My buddy is perhaps transferring to Japan! So we determined to get in another sketching outing earlier than he heads off. (Truly he’ll be again, it’s solely a scouting journey for now, however quickly!) I’m impressed together with his sense of journey. However sure! We determined to soak up the Olmec exhibition on the Pointe-à-Callière.
This big head is as tall as a tweenager and 5 occasions as broad. It appears like a giant child head, however the meanest large child you ever met. He’s in all probability a warrior, but it surely is perhaps an athlete, taking part in the mesoamerican ball recreation ōllamaliztli.
The Olmec are my favourite of the Mesoamerican peoples, artistically talking. I really like the unusual distortions of their artwork type. These slouching fellows with the elongated skulls are concerning the measurement of a GI-Joe, carved from jade, and have been discovered positioned in a conversational grouping of a few dozen figures, buried in a grave mound.
Who is aware of the which means of those carvings? However they appear to be little wizards having a deep dialog.
I didn’t test if there was any data on this stone head – The label simply says; ‘Zoomorphic Head’.
It positive appears like a dragon hey? It’s hole, with a gap within the cranium (as with each of the figures developing subsequent) and it’s my fully unsubstantiated opinion that they’d have positioned smoking fires inside, sending up spooky tendrils; finishing the dragon-like phantasm.
The subsequent two figures are from later durations; the imagery in these areas will get increasingly more decorative over time; extra enjoyable to attract 🙂
The oddly flattened crown on this determine was in all probability backed with a flowered or feathered headdress making it twice as massive and really colourful. And, the ornaments subsequent to the ear of the bigger face are dangling human arms! The reverse facet of the stone determine under is a human skeleton dealing with the other way.
Very ominous!
I’ve to think about him as a high-priest sporting a stretched human pores and skin on his head. There’s additionally a spherical gap within the heart of the chest – simply the proper measurement for a human coronary heart.
Simply saying.
We all know these cultures practiced human sacrifice, however there was no dialogue on the exhibition what that opening within the chest was for.
One other element you in all probability gained’t spot; the portly gentleman under is sporting a belt made from entwined serpents. I really like this kind of fantastical, mythological stuff! Magic was actual to individuals in these days. I ought to spend extra time studying about these outdated clergymen and their gods, however actually, I simply get pleasure from sketching and imagining what issues have been like.
All sketches 6×9″ sketchbook pages, drawn on the museum and painted in a close-by café.
Pigments; largely Goethite and Pyrrole Orange. The darks are Indigo, Bloodstone and Tyrian Purple.