sample of some pages from the magic of cultures

8/14/2019 Sample of Some Pages From the Magic of Cultures

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Introduction

To know the diversity of cultural expressions through the art of

ceramics is to travel to the origins of man. Millenniums have

passed since the spiritual creation of the universe when God, the

great artist, made the first man of clay, naming him Adam. In

Hebrew, Adam comes from dimaion: imagination, abode for thevery essence of man.

Partner in the continuous work of creation, the ceramist, when

using his senses, surmounts the mere physical perception when

he creates a work of art from earth to show us that God continues

molding the universe through the hands of the artist. Without that

constant recreation transporting us to time and space limits, the

world would cease to exist.1

Artistic creation is a cultural reflection of the hand that shapes it.

Each historical period produces its own identifying art, leaving

behind a timeless imprint of its progress and evolution. Pottery

or ceramics is the art of making vessels and clay objects,

crockery and porcelain of all types and qualities, hardened by

firing. Clay composition and the way of preparing it, firing

temperatures and enamels used are all elements that determine

the nature and type of ceramics obtained. The oldest pottery

samples have come to us from the Neolithic period (around seven

thousand years ago), when man stopped being a nomad tobecome a settler and discovered the bounty earth offered him

through agriculture. Land planting forced communities to settle

for collecting their crops, and they developed agriculture,

techniques and industries. By handling clay, they created the

pottery needed for keeping food and seeds, fascinating pieces for

their esthetic qualities,. They achieved a high degree of symmetry

and balance in their geometrical design, thus proving that men

did not only master nature, but also handcrafts; different

techniques and ornamentation were slowly perfected using

objects such as spatulas, combs and shells known as incisory

and cardial.

The most common painted ceramics in the Near East were works

that mixed geometric and anthropomorphic themes. Ab stractions

would become characteristic elements of great civilizations and

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Prologue

Millenniums ago the first cultures of the planet came to be. Scarcely able at first to create their own utensils and

rupestrian designs, the difference and distance between Homo sapiens and his ancestors will finally be established by

speech and writing.

The indomitable creating spirit that builds up to simultaneously destroy has walked on earth for countless centuries,

variously grouping by manner, race and place, to individually develop their own cultures, overcoming or falling victim to

adversities imposed by weather or way of life.

Thanks to the specialized interest of archaeologists and histor ians, today we can not only imagine but also scientificallyattest the springing up of thousands of peoples and cultures scattered in five continents.

Amazement will overcome the reader when he mentally returns to the marvelous ancient time when the Gizeh and

Teotihuacan pyramids were built in Egypt and Mexico, the Chinese Wall in Chin a, the Inca city of Machu Picchu. If we

imagine the Colossus of Rhodes or see the David of Michael Angelo, if we stand in front of the Persepolis Palace ruins

in Iran or admire the Versailles Palace in France, their impressive beauty and size, their delicacy and perfection will

move us to admiration, as well as thousands of other works of art or constructions. They are hymns of true love, life and

art, timeless evidence of creativity in every human being.

Roco Borobia, innovative, world and people lover, finds beauty in everything and works porcelain with a creativity and

passion I never saw before. She wanted to print this, her second book, unprecedented and unique in the history of

porcelain, in which the master participates with her workshop disciples, bestowing cultural capsules upon us, and thus

supporting the works of art included here. In them, the magic, history and legends of peoples in our world fuse in a

vitreous and sublime porcelain robe chanting odes to the impetuous human creativity of all times.

This book, therefore, enhances the human race path and artistic creation through time immemorial. Captured and

transmuted into porcelain by artists internally carrying not only a vast genetic and cultural luggage, but who also live

their various influences, materializing restlessness, feelings, knowledge and creativity in their work. The total masteryof the techniques employed, allow us to travel and take a close look at these epochs, and page after page, in a fantastic

oneiric mixture of art and history, we see a world we are part of and proud to belong to since, in it, there is still time to

cultivate what is beautiful.

Each piece offers a remarkable moment in which brushes, oils, and inks ornately dress the immaculate white porcelain

with a symphony of lines, color and movement; hands danced crystallizing dreams, transforming human thoughts, and

concretely endowing them with the grace of reaching the immortality of existence.

Ulisses CampanelliBrazil


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cultures have, and, when studied objectively and in depth,

it reveals that even though names may change, knowledge

remains the same for ancient Egyptians, Persians,

Chinese, Incas, Greeks, Aztecs, Mayan, and many others

that could be mentioned. Their teachings were written for

those who want to become better human beings and get to

know the foundations of spirit enriching wisdom, so theycan defend themselves in this materialistic war with its

absence of values in which the casualty is the human

species. Gnosis is the synthetic doctrine that gave birth to

all the philosophical, scientific, religious, artistic, esoteric,

psychological, and cultural movements and currents.

