THE MAYA IN VERONA: THE BEAUTY OF THE MAYA AT THE PALAZZO DELLA GRAN GUARDIA
The Maya in Verona. Who follows me on the social media, especially on Instagram, maybe saw the images of the inauguration of the exhibition devoted to the Maya.
The most beautiful thing of Instagram is the possibility of making videos you can see on Instagram Stories, which allow me to show you the exhibition before its opening, or even during its set-up 😉 .
Some people have already written to me that are going to visit the exhibition very soon, and I hope that I will read soon your opinion about this unique and innovative show, because it illustrates the beauty of the Maya art, giving the public the opportunity to better understand a mysterious people.
It’s neither an exhibition dedicated to the history of the Maya, nor an archaeological exhibition whose finds are displayed in a chronological order. Instead, it’s a journey through the Maya culture in order to narrate a civilization, and its language which is still little-known.
The exhibition is divided into 4 thematic sections which I described when I gave you all the updates during the set-up of the event, which I followed since its beginning.
Inside these sections the features of the Maya art and some of their most important artworks will be highlighted.
The Maya were the only pre-Colombian civilization which created complex language, social, astronomical, and mathematical systems.
Their majestic buildings are the clearest expression of their ability, but in order to better understand this people, the exhibition will show also objects of everyday life, such as jewels, musical instruments and vases coming from the most important Mexican museums.
The last exhibition dedicated to the Maya arranged in Italy dates back to 1998, and this event in Verona fills a gap, as I explained in the post in which I told you how the exhibition dedicated to the Maya, curated by Karina Romero Blanco, was born.
In Verona unique artworks will be on exhibition, some of which are signed by the artists themselves who created them, that is to say by artists who sought recognition for their role.
Unmissable works of art
The exhibition itinerary will start with two heads found inside the funerary crypt of Pakal the Great, the most important king of Palenque, a Maya archaeological site in Chiapas. There will be works illustrating the refined aesthetic sense of a civilization that was able to represent body and face perfectly.
Among the artworks you can’t miss there will be the Flag Bearer, a priceless 11th-century sculpture created by a master at Chichen Itza; the Jade mosaic Mask depicting a deified king and the Teenager from Cumpich, an impressive sculpture dating back to the late classic period. Moreover, you can’t miss the section dedicated to the Maya language and the latest scientific research which allow us to decipher the Maya writing system more clearly.
Almost all the works on exhibition in Verona belong to the classical period (300-900 AD), a period characterised by the deified monarchy we can consider as the equivalent to the western monarchy, in which the power was passed down from a generation to the next one.
In this political system, the central figure was the king, who had to guarantee the balance of the Universe, and had to hold some tasks, such as sacrifices or wars, that legitimized his role, as well.
The exhibition will illustrate the system of power, which imposes its role through images and at the same time it represents the society.
INFO
Maya – Il linguaggio della bellezza
8th october 2016 – 5th march 2017
Palazzo Della Gran Guardia, Verona
visitata! Sebbene non sapessi molto sui Maya, sono rimasta affascinata. Bisogna precisare che non si tratta di una mostra didascalica su tutti gli aspetti della vita Maya, ma come scritto bene qui, ma una mostra sul corpo, l’arte e la bellezza.
Tuttavia, leggendo un librino sui Maya, ho trovato che l’esposizione toccava molte delle tematiche che di solito si ritrovano sui libri (spiegate anche nell’audioguida compresa nel prezzo)e ho visto addirittura in mostra alcuni pezzi che erano sul libro!
la mostra inoltre risulta accessibile anche ai bambini.
Infine, trovo che gli spazi del palazzo della Gran Guardia siano particolarmente adatti per ospitare mostre.
Sono contenta che ti sia piaciuta Elisabetta e ti ringrazio per aver condiviso la tua esperienza.
Era da tanti anni che in Italia non si raccontavano i Maya e la loro cultura, e dall’ultima esposizione le scoperte fatte hanno permesso di aggiungere tanti elementi utili per conoscere sempre più una civiltà dalla storia millenaria.
A suo tempo anche se ero giovanissima ho perso la mostra sui Maya a palazzo Grassi (1997 o 1998). Mi chiedo come dev’essere stata!
Io all’epoca ero una liceale, con scarso interesse pre le mostre di tipo archeologico, ma rimasi stupita. E ce ne volevano di effetti speciali a quei tempi per attirare l’attenzione mia e dei miei compagni! 😉