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What is a pectoral in Mesoamerican art?
02:00

What is a pectoral in Mesoamerican art?

What is a pectoral? This video answers that question using one of the most famous objects from Mesoamerica: a gold Mixtec pectoral from Tomb 7, discovered at the site of Monte Albán in Oaxaca. This video describes what a pectoral is and how it functions. Pectorals are not unique to Mesoamerican art, but we find examples across the globe. This short video is part of a series that breaks down key terms in art history, archaeology, and history! *CHAPTERS* 0:00 What is a pectoral? 0:23 A pectoral from Tomb 7 at Monte Albán and its basic iconography 1:17 How to wear a pectoral and a person's social status Learn more about Mesoamerica art: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbEekN1fVPuc8jMb-K1vq8ekgZ4fVuALY&si=KzWV2FcErlhUXSAd Check out our entire glossary of art history! https://www.artsq.org/about-key-terms-ideas-art-history You can also find the entire glossary on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbEekN1fVPudRPsYrdojXo8AEr6LkT7x8&si=0fmECAIzK5bwNANv Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank ----------------------------- *WANT TO LEARN MORE? HAVE A QUESTION?* http://artsq.org/ *INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING OUR WORK?* Become a patron to help us create materials for our channel! Patreon—https://www.patreon.com/ARTSQ *JOIN OUR COMMUNITIES ON SOCIAL* Instagram—https://www.instagram.com/artsq_official Facebook—https://www.facebook.com/ARTSQofficial #ArtHistory #Mixtec #Mesomerica #Glossary #Archaeology #SocialStudies #educationalVideo #Vocabulary #HistoryOfArt #art #History #americanart #ancientamerica #mexico #oaxaca
What is a calavera in Mexican art?
03:07

What is a calavera in Mexican art?

What is a calavera? This video answers that question by looking at a famous print by the Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada that shows skeletons riding bicycles. The video describes what a calavera is and when and why these prints became popular in 19th-century Mexico. It also examines their connection to Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). This short video is part of a series that breaks down key terms in art history, archaeology, and history! *CHAPTERS* 0:00 What is a calavera? 0:40 José Guadalupe Posada's calaveras 1:02 The Cyclists print and its accompanying satirical poem 2:13 Calaveras and Day of the Dead Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank Learn more about Mexican art: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbEekN1fVPuc8jMb-K1vq8ekgZ4fVuALY&si=KzWV2FcErlhUXSAd Watch a longer video about Posada's calaveras, including La Catrina: https://youtu.be/Z945NgCA1fU?si=vMDiPAZVs9t1s9HM Check out our entire glossary of art history! https://www.artsq.org/about-key-terms-ideas-art-history You can also find the entire glossary on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbEekN1fVPudRPsYrdojXo8AEr6LkT7x8&si=0fmECAIzK5bwNANv ----------------------------- *WANT TO LEARN MORE? HAVE A QUESTION?* http://artsq.org/ *INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING OUR WORK?* Become a patron to help us create materials for our channel! Patreon—https://www.patreon.com/ARTSQ *JOIN OUR COMMUNITIES ON SOCIAL* Instagram—https://www.instagram.com/artsq_official Facebook—https://www.facebook.com/ARTSQofficial #ArtHistory #Mixtec #Mesomerica #Glossary #Archaeology #SocialStudies #educationalVideo #Vocabulary #HistoryOfArt #art #History #americanart #ancientamerica #mexico #oaxaca
Inside a prehistoric cave of hands (Cueva de los Manos)
06:08

Inside a prehistoric cave of hands (Cueva de los Manos)

