Chauvet Cave

The cave paintings and rock art of Chauvet

The Chauvet Cave is located near the Vallon-Pont-d'Arc in the Ardèche region of southern France. The Cave Paintings of Chauvet date to 30,000 to 32,000 years ago. In the Chauvet Cave hundreds of animal paintings have been found making Chauvet Cave one of the world's most important rock art sites.

Chauvet Cave Through the Mind of a Sculptor

Visit to the Chauvet Cave in 2001 by John Robinson

Golf ball chunks of charcoal

We started back up the steel walkway and stopped at the level just below the entrance to examine the remains of the five fires. The golf ball chunks of charcoal looked as though they had been burnt only yesterday. The fires were probably lit at this level and not lower down near the Sorcerer, because they would not have burnt there with the lack of oxygen. The artists must have had to work incredibly quickly in the dim light as they breathed the foul air.

The bear paintings

It was well past lunchtime but I asked to see the bear paintings on the way out. We made our way across to the side cave were the paintings are located. I lay down on the steel trolley, pulled myself in along the tracks fixed to the floor and looked up at the red outline of the two bears. They are not only perfect line drawings, the artist has also used the natural contours on the surface of the rock to aid his composition, so they have become a relief. It is a sure yardstick of real art if a painting gets better every time you see it and the art of Chauvet passes this test with flying colours. I pulled myself out and climbed up the ladder back out into the sunlight, completely humbled.

The miracle of Man

For me Cro Magnon is the greatest miracle of evolution. Apart from the possibility that if the dinosaurs hadn’t disappeared, mammals would not have had the space to explode into, If there were a re-run of Evolution, the chances are Homo Sapiens would not be here either.

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