I am going to sing
at the side of the varied and precious birds,
there I would enjoy the gorgeous and fragrant flowers,
the most pleasing ones,
those that bring joy
When the Spanish arrived in the Americas, they were dazzled by the silver and gold they found. But the riches of the Americas are far greater than these precious metals. Other materials held much higher value for the people who lived here. Red spondylus shells from the warm waters of Ecuador or the resplendent green feathers of the quetzal were traded over vast distances. The vibrant red dye from the cochineal, a small insect found on cacti, became one of the most important commodities of the Spanish empire.
Colors That Fly: Feathers
Amanteca [Feather worker]
Mexico
St. John the Evangelist
1600s
Feathers and paper on copper
Gift of the Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer, 2013.389
Throughout history, feathers have been admired for their iridescent colors. They were collected and traded across the continent as symbols of wealth and status and for use in luxurious garments, ornaments, and other objects. Amazed by local artisans’ ability to make stunning feather objects, the Spanish commissioned the production of Christian images that gave new meaning to the ancient craft.
Today environmental destruction and the illegal feather trade has put countless native birds at risk. Addressing these concerns, artists such as Eduardo Sarabia comment on deforestation and loss of habitat while simultaneously acknowledging the ancient importance of feather work.
Carlos Cruz-Diez
Venezuelan, 1923–2019, lived and worked in Paris and Caracas
Physichromie No. 387
Paris, 1968
Acrylic on cardboard, plastic inserts, and wood
Gift of Vance H. and Anne O. Kirkland, 1982.652. © 2019 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris. © Photo Atelier Cruz-Diez Paris.
As artists who created feather work objects realized, the colors that we see in bird feathers are the result of light’s refractive properties. The colors we perceive are not truly there. In his Physicromies series, Carlos Cruz-Diez employed the science of color perception to create an effect dependent on the eyes and brain of the viewer and do not exist on the underlying painted surface in any physical way.
Artwork Description:
Installation featuring dozens of colorful bird sculptures perched around a framed painting of a green tree trunk with elaborate roots. Dramatic lighting casts shadows from the birds on a dark gray wall.
Eduardo Sarabia
Mexican American, born 1976 in Los Angeles, lives and works in Guadalajara, Mexico
Ceiba Sagrada [Sacred Ceiba] (featuring the Roseate Spoonbill, Lovely Continga, Quetzal, and the Squirrel Cuckoo)
2016
Acrylic paint, India ink, and set of 26 red clay, white ceramic, fiberglass, and cast metal bird
© and courtesy of the artist
In this installation, colorful birds perch around the sliced trunk of a ceiba, a sacred tree commonly found throughout tropical areas of the Americas. Valued more than gold and silver, feathers were a key commodity in the ancient world. Today, illegal trade, deforestation, and other environmental changes have endangered bird species and brought one of the birds shown here, the green-feathered quetzal, close to extinction.
Gift from the Sea: Shells
Unknown artist
Cupisnique style, northern Peru
Vessel in the Form of Interlocking Spondylus and Conch Shells
1400–400 B.C.
Ceramic
Gift of the Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer, 1994.64
People of the ancient Americas highly valued shells, such as the spondylus and conch, which were sought after and traded over great distances. The Aztecs, for example, demanded 1,600 spondylus shells a year in tribute from coastal regions. In South America, red spondylus shells thrive in the warm waters of Ecuador, but became an important commodity thousands of miles south in Peru.
A Most Precious Red: Cochineal
Unknown artist
Mexico
Young Woman with a Harpsichord
1735–1750
Oil paint on canvas
Gift of the Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer, 2014.209
A true red dye color eluded European artisans, but when the Spanish arrived in Mexico, they were amazed by the vibrant reds they saw. A dried insect known as cochineal produced the pigment. Thousands of years ago, peoples from the Americas began cultivating cochineal, turning it into a prized commodity traded across the continent.
During the Spanish empire, cochineal became an important source of wealth and was used to produce some of the reds found in paintings from that period. The use of cochineal decreased sharply after the development of artificial red pigments in the late 1800s. Today, some contemporary artists are reviving its use because of its unparalleled color richness and cultural references.
ReVisión: Art in the Americas is organized by the Denver Art Museum. It is presented with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, Kathie and Keith Finger, donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS4.