Explore the ancient art inside the Cueva de los Manos, a prehistoric cave in Patagonia! Located in the Río Pinturas canyon of Argentina, the Cueva de los Manos, or the Cave of the Hands, is one of the world’s most remarkable examples of prehistoric cave art. This ancient rock shelter shows vivid hand paintings and depictions of animals, hunting scenes, and abstract symbols, all created using natural pigments in colors like red, black, yellow, and violet. This video explores techniques used by these early artists to create this wide variety of images, including tons of hands! It also considers why these artworks, particularly the hundreds of left-hand prints, have remained so well-preserved for thousands of years. Despite the unresolved mysteries surrounding their exact meanings, the significance of these creations for understanding our shared human desire to make art is undeniable. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, Cueva de los Manos helps to connect us to our ancestors and helps us understand the importance of preserving these cultural treasures for future generations. Learn about early Latin American art with this educational resource! Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank *CHAPTERS* 0:00 Introduction to the Cueva de los Manos or Cave of the Hands 1:00 Cave art in South America and the Río Pinturas Canyon in Argentina 1:30 Pigments 1:54 Subject matter on the cave walls 2:26 The hands 2:56 The process of creation 3:46 Natural mineral pigments, including ocher 4:06 Their current state and the environment 4:41 Their meaning 5:11 Their importance Main object: Cueva de los Manos, prehistoric (dates are contested). Río Pinturas canyon, Patagonia, Argentina *WANT TO LEARN MORE? HAVE A QUESTION?* http://artsq.org/ *INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING OUR WORK?* Become a patron to help us create materials for our channel! Patreon—https://www.patreon.com/ARTSQ *JOIN OUR COMMUNITIES ON SOCIAL* Instagram—https://www.instagram.com/artsq_official Facebook—https://www.facebook.com/ARTSQofficial #prehistoric #cavepainting #arthistory #latinamericanart #worldheritage #teachingresources #ancientart #prehistoricart #argentina #worldhistory #educationalresource #caveart #historyofart #patagonia #cuevadelosmanos
An ancient Maya queen, vision serpents, and connections to the gods
09:54

An ancient Maya queen, vision serpents, and connections to the gods

Get to know ancient Maya art by looking closely at a stone monument showing a powerful Maya queen dripping in jade ornaments. Her name is Ix Mutal Ahaw. This stone sculpture (called a stela) dates back to 760 CE and was found in the Usumacinta region of Mexico/Guatemala. On display at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, this stela immortalizes the queen as a powerful figure with important divine connections. She wears elaborate clothing and adornments, including a feathered headdress made of quetzal feathers, and she holds a ceremonial object that looks like a femur bone. The jade connects her to the Maize God. Queen Ix Mutal Ahaw is also experiencing a vision of a serpent and an ancestor, all of which communicate to anyone seeing this that she is powerful. It also increases her family’s power. Maya art can be incredibly complex—and sometimes overwhelming! This video breaks down the details in this stone monument to explore how Maya rulers used public art, like steles, to publicize their authority and ability to talk to the gods. This video also discusses the importance of jade, the lightning god K’awiil, and the Maize God. Most importantly, it also talks about the important role of women in ancient Maya culture. This video will appeal to anyone looking for content about women in art, queens, ancient Maya culture, medieval art, portraiture, and the AP Art History 250 materials. 🏯🌊Subscribe and click the bell icon to get more arts content every week. Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank NOTE: Videos like this help to counter ideas about ancient aliens, the ancient Maya, and pseudo-archaeology. NOTE about Maya vs. Mayan: It is common in English language scholarship and studies to use Maya rather than Mayan when discussing Maya culture, history, society, and so forth, except when discussing the Mayan calendar and languages. (So the Maya people spoke one of form of Mayan.) NOTE: Lady K’ab’al Xoc can also be spelled Xook. Main artworks: 1. Stela with Queen Ix Mutal Ahaw, Maya, 761 CE, Classic Period, limestone, Mexico or Guatemala, height: 92 in., 45 x 3 in. (233.7 x 114.3 x 7.6 cm). De Young Museum, San Francisco 2. Lintel 25 showing Lady Xoc (Lady Xook), Maya, c. 681 CE, Classic Period, limestone, from Structure 23, Yaxchilán, Chiapas, Mexico, 121 x 85.5 cm. The British Museum *CHAPTERS* 0:00 Introduction the powerful Maya queen, Ix Mutal Ahaw 1:18 Who were the ancient Maya? Why show a queen on a public monument? 2:19 Stele (stela) and portraits of rulers 3:02 Usumacinta River region and placement of the stela 3:42 Looking closely at the iconography (symbols) of Ix Mutal Ahaw's stela 4:25 Jade in the Maya region of Mesoamerica 5:03 Associations with the Maize God 6:08 Conjuring a vision / the vision serpent 6:48 Connections with the lightning god K'awiil 7:23 Her power and her family's power 7:44 Maya rola women like Lady Xoc/Xook 8:40 Hieroglyphic writing #queen #maya #mesoamerica #arthistory #mayanart #history #worldhistory #socialstudies #education #mexico #mayancivilization #jade #mythology #ancienthistory #portrait ----------------------------- *WANT TO LEARN MORE? HAVE A QUESTION?* http://artsq.org/ *INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING OUR WORK?* Become a patron to help us create materials for our channel! Patreon—https://www.patreon.com/ARTSQ *JOIN OUR COMMUNITIES ON SOCIAL* Instagram—https://www.instagram.com/artsq_official Facebook—https://www.facebook.com/ARTSQofficial
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