady of the Cave’ at Niaux Grotto, France

04 Friday Oct 2019

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ancient art, cave paintings, Caves in South of France, Glen Rogers Art, inspiration and creativity, monoprints, Niaux Grotto, paleolithic cave art, Sacred Feminine

On a recent visit to France, I visited one of the last prehistoric caves sites open to the public where one can see authentic paintings from the paleolithic era. The Niaux Grotto is located in the northern foothills of the Pyrenees, just south of the French town of Foix. I made us a reservation months in advance for 1:30 in the afternoon – enough time, I thought, to drive from the small village of Sauve. We booked a rental car and set off – GPS said 3 1/2 hours to get there. It took 4 hours and we barely made our tour! Driving in a foreign country, sometimes on small windy roads, not knowing where we were going or if we would make it on time, added to a slightly stressful adventure.

But we did make it (at 1:15) and it was worth the stress! Like my traveling companion said, this was a once in a lifetime experience. (Actually, this was my third cave visit (See my blogs), but equally exciting. Ofcourse, no photography was allowed and veryone was given a flashlight to maneuver the unlit cave.

Once inside the cathedral like space, I felt a serenity and a connection to the ancients who walked this space 15,000years before us. On the left, a figure of a woman (not a painting- a spirit) greeted me. (This is not in the guide books, folks!) She was there to the left outlined in the gold and white granite rock. I pointed her out to my friend and she saw her as well. This sign of the sacred feminine spoke to me and let her presence known. Perhaps she created some of these drawings and wanted me to know it. Thats my story and Im sticking to it!

‘Lady of the Cave III”, Monoprint, 10″ x 8″

‘Lady of the Cave II’, Monoprint, 10″ x 8″

As we moved further into the cave, our guide pointed out the beautiful drawings made with black carbon – horses, bison, mountain goat, ibis etc. There was often a layering of images – implying motion and one could tell many hands created these images over time. One never knows what will inspire the artist – in my case it was something even more mysterious and ethereal than the ancient cave drawings themselves. It was the spirit of the cave and perhaps a whisper in my ear…

Font de Gaume revisited – feminine images on cave walls

03 Tuesday Nov 2015

Posted by glenrogers in Uncategorized

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Art and Sacred Sites, Caves in South of France, Divine Feminine, Font de Gaume, Marija Gimbutas, monotype prints, Neolithic cave art, pilgrimage

In my book, Art and Sacred Sites: Connecting with Spirit of Place, I have a chapter on Caves in South of France with specific reference to Font-de-Gaume in the Dordogne River Valley. (See my earlier post from July 3, 2015). Since my journey there was in 1995, I didn’t remember being able to photograph inside the cave and the only photograph I could find in my archives was an exterior view of the rock face. However, I did remember vividly the pubic triangle inscribed on the cave wall which spoke of ancient rituals inspired by the Divine Feminine.

So just the other day while going through some old snapshots, (yes, before digital), I found three photos of images of Font-de-Gaume. The simple line drawings are so beautiful and elegant! I was thrilled to re-visit the images of the sacred feminine, vulva shapes in the form of simple triangles, or more organic renditions scratched into the walls. I can see why I was inspired to create artwork upon returning to the studio.

According to Marija Gimbutas, these abstract female forms feature the buttocks and are often marked by one or two lines. (11,000 – 9,000BC).

Here are a few monotypes that were inspired by my pilgrimage to this ancient cave.

The Source, 41″x30″, monotype

Wild Fruit V, 14″ x 10 1/2″, monotype

14″ x 10 1/2″, monotype

Walking in the Footsteps of the Ancestors – Caves in South of France

03 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by glenrogers in ancient sites in Europe, Caves in South of France

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Caves in South of France, Dorgdogne, Font de Gaume, Lascaux, Symbols of Birth

‘Notes from Font de Gaume’, Monotype Prints by Glen Rogers, 7″ x 5″, 1995

Like so many, I was entranced by the cave drawings from Lascaux, France – exquisite renderings that seem to come alive on the walls of this ancient cave dating back tens of thousands of years. The pigments – red, sienna, ochre, black and white – made from fresh earth, were still vivid and alive, and the exaggerated graphic quality and simplicity of line rivaled the drawing skills of any modern-day master.

Although Lascaux was no longer open to the public, I knew that artists were sometimes given permission to enter and I requested such. When I received no answer, I began researching the Valley of the Caves in the Dordogne region of France. Rather than visit the replica of Lascaux, I wanted to feel the magic of place and actually walk in the footsteps of our ancient ancestors.

So instead, I visited Font-de-Gaume, a small cave outside the town of Les Eyzies. We followed the guide through this dark winding cavern as he used his flashlight to illuminate the drawings.

Lascaux Vsm

‘Lascaux VI’, Monotype Print by Glen Rogers, 7″ x 5″, 1995

Caves were held sacred by the tribes and were used by shamans on their visionary journeys, as places of magic and ritual deep within the womb of Mother Earth. I was thrilled to see, first-hand, the images of the sacred feminine, vulva shapes in the form of simple triangles, or more organic renditions scratched into the walls. Caves are symbols of birth and death, the passages between worlds. Walking this space was a deeply moving experience that I cherish to this day.

Since it was impossible to get photographs of the cave imagery, I carried these images in my memory. Back in the studio, I created a series of small 5″ x 6″ monoprints with textural lines scratched into the copper plate. These intimate works, created with colors of the earth, seemed to hold secrets from an ancient time and evoked the magic I’d felt in the caves. This was years ago – 1995 – one of the first pilgrimages I took with the intention of visiting ancient goddess sites. This experience and these prints still hold meaning for me today.