It is not opposed to any religion, school or teaching system

because it affirms that all religions are "precious pearls set

on the golden thread of Divinity." It investigates knowledge

of all things for their principles and causes, fusing

philosophy, art and religion in a single concept. Philosophy

makes us reflect on the reason for all things, "who we are,

where do we come from and where are we going to"; art

allows us to find beauty in all its manifestations to live in

harmony with our surroundings and, as a tool for self-

knowledge we have religion, which has nothing to do with

intellectualism. Religion is a Latin origin word, religare,

which means to join again. And, what do we have to link

again? our individual conscience to the cosmic conscience.True religion is carried inside the heart and it belongs to the

man or woman who attempts to live a dignified life, and

then he or she will be worthy of returning once more to the

life giving principle. That could be the Tao among the

Taoists, Muslims Allah, Christ for the Christians, Brahma

for the Hindustani, Ra in Egypt, Jupiter-Zeus in Greece-

Rome, the Unpronounceable, the breath, the Almighty, all

that that has no name.

Persia

Potions

Title

POTIONS

Author

Roco Borobia

Inspired on the cover of the

Book of Antidotes, Northern

Mesopotamia 1199, and on

The cover of the Book of

Songs, Mesopotamia.

Mosul 1220.

Technique

Acid etching. Marbled

paint. Brushed paint.

Gold, silver and copper frets.

"Religion is the intimate relationship of mind with truth." Gnostic Philosophy

28 The Mag ic o f Cu ltures

The "memory" of a people is its history. Historical event

narratives, laws and precepts, songs and poems, have

been orally transmitted from one generation to the next.

The word preceded the use of writing, but for presently

understanding a peoples culture with its own customs and

spiritual heritage, it is necessary to resort to the legacy of

their written documents.

Books fascinatingly illustrated that recollected wisdom and

knowledge, sublime religious cults, chants and magic

prescriptions that revealed the universal wisdom, were

written in ancient Persia, also mentioning the preparation

of potions for love, life or acquiring erudition. These books

are the magic tools of the great initiates, containing hidden

secrets that reveal the path to knowledge and

experimentation in other dimensions, where superior

essences evolve even more.

This gnosis or pure knowledge equals what other great


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Pompeii

Pompeiis Soul

It is difficult to imagine the dimensions of the tragedy

lived by the 20,000 inhabitants of Pompeii on August 27,

year 79 of our epoch, when the eruption of Mount

Vesuvius completely buried the city and all vestiges of

life.

The first excavation works that told the world about the

last moments of Pompeii started in 1748 under the orders

of King Charles of Bourbon. Ghosts from the past, ruins,

temples and houses returned to reanimate death in life.

Every human spoil found under the ash layers testified to

the final instant, in an anguishing cry for help never

heard, since damp ashes had hermetically sealed the

city.

Though most inhabitants managed to escape the tragedy,

the mortal remains of over 2,000 victims were found

among the ruins: complete families asleep, bakers at

work, people eating; they even found some unfortunate

gladiators chained. There were election posters on the

walls, household pots, stores, workshops; everything had

the appearance of being still alive.

Together with objects and art, buildings constitute aninvaluable document to know the soul and the quotidian

life of a first century AD roman city. About ten thousand

graffiti or handwritten texts on the walls openly describe

the Roman society of that moment. The Villa of

Mysteries and other countless homes transmit the

structure of the roman house, distributed around an

"atrium" where most domestic activities took place. At

the back of the atrium was the tablinum, a hall with a

window through which one could contemplate the hortus

or orchard surrounded by a colonnade or peristyle. On

both sides of the atrium were the sleeping quarters and,

behind them, a court widened in two wings to the walls at

both sides of the house. The set of frescoes decorating

the hall walls constitutes the eldest remain of mural

TTitlePOMPEIIS SOUL

AuthorRoco Borobia

Side A.In honor of the souls ofartisans who gave splendorto Pompeii.

Side B.Pompeii weeps for itsdestruction.

TechniquePaint with mattefinishing, velaturapainting and gold.

"If man has not discovered anything to die for, he iMartin Luther King

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To know the life and cultural traditions of p

civilizations is like "knowing oneself", since one goe

depths of the womb that engendered us.

Throughout history, Africa has been a privileged placwild nature and exoticism. Place full of myths and fa

where human beings try, from their origins, to underst

threatening and overflowing reality of the world surro

them, since all elements in nature are given a symbol

to protect man from calamities and maintain his bo

the world of spirits.

