Print
E-Mail
tool name
closeThursday, Nov. 05, 2009
By ANDREW MARTON
dfw.com
Kimbell Art Museum
Kimbell Art Museum
What it is: Rain God Vessel (circa 1100-1400) polychromed ceramic, pre-Columbian, Mexico, Colima, El Chanal, Mixtec style
Where it is: Kimbell Art Museum
Why we like it: Any icon, even one that has been molded into a practical vessel, is more accessible when endowed with visibly human qualities. Such is clearly the case with this gorgeously preserved (given its age) ceramic rendition of this warrior-as-rain-god. This impersonated deity has the razorlike fangs, gaping jaw, and the heavily decorated body armor of some otherworldly creature poised to do battle. But the work’s belligerent elements are also blunted in key ways. Its face, anchored by its marble-round eyes, wears the expression of an avid child. One hand rests benignly on a leg. And its crouching posture suggests that it wants to play with you, not pounce on you.
Andrew Marton is a Star-Telegram senior arts writer, 817-390-7679
DFW.com is pleased to be able to offer its users the opportunity to make comments and hold conversations online. However, the interactive nature of the internet makes it impractical for our staff to monitor each and every posting.
Since DFW.com does not control user submitted statements, we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted on our website. In addition, we remind anyone interested in making an online comment that responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not DFW.com.
If you find a comment offensive, clicking the exclamation icon will flag the comment for review by the administrators; we are counting on the good judgment of all our readers to help us.
