When traveling, people often include famous museums in their itinerary as this is a great way to get familiar with the history and culture of the country. Moreover, they get to see famous artwork and exhibits that cannot be seen anywhere else under one roof. Museums are undoubtedly the storehouse of a history and culture of a county. I was fortunate to make a visit to the famous Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
I learned about the current collection galleries and temporary exhibitions and the special offers and discounts going on at the website of LACMA (LACMA 2016). I bought the tickets online in advance to enjoy special group rates along with my friends.
We arrived at the museum on Saturday at about 10.30 am. The museum was already open at is designated timings of 10 a.m. on the weekends. We learned that the original buildings of the museum have been replaced with state of the art facilities, so as to add to the functionality of the original complex. The newly designed museum building with additions was meant to be more efficient (Los Angeles County Museum of Art 2016). We were actually impressed by the stately architecture of the famous museum and were eager to get inside. The focal point of the museum starts with its entrance with the installation of Chris Burden's Urban Light that is made of cast-iron street lamps. Once we were inside, we saw a huge sculpture called "Smoke" which looked mysterious but was beautiful and captivating. The museums were pretty crowded, but there was room for all. There was a warm natural light that was easy on the eyes and the enormous, clear space lent an immediacy to the art displayed within. The museum carries a heavy look form outside but was certainly brighter and lighter within. There was a sense of flawless neutrality with the white walls and ceilings and smooth oak floors bleached in white, thus creating an unerring uniformity of inertness.
LACMA remains committed to adding to and advancing its comprehensive collection, and thus, one finds an immense range of works of art from a varied range of historical periods and cultures across the world. There were famous artworks from world renowned artists. There was men’s fashionable dress from the eighteenth century in their permanent collection and many photographic projects. The revitalized campus has been made even more remarkable with an inclusion of artworks by world acclaimed artists.
LACMA was huge, and its exhibitions were extensive. Picking a favorite piece of artwork would be difficult. There are thousands of artworks and we found the permanent collection of Latin American art at the fourth floor and were amazed by the astonishing range of art in terms of both time and space. However, there were two artworks that caught my attention that I would like to discuss in this paper. One is them is “Chest (Caja)” and the other is a “Drinking Vessel”.
Drinking Vessel Depicting Otherworldly Toad, Jaguar, and Serpent
The Serviceware belongs to the Maya civilization, 650-800 and comes from Southern Campeche, Mexico, and falls under the Art of the Ancient Americas. The Slip-painted ceramic is about 13 cm. in height and diameter (Drinking Vessel 2016). It was made during the Late Classic era of ancient Maya civilization.
The ceramic vessel is painted elegantly and carries mysterious scenes done in rustic orange and black on the cream base. The vessel carries a cream colored ground, and a rustic orange band marks it base and rim. The upper orange band is carries a single black line to mark its border while the lower band has two black lines covering the base of the vessel. Between the upper and lower band, there is imagery done in fine black lines. The whiplash line is characteristic of most Maya painting on both ceramics and murals. I could get a good view of the Drinking Vessel from all angles and saw different parts of the story as I moved.
Further studies on the “Drinking Vessel” reveal that those scenes were related to the Maya religious belief and practice, showing the role of kings in the supernatural. Maya civilization is famous for complex imagery and hieroglyphic writing that describe the rituals of their rulers. The ceramic vessel belongs to the Codex style ceramics that were made for a very brief period during in Maya lowlands. The content of imagery is exclusively mythological or cosmological.
The above artwork on Drinking Vessel is acknowledged as the work of Metropolitan Master,
an extraordinary artist. The scene on the vessel shows otherworldly beings that carry characteristics of both animals and humans. These were the companion spirits of Maya rulers that carried supernatural powers. The piece is particularly captivating as those creatures are shown to be involved in a march and seem to be following each other in a ceremony of some kind. Those animals with human characteristics were believed to be avatars of human rulers. The scene obviously represents a royal ritual performance from Maya. The plump toad is wearing a headdress and makes a generous offering of a bone, human hand and an eyeball. The Jaguar is hunched on one cocked leg and represents the earthly plain. There is a coiling and uncoiling body of the serpent that belongs to the celestial sphere and following the ritual march.
