Pre-Columbian culture
The evolution of pre-Columbian art is traced at Guatemala City's Museo Nacional de arqueología y etnología. Here you can discover the full diversity of Mayan culture, which is far from limited to pyramids and temples. Olmec, Toltec and Aztec influences can be seen in Maya production. Maya art seems to have reached maturity very quickly, without going through a phase of trial and error. Its development is closely linked to the exceptional advances made by this civilization in many fields: art and architecture, but also writing, agriculture, astronomy and mathematics. The vital importance the Maya attached to religion and ritual can be seen in the multiplicity of objects, all of which carry a spiritual dimension.
Artistic production began around 1500 BC, with the Pre-Classical period, which lasted until 200 AD. The most prosperous period of this civilization was between 200 and 900; the post-classical period lasted until the 15th century, ending abruptly with the Spanish conquests.
Maya art is hailed as the most refined in pre-Columbian America. Characteristic subjects include divinities and religious scenes, high dignitaries and heroes. More rarely, scenes of daily life, animals and ornamental motifs appear on pottery and everyday objects. The human figure, whether representing a god or a mortal, is executed with mastery and expressiveness. Ceramics, often funerary vessels, are illustrated with otherworldly scenes or tributes to warriors.
The Maya produced countless sculptures. Made of stone, stucco and, of course, jade, the statues stood on a stele adorned with figurative incisions and hieroglyphics. Wood was probably also used, although few examples have survived. Carved stone lintels can also be found on most buildings. Of particular note are the finely carved wooden lintels on the temples of the Sitio Arqueológico de Tikal, one of Guatemala's most admired archaeological sites.
Transferred to the Museum of Archaeology, the sculptures of the city of Kaminaljuyù prefigure the classical period. Only two pre-Classical funerary statues were left on the sadly ravaged site. At its peak, between 400 and 100 BC, the city of thousands contained a multitude of temples.
Mayan mural
The art of fresco painting was widely practised by the Maya population. These paintings feature figures of both sexes and of all ages, with offerings being a predominant theme.
It was in a palace at the La Blanca archaeological site, in the northern province of Petén, that archaeologists unearthed the first fresco mural painting, in which pigments were diluted and applied to a still-moist plaster to facilitate drawing. This process, rarely used by Mayan artists, is comparable to that of the Italian masters of the Renaissance. The scene, depicted between 600-900 A.D., is in fact a historical painting of an offering presentation.
In Guatemala, it's not uncommon to discover ancient frescoes when renovating a house. In Chajul, a series of paintings of ceremonial dances was found in a private residence, under layers of paint. Flute and drum players accompany dancers in a procession. The presence of these historically significant paintings is explained by the fact that Chajul was once one of the centers of the Maya ixil community. Dating from the 16th century, these Mayan works incorporate European influences. This, and the fact that they belong to the private, non-religious sphere, makes them all the more precious.
The Centro de Arte Popular in Antigua specializes in Mayan traditions. Paintings, pottery, religious objects and carefully selected sculptures are on display in this art gallery.
Colonial art
From the discovery of America to the early 19th century, Spain and Portugal imposed their religion and customs on the South American continent. Cities were built on the ruins of pre-Columbian civilizations. In the artistic sphere, European models were assimilated by local populations. This period, whose beginnings coincided with the Renaissance in Europe, was imbued with models from Antiquity and the long tradition of Western religious art. Evangelization led to hybrid aesthetic proposals. Antigua's Museo de Arte Colonial showcases the religious heritage of the colonial era. Sculptures, paintings and furniture are strongly influenced by Spanish Baroque codes. Polychrome wood sculpture is based on Christian iconography. Guatemala produced highly expressive sculptures with richly emphasized realistic details. The spirituality of the expressions is sometimes tinged with sensuality. The human figure is enriched by an expressiveness that cannot fail to move. Representations of the Virgin Mary express intense pain, as can be seen in the buildings of Guatemala. The colonial church of San Andrés Xequl boasts a polychrome Baroque facade, predominantly yellow, which is highly charged to say the least. Richly decorated with statues and paintings, it's impossible to miss.
