Earth and Sky: Birds Motifs in Indigenous Art Forms and America Martin’s Practice
Modernists in the early 20th century like Picasso and Brancusi used the formal qualities of indigenous art from Latin America and Africa to inspire their painting and sculpture, though the art was oftentimes taken out of its original context, therefore distorting the meaning of certain imagery and iconography. However, the ancient art from these regions has also provided a basis for engagement with themes of identity and history for generations of artists.
America Martin draws inspiration from her Colombian heritage and from Cubist predecessors to create paintings that tell their own unique stories. A close look at ancient Peruvian art from the Andes region provides a basis for a better understanding of Martin’s work. Artists have frequently used bird motifs and the concept of flight as symbols of movement, relocation, and freedom. According to the Museo de Arte Precolombino in Cusco, birds are important animals in Andean culture, as they can move between the celestial and earthly worlds. The idea of heritage and ancestry is a common theme in Martin’s work, and her consistent use of bird imagery creates a motif that not only sets the scene for the subject matter, but asks the viewer to reflect on their own connections to their past.
Chimu Ceramic Bowls (Cormorants), North coast, Peru. 1300 A.D. - 1532 A.D., Museo de Arte Precolombino, Cusco.
The cormorant, a seabird, was especially important to the ancient Andean people, as its connection to water gave it the ability to connect with ancestors in the afterlife. In Bird Flies with Flower, Martin’s bird in the top right corner adopts a more simplified, minimal shape of the cormorant seen on the Chimu ceramic bowl from Peru, as Martin often opts for a silhouetting effect in her work; however, the two figures are distinctly similar in their shape, as seen in their eyes and beaks. This shared imagery connects the two pieces in their visual qualities, but also in their iconology. In Martin’s nature scenes, she sometimes constructs her figures in the nude, and often in a state of reflective bliss. They seem to experience human pleasure in its most simple form, and their extremely minimal forms, naked bodies, and relationship to their surroundings exaggerate this effect.
There is something edenic emanating from the canvas when her figures recline with flowers or look up at the sky. They always maintain a pensive, yet airy quality to them, making the work pleasantly spiritual. Similarly, in the ancient civilizations of Peru, the natural world surrounding them was of the utmost importance. The afterlife was deeply intertwined with nature, and birds were the vehicles between the celestial and earthly realms. In Bird Flies with Flower, the bird points up toward the sky, adding to the spiritual quality of the work, but also to the idea of heritage and the past, an important theme in Martin’s work.
Mochica Wooden Staff (Bird), North coast, Peru. 1 A.D. - 800 A.D., Museo de Arte Precolombino, Cusco
This Mochica Wooden Staff portrays an extremely stylized and minimalist depiction of a bird in order to satisfy both functionality and the aesthetic intent of the artist. Martin’s work does not take on minimalism to this extent, but she does value this simplicity of form. In Bird Stories, Martin maintains her practice of highly stylized figures to achieve simplicity. Once again, the scene conveys tranquility and peace in what feels like a timeless space. There is also an element of duality, as seen in the almost symmetrical formation of the birds, creating a mirroring effect.
In Quechua, this concept of duality and opposing forces leading to creation is called tinkuy which was often utilized by pre-Columbian artists, according to the Museo de Arte Precolombino. The afterlife and the material worlds are often thought of as mirroring each other, and Martin’s boldly delineated scenes contain this feeling of reflection. Martin makes it clear that she is thinking about heritage through her ruminations on the past, the natural world, and spirituality. Martin may not be referring directly to the beliefs surrounding birds in Andean culture, however, these concepts are a reminder of what Martin’s work is all about. In some ways, the formal decisions made on the functional level for the staff accentuate the aesthetic appeal, as the viewer can feel the swift, gliding motion of the bird more strongly than if it was depicted with its wings.
While Martin does not refer specifically to the art from the Mochica or Humaya civilizations, the concepts that began with ancient Andean culture provide a starting point for talking about America Martin’s work and her engagement with the human body and identity.
