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The Pre-Columbian cultures of Ecuador are
among the oldest in South America and among
the first to master the art of pottery. Although we
know little about the peoples themselves or their
traditions, historians have been able to piece
together a picture of life in Ancient Ecuador
thanks in part to the art and artifacts left behind.
The culture of Valdivia created some of the
oldest known works of art in the Americas.
Situated along the coastal strip of Ecuador, the
Valdivians established a thriving society that
flourished for around two thousand years (from
approximately 4000 to 1500 B.C.). Today they
are famed for their small fertility figures,
believed to be the earliest representational works
of art in the Americas, first carved from stone,
later formed from terracotta.
Hundreds of years later after the Valdivians
disappear from the archaeological record
appears another culture to which the name
Chorrera has been attached (lasting from circa
1100-300 B.C.). Little is known about this
culture; however, it is significant for its
widespread geographical reach. As such, their
artistic style greatly influenced those diverse
cultures that began to emerge in the final
centuries of the Chorrera period, a time
historians have labeled the Period of Regional
Development.
This figure from the
Chorrera period (Contemporary with the Chavin
of Peru and the Tlatilco in Mexico) reveals the
Ecuadorian craftsmen's incredible skill at
manipulating the medium and his creative ability
to elevate the workaday life of the Ancient
Ecuadorian to grand and noble heights. Here we
experience a standing figure captured in a
moment of suspended motion, arms ready to
vigorously stir the contents of a large bowl. The
figure's resolute facial expression further
enhances the spirit of piece, dignifying an action
of relative simplicity. How extraordinary indeed
is the creative expression of the Ancient
Ecuadorian artist who crafted this powerful work
of ceramic art.
- (PF.2611)
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