[image_with_animation image_url=”9204″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Yesterday I posted a fragment of a sculpture and asked you to guess when it was made and who made it. I worded my question to be misleading by asking specifically “who” and “what year.” Some of the guesses I received were:
Brancusi, 1952?
Isamu Noguchi?
Henry Moore late 1800s?
African, or African influenced Picasso?
Ancient Chinese?
Aztec?
Thank you for your guesses! I posted this sculpture because I was so taken aback by how contemporary it looked. In truth, this is a fragment of an ancient Olmec mask, dated 300 BC.
This Jade face might represent the Olmec Maize God. According to the Met Museum, the Olmec Maize God can be identified by his upturned lip. Many of the masks weren’t worn on the face, but were likely used as belt buckles, on headdresses, or as necklaces.
The earliest Olmec sites presently known date to 4000 years ago ( about 2000 BC). By 1400 BC, Olmec artisans were creating amazing earthworks, stonework, and ceramics that still captivate the viewer. To their 19th century discoverers, Olmec cities seemed to have sprouted full-blown out of the earth, complete with sophisticated directional alignment, symbolic writing (which we still can’t decipher), a complex set of spiritual beliefs, and finely crafted stonework, much of which was imitated by the Maya and other peoples who came to prominence after the Olmec faded.
Gerhard Richter is a German painter, a rare genre splitter whose squeegee abstracts are just as respected and challenging as his photorealistic works. These candle paintings are oil on canvas, about 30 to 55 inches wide, painted in the 1980s.
Bridget Riley’s Op Art When Bridget Riley first exhibited her dizzying black and white abstracts in the 1960s, people were amazed at how the lines and shapes appeared to move and vibrate right off the canvas. It was like she was painting with electricity itself! In 1967, she introduced Seurat-inspired color applications, and her paintings …
I’m collecting images to share for week three of the SAL Challenge. I’ll post them tomorrow. One more day left in the 31 day creative challenge. Get your sketches up!
Mystery Mask
[image_with_animation image_url=”9204″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Yesterday I posted a fragment of a sculpture and asked you to guess when it was made and who made it. I worded my question to be misleading by asking specifically “who” and “what year.” Some of the guesses I received were:
[image_with_animation image_url=”9212″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”]
Map from Misfits and Heroes; New Thoughts on Olmec Art
Olmec Masks
This Jade face might represent the Olmec Maize God. According to the Met Museum, the Olmec Maize God can be identified by his upturned lip. Many of the masks weren’t worn on the face, but were likely used as belt buckles, on headdresses, or as necklaces.
More information is found on Misfits and Heroes; New Thoughts on Olmec Art:
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Gerhard Richter is a German painter, a rare genre splitter whose squeegee abstracts are just as respected and challenging as his photorealistic works. These candle paintings are oil on canvas, about 30 to 55 inches wide, painted in the 1980s.
Day 13: Op Art #30SAL
Bridget Riley’s Op Art When Bridget Riley first exhibited her dizzying black and white abstracts in the 1960s, people were amazed at how the lines and shapes appeared to move and vibrate right off the canvas. It was like she was painting with electricity itself! In 1967, she introduced Seurat-inspired color applications, and her paintings …
SAL Challenge: Week 3 Favorites Posted Soon
I’m collecting images to share for week three of the SAL Challenge. I’ll post them tomorrow. One more day left in the 31 day creative challenge. Get your sketches up!