At the Museum of Popular Arts there is currently a special exhibit called "Destino... México".
This exhibit of Mexican handicrafts and popular art combines objects from the museum's collection and private collections. The focus is on the use of Mexico's many natural resources to create this art.
Here are some of the items on display...
At the entrance to the exhibit is this impressive sculpture which is an example of "hojalatería"... tin smithing.
This picture is a reproduction of a famous Diego Rivera mural depicting the Aztec marketplace. It is created entirely from "popotillo", the dried straw-like pieces of a wild grass that grows on the slopes of the volcanoes of central Mexico.
This antique tray was also created from "popotillo".
This "morral", a typical bag used by men in rural areas, is made from the fibers of the maguey plant, a type of agave typical of central Mexico.
The dye used on this garment is made from cochineal, a scale insect which lives on cacti in Mexico. During the colonial period, cochineal was an important and lucrative export.
Murex, a kind of sea snail, was used in making the purple dye for this garment.
This sculpture of a horse and rider was modeled from clay.
These intricate carvings were made from animal bones.
The art of creating pictures from birds' feathers goes back to pre-Hispanic times. These are two more modern examples... a landscape and an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
A wooden, lacquered tray
A carving of a jaguar made from copal wood.
A "quexquémitl", a triangular, poncho-like garment worn by indigenous women. It was made of wool and woven on a backstrap loom.
A clay basin decorated in a lattice-work style known as "petatillo"
"Amate", paper made from the bark of the fig tree has been used by artists since pre-Hispanic times. This large painting is incredibly complex.
More to come from this special exhibit at the Museum of Popular Arts...
No comments:
Post a Comment