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Showing posts with the label San Jose

Costa Rican Art at The MAC

 Que Clavo! (What a nail!) Luis Tenorio Rosales, 2010, acrylic on canvas As I indicated in a previous post, this painting of the crucifixion is one of the most evocative works of art I’ve seen. The intense face of a T-shirt clad man as he nails the feet of Jesus Christ to the cross leaves no illusions that this a contemporary work of art of an age old religious subject that has roots in Christian history. Is this man just a carpenter doing his work or is he a symbol of the sins we commit everyday that lodge the nails deeper with every transgression? What a nail! Aguila (Eagle), Javier Calvo Sandi, 2017, stone The Eagle is a monument representing both the former president, Leon Cortés, and the Nazi eagle. According to Calvo Sandi, President Cortés had an affinity with the Nazi Party of Costa Rica having appointed Max Effiger, the president of the local Nazi party, as his adviser on immigration matters. 

Intro to San Jose, Costa Rica

Golden Room The old international airport of Costa Rica is now the new home of the Museum of Costa Rican Art. The Golden Room used to be the diplomatic lounge. Murals of the history of Costa Rica from pre-Columbian period to the 1940s adorn the walls. Luis Féron Parizot, a French artist, carved the bas reliefs in stucco and painted them in bronze. A section of the murals in the Golden Room shows Christopher Columbus among the indigenous  people of Costa Rica. Que Clavo! Luis Tenorio Rosales, 2010, acrylic on canvas One of the most evocative works of art at the museum is this painting of the crucifixion.  Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica This elegant theater in the Neo-Classical style was built courtesy of the tax levied on coffee. Thanks to the farmers who toiled in the fields this venue for the performance arts was completed in 1897.  The Flutist, Jorge Jimenez de Heredia In front of the National Theater is this beautiful marble statue of a flutist which was originally created for the Ba

All that glitters

Semi circular chest plate, gold, 700 A.D., South Pacific The Pre-Colombian Gold Museum is one of three museums created in the 1950s by the Central Bank of Costa Rica from the original History and Numismatic Museum to promote “meaningful and relevant connections with the material and human dimensions” of Costa Rican cultural heritage. The Gold Museum is in an underground vault in the center of San Jose. How gold jewelry was worn by the indigenous people of Costa Rica Various chest plates and pendants 1. Semi circular convex chest plate 2. Round zoomorphic and geometrical chest plate from 700 - 1500A.D., hammered     gold with  four cones protruding from the plate, worn by high ranking  individuals,        South Pacific 3. Pendants  4. Plain round chest plate Collar and buckle with embossed decoration Crab rattle, 700 A.D. to 1559 A.D., South Pacific Anthropo-zoomorphic pendant The use of animal or avimorphic pendants has a symbolic meaning to the wearer. These pendants may represent the