For balue societies, love and harmonious life wit

couple are vitally important. According to their belie

human being has a perfect husband or wife that rem

Ivory C

Lovers Forev"Only love transcends in eter

Rocio


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India

India Forever"As the firm rock is not altered by the wind,

so the soul of the wise man worries not for fame and honor."Buddha

The Indian temple is an allegory of the universe: its

architecture symbolizes the cosmic mountain and the

dwelling of the gods. Its design is full of hidden meanings

subdued to magical traces made in the different Mandala

levels. For its symbolism, a temple is a cosmogony in astone map that took form, life, and soul. The building of a

divine abode is a ritual act performed in the name of the

Great Architect of the Universe.

The architectonical ensemble of the eighty-five temples in

Khajuraho is located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Built by the Chandella dynasty, it is devoted to Shiva,

Brahma and Vishnu, the three great gods of the Hindi

religion. In the external part of the sanctuary,

representations of different gods protect the temple and

guide the devout from the transitory existential world

towards the serene and stable interior of the temple, as well

as of body and soul. One finds quarry temples built with

superb mastery: detailed work on each block, to be later fit

to others without mortar. The outstanding facts in Khajuraho

Title

INDIAFOREVER

Author

Roco Borobia

Inspired in the temples of

Khajuraho, India.

Technique

Acid engraving.

Matte background finishing.

Painting in velatura, lusters, relief

gold and glass enamels.

are both the movement given to sculpted figures and the

complicity in their faces that graces them with an unequaled

sensuous charm. The innumerable luscious erotic sculptures

show love in its purest form. Man impersonates Shiva and

the woman, Parvati. Their coupling, visibly perpetuated intemples, shows the sacredness of their relationship.

The sexual ceremony of maithuna symbolizes something

more than a simple erotic relationship. For the kaula, the

sexual act is a ritual that helps to find the divine status of

being, so intimate and mystic that it turns into a true spiritual

exercise allowing for the dimensional attainment of

quietness and wisdom in a climatic point in which the couple

unites bodies and minds to the energy of the creator.


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If we wanted to concentrate all the wanders of nature in a

single place, Nepal would undoubtedly be the right place.

Besides its being surrounded by the high Himalayan crests,

the green rice paddies and the brilliant gold of mustard

patches, the capital Katmandu offers a real cultural festivitywith its impressive temples and outstanding palaces. Its

elaborate architecture, different level pagodas, copper

covered roofs and stupas, all have sacred rooms for keeping

the relics of the gods.

Nowhere on earth is there a similar concentration of active

monuments where bronze trays, brimming with rose petals,

red or yellow pigments and rice be daily offered.

Legend tells that the Katmandu valley was originally a

beautiful lake with a floating lotus flower emanating magic

Nepal

The Ganesha Toy

Title

THE GANESHATOY

Author

Roco Borobia

It represents the whole of Katmandu

in a toy for Ganesha, its god.

Technique

Acid engraving. Enameled background.

Velatura painted textured enamels.

Enamels and metals in relief.

"He who does not understand a regard, will neither understand a long explanation."

Anonymous proverb.

white light. On seeing such beauty, the Chinese patriarch

Manjushri decided to cut the wall enclosing the valley with

his sword to drain the lake and let the flower stand on the

floor. The patriarch built the Swayambhunath stupa and a

small wooden village named Manjupatan, in the very sameplace where the lotus posed itself. The astonishing beauty

and symbolism of the stuparepresents the thirteen levels of

wisdom, and it is devoted to Buddhas relics. The eyes

regarding the four cardinal points of the universe appear

half-open as a sign of the deep meditation practiced by the

master.

Women highly venerate the Maru Ganesha temple, elephant

shaped god of prosperity. Harvesting is one of its most

impressive rituals, in which people immerse in water gigantic

figures of the deity to assure the yearly beneficial yield.

Because of the prosperity he brings, Ganesha is one of the

most popular gods of Hinduism.

Another place full of energy and mystery is the Hanuman

palace, sacred temple in which the living goddess Kumari

lives. She is a girl selected for her bravery when five years

old, her body must be perfect and satisfy the thirty-two signs

or specific and distinctive marks. The girls is kept secludedin the palace to puberty, without having more contact with

the outer world than her balcony, from where she lets herself

be seen to be revered as a goddess; she only abandons the

palace to attend the various Katmandu festivals, sitting high

over a small throne. A select group of men looks after

Kumari while she remains in the palace until the date a new

living goddess is selected.


