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The Art Institute of Chicago
(Art Institute Website)
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60603
312.443.3600
CASAS GRANDES
and the Ceramic Art of the Ancient Southwest
Funded by the Joanne M. and Clarence E. Spanjer Fund
April 22 to August 13, 2006
Susan Weinrebe
April 22, 2006
When the gods come over, it’s time to get out the good china – or at least the pottery equivalent! Everyday ware is not to be found in the Art Institute’s latest foray into the realm of ceramic art. Casas Grandes and the Ceramic Art of the Ancient Southwest is the really good stuff.
Located in northwestern Mexico and spanning the area of New Mexico, southern Texas and Arizona, the Casas Grandes region, specifically the ancient town of Paquimé, currently under excavation, was once a center of flourishing artistic ceramic enterprise.
Over sixty bowls, vessels and pots representing this locale have been gathered from private collections, and are on view for the first time. In a stylish and stylized gallery, the Art Institute creates an atmosphere as evocative of place as the objects themselves. These nearly pristine pieces, spanning the period from A.D. 950 to 1475 A.D., represent the work of the Hohokam, Anasazi, Mimbres and other artists from those now vanished cultures.
One might call these vessels “praise work to the gods,” as many of the forms depict images, melding organic and mythic religious symbolism embedded in those cultures. Plumed serpents and macaws, as well as human forms blended with animals, are among those familiar designs.
But that is not all. References to woven patterns found in textile and basketry traditions are mimicked in the clay medium for a trompe l’oeil effect. Swirls, cross hatching, zig-zags, and ziggurats embellish the fired earthen surfaces in an outpouring of virtuoso design.
As one has come to expect with featured exhibits at the Art Institute, lectures, gallery talks, family programs, workshops and a specially prepared menu at the delightful Garden Restaurant, extend the sensory delights of Casas Grandes.
Map of Mexico
Photo courtesy of Art Institute
Aerial view, looking southeast, over the partially excavated site of Paquimé with the west-side ceremonial monuments in the foreground. Photograph by Adriel Heisey.
Photo courtesy of Art Institute
Seated male smoker effigy vessel with feathered-and-horned serpent leg markings, a feathered cross-band, and a shoulder wrap with dotted circles, A.D. 1280-1450. Casas Grandes; Ramos Polychrome. 25.4 x19.4 x 20.3 cm (10 x 7 5/8 x 8 in.). Private collection.
Photo courtesy of Art Institute
Jar with two pairs of modeled serpents with four abstract faces, A.D. 1280-1450. Casas Grandes; Ramos Polychrome. 26 x 28.6 cm (10 1/4 x 11 1/4 in.). Private collection.
Photo courtesy of Art Institute
Jar with two horned-and-plumed serpents, macaw-head motifs, and birds, A.D. 1280-1450. Casas Grandes; Ramos Polychrome. 22.2 x 22.9 cm (8 3/4 x 9 in.). Private collection. Rollout # K8848 © Justin Kerr, 2005.
Photo courtesy of Art Institute
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