It used to be fun to visit museums when in school with friends and school groups. However, my visit to Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) was different, as now I was in college and going there not just because everyone is going, or that your school or teachers have organized a tour, but I was going there based on my own plans and decisions. I had heard a lot about LACMA and decided to get more information about the museum online.
I explored the website of LACMA and learned about the history of the museum. I learned that it was founded in 1965 and is the largest art museum in the western United States. It is placed between the ocean and downtown, right in the heart of Los Angeles, covering 20 acres (Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) 2016).It has an immense range and a number of objects and artifacts dating back to both history and covering a large span of geography. The strengths of the museum lay in its display of Latin American art, Islamic art, and Latin American art. Along with that, the museum boasts of masterpieces by leading modern and contemporary artists.
As I am L.A. County resident, I was allowed free general admission every week on certain days, and so, I decided to go on a Friday between 3 and 8 pm. The museum offers special offers and discounts on certain galleries and temporary exhibitions (LACMA 2016). We left the museum at about two and were there just before three. Already there was a huge crowd outside, and we waited in lines. The crowd was miscellaneous, but I assumed that they were all .A. County residents, taking advantage of the free admission. There were some families with children, but most of the people in the group were adults.
The building of the museum looked impressive from the outside. I noticed the Chris Burden's Urban Light installations at the entrance that were made of cast-iron street lamps. At sharp three, we were let in. I was truly impressed by the beautiful architecture of LACMA. The first thing that caught our eyes was the huge and mysterious sculpture called "Smoke" that was very captivating. The interiors of the museum were well lit, and there were clear spaces and light in all directions. The walls and ceilings were done in white, and this certainly made the look much brighter and lighter within.
LACMA is known for its impressive collection of a wide range of artworks from different historical periods. Its exhibitions are known to be huge and extensive. The reason why I was at the museum was to see and observe two objects under Art of the Ancient Americas. One was the “Male Figure in Guise of Xipe Totec” and the other was the “Standing Male Figure” from Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.
Male Figure in Guise of Xipe Totec
The “Male Figure in Guise of Xipe Totec” belongs to Aztec, 1400-1521 and comes from the Mexico, Basin of Mexico (Male Figure in Guise of Xipe Totec 2016). The sculpture is made of basalt and stands on a small pedestal. This is an excellent example of basalt sculpture that is rough in texture. The figure is made in a very simplistic form, and some portions of the sculpture are damaged. His left arm is damaged from just below the elbow, and the hand of the right arm is is missing and incomplete. The figure has a short neck and rounded shoulder. The faces are in the shape of an oblong square. The feet are well carved but lack fine details, and the joint between the legs and the torso can be seen.
As a viewer, I looked at the sculpture from all sides, but it is the frontal views that hold the main view.Xipe Totec is a priest who wears the flayed skin of a sacrificial victim, who also had to give his heart. He was the god of regeneration and new vegetation which was worshiped in central Mexico (The Aztec Empire 2016). His figure is straight and can be recognized by his costume of human skin. If one looks closely at the face of the figure, his eyes are set deep, and the nose is raised as a ridge. The lips carry two boundaries, one to show the real lips and the outer ones as the mask of another skin. There is a hole in the chest that shows the gap of the heart taken out. There is a criss-cross pattern just above the gaping hole that stands for the stitches on the skin.
Sculptors in the Aztec empire carved dramatic images with stone to communicate the concepts complex rituals and religion of Aztec. Sculptors customarily showed a frontal view that was symmetrical (Aztec Stone Sculpture 2016). The above example of “Male Figure in Guise of Xipe Totec” is a good example of the basic conventions used by the Aztec sculptors. While the inlaid eyes and half-open mouths give them a serious expression, the faces seem ageless.
