A prehistoric cave of major importance has been discovered on the site of Cussac, in Dordogne. This discovery which has been made by a nonprofessional speleologist, Marc Delluc, on September 2000, has just been revealed.

The last cave which has been discovered in France includes a vaste gallery (100 m lenght, 10 to 15 m large and about 12 m height) and presents along one of its branches some 150 to 200 figures...

"that all belong to the traditional bestiary of the paleolithic world : mammouths, rhinoceros, cervidae, and, in more important number, bisons and horses". "These engravings have monumental characteristics, with some pannels of 25 m in lenght which are covered by 40 figures. Among them, there is a 4 m bison, one of the longest in parietal art". Norbert Aujoulat, Director of the "Centre National de Préhistoire du Ministère de la Culture."

The iconography of the site finds its originality in the presence of animal representations which are rarely expressed in that context, especially birds, but also some stranges figures with elongated muffles and the open mouth, very difficult to identify. Some female silhouettes and sexual representation complete the iconography.

By refering to the archaic characteristic of the figures, the cave is probably belonging to the Gravettian (between 28,000 and 22,000 years), and possibly to the Aurignacian (35,000 to 28,000 years).

Echos

The cave Chauvet (France)

In 1995, the discovery of the cave Chauvet represented a considerable event : the age of paintings (35,000 years), and also their exceptional quality provoked surprise and admiration. The images of rhinoceros, mammouths, lions of the caves, bisons, and horses have been seen all around the world. Under the guidance of Jean Clottes, a multidisciplinary team undergoes a deepened study of the cave.

The cave has revealed many secrets about its origin, animal or human vestiges, dating, techniques which have been used, themes of paintings and engravings...

La grotte Chauvet : L'art des origines
Jean Clottes Seuil (Arts rupestres)

The Altamira cave (Spain)

The King of Spain Juan Carlos and the Queen Sofia have recently inaugurated the replica of the cave of Altamira, 30 km West of Santander (North-West of Spain). It is a unique group of frescoes wich represent bisons and horses and about 15,000 years old. In close proximity of the replica of the cave, a Museum and a Centre of Research make this complex one of the most important centre of prehistoric studies in Europe.

"The artist of bisons in Altamira is a real genius
with the stature of Michel-Angelo or Rembrandt".
(Pedro Saura)

 

 

Venice - 8 September 2001

'Monsoon Wedding' by Mira Nair (India)
Wins the Golden Lion award

Maker of the 1988 Oscar-nominated "Salaam Bombay" (1988), Mira Nair is the first woman to win the Golden Lion since the award attributed to Agnès Varda (France) with "Sans toit ni loi" in 1985.

I am very happy for India. We have a very powerful cinema, but it is only well known in half part of the world. At present, it is also known in the other part. India is taking great pride and great honor in this award.