Peruvian Textile Art

A little while ago I read a wonderful travel report from Diane Dorrans Saeks in her blog The Style Saloniste about Peru. And that reminded me of the wonderful textile art you can find in the Andes countries.

Especially the weavers of today can look onto an ancient tradition, dating back up to 4000 years. The oldest textiles were found at the pre-Columbian temple of Huaca Prieta in the Chicama Valley. The materials used then were brown and white cotton, vicuña, alpaca and llama wool. Sometimes materials such as human hair and bat fibers were included, more often gold and silver thread. Main weaving locations are Cuzco, Lima, Ayacucho, Puno, Junin and Apurimac. The colourful decorative works of today are often dyed with industrial dyes although natural dyes are still used as well or rather again by artists.

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On the website of a shamanic center I found the following two examples of peruvian textile art. Unfortunately I could not find any information about these pieces but I love the patterns as well as the colours...

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I am sure when people mention ancient Peruvian art they think of those incredible gold treasures first place which have been found in a country that can be proud of so many cultures and incredible works of art and craft. These treasures have made the country extremely vulnerable against looters and thieves and only since a few years "Peru has moved aggressively in recent years to reclaim works of its early cultures that have ended up abroad not to mention "private collections" where the artefacts unfortunately will be lost to the public and scientific research. In November last year, a final batch of thousands of artifacts from the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu were returned to Peru from Yale University." (read more)

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Between 600 and 1000, long before the Inca, the Wari (Huari) founded a society widely regarded today as ancient Peru's first empire. Wari became dominant in much of the territory of the earlier Moche and later Chimu cultures. Their textile art is beautiful.

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One of the most extraordinary masterpieces of the pre-Columbian Americas is a nearly 2,000-year-old cloth from the South Coast of Peru.
Despite the textile's small size (it measures about two by five feet), it contains a vast amount of information about the people who lived in ancient Peru; and despite its great age and delicacy, its colors are brilliant, and tiny details amazingly intact. (after The Paracas Textile).

The following images are from the website of the Khanacademy and show incredible workmanship that rather seems to belong into "modern times" rather than from 2000 years ago...

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On the above website you can find a fascinating explanation how this mantle has been created. There is a very special technique involved how the figures of the border have been created - crossed-looping. A diagram shows how this has been accomplished. The result looks nearly like knitting. Imagine that this example (The Paracas Textile) of unbelievable textile art is about 2000 years old.

Another breathtaking example from the Paracas culture is this mantle (normally used for wrapping up mummies in bundles):

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But the first reason for all these introductions into Peruvian Textile art and its thousands of years old tradition is a modern fiber artist - Maximo Laura. His award winning wall hangings are breathtakingly beautiful, full of mysteries and I am sure you will feel the same excitement and enthusiasm when you see his work if you don't know him already. He is an incredibly diligent artist and his works have been shown all-over the world. I can only show very few examples of his wonderful art:

Aire Vital, 20 x 20 cm. Alpaca, cotton, mixed fibers. Peruvian Contemporary Tapestry Art

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 Augur of the Harvest Time, 82 x 140 in, Alpaca Wool, Mixed Fibers. 

Handwoven Peruvian Tapestry Art

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 Camino Ardiente Hacia la Luz, 47 x 95 in., Alpaca Wool, Mixed Fibers. 

Handwoven Peruvian Tapestry Art

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Looking at the Balance of Life, 68 x 124 in., Alpaca Wool, Mixed Fibers. 

Handwoven Peruvian Tapestry Art

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 Ritual of the Birth Song, 96 x 48 in, Alpaca Wool, Mixed Fibers. 

Handwoven Peruvian Tapestry Art

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The Dream of the Warrior of Light at Dawn, 99 x 48 in, Alpaca Wool, Mixed Fibers. 

Handwoven Peruvian Tapestry Art

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Ritual of the Eternal Chant IV, 280 x 100 cm,  Alpaca wool, mixed fibers. 

