Newgrange

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

I have returned from my travels to The Emerald Isle and I have so many wonderful things to share – the first being my visit to Newgrange.  Visiting this ancient site was at the very top of my list of things I had to do while in Ireland and I can assure you, it did not disappoint.

This passage tomb is roughly 5,000+ years old which means it predates not only the Pyramids at Giza and Stonehenge, but also the Celts themselves.  The mound has a solar significance in that every year on the winter solstice a blade of light enters the interior chamber that is otherwise completely pitch black.  While taking the tour of the mound, our guide recreated this event and it was awe-inspiring.

Concentric circles and spirals are carved into the stones inside the tomb and on the large stones that surround the outside of the mound.  While historians cannot agree on the meaning of the circles and spirals, most believe that they have a solar symbolism.

For more information on Newgrange, please visit…

https://www.newgrange.com/

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.