Figure 11th-6th century BCE

ceramic

3d sculpting

natural shape and form

sculpture

ceramic

sculptural image

unrealistic statue

sculpting

watercolour illustration

charcoal

graphite

watercolor

This Olmec ceramic figurine, dating back to the 11th-6th century BCE, is a captivating example of Pre-Columbian art. The figure, seated with arms outstretched, displays stylized features common to Olmec art, including a large head, almond-shaped eyes, and a distinctive "baby-face" expression. The simplicity of the form and the deliberate exaggeration of the features suggest a focus on ritual and symbolism, rather than naturalism. The piece is currently housed in the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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The Olmec people developed the first cities of Mesoamerica. Situated in the tropical lowlands of Mexico, these early urban societies produced most of the major features of later regional civilizations: monumental architecture and sculpture, hieroglyphic writing, a calendrical system, and intensive agriculture. The distinctive Olmec art style, expressive of their religion, greatly influenced subsquent Mesoamerican art.A prominent motif in Olmec art is the "baby face," a fleshy human face with drooping mouth, squinting eyes, and snub nose. Here the distinctive features are part of a naturalistic depiction, but in many Olmec pieces they merge with feline traits like snarling lips and fangs. These pervasive references to the spiritual union of a jaguar and a human allude to an Olmec conception of the supernatural status of rulers.