Hand-Woven Peruvian Tapestry

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Sacred Night, 180 x 250 cm,  Alpaca wool, mixed fibers. 

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The following examples can be found on the World of Threads website. And don't forget to read the interview with Maximo there - he talks about his traditional roots, his inspiration, his progress as an artist and much more.
 

Presencia de los Apus en la Jungla, 180 x 278 cm, Hand-woven Tapestry

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Sacred meeting in the jungle, 176 x 402 cm, Alpaca wool, cotton, mixed fibers. Hand-woven Tapestry

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Spring of Love, 178 x 258 cm, Alpaca wool, cotton, mixed fibers. Hand-woven Tapestry

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A Silk Painting about a very special Place - Machu Picchu in Peru

As the next post will be about Peruvian textile art I am re-writing this post from a long time ago. Machu Picchu has always been a mysterious and magical place for me and I cannot get enough from listening and watching all sorts of documentations regarding this sacred place. To visit this spot in reality must be an incredible experience where already due to lack of oxygen the sucseptibility to spiritualism probably grows noticably. How could this place leave anyone untouched?

The silk painting Machu Picchu belongs to the Magic Symbols Series. I love the warm colours and the golden ornaments leave a feeling of preciousness. Even if you choose an art print instead of the original it will leave the same feeling as I use to add gold pigments by hand after the printing process to all prints where the original has been painted accordingly with gold metallic pigments.

Machu Picchu is truly a magical place, an archeological site which still holds many secrets. Thousands of tourists undertake each year an incredibly exhausting trip to this place which is not easy to reach as it is hidden high in the mountains of the Andes. 

"Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World.
The Incas started building the estate around AD 1400 but it was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction.
Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Since it was not plundered by the Spanish when they conquered the Incas, it is especially important as a cultural site and is considered a sacred place." (from wikipedia)"

Whatever might turn out to be the real purpose of Machu Picchu - there is no doubt that this is a place full of magic and an incredible aura. Until today artefacts are found at this site and may lead to new discoveries.

"Machu Picchu"
40" x 13" 

silk, stitched

The ancient golden ornaments certainly add a special touch to the historical city and dreams about the lost treasures of the Inca people...

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A cheerful Bedroom could be too nice

The colours of this bedroom are cheerful - there is no doubt about it. They are reminiscent of lazy sunny summer days spent near a lake with nothing but a natural panorama, serene and soft, no noise that tortures your ear besides the one or other bird that quarrels with his neighbour, a place simply to doze off.

Maybe this is the meaning of a bedroom but sometimes we also spend some time there without sleeping and it would be nice to have something in the room where your thoughts and inspirations could focus on - a piece of art is certainly such a focus.

If this were my room I would add this silk scroll. It is not enervating to disturb the calmness but it sends enough vibes to fill you with dreams of a different world and possibly some inspirations and ideas...

The silk scroll is part of a small series about the workmanship of southeast Asian artists and artisans.
The Weaver belongs to a series which portrays the most striking characteristics of people and cultures of the world. These characteristics should not be reduced to common prejudices but simply reflect an impression through the artist's eye: undoubtedly you can find some of the most beautiful people among Indian people combined with the abilities of outstanding craftmanship and artistry for thousands of years not only in the textile category but in many other areas too.

The means of the portrait is a medium which has been used for hundreds of years in countries such as China and Japan: painted scrolls made from paper or silk but another component has been added to this modern and personal version: quilting. The materials used here are silk top, poly batting, viscose/poly backing; painted, machine quilted with silk.
Additionally the patterns on the top and bottom of this scroll have been hand painted and are reminscent of the batik techniques in Indonesia...

"The Weaver"

65" x 21", hand painted silk scroll
©Petra Voegtle

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Machu Picchu - a Silk Painting about a magical Place

This silk painting Machu Picchu belongs to the Magical Symbols Series. I love the warm colours - just the right thing to warm up your room when the temperatures start to go down again at this time of the year.
Machu Picchu is truly a magical place, an archeological site which still holds many secrets. Thousands of tourists undertake each year an incredibly exhausting trip to this place which is not easy to reach as it is hidden high in the mountains of the Andes. 

"Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World.
The Incas started building the estate around AD 1400 but it was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction.
Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Since it was not plundered by the Spanish when they conquered the Incas, it is especially important as a cultural site and is considered a sacred place." (from wikipedia)"

Whatever might turn out to be the real purpose of Machu Picchu - there is no doubt that this is a place full of magic and an incredible aura. Until today artefacts are found at this site and may lead to new discoveries.

"Machu Picchu"
(from the Magic Symbols Series)
40" x 13", silk

The ancient golden ornaments certainly add a special touch to the historical city and dreams about the lost treasures of the Inca people...

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A Dining Room with Magic

I like this dining room. I like the materials of the accessories and I like the colours. I like the simplicity of this room. There is no schnickschnack, no redundant decoration. This room is perfect to have a nice dinner with your husband/wife and your best friends.
What I missed though in the original composition is a little extra for the visual senses, a tiny touch of exotic, a reminiscence perhaps of travelling to foreign countries, memories...

I would always try to give a room a very small but special attraction, just in order to tease the senses and so I would replace the original painting by this one, Maya, a silk painting that talks of ancient cultures, of secrets that may never be fully unsealed.

In my opinion it is a mistake to hang a painting or any other object d'art in a room with the same subject i.e. I would never hang an image about food in a dining room - honestly that is quite boring. It would be equally boring to hang a nude in the bedroom. Where is the fun then? And what do YOU think about this?

    original image source from http://www.getdecorating.com

You can find more detail photos in my last post if you like and read a bit about the Maya and their culture.

"Maya"
(from the Magic Symbols Series)
40" x 13", silk
©Petra Voegtle

As usual the silk painting has been gallery wrapped (stapled on the back not on the sides) and can be hung immediately with or without additional frame.

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Maya and the Tree of Life - a recurring Symbol in all Cultures

Ancient Maya believed in recurring cycles of creation and destruction. They had a very precise view of how earth and heaven was built up in layers and where trees were supposed to support the sky. The painting is showing Pacal Votan* descending the tree of life.

"Known as a magician of time, he understood mathematics, or numbers, as a type of language that transcends the subjectivity of human verbal experience. His sentiment "All is number. *God is a number. God is in All." is an intriguing way to catalogue the Maya's message that we are intimately linked with and informed by the Galaxy. All of life is ordered by the same basic, re-occurring patterns." (from www.13moon.com)

"Mayan science was not separate from their religion, for they embraced the microcosm of the atom and the macrocosm of the infinite. Their universal philosophy teaches us that "the human body belongs to the earth, and the human spirit to the Universe." The Maya understood human existence as "nothing less than a faithful reflection of cosmic energy." As manifestations of cosmic consciousness, the Maya regarded all things and beings that exist on Earth as products of the projection of energy in the form of vibration. Their world view is a paradigm based on wave harmonics and resonant fields. The Mayan sages were aware of the sensory and extrasensory characteristics of trees and plants, and, understanding that the tree is the best regenerator of the air we breath, revered the tree." (from www.13moon.com)

For the Maya the tree of life represented the world center, it constituted a symbolic vertical line uniting the three realms of underworld, earth and heaven. The Mayan considered the Milky Way itself as the world tree especially at the time when Sagittarius was well over the horizon and the Milky Way rose up from the horizon and climbed overhead into the North. The star clouds that form the Milky Way were seen as the tree of life where all life came from.

"Maya"
(from the Magic Symbols Series)
40" x 13", silk
©Petra Voegtle

Btw - the hieroglyphs have no meaning - in order not to touch any copyright laws I simply took the single known hieroglyphs, re-painted them and combined them deliberately...

*Pacal Votan was the sage-king of the Maya. He lived from 603 - 683 AD

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