Description
- Abstract:
- One of three similar, highly stylized paintings featuring large, bust-like human figures reminiscent of Moai statues or primitive masks. Each artwork depicts a long-necked figure, with a solemn or crying expression, and a fish placed at the base of the neck. Note: Hotu Matuꞌa was the legendary first settler and ariki mau (“supreme chief” or “king”) of Easter Island and ancestor of the Rapa Nui people. According to New Zealand linguist and Easter Island historian Steven Roger Fischer, Tuꞌu Ko Iho co-founded the settlement on the island; in some versions of the Rapa Nui oral tradition, he is also credited with bringing the statues to the island and making them walk. Fernando Birri may also be referencing the moai kavakava, a carved wooden figure from Rapa Nui representing an emaciated male ancestor or spirit, identifiable by its prominent ribcage and skull-like head. While Birri’s most prominent series from this period was Espejismos del Caribe [Mirages of the Caribbean], he was also exploring other mythologies of Latin America, as reflected in this work. Watercolor and pastel on paper.
- Notes:
- Él-[Rey]-de-costillas llega (Tu'u Ko Iho).Triptico del Rey Hotu Matu'a. Proyecto Isla de Pascua. Mahatu o'te mata'a [The King with Skeletal Appearance Arrives (Tu'u Ko Iho). Triptych of the King Hotu Matu'a. Easter Island Project. Third of the Month]., Fernando Birri Archive of Multimedia Arts - Pinturas, Ms.2010.050.pinturas, Brown University Library
- Digital object made available by: Brown University Library, John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts, Box A, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, U.S.A., (http://library.brown.edu/)
Access Conditions
- Rights
- In Copyright
- Restrictions on Use
- Collection is open for research.
Citation
Fernando Birri,
"Él-[Rey]-de-costillas llega (Tu'u Ko Iho).Triptico del Rey Hotu Matu'a. Proyecto Isla de Pascua. Mahatu o'te mata'a [The King with Skeletal Appearance Arrives (Tu'u Ko Iho). Triptych of the King Hotu Matu'a. Easter Island Project. Third of the Month]."
(1993).
Fernando Birri Archive of Multimedia Arts - Pinturas, Fotos, Escritos, A Pictorial Dragon, the Art of Fernando Birri.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:9en8dpph/
Relations
Has Parts:
-
Él-[Rey]-de-costillas llega (Tu'u Ko Iho).Triptico del Rey Hotu Matu'a. Proyecto Isla de Pascua. Mahatu o'te mata'a [The King with Skeletal Appearance Arrives (Tu'u Ko Iho). Triptych of the King Hotu Matu'a. Easter Island Project. Third of the Month].
- Type: Page-Image
- Order: 29
-
Él-[Rey]-de-costillas llega (Tu'u Ko Iho).Triptico del Rey Hotu Matu'a. Proyecto Isla de Pascua. Mahatu o'te mata'a [The King with Skeletal Appearance Arrives (Tu'u Ko Iho). Triptych of the King Hotu Matu'a. Easter Island Project. Third of the Month].
- Type: Page-Image
- Order: 30
Collections:
-
Fernando Birri Archive of Multimedia Arts - Pinturas, Fotos, Escritos
This collection of materials from the Fernardo Birri Archive of Multimedia Arts contains drawings, paintings, collages, photographs, correspondence, manuscripts, poetry, essays, and screenplays created and collected by Argentinian filmmaker and artist, Fernando Birri. Several of Birri’s diaries are collected here …... -
A Pictorial Dragon, the Art of Fernando Birri
This digital collection celebrates the centennial of Fernando Birri (1925–2017), the pioneering Argentine filmmaker, artist and theorist of the New Latin American Cinema. Featuring drawings, paintings, collages and writings from his personal archive he gifted to the John Hay Library …...