Have you ever stopped to think that the diversity of the Indians of Brazil and their systems, beliefs and artistic manifestations are essential for us to understand our history and culture ? If you are guided by this bias, you will perceive the fascination incited by cultural heritage that escapes the trivial and simple understanding such as rock art . Painted or engraved on the rocky walls, these indigenous inscriptions can give a special mood to your home once they are represented in decorative arts such as pots and ceramic plates .
The indescribable beauty of the ethnic drawings inspired by this indigenous art , whose originals are located in different places in the country - from north to south, from the coast to the Amazon -, added to the rustic style of the ceramics with purposeful artistic painting in earthy tones, takes us even closer from the symbolic and ritualistic sphere of real prehistoric productions that unite the art and immaterial culture of the indigenous peoples of the Paleolithic period.
Indigenous inscriptions are cultural heritage that tell a little of the ancestral history.
The term rock art comes from the Latin ars rupes to designate rock art or rock art with anthropic drawings made on the rocky surfaces of caves, caves, slabs and walls. These archaeological heritages were produced all over the world using different methods with two main categories: engravings ( petroglyphs ) and paintings ( pictoglyphs ) in a conjecture of 350 to 400 thousand sites dating from 40 to 11 thousand bp.
In Brazil, rock art sites were observed by missionaries during Portuguese colonization, but only in the 19th century did they become an object of archaeological study and in the 70s they gained notoriety. The similarity of stylistic characteristics and aspects of the surroundings made it possible to categorize the archaeological sites into traditions such as São Francisco, Plateau, Agreste, Northeast, Coastal, Southern, Geometric and Amazonian.
Rock art comes from the Latin ars rupes to designate prehistoric symbols on the rocks.
When exploring the study of the Amazonian tradition in “ Arte Rupestre na Amazônia: Pará ” (2004), the archeologist Edithe Pereira observes that the diversity of the cultures of the ethnic groups reflects in the forms and meanings of the rock art . The anthropomorphic theme, for example, is predominant among the geometric shapes of cave engravings and paintings of this tradition, either in the representation of the entire human figure or highlighting the head to express feelings of joy, amazement or sadness.
On the other hand, there is the understanding of these forms of writing as mystical symbols , related to shamanism (with the magic of hunting, simulating in the drawings the victory of the Indians or the capture of the essence of animals to later conquer them in materiality) and the constellations . For the archaeologist, the symbolic and artistic manifestations of the region unite two levels of indigenous culture : the material dimension, evidenced by the mastery of techniques, and the immaterial dimension, represented by the chosen themes that relate to the mythical indigenous narratives of the ancestors of the Mundurucus traditions.
The Amazonian tradition of rock art is based on mysticisms of the Mundurucus ethnic group.
The understanding of all these details that make up the influences of decorative objects for the table and wall are extremely important for the perception of the cultural value they have, in addition to functionality. In each piece , handmade by artisans from Pará, there is a set of geometrized symbols inspired by cave paintings and engravings from Brazilian archaeological sites , such as those in the Amazon region in Monte Alegre.
Handicrafts from Pará became an important means of motivating the preservation of rock art by valuing codes or graphic icons, reproducing them and taking inspiration from their geometric motifs to style decorative vases and plates . These ceramics from Belém do Pará are guided both by cave paintings and by the deep engraving technique common in more than 100 archaeological sites in the Amazon in the State.
Valuing rock carvings is a way to inspire the preservation of sites.
The handmade pottery itself brings this charming rustic appeal that is reinforced by the craftsman 's dedicated time for each piece to be unique. The simplicity of the shapes of decorative plates and ceramic vases fit them comfortably into different styles of environments and purposes - from functional as dinnerware and table decoration with flowers to purely decorative as wall decoration and sideboards , respectively.
The ethnic essence of these handcrafted pieces invites us to look beyond the graphics to glimpse the beauty of our own history and culture in the details. Another relevant aspect is the size of the vases , which are reduced and favor the incorporation of more decorative elements. A set of small vases , for example, although in different configurations, create rhythm in interiors, making them more interesting and exclusive.
Handmade vases by artisans from Belém do Pará demonstrate the value of rock art.
Find handcrafted products with rock art to inspire your rustic home decor in our online store !
Namaste!
Milene Sousa - Art & Tune
1 comment
Milene, bom dia!
Meu nome eh Isadora Siciliano, sou aluna da FAAP, São Paulo. Estou produzindo um documentário que possui uma sequência de arte rupestre. Achei o arte & sintonia fazendo a pesquisa e adorei as imagens do seu site. Seria possível utilizá-las em meu doc? Tanto a interface do site quanto as imagens dentro dele. Com devidos créditos, é claro! Caso queira entrar em contato comigo, meu WhatsApp é 11941163381 e meu e-mail é isadorasiciliano@gmail.com
Obrigada desde já!