John Robinson Sculptor in England
John Robinson is coordinator Bradshaw Foundation whose goal is the preservation and protection of rock art in the world. http://www.bradshaw-foundation.com
How to prepare for a tour of the oldest known paintings in the world, especially when we have already seen pictures and we know that we will see a work of astonishing beauty. I had over a year to prepare for what became one of the great artistic experiences of my life. I decided that, as far as possible, I will avoid looking at some photographs of Chauvet whatsoever for the coming year. Unfortunately, I saw occasionally in magazines, but voluntarily, I refused to study, I was content to read the articles. I wanted the paintings to be as fresh as possible for me. Finally, the day of the appointment arrived. October 18, 1999 was a glorious sunny day. At the beginning of the canyon, just before joining Vallon Pont d'Arc, the road descends to the river Ardèche. At the bend of a meander, we were all of a sudden the face of a beautiful freak of nature: the Pont d'Arc. The arch of the Pont d'Arc is a wonder not to be missed. I looked and saw immediately a Lion.Perhaps prehistoric people were there too sensitive. After half an hour walk on a hiking trail, I arrived before a security door. The electronic door opened and I could enter the cave. When I was inside. I could not believe it. I looked into the black hole in front of me, well harnessed, leaving me slide down the ladder. Arriving at the ground, I turned and looked into the cave. My light pierced the darkness reveals a wonderland of stalactites and stalagmites. The colors ranged from pink to yellow gold. On the sparkling white crystals sparkled in the beam of my headlamp. It was the Aladdin's cave. The first major wall decorated with red dots provided a sense of communication with authors, especially when we could, from time to time, be aware that these points had fingers. Then I walked through a chaos of stalagmites and rocks, to a hallway.I went and looked, I found myself amazed by the most beautiful bear. The red line of the outline was pure and graceful. I turned and saw another bear red. What a pair! How the artist could draw such wonders in a small space, and why? Still in shock, I came back and went to the second room. It is a vast area and so far there are only bones embedded in the calcite and bear skulls. Then I discovered the panther and the hyena is a unique case because these animals have never been represented in any cave. Of course, this makes them exciting, but for me the real thrill came from the artistic rendering. The hyena has a great resemblance to his descendants today, fleeing with their hindquarters, and as the panther crouched with his sloping shoulders. Candle in the gallery, named for its stalagmites, not a single painting or signs have yet been found. Why? Walls would have very good support. I began to feel that at the Grotte Chauvet-Pont d'Arc everything was perfectly orchestrated and planned. In the next room, a large hollow ground collapse in the center. Looking at the other side of the collapse, I could see the layers of fill that were deposited during the time to build the floor plans of the caves. This aspect of caves that has always given me a sense of religiosity. Walk in a cave is like walking into a church, both have a flat floor, both have paintings on the walls and both have holy sites in niches. After this room, looking up, I found myself in contemplation, in the eyes of horses. I do not think I was more moved by a work of art in my life. Handing me a little, I kissed a look across the board, the wall is a giant canvas full of wonderful creations. The panel is undoubtedly a masterpiece of the Art of Homo sapiens, in addition to being the oldest. I studied the black contour lines and using the stump to make the shadows. Then I saw that the artist was raised outside the contours in the white rock chiseling. Burning immediately reminded me of the wonders of Ancient Egypt, but they had only 3000 years. In the next gallery, I saw the oldest mark of Homo sapiens ever found. The brand of the big toe is in all respects similar to the big toes of hundreds of children that I could sculpt during the last thirty years. The second toe was longer than the big toe, giving it the appearance of what sculptors call up Greek in Athenian times, was always an expression of harmonious growth. I felt an incredible physical link between me and the young man who left his mark here in the clay, so many years ago. In the afternoon, I had to be led into the Holy of Holies to see the Witch and the panel of Lions and Rhinos. I thought about how lucky we were to be alive at the right time and right place. Chauvet is the great discovery of the century, the living witness to the genesis of the culture of Homo sapiens through the legacy of his art. After the Hall of Megaceros, a rhinoceros on the left and one on the right Megaceros seem to be the guardians of the sanctuary as the menacing cobras Egyptian tombs. The ground continued to rise a few meters, then suddenly began to decline, and I found myself in the mouth of a tunnel narrows to a dark void. My headlamp was lost in the depths of the narrow passage to the afterlife. We moved slowly and suddenly, here is the horde of Lions. They are majestically beautiful.The intensity of the gaze of animals that seem to say only one thing: "All ye who enter here, watch out." They were ready to pounce if we dared approach the heart of the sanctuary. I was almost speechless. And then, slowly turning to the right, I saw the Wizard. That's what kept the Lions. This was the holy grail of the Grotte Chauvet-Pont d'Arc. No architect could have created a site as large as this one created by nature and used by man as a canvas. Left the Lions, is the large panel of Rhinoceros. What composition! It is outside the things of this world. Rhino from the top is amazing. He is represented with seven huge frontal horns as if the animal shook his head up and down in anger. Outside the true artistry of the work, one of the things I most strongly marked was the freshness of what I had seen. I was completely carried away and ignited by the wonder of the performance of my artist friends and I felt very humble. I was very close to these people, although 30,000 years separated us. The Greek philosopher Protagoras said, some 2,500 years ago: "Man is the measure of all things" if he spoke of human creativity as the measure of value, as I believe, then that's exactly what I saw a wonderful creativity and incredible feats of imagination.I think the genesis of art is religion. I do not think that these paintings are just a miracle "Occasionals" creativity. The beginnings of the long process of evolution that leads us to these paintings must be rooted in the ancient religion of Homo sapiens.
