Watercolour paintings of Maya monuments
in Mexico and Central America
by Nigel Hughes
These are a record by Nigel Hughes of 40 Maya structures and sculptures in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras, with a map, so 41 in all. The works were produced from drawings, studies and measurements made at the sites in 1982 and 1984. They cover the wide range of architectural styles found in the Classic and Postclassic periods of Maya culture. The artist first visited the area in 1970 and the last picture was finished in 1986.
In undertaking the work, the artist was aware of an illustrious predecessor, Frederick Catherwood, who produced splendid drawings from his travels in the area with John Lloyd Stephens from 1839. Although his work was reproduced by lithography, the originals were destroyed by fire later in the 19th century. Nearly 150 years apart, both Catherwood and Hughes attended the Royal Academy Schools in London.
The first exhibition of Nigel Hughes's Maya Monuments was at the National Arts Club in New York in 1987, under the curatorship of Dr Mary Miller (author of THE ART OF MESOAMERICA - Thames & Hudson 1986). The freight and travel sponsor was Aer Lingus. In 1988 they were shown for 2 months at the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City, under the aegis of the British Council and the Mexican Secretariat of Education. The sponsor was KLM-Royal Dutch Airline. In Britain they were shown at Winchester College in 1991, and in July 2000 at Canning House, 2 Belgrave Square, London.
In Mexico particularly, there was a favourable press reception, commentaries including a great deal in support of conservation measures, of the tropical forest environment as well as of the ancient structures. The International Biosphere Reserve of Calakmul was declared by the President in 1989, that having been most forcibly advocated in some of the press notices.
The pictures have been reproduced in a book, MAYA MONUMENTS by Nigel Hughes, published by Antique Collectors’Club of Woodbridge, England, and New York.
The paintings are for sale, preferably as one lot (considering how much it comes to be regretted when sets of this kind are dispersed). Transparencies exist of all the works, but, apart from inspecting the pictures themselves, the best way of seeing them is in the book, which reproduces all of them in colour. All are framed, behind glass, using conservation-quality backing boards and mounts (called mats in the USA). Sight sizes of the actual pictures are shown on the attached list of titles.
Images of selected watercolours from the series are available on this web site, as well as titles for the whole series. Click here for the preview page. For details on the book, click here.
You can email me (nrhughes@btinternet.com) if you wish to contact me regarding the Maya paintings or the watercolour book, forthcoming exhibitions or anything else.
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