Olivia
By the middle of the second millennium, Mississippian cultures’ artists had evolved in their artistic skill, emerging as virtuoso abstractionists. Artwork ceased to be grounded in rudimentary efforts to simulate reality. Instead, Mississippian craftspeople, including the sculptor of the “wood-duck effigy bowl” at Moundville, embraced simplicity within their work. The aforementioned “wood-duck effigy bowl” epitomizes these clean and effortless lines of austerity. Whittled from rigid diorite stone, this bowl evidences the care and dedication devoted to each work of art. The rounded basin has sleek, smooth walls. Yet the elegant slope of the duck’s nestled neck emerges from the relatively unremarkable base. Immediately recognizable by the distinct bill and the raised crest of feathers, the duck lacks a web of intricately depicted features. Geometric patterns communicate the hallmark traits: a curl for the eye, crosshatching for the texture of the beak, and soft waves for the feathers. These lightly incised facets meld into the dignified depiction of a wood-duck.
Works Cited
Miller, Angela, et al. American Encounters: Art, History, and Cultural Identity. London: Prentice Hall, 2008. 10.
Image Cited
“Moundville Culture and History – An Overview.” 5 May 2012. The Moundville Plaza Project. 4 September 2012. <http://moundvilleplazaproject.wordpress.com/2012/05/05/moundville-culture-history/>.
By the middle of the second millennium, Mississippian cultures’ artists had evolved in their artistic skill, emerging as virtuoso abstractionists. Artwork ceased to be grounded in rudimentary efforts to simulate reality. Instead, Mississippian craftspeople, including the sculptor of the “wood-duck effigy bowl” at Moundville, embraced simplicity within their work. The aforementioned “wood-duck effigy bowl” epitomizes these clean and effortless lines of austerity. Whittled from rigid diorite stone, this bowl evidences the care and dedication devoted to each work of art. The rounded basin has sleek, smooth walls. Yet the elegant slope of the duck’s nestled neck emerges from the relatively unremarkable base. Immediately recognizable by the distinct bill and the raised crest of feathers, the duck lacks a web of intricately depicted features. Geometric patterns communicate the hallmark traits: a curl for the eye, crosshatching for the texture of the beak, and soft waves for the feathers. These lightly incised facets meld into the dignified depiction of a wood-duck.
Works Cited
Miller, Angela, et al. American Encounters: Art, History, and Cultural Identity. London: Prentice Hall, 2008. 10.
Image Cited
“Moundville Culture and History – An Overview.” 5 May 2012. The Moundville Plaza Project. 4 September 2012. <http://moundvilleplazaproject.wordpress.com/2012/05/05/moundville-culture-history/>.