Pre-Columbian art and the post-Columbian world: ancient American sources of modern art

Abstract

Though much attention has been given to the connection between modern art and primitive African forms, the impact of Pre-Columbian sources on contemporary artists has been left largely unexplored. This study aims to correct that oversight by examining five seminal modern artists and the pre-Columbian inspirations for their work. The author also examines the art of Paul Gauguin and its debt to ancient Peruvian ceramics, the murals of Diego Rivera and their ideological and visual relation to Aztec imagery and the Constructivist paintings of Joaquin Torres-Garcia and their connection to ancient Peruvian textiles, ceramics and architecture. Braun reveals as well that the work of more contemporary artists, such as Louise Nevelson, Alfred Jensen, Tony Smith, Robert Smithson and Ken Price continues to be indebted to Pre-Columbian forms and ideas.

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