Primitive Art

Author(s): Julie Jones and Kate Ezra

Reviewed work(s):
Source: Recent Acquisitions (Metropolitan Museum of Art), No. 1985/1986 (1985 - 1986), pp.
70-71
Published by: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1513694 .
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PRIMITIVE

ART

ART

PRECOLUMBIAN

Vesselsintheformofsculpture
wereproducedinsignificant
inPrecolumbian
numbers
Mexico,andthosemadeduring
Olmectimes,oratabouttheturnofthefirst
millennium
B.C.,
aretodayamongthemostengaging
oftheseworksofart.The
birds,animals,andfish,all
sculptures
commonly
represent
workedinwell-modeled,
ifsimplified,
detail.Olmecceramics
arechiefly
whiteorblack;therearesculptural
vesselsinboth
blackwas favored.
Thelatter,
a productof
colors,although
thefiring
process,rangesinhuefromdense,richblackto
Thesurfaces
wereusuallyfinished
smokygray.
bya combinationofhighly
burnished
andmatpatterned
textures.
A
couldbe rubbedintothematareas,
powderedredpigment
a rose-pink
castthatcontrasts
wellwiththepolish
producing
oftheplaindarkceramic.Evenat thisearlydate,Olmec
commandoftechnique,
andsubtlety
ofconception
clearly
illustrate
thethorough
oftheceramicmedium
understanding
inMexico.

BirdVessel
Mexican(Olmec),izth-9thcentury
B.C.
Ceramic
Height,61Ain. (i6.5 cm.)
Rogers Fund, 1986
1986.45

The Olmecs,an earlyAmerican

peoplewhobuilttheirmain
centers
Veracruz
andadjaalongtheGulfCoastinsouthern
centTabasco,areknownas greatsculptors
inallthemediums
thathavecomedownto us.Theirsculptural
ceramics
are
fromburialsin thehighlands
ofcentralMexico,
primarily
whereOlmecpoliticaland/orreligious
influence
had spread
andwhereconditions
forpreserving
theseworkswerebetter
thanthoseofthehumidGulfCoast.
Thepresent
vessel,saidto be fromcentralMexico,depictsa
birdofprey.A birdwithpartially
fledgling
spreadwings,
seatedon a "basket,"itappearsto be squawking.
Itis composedofpleasing,well-integrated
shapesandis quitenatuatleastoneanthropomorphic
rendered,
ralistically
although
Theearsarehuman,andthelobesare
aspectis present.
embellished
withcircularornaments.
Whilethemeaning
of
thesedetailsisunclear,
humanandanimalfeatures
combined
area significant
aspectofOlmecart,andbirdsofpreyare
identifiable
withintheOlmeccorpus.Symbolic
elements
fromothercreatures
suchas jaguarsandserpents
canbe
includedtogether
withtheraptorimagery.
Entries
Curator.
Curator;KateEzra,Assistant
Jones,
byJulie

JJ
70

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AFRICAN

ART

thigh,and are decoratedwitha panel of alternatinghorizontal and verticalstripesand zigzags in front,a triangular
sectionofzigzags in therear,and concentriccirclesovereach
hip. On his head appears to be a softwovencottoncap,
pushed back behindthe ears and draped overthenape of the
neckin one ofthemanystylesin whichDogon menwear this
flexiblegarment.A sheathedknifeis strappedto his upper
leftarm,a pendantis depictedin reliefon his chest,and
multipleincisedbands encirclehis wristsand ankles. The
figureis also bearded,indicatingthathe is an elderand
thereforeworthyof respect.The shortpants and the staffattributesof a youngman-do not refutethisstatus,but,
rather,conformto theAfricanpreferenceforportraying
personsofspiritualor politicalpower,usuallyachievedin old
age, as iftheywere physicallyin theprimeof life.
Severalof thesefeatures-and such othersas theprojecting
beard, rimmedand bulgingeyes,and domed forehead-are
also seen on terracottasculpturesfromthenearbyInland
Niger Delta regionof Mali. The terracottaswereprobably
made fromthetwelfthto theeighteenthcentury,and it has
been suggestedthatsome of the Dogon wood figuresmaybe
contemporaneouswiththem.The Dogon claimthatmanyof
the wood sculpturesfoundon theBandiagara cliffswerethe
work of theTellempeople who livedtherebeforethe Dogon
arrived.The arid climateof thecliffs,and the factthatthe
sculptureswere oftenstoredin caves thatprotectedthem
fromtheelements,may have enabled themto survivelonger
than wood sculpturein morehumidpartsof Africa.Radiocarbon analysesof some Dogon, or Tellem,sculptureshave
been undertakento establishtheirage, but,althoughthe
resultshave generallysupportedthe relativeantiquityof
Dogon art,theyhave so farnot been conclusive.
There are wide variationsin Dogon sculpturalstyle.This
figureis similarto a numberofothers-especially,to a standing femalefigurein thecollectionof theDallas Museum of
wellFine Arts-that have in common a relativelyfleshy,
roundedbody,long thickneck and long oval head, broad
mouth,wide and slightlybulgingeyes,and stronglyprojectingchinor beard.The figuresin thisgroupoftenincorporate
subtleasymmetrical
elements,suchas a raisedor bentarmas in our example. This gesture,togetherwiththe slight
paunch and thepositionof theknees-flexed and readyto
springinto action-enlivens thesculptureand lends it a
genre-like,almostcasual aspect. While muchhas been written about themythologicalbasis of Dogon sculpture,many
Dogon figures,includingthisone, are portrayedin activities
thatseemto refermoreto everydaylife-men playingmusical
instruments
or ridinghorses,women usingmortarsand
pestlesor holdingand feedingchildren-than to theeventsof
Dogon myth.The fullmeaningofthisfigure'sgesture,as well
as its date, awaits furtherfieldresearch.

StandingMale Figure
Mali (Dogon),dateunknown
Wood
in. (64.5 cm.)
Height,z53/8
GiftofLesterWunderman,
1985
1985.422.2

Sometimein the fifteenth

century,the Dogon people settled
on theBandiagara escarpment,a spectacularlandscape of
steepcliffsand craggyplateaus in the Sahel regionof Mali.
The austerebeautyof thisremotearea, combinedwiththe
revelationthatDogon cultureis based upon a complex and
profoundsystemof symbolsand myths,has capturedthe
imaginationof Westernscholarsand art collectorssince the
beginningof thetwentiethcentury.

KE

Bibliography:JeanLaude, AfricanArtof theDogon, Brooklyn,

1973, no. 42.

The Museum's collectionof Dogon arthas been enrichedby

thisimportantstandingmale figure.Over his rightshoulder
he carriesa hooked wooden staffthatextendsto hiswaist,in
back. This typeof implement,known as a dbmolo, is so
characteristicof Dogon men thatit has been called their
"national weapon," and is consideredan attributeofmasculinity.The figurewearsshorttrousers,thetraditionalgarbof
youngDogon men.The shortsdepictedare cuthighovereach

Related references:Louis Desplagnes, Le Plateau centralNigerien,

Paris, 1907, p. 372; "Le V&tementdogon, confectionet usage,"
Journalde la Societe des Africanistes,1951, vol. z1, pp. 151-62;
GenevieveCalame-Griaule,DictionnaireDogon (dialecte T6ro)
langue et civilisation,Paris, 1968, p. 71; The Gustave and Franyo
SchindlerCollectionofAfricanSculpture,Dallas Museum of Fine
Arts,1975, no. i.

71

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