The art of olmècs: the mysterious colossi
First great Mesoamerician civilization, the Olmecs laid the foundations of many cultural elements taken up by the Mayans and the Aztecs. Their enigmatic and monumental art fascinates by its colossal heads, its mysterious symbols and its aesthetic both archaic and sophisticated. Who were the Olmecs, and what does their art tell us?
A founding civilization
The Olmecs prospered between 1500 and 400 BCE , mainly in the coastal regions of the Gulf of Mexico , current states of Veracruz and Tabasco . Their name, given by the Aztecs much later, means "the rubber people", because they mastered the culture of this tree.
Although they preceded the Mayans and the Aztecs by several centuries, the Olmecs are often considered as the "mother culture" of mesoameric . Their art testifies to a complex social organization, elaborate religious beliefs and a unique style.
The famous colossal heads
🗿 iconic symbol of olm art
The most famous image of Olmèque art is undoubtedly that of colossal heads carved in the basalt , up to 3 meters high and weigh up to 40 tonnes . To date, we have found 17 the Venta , San Lorenzo and very Zapotes sites .
🧠 What do they represent?
Several hypotheses have been put forward:
• Portraits of sovereigns or warlords , recognizable by their ornate helmets.
• A form of dedicated ancestors , protectors of the city.
• Symbols of territorial power , marking authority on a sacred space.
Their realistic style, their individualized features and their monumental scale make it a precursor masterpiece in the world history of sculpture .
A distinct and codified aesthetic
Olmèque art is immediately recognizable by:
• Its characteristic facial features : thick lips, amazed nose, almond eyes.
• Its taste for rounded and compact forms .
• The use of abstract symbols : cross, spirals, claws, scrolls.
It is an art both naturalistic in its human and abstract forms in its cosmic symbolism . We already perceive the beginnings of the great cosmogonic ideas of mesoameric: the jaguar, the duality, the underground world, the sacred power .
Materials chosen with care
The Olmecs worked different materials with great mastery:
• Basalt , for monumental sculptures.
• Jade , for precious objects (pendants, ceremonial axes).
• Serpentine and jadeite , green stones associated with fertility.
• Clay , for thin and sometimes painted figurines.
Jade Olmèque is particularly sought after by collectors for its purity, stylized style and rarity.
Olmèque influence on other civilizations
The Olmecs have not simply disappeared: they transmitted their vision of the world to the following cultures .
They are attributed to the origin or dissemination of major concepts:
• The 260 -day ritual calendar .
• The idea of sacred and deified kingdom .
• The ritual ball game (tlachtli).
• The basics of mesoamerician hieroglyphic writing .
Their symbols are found up to Teotihuacan, in the Zapotèques and in the Mayans .
Olmec art in museums
Many olmecs are visible in major institutions:
• 🇲🇽 Xalapa anthropology museum (Veracruz) : vast collection of sculptures, including several colossal heads.
• 🇲🇽 Mexico City National Museum.
• 🇫🇷 Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac , in Paris.
• 🇺🇸 The Met , Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) .
However, some objects are also in private collections or have been illegally exported , raising ethical questions that we will approach in future articles.
Conclusion: The inheritance of a mysterious people
The art of the Olmecs continues to intrigue archaeologists, art historians and amateurs around the world. His refinement, his monumentality and his symbolic wealth make it an exciting enigma : how did an old people have been able to produce such aesthetic and spiritual sophistication?
While many questions remain unanswered, Olmec works speak for themselves: they are the timeless testimony of a vision of the world where art, power and the sacred were one .
By Jami Dwyer-https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamidwyer/2844106261/in/set-72157606952714490/, CC by-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4973284