John Robinson is coordinator Bradshaw Foundation whose goal is the preservation and protection of rock art in the world. http://www.bradshaw-foundation.com
How to prepare for a tour of the oldest known paintings in the world, especially when we have already seen pictures and we know that we will see a work of astonishing beauty. I had over a year to prepare for what became one of the great artistic experiences of my life. I decided that, as far as possible, I will avoid looking at some photographs of Chauvet whatsoever for the coming year. Unfortunately, I saw occasionally in magazines, but voluntarily, I refused to study, I was content to read the articles. I wanted the paintings to be as fresh as possible for me. Finally, the day of the appointment arrived. October 18, 1999 was a glorious sunny day. At the beginning of the canyon, just before joining Vallon Pont d'Arc, the road descends to the river Ardèche. At the bend of a meander, we were all of a sudden the face of a beautiful freak of nature: the Pont d'Arc. The arch of the Pont d'Arc is a wonder not to be missed. I looked and saw immediately a Lion.Perhaps prehistoric people were there too sensitive. After half an hour walk on a hiking trail, I arrived before a security door. The electronic door opened and I could enter the cave. When I was inside. I could not believe it. I looked into the black hole in front of me, well harnessed, leaving me slide down the ladder. Arriving at the ground, I turned and looked into the cave. My light pierced the darkness reveals a wonderland of stalactites and stalagmites. The colors ranged from pink to yellow gold. On the sparkling white crystals sparkled in the beam of my headlamp. It was the Aladdin's cave. The first major wall decorated with red dots provided a sense of communication with authors, especially when we could, from time to time, be aware that these points had fingers. Then I walked through a chaos of stalagmites and rocks, to a hallway.I went and looked, I found myself amazed by the most beautiful bear. The red line of the outline was pure and graceful. I turned and saw another bear red. What a pair! How the artist could draw such wonders in a small space, and why? Still in shock, I came back and went to the second room. It is a vast area and so far there are only bones embedded in the calcite and bear skulls. Then I discovered the panther and the hyena is a unique case because these animals have never been represented in any cave. Of course, this makes them exciting, but for me the real thrill came from the artistic rendering. The hyena has a great resemblance to his descendants today, fleeing with their hindquarters, and as the panther crouched with his sloping shoulders. Candle in the gallery, named for its stalagmites, not a single painting or signs have yet been found. Why? Walls would have very good support. I began to feel that at the Grotte Chauvet-Pont d'Arc everything was perfectly orchestrated and planned. In the next room, a large hollow ground collapse in the center. Looking at the other side of the collapse, I could see the layers of fill that were deposited during the time to build the floor plans of the caves. This aspect of caves that has always given me a sense of religiosity. Walk in a cave is like walking into a church, both have a flat floor, both have paintings on the walls and both have holy sites in niches. After this room, looking up, I found myself in contemplation, in the eyes of horses. I do not think I was more moved by a work of art in my life. Handing me a little, I kissed a look across the board, the wall is a giant canvas full of wonderful creations. The panel is undoubtedly a masterpiece of the Art of Homo sapiens, in addition to being the oldest. I studied the black contour lines and using the stump to make the shadows. Then I saw that the artist was raised outside the contours in the white rock chiseling. Burning immediately reminded me of the wonders of Ancient Egypt, but they had only 3000 years. In the next gallery, I saw the oldest mark of Homo sapiens ever found. The brand of the big toe is in all respects similar to the big toes of hundreds of children that I could sculpt during the last thirty years. The second toe was longer than the big toe, giving it the appearance of what sculptors call up Greek in Athenian times, was always an expression of harmonious growth. I felt an incredible physical link between me and the young man who left his mark here in the clay, so many years ago. In the afternoon, I had to be led into the Holy of Holies to see the Witch and the panel of Lions and Rhinos. I thought about how lucky we were to be alive at the right time and right place. Chauvet is the great discovery of the century, the living witness to the genesis of the culture of Homo sapiens through the legacy of his art. After the Hall of Megaceros, a rhinoceros on the left and one on the right Megaceros seem to be the guardians of the sanctuary as the menacing cobras Egyptian tombs. The ground continued to rise a few meters, then suddenly began to decline, and I found myself in the mouth of a tunnel narrows to a dark void. My headlamp was lost in the depths of the narrow passage to the afterlife. We moved slowly and suddenly, here is the horde of Lions. They are majestically beautiful.The intensity of the gaze of animals that seem to say only one thing: "All ye who enter here, watch out." They were ready to pounce if we dared approach the heart of the sanctuary. I was almost speechless. And then, slowly turning to the right, I saw the Wizard. That's what kept the Lions. This was the holy grail of the Grotte Chauvet-Pont d'Arc. No architect could have created a site as large as this one created by nature and used by man as a canvas. Left the Lions, is the large panel of Rhinoceros. What composition! It is outside the things of this world. Rhino from the top is amazing. He is represented with seven huge frontal horns as if the animal shook his head up and down in anger. Outside the true artistry of the work, one of the things I most strongly marked was the freshness of what I had seen. I was completely carried away and ignited by the wonder of the performance of my artist friends and I felt very humble. I was very close to these people, although 30,000 years separated us. The Greek philosopher Protagoras said, some 2,500 years ago: "Man is the measure of all things" if he spoke of human creativity as the measure of value, as I believe, then that's exactly what I saw a wonderful creativity and incredible feats of imagination.I think the genesis of art is religion. I do not think that these paintings are just a miracle "Occasionals" creativity. The beginnings of the long process of evolution that leads us to these paintings must be rooted in the ancient religion of Homo sapiens.
