Native Arts of the Americas after 1300, The Art of the Oceania, and 19 Century and 20th Century African Art
By abeasting
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Mar 19, 1100
Moai
These monumental works in Easter Island are one of the earliest and largest artworks in all of Oceania. Some of them are even 40 feet high. They stand on stone platforms, ahu, that show where the sacred sites for religious ceremonies are. Some have hats of red scoria on their heads called pukao. The Moai were believed to go between the natural and cosmic worlds.
Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages 13th Edition -
Mar 18, 1400
Mictlantecuhtli and Quetzalcoatl from Borgia Codex
This is one of the few codices that have survive the reign of the Spanish. The deerskin codex of the Mixteca-Puebla culture, is the most elaborate of the Borgia Group. It shows the god of life, Quetzalcoatl, and direct juxtapostion to the god of death, Mictlantecuhtli.
Source: Gardner's Art through the Ages 13th Edition -
Mar 18, 1400
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu was an Incan city that was rediscovered in 1911. The rarity in this site is in its lack of outside contact from the time of the Incans. Moreover, the blend of architecture and landscape make the site just seem like a normal part of the mountain range. Also, the Incans placed the buildings so that there would be amazing views and that astronomical calculations would be easier.
Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages 13th Edition -
Mar 18, 1469
Coyolxauhqui
The Coyolxauhqui is a relief on a circular stone from the Aztecs. It was placed the based of the staircase of a temple on the outermost shell of the Great Temple. The story on the stone is of the dismembered body of the moon goddess Coyolxauhqui. This has a political message: after the Aztecs sacrificed their enemies, they hurled them down to this stone which would then signify the fate of Coyolxauhqui. This artwork was used to support the state.
Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages 13th Ed -
Kuka'ilimoku
A major god of the Hawaiian gods is Kuka'ilimoku, the god of war. This specific statue stood in a temple in Hawaii where Kamehameha I first ruled. The ferocity of the statue reflects the ferocity of the god of war. Kuka'ilimoku shows complete defiance and athleticism in the statue and is found showing such attributes in most depictions of him.
Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages -
Hidatsa Regalia
This watercolor by Karl Bodmer depicts a Hidatsa warrior in his full regalia. The objects in the painting all represent his "biography." These include the bear-claw necklace and the feather decorations. These all combine to form an artistic statement.
Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages 13th Edition -
Canoe prow ornament from Chuuk
This ornament shows the importance of sea travel of those on the Caroline Islands. The prow ornament would provide protection on long trips. When two water vehicles would pass each other, they would lower the prow ornament if they were going in peace. This specific prow ornament seems to symbolize two sandpipers.
Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages 13th Edition -
Fang Bieri
Bieri are the reliquiary figures of the Fang who are designed to protect the ancestral spirits from harm. The proportions emphasize the head just like in other African art; moreover, they are the proportions of an infant. On the other hand, the sculpture has the the muscularity of an adult and thus it may represent the cycle of life itself.
Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages 13th Edition -
Yombe mother and child
The importance of this wooden sculpture is that it reflects the Madonna-and-Child influence of the Europeans. Instead of being deities, the sculptures represent the royalty. Some of these figures are called "white chalk" figures because of their believed healing powers.
Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages 13th Edition -
Honoring song at painted tipi
Traders and the army have provided pencils and discarded ledger books to the Indians. As a result, the Plains Indians during the era of great conflict could have recorded their past and their reactions to the surroundings. This was all during the Reservation movement where the Indians were quite angry at their lack of freedom.
Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages 13th Edition -
Men's ceremonial house (bai) from Belau
The men's ceremonial clubhouses were called bai. On the gable are decorations of low reliefs, paintings, and shell money. All around is much history and symbolism, ranging from myths to roosters signifying the rising sun. One important representation here is of the splayed woman figure, Dilukai, at the front of the bai. This symbolizes protection and fertility and demonstrates the social positions of women.
Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages 13th Edition -
Auuenau
This is a bark work that depicts a Dreaming which shows the ancestral spirits through the land. Each dreaming is specific to each clan. In this one, the artist is portraying the Dreaming in the style of X-Ray which shows the internal organs and the outward appearance.
Source: Gardner's Art through the Ages 13th Edition -
Olowe of Ise
Olowe sculpted this piece for the king of Ikere. He made the heads large -- a common trait, but he also elongated the necks -- a trait of his own. Another self-specific trait is the intricate detailed tunic. He also shows of the presence of the Europeans with a European hat on one of the supporting people. The design is much more complex and open than all the other works of other carvers.
Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages 13th Ed. -
King Kot A-Mbweeky III
In this photograph by Eliot Elisofon, the king of Kuba has dressed himself in a costume with many elements symbolizing many things. He uses eagle feathers, cowrie shells, imported beads, raffia, and a lot more to decorate himself. An example of the symbolism is that the king holds two weapons to represent his wealth and honor. He bedizens himself in this way to show that he is greater than man.
Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages 13th Edition -
Homage to Steve Biko
This mixed media by Willie Bester criticizes the society of apartheid South Africa. The work memorializes the unjust death of civil rights leader Biko and the lives of other anti-apartheid leaders. The whole mixed media is laden with symbolism and elements of cubism. One example of the symbolism is the oil-can guitar that represents harmony that music gives and the oppressiveness of apartheid. This shows how art can be take a role in politics.
Source: Gardner's Art Through the Ages 13th Ed.
