assignment 3 b.

MAKING A CANOE

From what I have gathered the Carib people were hunters, fisherman and warriors. Not known for arts and crafts. At first I thought I would look to the Arwak tribe, where most of the female population had originated, they were tremendous basket weavers. I imagined looking at collections of baskets…then I thought that I could just pick another group that was know for there strong artistic culture. I went back over my findings and it dawned on me- canoe making is an art form! The Carib made canoes, beautiful, magnificent canoes and this will be my topic. (Please note that I have tried to remove this messy bit below and have failed, sorry.)

http://www.avirtualdominica.com/gligli/index.html

http://www.aragornsstudio.com/CaribCanoeProj.htm

http://www.geocities.com/caribcanoe/

OBSERVATION:

What do you see in the artwork?

I think that many times a natural medium can be distorted so much that the natural beauty is gone, sometimes so much so that the end product can be ugly (i.e.: tract homes) I like that the canoe still honors the tree that it came from. It is functional, thoughtful and beautiful. It demands a group effort, up to 40 people to carry the tree from the forest.

What is the subject of the work? What is the work made of?

These particular canoes are made from a single gommier tree. Grommier trees are indigenous to the Caribbean rain forests; they are very large and remind me of the redwood, growing to massive heights.

What techniques does the artist use?

The canoes making process starts with the selection of one close to perfect gommier tree. Then several men chop the tree down using hand axes. Some forty people drag the tree to where they will carve out, then soak burn and stretch the wood until it finally resembles a canoe. This process take a few weeks. The photo I selected shows the stretching process when to canoes is filled with large rock to force the sides to expand over time.

INTERPRETATION:

What is the artwork about?

Well in this case it is quite literal, it functions as a canoe. But it is about survival, transportation, and a way of life. These people depended on the canoes to hunt and trade and war with other tribes.

JUDGEMENT:

What made you chose this piece? What do you think of/feel about this piece? Why?

As I mentioned above, I chose this piece because I wasn’t done with the Carib people and because they are not know for crafting…canoes it was. I love this piece, I love function and beauty together and the canoe exemplifies this.

QUESTIONING:

What would you like to know about this work?

I would like to know if traditionally the women had anything to do with this process. Pessimistically I could answer it myself by guess that the men and women spoke a different dialect so it is highly unlikely. A girl can dream, right?