Saturday, May 14, 2011

Incan Mummy Skull

Way down in South America there's a museum in Cusco where Andrew Verster of Durban, South Africa spent some time of his past. He's sharing with us this softly shaded skull drawing and this note, "the text in the form of a poem explains something of my feelings towards these astonishing objects, the tender and beautiful Inca Mummies."



EACH MORNING I SIT
IN THE HALLS OF THE DEAD
THE ONLY SOUND
THE SCRATCH OF MY PEN
NOTING:

FLESH TURNED TO STONE.
NECKS ROPED.
HANDS BOUND.
BODIES TRUSSED
AND AWKWARD.

A THOUSAND YEARS
OF SILENCE
BETWEEN
THEM
AND
ME.





The wash effect that Andrew used really conveys the quiet existence of the mummies. Shades of gray now dissolve the color that once filled these living bodies. The poem puts you in his chair, listening to the same silence that has been endured for so long. These two make a great combination. Thanks for sharing the silence with us, Andrew.


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4 comments:

Eryq Ouithaqueue said...

Cuzco and the Incans are in South America, not South Africa.

Noah said...

Oops, thanks for pointing out the typo! Just corrected it.

ArtAfterDark said...

This is a beautiful drawing. So fragile and vulnerable. We need to fight for preservation of every one of these mystical relics. The poem is haunting and wonderful. Thanks for the post.

Anonymous said...

Yes...that art work is fragile and vulnerable -- I'd pick better words, but ArtAfterDark had perfect ones. Thank you for showing that artist's work with us, Noah.