The Neolithic Cromlech and the Void: Its Relationship with the Feminine Principle as Consciousness of the Absolute Through the Art of Oteiza

Abstract

Oteiza's creative thought would evidence the existence of a psychic reality that explains the phenomena of consciousness as the presence, in the human being, of a universal force or “Great Mother.” This energy is interpreted by the artist from a transcendental inner void that we will analyze through his experience of the Basque cromlech. The main objective of this study is to analyze how Oteiza uses this prehistoric monument as an archetype of totality related to the feminine principle, where spirit and matter converge, and where the sculptor proposes a language of silence linked to fertilizing forces that culminate in a “transcendental Nothingness.” To this end, the paper is structured in three fundamental axes: first, the “psychic void” is explored as a methodological tool for knowledge and transformation of the subject; second, the metaphysical nature of his sculptural proposal is examined, positioning the void not as absence, but as a space of spiritual fullness; finally, it analyzes how this vision redefines the perception of nature and establishes a dialogue with the practices of contemporary art by women.