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TitleMADRASAH

AuthorPatricia Montalvo

Inspired in the dcor of theMadrasah de Amir Sunqr SadiShaykh Hasan Sadaqah dome.

TechniqueAcid engraving. Marbledbackground. Brushed painting.Gold, lusters, relief goldand enamels.

Jordan

Madrasah

Talking about the history of a religion is the same as making

a long, discreet and silent trip inside our spirit to recognize

that our own existence always tries to transcend in a

dimension that goes beyond our worldly life. Human beings

are religions thanks to our having learnt to look for the

sacred beyond the visible. Every culture has developed its

religious identity encouraging their faithful to concentrate on

something of their own, unique and peculiar to learn what is

divine.

The beginning of the Islam dates back to 570-632 AD, when

the life of an Arab merchant changed the history of the world

by his divine revelations. The prophet Mohammed received

divine signals for twenty-one years, whenever he retreated

to pray in a cave in the outskirts of the Mecca. Gods

message was simple: to confirm the existence of a unique

god, the same for Jews and Christians, that taught men to

be honest, fair and humble. Some time after, these

teachings were compiled in a book that received the name

of Quran (recitation".) Since most believers did not know

how to read, teachings were transmitted in a public reading

in which poems from the suras ("chapters") were recited.Without this endeavor contained in the sacred book, the

Islamic religion would be deprived of meaning and loose all

its value.

The name "Islam" literally means, "deliver to God" and

Moslem is everybody who completely submits life to Gods

will, the meaning of prostration during the salat or prayer.

When the believer touches the floor with his head in

reverence, he accepts that human beings must leave

arrogance and pride aside to be humble and remember,

above everything, that we are nothing in front of God and

that we must relate with justice, equity and compassion.

"Please, do not begin to teach the blind

until you have practiced to live with your eyes clos

Mohammed, The Prophet.


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TitleTURQUISH MOSQUES

AuthorRoco Borobia

Inspired in the portal of the Ul CamiMosque in Divrin, Turkey.It represents the mysticism of prayercoupled with oil lamps illumination inthe mosques vaulted ceilings.

TechniqueAcid engraving. Marbled painting.Enamels. Gold, silver, bronze and copper.

Turkey

Turkish Mosques

During thousands of years, for being the door where the

threshold of East to West is crossed, Turkey has been a

civilization crossroads and a coveted place. He who knows

Turkey will never forget the charm its spicy odor produces,

its magical landscape, its marvelous mosques that so invite

to prayer. Its majestic beauty has witnessed passionate

chapters in the history of the Christian and Muslim worlds.

Strong psychic currents that have an impact on human

conscience were generated in their ramparts, lifting to other

dimension that feeling of love to God professed by both

religions.

The most imposing of all the mosques is that of Santa

Sophia, consecrated to divine wisdom and considered one

of the masterpieces of humanity in the history of

architecture, unique in the world for having served both

Christ and Allah for 1,400 years, fusing in one monument

the talent and sensitivity of Christian and Muslim artists and

artisans. The first part was built by Constantine III in the

year 325 and rebuilt by Justinian in 532; it was the largest

temple in the Christian world up to that time. It is said that

on seeing it, Justinian raised his arms to God and said,

"Glory be to God who made me worthy of building something

so huge. Oh, Salomon, I have overcome you!" Ornamented

with 16,000 square meters of glass and gold mosaics, with

frescoes of religious images and thousands of oil lamps that

increased their splendor, Saint Sophia was looted and taken

by the ottoman Turks during the conquest of Constantinople

in 1453, that same day transformed into a mosque to praise

God in the name of Allah. The transformation into mosque

was most rapidly made because the original building was

respected. Space was made even richer by raising the

minarets, the mihrab, indicating the orientation of the

Mecca, and the mimbar or pulpit from where the Imam

guides prayer.

One hundred years later, Suleiman the Magnificent made

the most beautiful and big mosque in Istanbul, named after

him, and dominating the Horn of Gold with its beauty. Its

solemn interior is decorated with 138 openings covered with

fascinating stained-glass windows that impart a unique

beauty to it. The Blue Mosque with six minarets was raisedin front of Saint Sophie as a rival in beauty. In the XIV

century, the famous Grand mosque or Ulu Cami was built in

Bursa, and its singularity is due to twenty small cupolas that

render it unmistakable; among its most beautiful decorative

elements are the elaborate portal and the Mihrab.

"The only thing needed is divine light."

Molire

192 The Magic of Cultures


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Aztec

Love Eclipse"Love is not only a feeling. It is also an art."

