Robert Goldwater Library blog

Precolumbian architecture in photographs, from Charnay to today

An exhibit of vintage and contemporary architectural photographs, "Sacred Architecture in the Americas", is now on display at Throckmorton Fine Art in New York City through June 20. (Throckmorton, 145 E. 57th St. 212-223-1059)

Martin Chambi, Panoramic View of Machu Pichu, c. 1930s Gelatin silver print (Inv# 49092)
Image from Throckmorton Fine Art

The web site includes a slide show of fifteen photographs from the exhibition featuring Desiré Charnay, Martin Chambi, Hugo Brehme and Marilyn Bridges.

From the press release:

The photographs included in the exhibit are from a wide span of time, from the late nineteenth century to the beginnings of the twenty-first century. Thus, the photographers approached the sacred architecture of the Americas differently. Some early images, such as those by Désiré Charnay and William Henry Jackson, were the outgrowth of expeditions seeking to “discover” the unknown. Photographs were documentary-like, seeking to inform and dazzle the public. Other photographs, such as those by Hugo Brehme, are couched in a pictorialism that invites a pleasant emotional response. The images of Martín Chambi are emblematic of intellectuals’ efforts in the 1920s and 1930s to reassert the values and accomplishment of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Marilyn Bridges uses the technology of the day to take aerial photographs, giving us views of ruins that we otherwise would never see. Each photograph in the exhibit is informed and enriched by the circumstances of its creation, and the skills of the artist behind the image.

African art suits the Times to a 'T'

African artists have made quite the splash lately in the New York Times' stylish fashion and design supplement, T Magazine. Recent issues, blogged in this space, featured Samuel Fosso in Men's Fashions and fashion photography by Malick Sidibé.

The most recent issue, Design Spring 2009, includes a piece written by Susan Morgan on Ethiopian multi-media artist Elias Sime. He has exhibited recently in 'Flow' curated by Christine Kim at the Studio Museum of Harlem. Three stitched canvases by Sime are on display at the entrance to the Michael Rockefeller Wing. (To read about them, Download Annexlabels)

'Elias Sime: Eye of the Needle, Eye of the Heart,' curated by Peter Sellars and Meskerem Assegued at the Santa Monica Museum of Art in Los Angeles, closed this last weekend. (Read Peter Clothier's review in the Huffington Post.)

And Sime was also responsible for the set design of 'Oedipus Rex' staged Peter Sellars and performed this month by the L.A. Philharmonic under Essa-Pekka Salonen. (Read the LA Times review here.)

According to last Sunday's piece, Sime has spent more than ten years assembling a home in Addis Ababa from traditional materials -- unbaked earth, thatched straw and green timber poles -- styled after round shelters known as tukuls, to which he has added his own signature assemblage. Unfortunately, the Times has not put the article, itself fashioned after the exhibition in Santa Monica, on its web site. (For those with paper copies of the Sunday Times, it appears on page 68.)

However a video link in a Christian Science Monitor review includes footage of Sime working on his building.

At right: 'Jemot,' (2003), wood, skull, horns, leather, and cowry shells. Courtesy of Bruce Morr/Santa Monica Museum of Art (photo source)

Four Maya sites featured on new web site

Originally spotted on ARLiSNAP:

An visually exciting and comprehensive web site on four Maya archaeological sites has just been posted by Charles Rhyne, professor emeritus of art history, and his colleagues at Reed College. [Kudos to Prof. Rhyne, who was my academic advisor at Reed.]

Architecture, Restoration and Imaging of the Maya Cities of Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil and Labná "includes over 1000 photographs ... taken on site, with descriptive captions, including architectural and sculptural details, paint remains, and interior spaces, not previously published. In addition, there are over 250 19th century drawings, prints and photographs and another 300 by early 20th century scholars, many previously unpublished, showing the appearance of these four cities before the extensive restoration campaigns of the twentieth century." While the site was produced by Reed College primarily for the use of its faculty and students, the site will certainly be of interest to a wider audience of specialists and non-specialists alike.

Of particular note to the library research-minded are the extensive scans culled from published works including Waldeck's Voyage pittoresque et archéologique dan la province d'Yucatan (1838), the several works by Stephens and Catherwood from the 1840s, as well as Charnay's Cités et Ruines Américaines (1862-63) and Anciennes  Villes du Nouveau Monde (1885), photographs by Le Plongeon, and Seler's monograph on the ruins at Uxmal.

An extensive bibliography is included, sorted into four separate pdf files by subject, author, title and date.

Aluka 2.0

via Aluka Blog:

Flickr, Facebook, and 2.0: Aluka Takes the Plunge
November 29th, 2007 by Michael Gallagher, User Support

Aluka now has a presence on both Flickr and Facebook!

Aluka has uploaded images to Flickr from both the African Plants, Cultural Heritage and Struggles for Freedom in Southern Africa content areas. From African Plants, we have a collection of specimens, drawings, and photographs that will be sure to entice any botanist or lover of plants.

For Cultural Heritage, we have amazing images taken by Dr. Heinz Ruther from such World Heritage Sites as Lalibela, Kilwa Kisiwani, Elmina Castle, Great Zimbabwe, and Timbuktu. The image included in this post is Bet Giorgis at Lalibela.

For Struggles for Freedom in Southern Africa, we have  covers from some important texts from and about the countries in the region, including Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.

Come and take a look; feel free to add us as a Contact as well so we can build a network! To view Aluka’s Flickr slideshow, simply go to http://flickr.com/photos/15721258@N06/.

On Facebook (www.facebook.com), we have created a group called Aluka (catchy, isn't it?). To join our group, search in Facebook for Aluka and click Join Group. We have information about Aluka, contact information, and some representative images from the digital library. Please come and join, ask a few questions, maybe even make some comments; it goes a long way towards developing the Aluka community!