2009 - The four continents of MAXIMILIEN BRUGGMANN

Le Manoir de la ville de Martigny


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Origins

Maximilian Bruggmann has not forgotten where he comes from, where we all come from. There, where the desert was once green, amidst the rocks, one can find art in its ideal setting. Whether paintings or engravings, it is the quality of the art that entices the photographer. Step by step, he expands his research by travelling into the deserts and rocky regions of America.

It is the graphic artist in him that sharpens his photographic eye, stylizes the rock art, formats his books and devises all kinds of logos and posters for exhibitions. He thus pays tribute to those early artists, whom he only knows through their work.

#1

Rocky paths known as akbas

In order to reach Djanet (Algeria) on the Tamrit high plateau (Tassili n´Ajjer), one must overcome – on foot or by camel – three steep, rocky paths known as akbas, one after the other.

#2

Elephant in the Sahara

When the Sahara was still green, it was inhabited by numerous representatives of the African fauna, many of which can still be found in the more fertile areas today. As proof, this 2.65 meter-long engraving of an elephant is to be seen in one of the most beautiful and significant rock-art sites from the so-called Buffalo era (Wadi Mathendous, Fezzan, Libya).

#3

Sleeping gazelle

Instead of being engraved on the walls of caves, as usual, this impressive rock engraving of a sleeping gazelle was carved into a rock ledge under open sky at the Tin Teghert site (Tassili n´Ajjer, Algeria). Nowadays, this site, which was inventoried by Henri Lhote in the 1950’s, can only be reached on foot with the help of a guide.

#4

Enigmatic threefold spirals

These enigmatic threefold spirals in the Wadi Djerat were etched in rock with a simple stone wedge next to the imposing engraving of a rhinoceros on the northern Tassili Plateau, Algeria.

#5

Tan-Zoumaïtak

A Barbary sheep and two elegant women dominate a world full of mysterious characters and animals (Tan-Zoumaïtak site, Tassili n´Ajjer, Algeria).

#6

La cueva de las manos

The walls of “Cueva de las manos” (Cave of the Hands) in the province of Santa Cruz (Patagonia, Argentina) are covered with negative impressions of hands dated over 10,000 years back, though their significance has never been quite clarified. Maybe this cave of difficult access, located near Rio Pinturas, was a place of rites of passage and the hand impressions belonged to those who freely and solemnly swore to abide by the rules of the group.

#7

Kokopelli

Kokopelli, the humpbacked flute player of Galisteo (New Mexico, USA), belongs to the pantheon of the Pueblo Indians (pre-Columbian era). He strangely reminds one of other characters represented in other corners of the world, like in ancient Greece. But why is he humpbacked? The question remains unanswered.

#8

A mystery figure

Trapezoidal body, shield, crown and magical symbols: This figure on a rock at McKee Springs (Dinosaur National Park, Utah, USA) remains a mystery.

#9

The two giraffes at Dabous

These two giraffes, etched into a rock ledge, are 6.50 m tall and were engraved around 8000 b.C. (Dabous site, Western Aïr Mountains, Niger).

#10

The “Great God”

The “Great God” is performing a mysterious ritual. His body is long, his genitals oversized, his head deformed, the bumps on his arms inexplicable. This rock painting is 1.55 m tall and can be found at the site of Sefar (Tassili n´Ajjer, Algeria).

#11

“The White House”

“The White House” is one of the most famous pre-Columbian settlements in the Canyon de Chelly (Arizona, USA). These living quarters, located at the foot of a 300-meter tall cliff, were built around 1200 A.D. by the Anasazi Indians and were only accessible with ladders. Due to weather- or war-related reasons, the Navajos took over and moved here three hundred years ago. In 1805, the Spanish colonizers killed about 100 of these inhabitants.

#12

“Gallery” of rock paintings

The master piece of an over 60-meter long “gallery” of rock paintings, The Ghost poses an enigma to the visitor. What is the meaning of this figure, supposedly painted by Indian mammoth hunters around 10,000 years ago? (Horseshoe Canyon, Barrier Creek, Canyonland National Park, Utah, USA).

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