Honor de Balzac

In the ancient indigenous world, Aztec art stands out for its

stone sculptures, material used for superb sculptures

conceptually associated to an image. The most important

group is that of the colossal sculptures made to decorate

temples and palaces, usually religious character

manifestations. Associated in general to an element ofnature or to mythic character actions, with scenes of gods or

kings, sculpted in heavy stone blocks like the Sun Stone or

Aztec Calendar, and the impressive Coyolxauhqui, patron

goddess of the moon and Huitzilopochtlis sister.

The image of Tonatiuh, the Sun God appears in the center of

The Sun Stone; it is a solar calendar showing signs and

components related to the passing of time. The design for

this monolith consists of a central image surrounded by five

concentric circles. Elements conforming symbolic calendar

connotations appear in each circular band.

Title

LOVE ECLIPSE

Author

Olga Gonzlez Junquera

Represents love between the sun and the moon.

Inspired in the Aztec Calendar or Sun Stone and the goddess Coyolxauhqui,

National Anthropology and History Museum and

Major Temple Museum. Mexico City.

Technique

Engraved with acid and by glass detachment.

Textured enamel painted in velaturas.

Agate burnished gold.

Since its discovery in 1790, the twenty-five-ton monolith,

commonly known as the Aztec Calendar, has been

particularly admired for its complex and unique circular time

measuring. Antonio Len y Gama made the first formal

study in 1792, and from then on, countless studies and

theories appeared as to its use and symbolic content. It was

questioned if the position of the monolith should be

horizontal or vertical; now it is known that it must be

horizontal, as that of many other monoliths of the time.

Several proposals on numeral values for each relief element

have been offered, so thanks to several complex

mathematical calculations, it is now known that the monolith

is the outcome of intricate calendar computing.

In the famous stone Coyolxauhqui, the moon goddess

appears as a wounded but radiant moon facing the sun in

one of the most impressive pieces of indigenous art, long

lasting love eclipse, and then she comes out of the depths

of earth in 1978. The surface of this twenty-ton dramatic

monolith, expresses the bloody fact that her brother

Huitzilopochtli had killed her. In the central part, its

impressive design shows the dismembered goddess torso,

bleeding, wearing only a belt tied in the shape of a double

snake. This accidental finding facilitated the start of formal

diggings at the Major Tenochtitlan Temple, one of the mostremarkable urban archaeological projects in Mexico.

212 The Magic of Cultures


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separated them in two groups (pumpkin and turquoise) and

each ruled for half a year.

Shamans invoked the divine presence of kachina spiritsusing metaphysics and mind power so they could return

every year to provide peace, health and harmony to the Hopi

community. Masked dancers represented them when they

returned, and they danced softly and rhythmically as Nature

does; the dance strengthened their beliefs in a unified plant

and animal world. The snake dance is a spectacular ritual

performed by dancers from the snake and deer

brotherhoods. It is divided in several stages that include

fasting, altar preparation, and four days devoted to capturing

fifty or sixty reptiles. On the sixteenth day, each participant

holds a snake in his teeth while dancing and the next day

snakes are returned to nature so they can cast the news that

the Hopi live in harmony with the natural and spiritual worlds.

Spiritual healing is an extraordinary physical phenomenon,

encompassing all positive energies gathered to change

malfunctioning body conditions. The soul can be healed

using positive energy, and even heal violence distressing theworld.

North American Tribes

Healing Ritual"Let us live in peace and harmony, so we can

uphold the balance of Earth and all life forms.

We attain it only through prayer and meditation.".

Hopi song.

Title

HEALING RITUAL

Author

Mara del Carmen Sardina

de Lecumberri.

Inspired in engravings

that show spiritual healing

rituals in the Hopi tribesvillages.

Technique

Enamel painted in velatura.

Enameled contours.

The first calendar the North American Indians had, according

to historians, was a turtle shell. Natives observed that a

season repeated itself every thirteen moons, so they named

Medicine Wheel all turtles with thirteen circles in theirshells.

There are multiple documents telling of native medicine

efficiency for healing illnesses and wounds. In their healing

rituals, Hopi communities combined metaphysics with

elements of nature as roots, plants and animal parts. Their

creed dictated that the soul had to heal first.

In Hopi mythology, the kachinaspirits guided men from the

underground world to light, through a hollow cane deeply

introduced into a raccoon-dig hole. The kachinaguided the

Hopis in their ceremonies and gave them the needed power

to heal soul diseases. They did not admit any form of

violence, because if anybody raised a hand with intention to

damage, that person attacked the natural order of the

universe. To avoid confrontations or struggles, spirits

254 Mag ic o f Cu ltures

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