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Throughout
this exhibition, Catherwood illustrates the Maya ruins along with
indigenous people. This print illustrates a sense of discovery,
seen by the Maya man walking inside the ruin. Catherwood recreates
this sense of discovery not only for the explorers themselves
but also for the indigenous people who hadn’t truly explored
the ruins. The Maya person who stands and points away from the
ruin suggests he wants to communicate his findings with others.
By adding a dog to the picture, Catherwood also suggests the idea
of domestication, of the ancient ruins and of indigenous people.
From
his reproduction of each symbol of the building’s iconography,
it is understood that Catherwood has a deep interest in the ruins.
At the same time he adds an underlying sense of civilization lost
and wild. The body language of the indigenous people, along with
the wild jungle covering the ruins, creates for Catherwood’s
audience the sense of an ancient and untamed civilization. [Spanish
version].
VIVIANA
SALCEDO |
