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Article: Discovering new old culture: Olmec art reveals little-known ancient society.(Arts)(Sculpture)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- June 30, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Entering the National Gallery of Art's exhibition "Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico," opening today in the East Building, is like visiting a cathedral or looking at a perfectly painted work of art.
A sense of awe and mystery envelopes this exhibit, due at least in part to the sheer size of the ancient giant heads excavated at San Lorenzo and La Venta. One of the former, "San Lorenzo Monument 61 - Colossal Head 8," the first sculpture to greet the exhibit visitor, dates from around 1200 to 900 B.C. It weighs about 10 tons and stands about 7 feet high, 5 1/2 feet wide and more than 5 feet deep.
But there is more to the show than the effect of size: It is the ...