art history

Ruler’s feather headdress (probably of Motecuhzoma II). Mexica (Aztec). 1428–1520 C.E. Feathers (quetzal and cotinga) and gold. replica; original taken by Hernan Cortes; quetzal tail feathers; bird from Central America, tribute items; sent to capital; part of an entire costume; part of ritual, celebrations; transformative; Aztec; gold ornaments; turquoise/green feathers; feather workers highly regarded; after conquest, art doesn't die out: subject changes, usually Christian iconography; two cultures intertwine; hybrid art form; 

Templo Mayor (Main Temple). Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City, Mexico). Mexica (Aztec). 1375–1520 C.E. Stone (temple); volcanic stone (The Coyolxauhqui Stone); jadeite (Olmec-style mask); basalt (Calendar Stone). Destroyed by the Spaniards Aztec temple devoted to two main deities: Huitzilopochtli (God of War/Sun) and Tlaloc (Rain/Agriculture) Center, surrounded by many other temples; modern Mexico city is consists of complicated layers of colonial and pre-colonial history  Located in the sacred precinct at the heart of the city, the Templo Mayor was positioned at the center of the Mexica capital and thus the entire empire. The capital was also divided into four main quadrants, with the Templo Mayor at the center. This design reflects the Mexica cosmos, which was believed to be composed of four parts structured around the navel of the universe, or the axis mundi. Two grand staircases accessed twin temples, which were dedicated to the deities Tlaloc and Huitzilopocht...

Yaxchilán. Chiapas, Mexico. Maya. 725 C.E. Limestone (architectural complex). Yaxchilán is located on the south bank of the Usumacinta River, in Chiapas, Mexico. It was a significant Maya center during the Classic period (250-900 C.E.) Many of the exteriors had elaborate decorations, but it is the carved stone lintels above their doorways which are the focus.  Many of the exteriors had elaborate decorations, but it is the carved stone lintels above their doorways.  Bloodletting was a common practice in Maya life from the Late Preclassic period (400 B.C.E.- 250 C.E.) onwards, and an essential part of rulership and of all public rituals.

The Virgin of Guadalupe   (Virgen de Guadalupe) . Miguel González. c. 1698 C.E. Based on original Virgin of Guadalupe. Basilica of Guadalupe, Mexico City. 16th century C.E. Oil on canvas on wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl. MEXICO CITY; REPLICA; MOTHER OF PEARL INLAID INTO WOOD; IRIDESCENT SURFACE; SUGGESTS HEAVENLY AND DIVINE; EMPHASIZE SACREDNESS; SPANIARDS INTENSELY CONVERTING INDIGENOUS PEOPLE; ASHEN SKIN; MEANT TO RELATE TO NATIVES; SYMBOL OF MEXICAN IDENTITY; DECADE AFTER DOWNFALL OF TENOCHTITLAN; TILMA (THREE QUARTER VIEW); HANDS CLASPED; EYES CAST DOWNWARD; ANGELS FRAME PIECE; SYMBOLS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT (LADDER, PALM TREE, SHIP, LILY, FOUNTAIN) ENCONCHADO POPULAR IN 17TH CENTURY MEXICO TINY FRAGMENT OF MOTHER OF PEARL ON A WOODEN CANVAS; THIN GLAZES OF PAINT; MOSAIC

DeStijl (1916-1925) Dutch Completely abstract Black lines shape rectangular spaces Only the primary colors are used Diagonal lines forbidden  Harlem Renaissance (1930s) African Americans migrated in great numbers to Harlem, New York City Movement began after World War I Themes include racial pride, civil rights, and the influence of slavery on modern culture Mexican Muralists (1917-1930s) Training in Fresco painting Large murals  Promoted political/social messages Promote to labor and struggle of working classes Socialist agenda 

Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Park . Diego Rivera. 1947–1948 C.E. Fresco. In Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central Park, hundreds of characters from 400 years of Mexican history gather for a stroll through Mexico City’s largest park.  A confrontation between an indigenous family and a police officer; a man shooting into the face of someone being trampled by a horse in the midst of a skirmish; a sinister skeleton smiling at the viewer.  A scene composed of disparate historical personages, including Hernán Cortés (the Spanish conqueror who initiated the fall of the Aztec Empire), Sor Juana (a seventeenth-century nun and one of Mexico’s most notable writers), and Porfirio Díaz (whose dictatorship at the turn of the twentieth century inspired the Mexican Revolution).  Perhaps the most striking grouping is a central quartet featuring Rivera, the artist Frida Kahlo, the printmaker and draughtsman José Guadalupe Posada, and La Catrina.  Chin...

The Two Fridas . Frida Kahlo. 1939 C.E. Oil on canvas. Facial hair indelibly marks the self portraits of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.  In an era when women still wore elaborate hairstyles, hosiery, and attire, Kahlo was a rebellious loner, often dressed in indigenous clothing. Kahlo flouted both conventions of beauty and social expectations in her self-portraits.  These powerful and unflinching self images explore complex and difficult topics including her culturally mixed heritage, the harsh reality of her medical conditions, and the repression of women. The double self portrait The Two Fridas, 1939 features two seated figures holding hands and sharing a bench in front of a stormy sky.  She painted this canvas she was divorced from Diego Rivera, the acclaimed Mexican muralist. Before she married Rivera in 1929, she wore the modern European dress of the era, evident in her first self portrait where she dons a red velvet dress with gold embroidery.  With Ri...

The Valley of Mexico from the Hillside of Santa Isabel (El Valle de México desde el Cerro de Santa Isabel) . Jose María Velasco. 1905 C.E. Oil on canvas. This important school fostered Romantic and Neoclassical aesthetics Students emerging from the new school at the Academy began to illustrate local vistas of the Valley of Mexico.  This imagery offered an opportunity to highlight symbols of patriotism valuable to a newly independent society.  After the 1821 war of independence (from Spain), Mexico sought to establish its identity through artistic endeavors. United ancient and contemporary Roman historical subjects.  The development of the practice of national landscape painting was part of the dictator López de Santa Anna’s efforts to re-establish the art academy after decades of neglect following the formation of Mexico as an independent nation.  Artist had an Italian Mentor: Eugenio Landesio. Trainer in landscape/nature painting.  Towards t...