Surface, Texture, and Touch in Ancient Maya Art

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Polychromy, Multimediality, and Visual Complexity in Mesoamerican Art" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Examining multiple media, this paper addresses depicted and actual surfaces in ancient Maya art in order to explore artistic engagements with surface, texture, and the sense of touch. It considers, for example, how certain artists rendered bodies, objects, and materials in manners conveying the look and feel of surfaces, both to convey information about the material characteristics of depicted things and to evoke tactile or haptic experiences for viewers and users. For example, a stone sculptor’s rendering of hard or soft materials—such as jade or textiles—in contact with human flesh may show distinct responses between bodies and diverse materials and thereby demonstrate sensitivity to the surface qualities of portrayed bodies or things. Alternatively, a ceramic artist’s emulation of painted book surfaces through the use of color, line, and burnishing may indicate a desire to emulate not only the color but also the surface quality of the original. Last, this paper addresses how artists manipulated actual surface textures of things in order to convey information about depicted surfaces or enhance the haptic experience of someone touching or holding that thing.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Polychromy, Multimediality, and Visual Complexity in Mesoamerican Art

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33109