TY - GEN T1 - Unseen art : making, vision, and power in ancient Mesoamerica T2 - Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long series in Latin American and Latino art and culture. A1 - Brittenham, Claudia LA - English PP - Austin PB - University of Texas Press YR - 2023 ED - First edition. UL - https://ebooks.jgu.edu.in/Record/jstor_dda_on1341444809 AB - "Claudia Brittenham is interested in understanding a puzzling phenomenon in Mesoamerican art history: why many of the objects that we now view in museums were, in their original contexts, extraordinarily difficult to see. We have become so used to seeing art, usually fully displayed when in a museum, that it is easy to forget how pieces of ancient art functioned and were situated within their original context. Many of these pieces had sacred and ritualistic purposes and therefore were placed in ways that allowed them to be only partially viewed, if at all, by the general public or by a select few. Brittenham posits that this was purposeful and imbued the objects with deep meaning for those who could view them, as well as ritualistic meaning for those who could not see the objects but understood this to be part of their importance. She examines Olmec buried offerings, Maya lintels, and carvings on the undersides of Aztec sculptures. The case studies she looks at are some of the most extreme examples of unseen art in Mesoamerica, offering new perspectives on some of the most charismatic of all Mesoamerican artworks. She argues that unseen art has important implications both for understanding the exercise of power in ancient Mesoamerica and for the practice of art history in the present"-- OP - 171 NO - Description based upon print version of record. CN - E61 .B855 2023 SN - 1477325972 SN - 9781477325971 SN - 9781477325964 SN - 1477325964 KW - Indians : Antiquities. KW - Indians : Antiquities : Religious aspects. KW - Olmec art. KW - Maya art. KW - Aztec sculpture. KW - Religious articles : Central America. KW - Religious articles : Mexico. KW - Ceremonial objects : Central America. KW - Ceremonial objects : Mexico. KW - Olmecs : Rites and ceremonies. KW - Mayas : Rites and ceremonies. KW - Aztecs : Rites and ceremonies. KW - Peuples autochtones : Antiquités. KW - Peuples autochtones : Antiquités : Aspect religieux. KW - Art olmèque. KW - Art maya. KW - Sculpture aztèque. KW - Objets religieux : Amérique centrale. KW - Objets religieux : Mexique. KW - Objets rituels : Amérique centrale. KW - Objets rituels : Mexique. KW - Olmèques : Rites et cérémonies. KW - Mayas : Rites et cérémonies. KW - Aztèques : Rites et cérémonies. KW - ART / General KW - Aztec sculpture KW - Aztecs : Rites and ceremonies KW - Ceremonial objects KW - Indians : Antiquities KW - Maya art KW - Mayas : Rites and ceremonies KW - Olmec art KW - Religious articles KW - Central America KW - Mexico KW - Electronic books. ER -