Art is usually sends a message or makes a statement, or maybe induces a feeling. I think, (and these are my own conclusions) art should do that on its own, not requiring a desertion to get its point [or lack thereof] across. Any offense I might inflict on any living seven hundred year old Mayan Artist is purely accidental, and is not the intent of the author.
The exceptions might be; across cultural platforms, or language barriers, or even to a small degree environmental influences.
Mayan art is enjoyable enough in its own right, in spite of the above possibilities. There are, however some factors that could improve upon its viewing without having to rewrite the archaeological record, learn a dead written language, or enroll in the Julian School Historical department.
One can see the carvings and statues are “full”, lack no empty spaces, and there is a name for that in art… …we don’t need to know it. Even as a child, drawing instead of doing homework in class, most of us made shapes on paper then contoured them … …say … … a star in a circle, repeatedly contoured until the points of the star and the edges of the circle met, leaving triangles which could also be contoured until the page was full and it looked … …nice, full, sent a feeling of some sort to the viewer. A phase of art many went through. The Maya as well. Some of the things I found enhanced my perception of the carvings and statues and sorted out the “fullness” are listed below.
In this rubbing one can see a dark line (painting or rubbing, deep incision in statues) down the middle of the image separating it into two parts.
That line signifies a “space” between the face of a man, and what can then be assumed to be a mask or ornament worn on the head.
Below is another type of combined image that I see as “callouts” or talk bubbles. As a child, drawing people, I made similar things, to denote that the subject was speaking or (in a cloud shaped talk bubble) thinking. Musical notes and pursed lips conveyed whistling. There are a variety of “callouts” shown. I don’t need to know what is being said to see some of the speakers are being very elaborate in subject, some, plain speaking, some I guess to be singing.
In the case of number 1 I see a tree with a callout and it appears the artist considered the tree sentient after some fashion, small and dark, the callout, it gives the impression that artist sees the tree capable of speech though he himself doesn’t know what it says and considers it lacking great volume. Number 6 looks to me like a fellow speaking about plants and trees.
Plants and vegetative forms, highly elaborated upon or stripped to basic lines are found on a lot of statues. Other creatures like the jaguar, fish, serpents, water, and human body parts also abound. As with the former, they may be elaborated or simplified or partially omitted with regards to a particular style of art, artist, or message. See a couple below.
Serpents
Fish
Falling Water
Reading … (What ever they tell us on TV commercials.)
…is not fundamental
There is no test at the end of a tour of the Mayan Arts World where we have to translate the full meaning of the works. These tips (my own, and possibly they will be proven wrong) are just to help see the general nature of the works, not a key to decipherment.
Some never gave it up.
Another time.