It is easy to follow the details because of the fine line work in black by the artist. The lines get thick and then thin at some places. This is regarded as the whiplash painting technique. There is strong sense of movement in the artwork. The varying thickens of the black lines tap off energy and motion in the artwork. The illusion of locomotion is simply mesmerizing and seems continuous. The dashing jaguar with knotted scarf, plump toad wearing a necklace and a young man coming out from the opened jaws of the daring jaguar seem to be connected in strong sense of movement. This is undoubtedly a treasured piece form the Latin American gallery.
Chest (Caja)
Chest (Caja) belongs to 18th century Peru, Lima, and is a wooden piece of furniture carrying a beautiful inlay work of ivory and tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl. The beautiful chest was placed on an equally magnificent stand.
I observed the Chest closely and was awestruck by the beautiful workmanship. I read more about the Chest (Caja) and the curator notes conveyed that the chest is made of tropical wood and ornamented with inlaid mother of pearl, ivory and tortoiseshell. Truly, the pieces shows the superiority of Spanish colonial decorative arts (Chest (Caja) 2016).
Made in18th-century Peru, the wooden chest is simply beautiful to look at. It is rectangular in shape and the rich deep brown color of the chest makes a nice contrast with the inlay work. The furniture piece looks strong and sturdy. The edges of the chest are smooth and with well-defined parameters. The legs of the stand are polished and seem in remarkably good condition. The legs are slightly apart from each other and joined by wooden bar on all four sides this show that the stand is frim, stable and strong. Both the stand and the chest carry intricate inlay works that is beautiful.
When you look closely, the motifs used for the inlay work are small and repeated. There is a border that runs around the tops of the table, and the motifs are alternating and repeated. However, it is the wooden chest that grabs the attention of the viewer. On the front and the back sides the chest panels, there is the border of inlay work that surrounds a larger rectangular panel in the center. As for the sides, there are borders of inlay work that surround a square panel. The fine workman ship shows that the piece is the work of an expert, who was well accomplished with the techniques of inlay work and was deft with his tools. The borders carry repeated motifs that are symmetrical and identical in size. Whether they carry straight lines or curved, they are done to perfection. Because of the beautiful and decorative inlay work, the Chest (Caja) gets a luxurious and rich look. Those simple and elegant lines make the furniture piece much more precious and special. The craftsman and the wood have done full justice to the piece. There is a strong latch in gray metal that looks equally beautiful and goes well with the look of the chest. The inlaying method using mother of pearl, ivory and tortoiseshell must have required lots of skill and patience. The artisan first makes thin designs with a fine chisel and then sets the material in them. He must first carve the motifs out and fit them inside the design with great procession.
I observed that other people too were taking great interest in these two pieces of artwork. Some of them were students with their teachers and they were discussing the Chest and the Vessel with great interest. I assumed theta they were students of history and obviously knew what they were looking at.
Overall my LACMA experience was good and I came back feeling much more knowledgeable. The different range of art and exhibitions provide positive personal reinterpretations and help build successful social relationships with the past of humanity. Observing “Chest (Caja)” and “Drinking Vessel” have expanded my knowledge on the Latin American art and their culture. I feel motivated to look for more information on how the inlay work in wood is done and am keen to learn more about Maya civilization and its art. I feel that a visit to the museum is an effective way of learning and inspire one in a certain area of study. You discover treasures that you were not aware of.
Works Cited
"Chest (Caja)." lacma.org. 2016. Web. 14 April. 2016.
"Drinking Vessel Depicting Otherworldly Toad, Jaguar, and Serpent." lacma.org. 2016. Web. 14 April. 2016.
"LACMA." lacma.org. 2016. Web. 14 April. 2016
"Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)." laconservancy. 2016. Web. 14 April. 2016.
