Description:
arc of naked people over the head and plumage of a gold bird on a black background
Label Text:
A river of naked white people runs through a dense golden jungle inhabited by a massive hidden bird. The figures of the large bird and the use of gold leaf in this print may not be just aesthetic or decorative choices. Bermúdez’s prints, with their symbolic use of figures and animals and complex renderings with intricate textural patterns, resemble medieval illuminated manuscripts. They are, however, historically and geographically resonant since the bird is a powerful symbol in Aztec myth and the pursuit of gold led directly to the downfall of Aztec civilization. Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortéz and his fabled search for Montezuma’s mythical El Dorado was just the beginning of the end of the Aztec empire. Soon more white men would be coming “down the river” in search of Montezuma’s treasure.
The artist Henry Bermúdez knows the jungle and its stories. Bermúdez’s artistic talent was discovered through a drawing contest while he was teaching high school in a small village in the jungle of Venezuela. His sudden recognition led him to travel the world where he found new subjects for his art. It led him to explore myth on a more universal level. (hkdv)
Tags:
birds; mythology; abstract Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+2016.56.46 |
