Holy Corn. Interdisciplinary Study of a Mexican 16th-Century Polychrome Maize Stem, Paper, and Colorín Wood Sculpture

Maize stem sculptures, produced during the 16th and 17th centuries in New Spain (today, Mexico) are a clear example of the convergence of the artistic traditions from the American indigenous populations and European influence. This typology of sculptures is not limited to the Americas, as the examples found in European countries have shown. Therefore, a detailed technological investigation is required to correctly classify them. This work presents the interdisciplinary and multianalytical investigation of a 16th-century sculpture made with a maize stem preserved in Guadalajara city, Mexico. We used a set of techniques, such as CT, SEM-EDX, μ-FTIR, and μ-Raman, to study, from a macro to a micro level, the structure, the polychromy, and the modification of the sculpture. The results showed the use of maize stems, paper, and wood in the construction of the sculpture and the use of the traditional polychromy, as well as the numerous modifications that changed its appearance considerably resulting in its misclassification. We were able to associate the statue with the Cortés workshop (Mexico City region), probably produced in the decade of 1580, and track its liturgical use and historical development through the centuries.

Una escultura inédita de san Roque del Círculo de Balduque, recuperada en Tenerife

"In this paper we study a wood sculpture representing Saint Roch of Montpellier that belongs to the parish church of The Immaculate Conception, in Realejo Bajo, Los Realejos (Tenerife). The religious effigy, which was venerated in the extinct Franciscan Convent of Saint Lucy, in the same town, has recently been restored. Its art features allow us to relate this simulacrum to the art of the well-known Flemish sculptor and woodcarver Roque de Balduque, who worked in Seville from 1534 to 1561 and is one of the most prominent figures in 16th-century Spanish sculpture."

Changes in the Visual Appearance of Polychrome Wood Caused by (Accelerated) Aging

This work takes a step towards understanding fundamental aspects of appearance change in cultural heritage. Particularly, we concentrate on the case study of the Hedal Madonna – a polychrome wood sculpture dated to the mid-1200s, and an important object of ecclesiastical art and Norwegian heritage. It is covered with a layered coating that gives rise to complex reflective properties and gives the sculpture a unique appearance. We studied the goniometric, spectral, and chromatic properties of mock-ups manufactured according to medieval techniques, and also carried out accelerated aging. We compared the properties of aged and original mock-ups, and found non-trivial changes in polychrome appearance. While the color of the mock-ups did not change significantly, we observed a noticeable change in their glossiness, presumably caused by structural degradation of the surface. We also found a difference in the goniometric properties of the polychrome material’s reflectance as a function of angle. Reflectance distributions that were originally symmetric with respect to angle became asymmetric. These findings will help to understand the original appearance of the Hedal Madonna, as well as aiding the design of appropriate conservation conditions for both the original statue and its recent reconstruction.

Recensione a Montañés, maestro de maestros, catalogo della mostra a cura di Ignacio Cano Rivero, Ignacio Hermoso Romero e María del Valme Muñoz Rubio

The critical review, recent restorations and an excellent photographic campaign have allowed a new reading of the work of Juan Martínez Montañés, the greatest wood sculptor of the Andalusian Renaissance. The Seville exhibition and its catalog explored themes such as the role of the wood arts in 16th and 17th century Andalusia, the contextual meaning of the art of the retable and the importance of polychromy in Montañés’s sculpture. Some attributions appear less convincing and a summary biographical profile that would have facilitated the reading of the essays and catalog entries is missing. This paper takes its cue from the theme of the exhibition to compare the Italian and Spanish critical tradition on polychrome wood sculpture. In Spain the high consideration for this sector of artistic production has always kept it at the center of the interests of the client and critics, unlike what has happened in Italy.

Natalsya, Amrus (1933--)

Amrus Natalsya was born 21 October 1933, in Medan, Sumatra. Having also trained as a painter, Natalsya is known primarily as a pioneering figure of modern wood sculpture in Indonesia. Beginning in the early 1950s, he developed a signature style, combining the carving techniques, sculptural forms, and flat decorative elements of his Batak cultural background with "revolutionary realism", a combination of social and romantic realism. Typical subjects of his work are the community life of common people and the labors of the poor. His early sculptural work shows the influence of one of his instructors and mentors, Hendra Gunawan (1918, Bandung–1983, Bali), with whom he studied while a student at the Indonesia Fine Arts Academy or Akademi Seni Rupa Indonesia (ASRI) in Yogyakarta, 1954–1962. In 1961, Natalsya co-founded Sanggar Bumi Tarung (SBT) or Fighting Grounds studio with fellow ASRI students. Under his leadership, SBT’s artistic program was, in certain respects, more radical than that of its sponsoring organization, the People’s Culture Institute or Lembaga Kebudayaan Rakyat (Lekra), the cultural branch of Indonesia’s Communist Party. With the political changes of the late 1960s, SBT was banned and Natalsya was imprisoned without trial from 1968 to 1973. After his release, he was refused access to many venues and exhibitions. These circumstances changed considerably after 1998, with the introduction of political reforms in Indonesia. Natalsya continues to work in a social realist mode. In addition to free-standing sculptures, his work since the 1990s has included intricately carved and painted low-relief panels, often set within frames with roughly hewn decorative elements.

Chissano, Alberto (1935–1994)

Alberto Mabungulane Chissano first tried his hand at wood sculpture in 1964, and in the first decade of his career had his work displayed in multiple local and international group exhibitions. By 1972 Chissano had held his first solo exhibition abroad. Before Mozambique’s independence from Portugal in 1975, the Chissano Museum Gallery in Matola, a suburb of the capital Maputo (formerly Lourenço Marques), was established in his home. There he had the first of several generations of Mozambican sculptors learn the secrets of working in mafora and sandalwood at his side. Among the well-known Mozambican sculptors who trained at Chissano’s studio are Naftal Langa (1932–2014), Muando (1960--), and Ndlozy (1970--).

APLIKASI MOBILE PADA SENTRA INDUSTRI SENI PATUNG DAN UKIR DI DESA MULYOHARJO UNTUK MENINGKATKAN POTENSI PASAR

Mulyoharjo is the center of wood sculpture and sculpture industry which is included in Jepara regency, Central Java. Mulyoharjo is now developed into a tourist village of creative industries that began to favor a lot of local and foreign tourists. Mulyoharjo has excellent potential such as sculpture or wood carving. Local tourists and foreign tourists need information about the carving industry in Mulyoharjo to be visited. But to find the carving industry in Mulyoharjo is still limited in the website that takes a long time in the search process. So to know the carving industry information is less effective and efficient. Utilization of the progress of smartphone technology is one solution to this problem. Therefore, researchers apply an information-based android mobile app that provides information about the potential of existing industries in Mulyoharjo Village, based on location/map. Development method used in making this application is waterfall method using the ionic framework which is devoted to building a hybrid mobile application with HTML5, AngularJS, and CSS. The development of this application in the form of images, data and map location is included into the firebase database so that application renewal becomes young, fast and efficient. Based on the assessment by the respondents as a whole, the New Jepara application scored 81.3% with criteria very feasible to use.Keywords: Mobile application, waterfall method, carving industry center.