Francisco Cabrera
Considered Latin America's most influential portraitist, Francisco Cabrera (1781-1845) was the first Guatemalan artist to make a name for himself. Born and died in Guatemala City, Cabrera first distinguished himself in the field of miniature engraving. Trained from the age of 13 at Pedro Garci Aguirre's mint, his technical mastery earned him the post of master corrector at Guatemala's Royal Academy of Drawing in 1797. He left numerous miniatures of personalities of his time, as well as coats of arms (that of the College of Lawyers is considered one of his masterpieces), but died in poverty. His talent was not recognized until later.
Modern art
The country's painting scene is struggling to make a name for itself outside its borders. At the capital's Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno Carlos Mérida, you can discover a number of avant-garde artistic creations, nationalist art dating from the revolutionary period of the 1950s and postmodern works.
Carlos Mérida (1891-1985), a painter and muralist born in Guatemala City, dared to take an approach at the crossroads of modernism and South American traditions. Figurative, surrealist and cubist, his career spans a wide range of styles. Linked to Mexican muralism, he favors geometric forms over narrative figuration. From the 1950s onwards, Mérida incorporated glass and ceramic mosaics into his murals. He produced vast compositions in Mexico City, the largest of which, created for the Benito Juarez complex, was destroyed by the 1985 earthquake. Of mixed-race origin, he is a lifelong defender of the Quiché people. Mérida studied music from an early age, before a hearing problem led him to switch to painting. While still a student, he joined the local avant-garde and went on to discover the United States, Europe and Mexico, where he lived out his remaining years. In Paris, he met Modigliani, Picasso and Mondrian. In 1915, he returned to Guatemala and prepared an exhibition at the Rosenthal building, seen as the birth of modern painting in his country.
In Guatemala, he produced a number of monumental works, including the geometric mosaic Canto a la raza at the Palacio Municipal de Guatemala and Glorificación de Quetzal at the Guatemalan Chancellery. Awarded a prize at the São Paulo Biennial in 1957, he subsequently received the Order of the Quetzal in his native country. His works can be found in the world's greatest museums.
Another key figure of the 20th century, Jacobo Rodríguez Padilla (1922-2014) is the son of painter Rafaël Rodriguez Padilla, founder of the Guatemalan School of Fine Arts. His father, who took part in the plot to overthrow the dictator, was assassinated in 1929. Jacobo became a committed painter, muralist and sculptor. Together with a number of Guatemalan writers, including Augusto Monterroso, he founded the Saker-Ti ("Aurora") group in 1947 to support the return to democracy and energize the cultural scene. Padilla set up one of the only art galleries of the period. Regarded as a communist group, Saker-Ti did not survive the overthrow of President Arbenz, fomented by the United States in 1954. Forced into exile, Jacobo Rodríguez Padilla then divided his life between Mexico and France, where he lived until his death in 2014. His work is both light and profound. His stone sculptures are reminiscent of his origins. Salvadorian filmmaker Guillermo Escalón devoted a documentary to him in 2008, perfect for getting to grips with his nostalgic universe.
Contemporary art
Traditional motifs are perpetuated by artists such as Arturo Martínez, with his naturalist tendencies, Carmen Lind Pettersen, with her watercolours in local colors, and Nan Cuz, with her mystical interpretations. In the 1980s, a new trend detached art from its past, as armed conflicts subsided. The younger generation revisited Western avant-garde currents (pop art, happening, land art, photography, conceptual art, among others).
Today, the talents are multiplying. Photographer Eny Roland Hernandez shows a satirical universe between religion and politics. In the style of JR, he covers the walls of the city with his photographs, which are printed and then reconstructed. Sculptor Luis Fernando Ponce hijacks objects to create offbeat paintings of apparent naiveté. Self-taught artist Erick Menchu founded the La Torana collective in 2006, open to all individuals. Rudy Cotton makes a name for himself with the film posters he designs for his village cinema. Painter Michelle Wagner probes the psychology of her models in canvases somewhere between hyperrealism and abstract expressionism.
Where can you discover these artists? Antigua's art galleries and cultural spaces. The Antigua Art Gallery promotes the variety of Guatemalan art, with works by Hugo Gonzales Ayala, Dulce Gonzalez and Cesar Barrios. Open-air sculptures complete the galleries. Since 1993, El Sitio Cultural has presented the young Guatemalan art scene through a variety of events. Held by the eponymous neo-figurative artist, Maria Eskenasy Fine Art welcomes visitors to a tropical garden. Recognized as a leading artist, Maria Eskenasy is raising Guatemala's profile on the international scene.
