Mexican Art History Lecture Series
6 Lectures by
Wednesday 6-7:30PM
Pacific Grove Adult School
Summer Session
June 29 - August 3 2023 (Last Class)
Summer Session starts
June 24th Register Here
June 14 Registration for PGAS Summer session begins.
PGAS Summer Session starts
June 24th - Sept 18th (11 Week Session)
Course Description: Art appreciation course covering Mexican art history from Pre-Columbian to contemporary times. Topics include the Olmecs, Teotihuacan, Post-Revolution Muralists, and Contemporary Artists in Mexico City
Lecture Videos: The videos below contain content related to the current course but the in-person course at Pacific Grove Adult School contains variations thereof.
Lecture 1 + 2 (Divided into 5 video sections): Olmec art works from 1600BC to 300BC.
A cursory survey underpinned by
the notion of artistic modalities available for the representation of leadership figures within historical moments of state formation.
Art historical concepts including, metamorphosis, description, illusion, relief sculpture and the representational or theatrical plane.
Lecture 3 +4 : Teotihuacan
A cursory survey underpinned by
the notion of self-arranging state formation and abstraction bound by practices such as mold-making and interchangeable parts.
Art historical concepts including painting, abstraction and community sculpture.
Lecture 1 + 2 (Divided into 5 video sections): Olmec art works from 1600BC to 300BC.
A cursory survey underpinned by
the notion of artistic modalities available for the representation of leadership figures within historical moments of state formation.
Art historical concepts including, metamorphosis, description, illusion, relief sculpture and the representational or theatrical plane.
Lecture 3: Teotihuacan
A cursory survey underpinned by
the notion of self-arranging state formation and abstraction bound by practices such as mold-making and interchangeable parts.
Art historical concepts including painting, abstraction and community sculpture.
Class Links for media from discussions.
Class 1 and 2:
Olmec:
Here is a 3d rendering
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/672/olmec-colossal-stone-heads/
Working with Jadeite Video min 0:54
Tourist video of La Venta heads at museum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js149dCqbjQ
Movie of transport of heads to American Museums. 20:41 dragging head out. 5:24 helicopter view
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZD15dVL6GY
Indonesian rock workers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkGdwjHgXGc&list=PLXBxk_BCZ5sFi0SgV0LLboiw9sD14nIL5&index=26
What is ignacious rock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCnAF1Opt8M&t=21s
Video of difference between basalt and granite.
Viscosity (for Basalt) video
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscosity
Minute 25: rubber ball artifact:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTuab0SNuPA&list=PLXBxk_BCZ5sFi0SgV0LLboiw9sD14nIL5&index=4
Votive Axes
https://youtu.be/qfz1k_yU3d4
Masks
Muybridge movie of running horse
Notes from Lecture 1 Spring 2023
1st Lecture –
Spring 2023
General Introduction
We looked at introductory images of Olmec, Teotihuacan and Diego Rivera art work.
We looked at the geography of the Tehuantapec Isthmus and the ecology of the cradles of civilization briefly mentioning circumscription theory.
We looked at the plateau of San Lorenzo and discussed the amazing female archeologists that have uncovered the history of Mesoamerica. such as Cyphers.
We started to talk about the unique character of the skin, face and heads. Students pointed out the surprising realism and we discussed the idea of a ruler with tired eyes. . We showed a movie from 60's of moving
one of the heads. from Veracruz to Texas
We talked about the city of Teotihuacan and the middle class apartments that had mural paintings.
Questions from students included:
How many man hours to make a head?
IIs it like in Egypt where the sculptures were planned far in advance?
Where in India was Indian cradle of civilization?
What is iconography of the Diego tree scene The characters in the background?
Are the hollow baby sculptures actually hollow? How were they made?
Have you seen the murals of Bonampak - the Mayan site in Chiapas?
Are they art for arts sake?
Or are they for memory and remembrance?
Is this the original color?
Are they flat on the back?
What year were they moved?
Who were these paintings for?
What is the difference between a symbolic/ abstract representation and a 'perceptual' rendering of a face?
Notes from Lecture 2 Spring 2023
We briefly went over unique verse general in terms of a representation of a face and zooming out verse in on an art object
We discussed the idea of the snap shot and the theatrical stage of an art work and the ways in which the Olmec work represents frozen moments.
Looked at the buried floor art - who is an artwork made for? Examples such as tomb paintings were brought up.
We looked at a video of contemporary Basalt rock mining in Indonesia and talked about the movement of the material.
We looked at a video of the first rubber ball in Mesoamerica.
We talked about the 2000 cores that Cyphers project produced to understand the Olmec culture.
Questions from class included:
Was there any writing?
Does writing remain?
Are there Olmec glyphs?
What is the deal with the helmets?
Were the Olmecs African?
How is play such as the wheeled objects significant to the evolution from chiefdoms to state civilization?
What are these wheeled objects you are showing?
What kind of ceramic are the black animal works?