The artwork looks very rough in texture and is realistic in depiction and yet not real because of the very simplistic details. Basalt is a stone that is porous and easier to carve. However, as they are sandy, the pieces are liable to get damaged easily. The figure looks straight but fails to make any connection with the viewer because of the lack of any details. It was exciting to look at an artifact that dates back to ancient times and from a civilization from the Basin of Mexico. It is like you are transported back in time and are fact opt face with those tribes of Aztec. I found many other people taking notes on the sculpture and asking questions from the museum curator. From their conversation, I could see that they were a group of students from the stream of history and preparing a project on Aztec civilization.
Standing Male Figure
The “Standing Male Figure” is very interesting to look at. The sculpture belongs to Yucatan Peninsula Maya, 600-800 (Standing Male Figure 2016). The Jaina Island figures are known to carry detailed portraits and modeled to display certain poses and gestures. The sculpture belongs to Classic Maya civilization and is a ceramic with Maya blue pigment. The enigmatic sculpture is made of ceramic which was important to the Mayans.
I observed the standing posture from all sides and found it to be a nice mix of the real and the exaggerated in the face. The figure of the man is standing with comfortably with his right arm in the air, and he is slightly bent at the knees. His body seems to be stout and stroking and in good proportion. He wears a loincloth to cover his body and wears a headgear that covers his hair and head. His left arm lies by his side but has the palm facing the viewer. The body looks in good shape and health. Although there are several signs of damage on this sculpture, it is still in a very good condition and carries a smooth texture. The whole figure carries a muddy color.
The headband encircling the top of the head carries some kind of decorations with repeated motifs in blue. The garment he wears is edged with a border and some design, and it turns into a narrow fold that circles the waist of the figure. The man wears bands on both his wrists.
The features of the man are sharp and clear and are typical of the figures found in Maya civilization and art. His ears are long and flatted to the side of the face. He has heavy lid eyes that look straight at the view. A prominent nose covers the face with well-marked nostrils. His lips are well marked and slightly open from one side showing the teeth within. His legs are bit short, and one can hardly see the knees. Overall, this is the figure of a small but well-built and plump man.
The enigmatic sculpture offers multiple viewing points for the viewer, but an essential standing point is right in front of the sculpture. The sculpture holds your attention as it seems to be saying something to the viewer. Although the style of the sculpture is a realistic depiction, there is a kind of exaggeration that makes it look slightly comical. The Mayans were known to express themselves artistically and used ceramics to create different forms and decorate complex scenes.
I observed that there was always a crowd near the “Standing Male Figure” and the visitors were intrigued by the small male figure, with a strange expression on his face. I found him a harmless and simple fellow from the Mayan times.
On the way out, I bought Richard Neutra: Hawks House #1 Tote that was son sale and cost me just $10.00. A visit to a famous museum such as LACMA is a great way to learn about the history and culture of the country. The best part is that one gets t see so many famous artworks under one roof and at one place. My visit to Los Angeles County Museum of Art was a very good one, and I feel that I have come back with a much wider perspective and deeper knowledge about my own culture and those of the Mayan civilization. I intend to dig more information on Aztec and Yucatan civilization and learn more about their customs, art, and architecture. Maya, Inca, and Aztecs are great civilizations in Mexico, and the Maya civilization is the earliest of these. The proof-positive evidence of their existence lies in those artifacts and sculptures that are excavated from the ruins and stored safety in museums. As an individual, far away from those ancient civilizations in time and location, it is marvelous to see their existence right within our city. And, this is only possible because of some great museums such as LACMA. I can make several trips to a museum and discover a treasure of knowledge every time.
Works Cited
"Aztec Stone Sculpture." metmuseum. 2016. Web. 17 April. 2016
"Los Angeles County Museum Of Art (LACMA)." discoverlosangeles. 2016. Web. 17 April. 2016.
"LACMA." lacma.org. 2016. Web. 17 April. 2016
“Male Figure in Guise of Xipe Totec." lacma.org. 2016. Web. 17 April. 2016
"Standing Male Figure." lacma.org. 2016. Web. 17 April. 2016
"The Aztec empire." archive.org. 2016. Web. 17 April. 2016
