International Art Dealer Sunil Vilas exclusive interview’s Herminia Haro Guzman, Peruvian artist

It gives me great pleasure to introduce our next guest to our VIP Lounge from the continent of South America – Peru

Herminia Haro Guzman

For many years I have been fascinated by the stories from one of the greatest civilizations in the World – The INCA. In today’s conversation, we will follow the period before and after The Incas. As I believe there is a strong connection with the development of arts and culture of the Peruvian people of today.

We should, as a group, explore this and look into other possibilities of finding the connections of the hidden secret of one of the greatest civilizations in the World.

I am joined today by my next guest, Peruvian artist Herminia Haro Guzman; she will talk about the finest works of Peruvian pottery, which continue to be passed through generations of families and tribes in Peru.

The tradition of ceramic artefacts produce many years ago continues to be a skill that has found its place in today’s modern world.

Q1.  Sunil – Welcome, Herminia, to our exclusive interview with International artists from around the World. Today, we talk about the connection between the INCA civilization and Peruvian pottery art. And my first question is to explore which period from your traditional cultures do you believe influenced your work the most?

Herminia –  Well! Sunil,  it is difficult to choose just one.

The Peruvian traditional ceramic I like the most are from Mochica Culture (Early Intermediate),

Huari Culture (Middle Horizon),

Chancay Culture (Late Intermediate)
From Mochica Culture, I love their work’s realism and sculptural presentation, which let us know how their life was.
From Huari Pottery, I rescue the use of symbolism in their geometrical designs, the representation of fauns in their modelling and the use of earth colours.

From Chancay Pottery, I love the simplicity in their lines and designs that express the peaceful environment where they lived. To me, their ceramic – seen from now – is kind of Avant-garde.

If something defines my work is the open spaces I use in my designs, that’s an influence of stirrup holders of most Peruvian traditional pottery.

Sunil, I see you have been influenced by the best of all the different periods for what they represented as part of your cultural development. Through your work, we are witnessing a living example of the quality of refined work for which Peruvian pottery art was once renowned.

I am delighted to be able to see the collection, and I must emphasise how important your work will play in influencing ceramic artists in both South America and new emerging artists over here in the West.

Peruvian pottery has a rich cultural history dating back thousands of years and is essential to the country’s artistic and cultural heritage. The intricate designs and techniques used in Peruvian pottery reflect the diverse and complex cultures that have inhabited the region over time.

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in traditional crafts and handmade objects, and Peruvian pottery has gained attention from collectors, designers, and consumers worldwide. This renewed interest in handmade things and traditional techniques have also led to a greater appreciation of Peruvian pottery’s cultural significance and value.

In addition to its cultural and artistic value, Peruvian pottery also has the potential to support local economies and communities. Many pottery workshops and studios are small, family owned businesses and the production and sale of pottery can provide a source of income for artisans and their families, as well as a means of supporting local communities and economies.

Q2.   Sunil – Is the tradition of ceramic pottery still important in your culture?

Herminia  – No!  Sunil,  unfortunately, the tradition of ceramic pottery hasn’t had the importance it had in the past. After the invasion of the Spanish conquistadors more than 500 years ago, original cultures were avoided, and gradually almost all that knowledge vanished. Only a few small towns persisted in doing pottery. Maybe their geographical situation and difficulty of access were to be blamed for this.

Q3.   Sunil  – Is ceramic pottery art taught to school children as part of your cultural development?

Herminia – No!, Again,  Sunil, it’s a shame, but traditional cultural history is not been taught in the schools as a part of the course on Peruvian History. Their knowledge is not used in Peru. The few towns that still make pottery don’t use the same techniques as traditional cultures did.

Q4.    Sunil  – Do you believe Peruvian pottery has a role to play in the future?

Herminia  –  Sunil, of course, Peruvian pottery reached a high level in design and beauty and deserves to be known by the world. The artist must be aware of it as well as they’re aware of antique world cultures.

Being an inspiration to contemporary creativity would be an important role Peruvian pottery would reach.

Peruvian pottery is known for its unique designs, intricate patterns, and high craftsmanship. It has a long and rich history that has been passed down through generations of skilled artisans.

The traditional techniques used in Peruvian pottery, such as coil and pinch methods, can be seen as an inspiration for contemporary potters interested in exploring conventional methods of pottery making. Additionally, Peruvian pottery can inspire new forms and styles that reflect the fusion of traditional and modern influences, adding to the diversity of the global pottery tradition.

Moreover, as consumers increasingly seek handmade, artisanal products that are environmentally sustainable and ethically produced, Peruvian pottery can provide a model for potters to incorporate such practices into their work. By embracing traditional techniques and using locally sourced materials, potters can create culturally rich and environmentally sustainable objects, contributing to the pottery industry’s sustainability as a whole.

Sunil –  I am in strong agreement with the cross roles that Peruvian pottery as artefacts and designs can play its part over here in the  West, including the new emerging markets of Dubai,  India and China.

Q5.   Sunil  –  Could you describe yourself in three words and one to be a colour?

Herminia  – I am happy to firstly be sensible,  loyal, and blue.

