9781422287132

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The History of Sculpture

INDIGENOUS AMERICAN Small groups of people have lived in the Americas for thousands of years. The Olmecs were one of the first big civilizations, centered in what is now southern Mexico. The Olmecs created large stone heads around their empire. One head could weigh as much as 40 tons! The heads might be images of rulers or warriors. Other Olmec sculpture included smaller stone sculptures. A few were made out of jade, a bluish-green stone. Some figures were creatures that were a mix of jaguar and human. Wood and ceramic were also popular materials for Olmec sculptors. The Olmecs passed their art on to the major civilizations in the Ameri- cas that came after them, like the Aztecs. Sculptures of huge gods sat in ancient Mexican temples and other public places. Men and women praying, animals, and plants were other popular subjects. Many Az- tec sculptures were made of stone like basalt and jade. Some were ceramics . Later examples of indigenous American art include the totem poles of Northwestern native tribes in the United States, which were built over the past few hundred years. Totem poles were made of tall, straight tree trunks carved into figures and shapes. A pole told the story of the person who had the totem pole built, including the family history, how wealthy the person was, and what he had achieved in life. AFRICAN Early Egyptian sculptures are some of the best examples of ancient art. A lot of the sculptures were focused on life after death. Pharaohs built giant tomb sculptures—the pyramids—to commemorate their lives and to prepare for their deaths. The tombs inside had stone statues that represented the pharaohs and other nobles, along with Egyptian gods. Tombs also included smaller sculptures of ordinary people and relief sculptures of everyday scenes. The smaller sculptures were meant to