Olga de An1aral: Lost Images, Inherited Landscapes

May 31 - July 10, 1992

Johnson County CommunityCollege • Galleryof Art interaction of intent and result."3 We Olga de Amaral: put these all-impo1tant emotions and Lost Images, Inherited Landscapes thoughts in an adversarial order. Today, all of this has been lost in time as we The pre-Columbian gods smiled upon look at the present dynamic of her Olga de Amaral. They blessed her with work. All the combinations, the compli­ many legacies. Like all well-established cations of structure, the techniques and bureaucracies, gods' activities were materials have been absorbed , digested depa1tmentalized, each god placed in and distilled into a new lucidity and charge of ce1tain activities. In her native meaning. count1y, , the pa1ticular god The important turning points in her that chose de Amaral is named development have been fascinating to Nenafocoa, the god of drinking , weaving watch: small wall-hung works of natural and design. hand-sp un woo l in sombe r colors; mon­ To understand de Amaral's work, it umental woven walls; the use of thick is perhaps helpful to look at the rich yarns, hard cords, wrapping and crossed histo1y of pre-Columbian a1t. warps; layered patterns to help produce Eminent scholar Wendell B. Bennett, volume and form; colors obtained by in Ancient Arts of the Andes , tells us that dyeing the fiber; natural materials; and in pre-Columbian times, weaving was industrial materials. Intention was what the highest medium of a1tistic expres­ mattered; she kept up her pursuit of the sion.1 Evidence of this richness abo unds puzzle of process. Out of all the past in collections around the world . The late work from the '70s and '80s, there were anthropologist and scho lar Junius Bird persistent traceries of thought and emo­ Olga de Amaral, 1992 of the American Museum of Natural tion which were substantiated by History made intensive studies and change the parameters of this art form. material and technique. exam inations of pre-Columbian textiles. In the work of de Amaral, an arresting How she orchestrates her astonishing Bird spec ulated that among these woven presence is before us: an interplay array of work is well-known . We know trea ures were cloth pieces made of between constant invention and of the "backup team ," whose skilled cotton , some times smeared with red constant renewal. assistance she has at her service. pigment. He went on to asse1t that the Writing about de Amaral 20 years Whether she sets out to obey the painted textiles (as he called them) ago, and I stated "the requirements of a commission or emphasized the nature of the fabric countercurrents in Olga de Amaral - design a fabric, she also sets out to under the ; the fabric was never passion vs. logic, sensitivity vs. organiza­ create works of art. In a life that is totally hidden. His research showed that tion and spontaneity vs. discipline - are structured by a1t, weaving, "as a way color came from mineral pigment or in effect the exhilarating experience of of constt·ucting your own life," natural dyes. 2 Through archeological findings, it is well-known today that the glo1y of was all-pervasive in Colombia. Its pres­ ence is seen in such pre-Columbian a1tifacts as hammered gold breastp lates with repousee decorations, in altar pieces for the numerous churches built during the colonial era, in the rich gold-thread embroide1y that embe llished the clothes of the wealthy, and in the wonderfully extravagan t carved frames with heavy gold-leaf surfaces - frames often more expressive than what they framed . The aura and omnipresence of gold in the culture of the countty is truly irrepressible. The cultural significance and inspira­ tion of the a1t of the past notwith­ standing, de Amaral's a1t is not an a1t of retrieval. The a1tist is an original, extt·a­ ordinari ly focused on the att of weaving, and someo ne who thus has helped to Detail of Cesta Lunar #23 (see oppos ite page) as de Amaral exp lains, she has in the last man y years contin ued her exp lorations with both basic weave and the painted "complete colors" (gold, red and blue) - colors chosen because of their meaning and use in the life and the cultural landscape of Colombia. Nothing of the past is unreal. Today , we enter her wo rld with the new works in which there is a stunnin g release of energy and creativity. These works transcend common sentiment in the a1t wo rld, helping to abo lish the dichotomy between an and . The conventiona l rectilinear format is revitalized by a richness of surface on wh ich actual volume is created by structures and new and invented techniques of fabri­ cation, sometimes prod ucing a rippling effect. Some are contained within plaited bord ers. In the final analysis, the loom is the elemental tool. When you wa lk into a space with one Rios or a space glow ing with Rioses, Pueblos and Tablas, you do not "read" these works for their iconography. You do not try to decipher the process. You are presented with an ele­ gant order all their own. The pieces project an aura of extreme quiet - not timorous - but alive with a piercing , breathtaking bea uty. You are invited into her world through a work of a1t. Olga de Amaral makes a1t objects that are visual traceries, taking us into "lost images and inherited land­ scapes " as she , the attist, goes beyond and beyond. , April 1992