This is what describes your personality and characteristics about yourself that people close and good friends find in you.

Blue is the colour of the Virgin Mary and is associated with women who have similar pure qualities

Blue usually indicates femininity, life, purity, etc., just as water does.

Blue symbolize Peace, calm, stability, security, loyalty, trustworthiness, confidence, conservatism, cleanliness and very orderly.

Q6.    Sunil –  If you had the opportunity to play a major role in the development of Peruvian pottery art.

What would you like to do to make a big change that we can influence involving Globalization ICAS?

Herminia –  Firstly, if we could help where possible to help in recognising the tradition of Peruvian pottery to be high level and its promotion to the world as well.

In fact,  this issue must be a Peruvian government’s politics. Maybe we,  the member of Globalization ICAS, could take this challenge together as an organization that represents the interest in all arts work towards the rescue from the forgetfulness of the Art of ancient cultures like to Peruvian one, promoting them with our own work.

Just one of the possibilities is to help raise Peruvian pottery as working together, we could affect change.

Sunil –  Herminia, our interview today will send a strong message around the globe. You have my complete support to do all that is possible to influence the changes in the International Art market to make plans for both Peruvian pottery Art and ceramic collectors to realize the importance and the true values that, in their own right, it deserves. I believe over time become priceless works of Art.

Our immediate plans are to start working with dedicated members, including Museums, Institutions, and galleries in Peru and here in the West, to play a role to make this dream a reality to safeguard the future and develop the demand for Peruvian pottery art.

I take this opportunity to wish you great success with your own ceramic pottery collection.

CELEBRATION OF  THE  WORLD  OF   PERUVIAN  CERAMIC   COVERING  THE  INCA  CULTURE

Peruvian pottery dates back to the Inca civilization and its rich cultural heritage. The Incas were highly skilled and artistic, and their pottery is considered some of the most beautiful and intricate in the world.

One of the most notable features of Inca pottery is its incredible attention to detail. And the use of intricate geometric designs with colourful patterns that are beautiful and meaningful. Inca pottery was often used for religious and ceremonial purposes and served to honour the gods and ancestors. The other uses were for more practical purposes, such as cooking and storing food and water. The Incas were skilled at creating aesthetically pleasing, highly functional, and durable pottery.

Many Inca pottery pieces were created using traditional techniques passed down through generations. These techniques involved shaping the clay by hand, firing it in kilns, and decorating it with paints and dyes made from natural materials.

Today, Peruvian pottery remains an integral part of the country’s cultural heritage, and many traditional techniques are incorporated to create beautiful and unique pieces. By studying Inca pottery, we can gain a deeper understanding of this fascinating civilization and the rich cultural traditions through the ages.

 The oldest pre-Inca culture in Peru (1500 BC. – 300 BC.), they inhabited the Andean basin of the MarañónRiver and the “Callejón de Huaylas”. Its main cultural centre was “Chavín de Huántar”.It was a wandering nation of great cultural and religious influence in other contemporary cultures of the coast and mountain; its influence area reached from Tumbes to the north, Nazca to the south, and the wild area to the east.

In the early age of this culture, it was a wandering town of hunters and collectors. It became urban with the development of agriculture, cattle raising, metallurgy and an incipient textile technique. It was a town of religious and warrior organizations.

Their ceramic is frequently in a globular shape, worked by hand with very fine clay. Defined shape, right necks and handles like stirrups. They used the black and grey colour, outstanding decorations with incisions and figures in relief, in which the permanent presence of drawings of a deity in feline form with bird claws; was of inferior technique in comparison to other Peruvian cultures.

The search for primary Peruvian ceramics came from the coast from 1800 to 1300 BC. Their use was not only for utilitarian purposes but for rituals and funeral exercises.

Refined shapes and styles were developed in ceramic, totally different from the antique world, achieving a high artistic level. Different hand-made methods were used, such as modelling, pallet, and moulds, and the decoration was based on mineral and vegetable pigments.

The principal cultures of Ancient Peru that developed ceramic were from:

EARLY HORIZON

The Chavin culture was a civilization that developed in the Andes of the North of the coast of Peru between the years 900 BC to 200 BC. The Chavin culture was developed in the formative stage of the history of Peru and belongs to the cultures of the first Cultural horizon from the south coast – Paracas.

CHAVIN CULTURE  – The representation of the Jaguar is one of the principal characteristics in their designs as well as its sculptural and narrative tendency and its chromatic sobriety.

PARACAS CULTURE  – This ceramic was more singular, with a variety of modelled shapes and was well-recognized for its polychronic.

EARLY INTERMEDIATE

From 200 to 700 AC. This period is considered the most creative of the Pre-Columbian world because of the variety of styles and great techniques in ceramic as well as in textiles and metallurgy. The principal cultures that belong to this period are:

MOCHICA CULTURE –  From the septentrional coast of Peru, this culture inherited the Cupisnique tradition on pottery, based on globular bodies crowned with stirrup holders. The predominant colours were ochre, red and yellow-white and developed complex, mythological fantastic figures. The cleanness of their trace allows easy reading of the represented scenes.

