Description

Immediate dispatch from Somerset. Nice book in great condition. Pages in excellent condition. Images are beautiful bright and vivid. No notes or highlighting. See images. Fantastic book.

About the book >.>.> After centuries of relative oblivion the great civilization of the Maya peoples has resurfaced to impart a cogent message from the distant past. For the specialists the exhibition poses a vital occasion for analysis and comparison. For the public it will be an astounding discovery as the Maya speak to us from such distance in time in the unique language of symbols idols and ideas of which their culture was constituted. This rediscovery does not simply involve our admiration of the vast compass of Maya art. but allows us to delve into the Maya’s innermost secrets and relive their message by means of their monuments and art. Behind that message is an engrossing history. The remote origins of the Maya lie in Asia whence they crossed over the then frozen Bering Straits to the new continent and made their way down the Pacific coast to Central America. During this transition the Maya shed many traditions but gained new ones conserving the primitive expression of their forebears while creating a new wholly individual culture that is expressed through the art displayed here. Something unites us therefore to the Maya and their long pilgrimage because despite their mass emigration they retained much of their original identity. Once again Palazzo Grassi invites the public to admire the aesthetic marvels of one of the world’s peoples but particularly to meditate on this glimpse of the past and reflect on what it signifies for the present. Through this exhibition we are introduced to this ancient American civilization. and are brought closer to its present heirs whom we must thank for their commitment to the exhibition first and foremost the government of Mexico which was enthusiastic about the exhibition and those of Guatemala Honduras Belize Costa Rica and El Salvador A vital contribution has come from museums across the United States Germany Great Britain and the Netherlands with loans of pieces of irreplaceable value. Palazzo Grassi would like to express its thanks to the National Council for Culture and Arts and the council’s president Rafael Tovar and to the general director of the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History Maria Teresa Franco without whosetconcerted contribution this exhibition would never have been possible. (OS)