Art Appreciation 2014 - 2015
A Trip Around the World
October 2014
Latin American Art
A Trip Around the World
1st Stop: Latin America
Charlotte, NC
#1: Latin America
Modern Latin America is made up of 22 countries stretching from the southern
border of the US to the tip of South America; includes the Caribbean
Latin American Art
Pre-Columbian Period

Pre-Columbian literally means the time preceding Christopher Columbus’s
voyages of 1492

Includes remarkable civilizations such as the Olmec, Maya, Inca, and Aztec

Art typically inspired by spiritual concerns and war with neighboring cultures
• This is one of 17 remaining “Colossal
Heads” created by the Olmec, the
mysterious 1st great culture of Latin
America
• Each stand around 8 feet high and
weighs over 20 tons
• Historians still debate whether the
heads were modeled after Olmec
Rulers or conquered enemies
LaVenta Monument 1 - Colossal Head, Before 900 BC
Artisans unknown
Sculpted from Basalt Boulder
Parque LaVenta, Villahermosa, Mexico
Latin American Art
Pre-Columbian Period
• Maya civilization was one of the
richest, most advanced, and most
populated on the globe by 500 AD
• Known for their stelae, which are
monuments of tall sculpted stone
shafts often placed near round altars
• Stelae often depicted Mayan rulers
disguised as gods
• The largest ever found is over 34
feet high and weighs 65 tons
Stela A, 732 A.D.
Sculpted from Volcanic Tuff
From Copan in Honduras
Stela 51, 731 A.D.
Limestone
From Calakmul, Mexico
Depicts king Yuknoon Took’ K’awiil
Latin American Art
Pre-Columbian Architecture
• The Inca city of Machu Picchu
sits 8,000 feet above sea level and
is surrounded on 3 sides by cliffs.
The 4th side is a mountain
• Built over 550 years ago with drystone technique. Rocks were cut
to fit together so perfectly no
mortar is required to hold them
together. Successfully built to
withstand frequent earthquakes
Inca City of Machu Picchu, constructed around 1450
Machupicchu District, Peru
Stone walls
at Manchu
Picchu were
constructed
without the
use of draft
animals, iron
tools or
wheels.
• Includes 140 buildings and 100
flights of stone steps
• Machu Picchu is Peru’s most
visited tourist attraction and
South America’s most famous
ruins, welcoming hundreds of
thousands of people a year
Latin American Art
Colonial Period – Indochristian Art

The arrival of the Spanish to Latin America beginning in 1492 almost completely wiped out
the indigenous population. (Many were conquered, but even more died of diseases brought
by the Europeans; mainly smallpox)

Native culture was largely forbidden and countless works of art and early literature were
destroyed

Europeans introduced their religious beliefs and art techniques

The mixture of indigenous artistic styles and European painting techniques led to a
distinctive style of Latin American art known as Indochristian
The Legend of Santa Sophronia, Late 17th Century
Circle of Diego Quispe Tito
Oil on canvas
Brooklyn Museum
Latin American Art
Colonial Period – Indochristian Art
The Divine Shepherdess, c. 1780
Anonymous artist from Quito,
Ecuador
Oil on canvas
Private Collection
La Pascua de María, 1698
(Easter Mary)
Juan Correa
Oil on canvas
Private Collection
• Reds, yellows, and gold leaf were popular in Indochristian art – very different from the
more subdued paintings with similar subjects being produced in Europe at the time.
Latin American Art
Gaining Independence

Beginning in the early 1800’s Latin
American countries began to fight for
and win independence from Spanish
and Portuguese rule.

Art was often used to promote
political and social change and
establish national pride

This painting depicts the death of
Atanasio Girardot of Columbia, a
hero killed by Spanish troops while
trying to raise the national flag during
the Battle of Bárbula territory
(present day Venezuela)
The Death of Girardot in Bárbula, 1883
Cristóbal Rojas
Oil on Canvas
Bolivarian Museum of Caracas
Latin American Art
Gaining Independence
• After 400 years of Spanish colonial rule,
Puerto Rico won independence
• Only months later is was claimed as a
territory by the US and remains so today; the
transition was difficult for most – especially
the poor
• This painting shows a jibaro (hee-VAH-roe), a
farmer who works on the land
• The painting title refers to the plantains the
jibaro carries because this fruit was eaten by
most Puerto Ricans every day, often at every
meal
El Pan Nuestro (Our Daily Bread), 1905
Ramón Frade
Oil on canvas
Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Latin American Art
Modern Style – A Glimpse of the Past
•
Contemporary Latin American often incorporates
its rich artistic history – especially that of the native
cultures
•
This enlarged portion from the lower left side of a
mural painted in 1942 shows ancient Toltec artisans
carving a stela
•

Unión de la Expresión Artistica del Norte y Sur de este Continente, 1940
(Marriage of Artistic Expression of North and of South on this Continent)
Diego Rivera
Al fresco on ten steel-framed panels
City College of San Francisco
Latin American Art
Modern Style – A Glimpse of the Past
• This contemporary Maya
folk artist describes his
work as pinturas polulares,
(paintings of the people)
and uses art to help
preserve ancient traditions
• His use of bright colors
and repeated shapes are
similar to those found in
ancient Maya weavings
Peligro de Cortar Flores y Bajar Barriletes del Día de los Difuntos, 2004
(Danger in Picking Flowers and Bringing Down Kites on the Day of the Dead)
Diego Isaías Hernández Méndez
Oil on canvas
Collection of Charles Davey
• The Day of the Dead is a
popular holiday in Mexico
and many other countries.
It is spent celebrating
deceased relatives; its
origins can be traced back
to an indigenous Azetc
festival
Art Appreciation - A Trip Around the World
Next Stop: AFRICA
Charlotte, NC
#2: Africa
#1: Latin America