• About the Author
  • Book: Art and Sacred Sites: Connecting with Spirit of Place
  • Book: Symbols of the Spirit: A Meditative Journey Through Art

Art and Sacred Sites

~ An artist's journey of travel, inspiration, and creating art

Art and Sacred Sites

Tag Archives: inspiration and creativity

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

04 Friday Oct 2019

Posted by glenrogers in Uncategorized

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

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…

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,165 other followers

Recent Posts

  • The ‘Lady of the Cave’ at Niaux Grotto, France
  • Breaking Through the Boundaries of Patriarchy for CrossingBorders Exhibition
  • Book Review for my new book, ‘Symbols of the Spirit’ by Dianne Hofner Saphiere
  • Treasures of the Pueblo
  • ‘Her Story’ – A return to the figure with new paintings and prints

Pages

  • About the Author
  • Book: Art and Sacred Sites: Connecting with Spirit of Place
  • Book: Symbols of the Spirit: A Meditative Journey Through Art

About Glen Rogers

An artist who approaches life with an adventurous spirit and a reverence for Mother Earth. One of my favorite quotes, "Leap and the net will appear", has propelled me on a life journey of art and discovery. Visit my website: GlenRogersArt

Visit my Archives

  • October 2019 (1)
  • August 2019 (1)
  • July 2019 (1)
  • June 2019 (1)
  • April 2019 (1)
  • March 2019 (1)
  • February 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (1)
  • December 2018 (1)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • June 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • November 2017 (1)
  • June 2017 (1)
  • February 2017 (2)
  • December 2016 (1)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (1)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • June 2016 (2)
  • March 2016 (2)
  • January 2016 (1)
  • December 2015 (2)
  • November 2015 (4)
  • October 2015 (1)
  • September 2015 (4)
  • August 2015 (9)
  • July 2015 (4)
  • June 2015 (4)
  • May 2015 (3)

Blogroll

  • Archaeology News Most hand prints in caves are female
  • messy nessy chic Found in a junk shop- an undiscovered visionary artist
  • One Million Women A Movement of Women and Girls Addressing Climate Change
  • The Heritage Trust Erasing Australia – A journey to destruction

Social

  • View glen.rogers1’s profile on Facebook
  • View ArtistGlen’s profile on Twitter

Art gallery

Blue Spirit
Blue Spirit
Notes from Monte Alban II
Notes from Monte Alban II
Notes fr Monte Alban V,
Notes fr Monte Alban V,
Phoenix, oil on canvas, 5' x 7'
Phoenix, oil on canvas, 5′ x 7′
Ancient Secrets II
Ancient Secrets II
Writing on the Wall
Writing on the Wall
Spirit of Place
Spirit of Place
Three Wings
Three Wings
Written in Stone
Written in Stone
Spirit Gate
Spirit Gate
Writing on the Wall series

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
%d bloggers like this: