We have spent the week thus far exploring themes of emerging spirits: of the ways in which, if we give them space to do so, they will speak to us through the very materials from which they are summoned, the media through which we perceive them.
Art is very much an experiential process, sensual and sensuous simultaneously, and that is perhaps nowhere more true than in indigenous arts. Our artists’ work, whatever the medium, occupies space far beyond that which the physical senses perceive, weighted and freighted with millennia of history, tradition, and, in recent centuries, resistance. Cultural markers like origin stories inform Native art in ways that are not always perceptible to every viewer, but for those who do see them, they touch something deep within the soul.
It is perhaps one of the elements that makes the work of today’s featured artist so compelling to me: this ability to tell a story, and yet more stories, layers upon layers of symbol and meaning, but means of a single work wrought sparely from stone.
I tend to think of the works shown here today as a pair, despite the fact that they were created separately, and more than a year apart. They manifest only vaguely, in the barest outlines of existence, as spirits are wont to do. And yet they are fully actualized, strong and substantial beings with unique features and distinct personalities. They are not precisely gendered: Taken separately, it’s easy to see each of them as male; paired together, as they are here today, they seem to form a couple.
Perhaps they are representations of the First People, Ancient Ones who together emerged into the light to become the Ancestors.
The steadfast refusal to impose the artifice of too much defining detail upon them is a hallmark of this particular artist’s work. His medium is stone, the earth itself — the same earth that midwifed our own ancestors, from which so many of our peoples emerged at the dawn of the time before time.
It is fitting, on this morning, too: As I write, Father Sun is just beginning to light the sky with a diffuse pink glow, the mountain insufficient to contain his glow even as his face remains well hidden. The peaks are silhouetted against a sky rapidly turning the color of these two spirits, as the western heavens turn from black to indigo with just a hint of turquoise in the offing. On this morning, these paired works seem to emerge not merely from the earth, but from the dawn itself.
We begin with the first, a blanketed figure just beginning to hold arms outstretched, as though welcoming a new day, and perhaps a new world. From its description in the Other Artists: Sculpture gallery here on the site:
This representation of a Pueblo elder in traditional dress, complete with blanket, jewelry, and eagle feather, is the work of master carver Ned Archuleta (Taos Pueblo). This one really shows Ned’s ability to coax spirit from stone by following its immanent form, and features great attention to detail: the lines of the blanket, the strands of beads, the markings on the eagle feather in the hair. Formed out of a pink alabaster, it sits atop a pine wood base. Stands 12.25″ high including base (sculpture, 11.25″; base 1″). The sculpture is 6.25″ wide by 1.75″ deep; the base, 6.5″ wide by 3″ deep (all dimensions approximate).
Pink alabaster on pine base
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The second figure is slightly more reserved, wrapping itself close in a blanket. Still, the carving follows the stone’s natural lines to impart a clear feeling of motion, a dynamic sense of animation. From its description in the same gallery:
Master carver Ned Archuleta (Taos Pueblo) works in classic Pueblo fashion — with the stone, not against it. The result is an iconic form of a Pueblo elder, wrapped in the traditional blanket and wearing an eagle feather. Pink alabaster mounted on cedar base. Sculpture stands 13-1/4 inches high including base (carving 11-3/4″ high; base, 1-1/2″ high); carving 5 inches across at widest point by 1-5/8″ deep; base 5-7/8 inches cross by 3.5 inches deep. All dimensions approximate.
Pink alabaster on cedar base
$375 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Weight requires special handling; extra shipping charges apply
They seem, in a sense, bookends: beings that anchor and embrace the people’s existence, historically, symbolically, spiritually. Together, they usher the world into the light of a new dawn each day, a pair of emerging spirits to accompany our own.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owners.
