One may speculate as to the reasons why the artist chose this particular decoration, but one must remember that the bowl also served as a useful tool. The number of artisans, perhaps, was not large enough to service all the community’s needs if such detail was included. Maybe details were not highly values in artisan work. Therefore, if the community demanded more detailing on their pottery, there would have been an industry for such a position. This bowl reflects just as much on the artist as the community at that time—it may indicate that art was less about the detail and more about something else, such as painting a good luck charm, fulfilling a ritual, or creating simple but aesthetically pleasing dishware.
New Mexico, mid 9th-century to 1200s AD
Circa 539 AD, Mexico or Guatemala (Mayan)
Further south in Central America around the 600s, the Mayan region experienced a population boom. Hundreds of settlements made up more than sixty kingdoms, each controlled by a supreme ruler vying for domination over land, resources, and trade routes. This seems to have led to a diverse array of artistic techniques as regions competed for social, political, and economic dominance. As the Mayan kingdom began its mysterious decline around 900 AD, so did artistic production and experimentation. Fewer pieces are found in the region after 900 AD, and the pieces found generally lack the detail of typical artwork from before, as illustrated with the carved bowl pictured above.
Ceremonial Knife, Peru, 900s - 1100s AD
In South America, two major communities formed. One was in the high plateau of Peru, and the other was in the Andes. Though they were not allies, roads and trade routes connected them. Myths and images are associated with each respective community, but techniques in metalworking and sculpture appear to be shared. Interestingly, the indigenous people in the Americas were able to find advances in metalworking without interaction with Eurasian techniques or discoveries. However, not every community discovered metalworking and the use of metals remained primarily in the Andean region of South America, traveling only into Mexico when Europe found America. Even then, metals were used primarily for decorative purposes while tools were generally constructed of stone. The knife above may be a tool, but it is a ceremonial knife and not one used for daily or military purposes. (Gardner's Art through the Ages, 381)However, the impact of trade in the Americas can be found by comparing the three regions discussed. North America lacked a strong trade network, though trade certainly existed regionally. Goods such as shells, turquoise, and food were exchanged among groups in the southwest states of present-day United States. In this region, trade occured by foot since there were no large domesticated animals in North America until the Europeans arrived. Remnants of pottery from this regon suggests trade occurred but on a smaller scale when compared to artifacts from areas further south. (Prehistoric Trade at Lost City)
Central American trade is undisputed, as the Mayan empire connected vast regions together. South America also experienced trade on a large scale due to the development of Incan roads and the necessity of trade to obtain enough food to sustain their larger cities. Today large ruins illustrate the advances in architecture and artistic metallurgy that remind the current viewer that economic prosperity allowed peoples in Central and South America the opportunity to discover advanced techniques in craftsmanship.
Sources/References:
"Maya Area, 500–1000 A.D." Heilbrunn Timeline. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York:. Web. 7 Apr. 2010. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=06®ion=caa.
"Carved Bowl [Mexico or Guatemala; Maya]." Heilbrunn Timeline. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web. 7 Apr. 2010.
"Prehistoric Trade at Lost City." Online Nevada Encyclopedia. 7 Mar. 2010. http://www.onlinenevada.org/prehistoric_trade_at_lost_city.
Atlas of World Trade, pg. 96-101
Gardner's Art through the Ages, 381
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