- Lienzo Ceremonial 6
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Olga de Amaral is inspired by the countryside around her home in Bogota, memories of gold-leaf covered Catholic church interiors, and knowledge of ancient craft traditions and materials gleaned from trips to native artisan markets. Using traditional hand-weaving techniques, linen, and fibers grown in Colombian soil, she carefully constructs abstract representations of place which are at once spiritual and sensual. They are tangible reminiscences of the land, its people, and its traditions.
The Lienzo Ceremonial series features intricately woven "waterfalls" of color. A spiderweb of individual linen threads forms a fluid composition of color gradations. The background of each work has also been gessoed and painted to further enhance the overall composition. Technique, structure, and materials have always been central to de Amaral's work. Weaving and plaiting are her primary techniques although she is also very adept at layering.
Provenance[Bellas Artes, Santa Fe, New Mexico]; Elissa and Daniel Arons; [Helen Drutt Gallery, Philadelphia]; Carol Straus; given to MFAH, 2006.
Exhibition History"Contemporary Craft from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, May 27–August 13, 2001.
"Eighth Annual International Exposition of Sculpture Objects & Functional Art," Seventh Regiment Armory, New York, June 2–5, 2005.
"The Past Made Present: Contemporary Art and Memory," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, September 2, 2006–January 16, 2007.
"Olga de Amaral: To Weave a Rock," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, July 25–September 19, 2021; Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, October 30, 2021–March 27, 2022.
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