Oaxaca Arts Analysis - Term Paper Example

The Oaxacan art identifies itself with the mountainous region in southern Mexico. Art was made, in the form of ceramics, carvings from wood and in textiles. Examples of some of the iconic pieces include Frida, Kahlo and the famous Zapotec themes. Mexican art is related to their cultural functions. The art is also themed according famous days in the Mexican calendar, for example, the day of the dead and other important days, since in Mexico art goes correlates with culture (Giordano, 1994). Ceramics Ceramic art is an integral part of the Oaxacan Art.

The region has a type of clay that is black in color. This is the reason why the ceramics in Oaxacan Art are black in color. The color of the clay made the ceramic the perfect canvas for an artist to use their imaginations on since the color makes it possible for the use of a wide range of colors on the ceramics. The distinguishing feature of Oaxaca art is the black pottery painted with vibrant colors. The ceramics included pottery and ceramic figurines. Another form of pottery that was common was green pottery, which was created by glazing.

The final product was pottery with a glaze that was green. This is an illustration of Spanish persuasion in Oaxacan art since the Spanish settlers favored this method. The green poetry was commonly used for cooking and as utensils. The figurines created by ceramics included figures of the Virgin Mary, Frida, Kahlo. Figurines were also created for celebrations like the Day of the Dead and Zapotec (Ward, E. S., Ward, W. E., and Cleveland Institute of Art, 1986). Woodcarvings Oaxacan art is also renowned for its woodcarvings.

These carvings are known as Alebrijes a term coined by a great Oaxacan artist Pedro Linares to describe his work that involved Paper Mache art. In the Oaxacan carvings, the trees commonly used by artists include the cider tree and an indigenous tree the Tzompantli but the favorite wood for the artists is the Copalillo wood. The carvings are usually carved into animal figures and shapes.