Today, I really enjoyed the Precolumbian Art Museum. When I entered the basement exhibit, I was shocked by the stark contrast to the ground level. The dimly lit exhibit room brought focus onto the pieces and put a heavy air on the room’s atmosphere. My favorite piece I sketched today was the Chemamulles, which were the giant wooden sculptures. I found them extremely ominous and unsettling. They draw your eye to the end of the room where they’re located because they’re all staggered, standing about staring right in your direction. The soft light that shines on them from directly above gives them intense shadows on their faces which only adds to their ominous presence. I think they freaked me out because I read a plague earlier in the Museum that was talking about how people would sometimes carve the figures of evil spirits to contain their power. When I first saw them that is what I assumed they were. Since they’re so large, I thought they must’ve been for some very powerful evil spirits. Their purpose though, is that they were to be placed on top of graves in Mapuche cemeteries. They represent the spirit of those buried there and are supposed to assist them in their journey to the afterlife.
What terrifying cemeteries those must have been.