Notes 1. Anci ent Arts of the Andes , Museum of Modern A.tt, 1954 2. Center for Inter-American Relations, foreword to exh ibition 3. Beyond Craft, 1973, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York City, p. 102

Acknowledgment We are deep ly gratefu l to Olga de Amaral for her gener­ ous and considerate assistance with this exhibition. Several works were comp leted specifically for the exhibit, and for this, we are pa1ticularly apprec iative. Charlotte and Bob Kornste in of Bellas Altes Galle1y, Santa Fe, N.M., are to be thanked for their unflagging suppo 1t of Olga de Alnaral's wo rk and this show . Their know ledge of and insight into her work has been most important. Finally, our gratitude goes to Mildred Constantine for her fine essay on de Amaral's work, as well as her long­ time commitment and numerous contributions to the appreciation and understanding of textiles. Bruce Hartman, director Galle1y of Art

Cover: Lost Image #6, Olga de Amaral, fiber, paint, gold and Cesta Lunar #23, Olga de Amaral, fiber, gold leaf, paint, 1989, silver leaf, 1992, Counesy of Bellas A.ttes Galle1y, Santa Fe, .M. Counesy of the anise 1970, continued Meets Lucie Olga de Amaral Rie at the wee conference in Biographi cal Information ; Rie's use of gold on mended pots sparks the inspira­ 1932 Born in Bogota , tion to use gold leaf on future Colombia. tapes tries. At the wee meeting 1951 Receives diploma as she is named Latin American architectural draftsman from representative, a position she is Colegio Mayor de Cundina­ to hold for seven years. marca, Bogota , and is named 1973 Is awarded a director of the same. Guggenheim Fellowship, 1954 Studies weav ing at which allows her to live the Cranbrook Academy of Art in following year in . Has Bloomfield Hills, Mich., with one-person show at the Galerie Marianne Strenge!; there she La Demeure in Paris, , meets fellow student and future where she exhibits large Woven husband Jim Amaral. Walls and different studies of knot structures. 1955 Begins her custom­ weaving studio in Bogota. 1974 Initiates a series of small with details in gold 1957 Marries Jim Amaral and leaf while living in Paris. This sho1tly thereafter has her first series leads to her future work one-person show at the titled Alquimias. Sociedad Colombia na de Arquitectos. 1975 Participates in the 7th Internationa le Biennale of 1958 The weav ing studio, of Lausann e and in Telas Amaral, progresses , pro­ Colombian Art through the ducing custom-desig ned fabrics Centuries at the Petit Palais, for uph olste1y, drapery and Paris. area rugs. Jack Lenor Larsen visits the studio. 1977 Receives an invitation to participate in the WCC reunion 1965 Found s and directs the in , Jap an , and is included textile depa1tment of the in a show at the Museum of Universidad de los Andes in Modern Art in Kyoto. Exhibits Bogota . Larsen again visits in the 8th Internation ale Bogota and invites de Amaral to Biennale of Tapestry, . exh ibit in his showroom in New York City. 1981 Participates in the Art Fabric Mainstream show 1966 Has a one-pe rson show curated by Larsen and Mildred at the Museo de Bellas Artes in Constantine at the , . Museum of Modern A.tt. 1967 Participates in the 1986 Represents Colombia at 3rd Internationa le Biennale of the 42nd Venice Biennale. Tapestry in Lausanne, . 1987 Included in The Elemental Fabric touring 1968 Represents Colomb ia at exhibition, which opens at World Council (WCC) in the American Craft Museum Lima, . in New York. 1969 Takes part in exhibition 1988 Participates in New in New York's Museum of Traditions at Nordenfjeidske Modern Art. Pa1ticipates in the Kunstindustrimuseum in 4th International e Biennale of Norway. Tapestry in Lausann e, Switzerland . 1990 Participates in the 33 rd Salon Naciona l de Artistas in 1970 The Museum of Bogota and later spends time Contempora1y Crafts has a one­ in Santa Fe, N.M., where she person show of de Amaral's Tabla #15, Olga de Amaral, fiber, gold leaf, paint, 1990, Courtesy of studies Pueblo textiles. first of a series of Woven Walls. Bellas Artes Galle1y, Santa Fe, N.M.

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