In terms of evolution, we must say that in early phases, the sculptural ceramic dominated, but at the end of its development, a more colourful tendency is evident.

VICUS CULTURE

– Localized in the extreme north of Peru. They share stylistic strokes with Ecuadorian cultures. Characteristics of this culture are the double-body pottery, usually joined with a bridge holder, and its rudimentary appearance.

NAZCA CULTURE  – From the southern coast of Peru, they inherited the Paracas tradition and reaffirmed local tendencies developing a high level of polychrome. Then, in the intermediate phases, their characteristic style was known for the variety of symbolic elements like head awards and fantastic figures. As the final of its development, their motives turned more abstract and difficult to identify.

MIDDLE HORIZON

From 700 to 1100 AC. Its origin is from Ayacucho, and it’s defined as the Huari Culture.

HUARI CULTURE  –  Inherited Nazca and Tiahuanaco tradition. Their ceramic kept the geometrical tendency combined with a vivid polychrome.  The influence of this culture covered all Peruvian territory during its hegemony. Along with the disintegration of Huari, all different regions came back to their respective artistic patterns integrating into their way elements of this important culture.

LATE INTERMEDIATE

From 1100 to 1400 AC. During this period, regional styles became more evident. The most representative were :

. From the northern coast: Chimu Culture

. From the central coast: Chancay Culture

. From the southern coast: Ica – Chincha Culture.

These kingdoms and confederations were conquered by the Incas in the XV century when they ended.

CHIMU CULTURE  –  The ceramic of this culture was essentially sculptural with the predominance of black colour on their fine polished pieces, most of them crowned with stirrup holders. The capital of Chimu was Chan–Chan in the actual Trujillo city, considered the centre of the last great kingdom that proceeded the conquer by the Incas.

 CHANCAY CULTURE  –  From the north of Lima city, their production registered a variety of shapes in pottery with religious themes and representation of faun and flora in the designs as well as black decorations over white painted pottery.

ICA – CHINCHA CULTURE  –  Well known for its fine polychrome ceramic. The simple shapes of their designs had a geometrical character with a singular order in the patterns combining a sober scale of colours.

LATE HORIZON

From 1400 to 1532 AC. Defined by Inca Culture.

INCA CULTURE  –  At the beginning of the XV century, the Inca kingdom from Cuzco defeated their neighbours. Then the military conquer of all Andean territory began, constituting the great Tahuantinsuyo Empire.

Their ceramic had a limited repertory of shapes but was decorated with naturalistic stylized designs with geometrical predominance. The most known piece of this period is the Aribalo, a big pot of severe design and sober decoration.

I would like to thank you, Herminia, for all the help you provided in researching material that we are able to share today!!!

BIOGRAPHY

Herminia Haro was born in the northern city of Trujillo, Perú and started drawing in her early childhood – mostly in Primary School.

After completing High School, she moved to Lima to study a career in Finance and accountancy. During her first year of University study, she realized it wasn’t for her. Instead of this, she graduated as she’d promised to her parents. Soon she alternated office work with the study and practice of ceramics, drawing and painting.

While learning ceramic, her admiration for Peruvian Traditional Pottery increased exponentially; singular lines and designs of most of the cultures captured her and became a constant inspiration to her work.

She quit her office job in 2001 in order to take care of the health of her child but continued doing ceramics and painting.  Art became inherent to her daily life. She persevered and never look back.

STUDYING

–         Mokichi Okada Foundation (MOA), Ceramics – Graduated

–         Art Museum of Lima (MALI), Integral Art Course – Graduated

–         Diverse   Ateliers.

COLLECTIVE CERAMIC EXPOSITIONS :

–        Mokichi Okada Foundation, 1995 and 1996

–        Peruvian Italian Cultural Institute, 1996

–        Cultural Center of CatholicUniversity of Perú

Theme: “Water, Earth and Fire”, May 1997

–        Exposition Salon at PuebloLibreMunicipality of Lima

Theme: “Simply Forms”, 2000.

COLLECTIVE  PAINTING EXPOSITIONS :

–        Art Gallery of  Banco de Comercio Foundation of Lima

Theme: “Revelations”, June 1998

–        Art Gallery of  Banco de Comercio Foundation of Lima

Theme: “Ingenuous Moments”, April 1999.

–        Exposition Salon at PuebloLibreMunicipality of Lima

Theme: “Remembers” 2000.

RECOGNITIONS :

–        First Honorable Mention at  “1^st Artcraft Peruvian Design National Contest”, 2004

–        Finalist at “LXXVIII La Rambla Ceramic Contest” – Cordoba, Spain

Issue: “Design and new forms in Ceramic”, 2008.

Related articles

LINK TO OUR STORY

• Peruvian museums are spread out all over the country. TheMuseo de Arte de Lima

http://www.mali.pe/historia.php#1

• After two years of building the collection, the National Museum of Peru was finally opened in 1990

http://www.limaeasy.com/

• The Lima Art Museum – MALI – LimaEasy

http://www.limaeasy.com/culture-guide/museums-lima/the-lima-art-museum-mali

• The Incan Empire was the largest empire of pre-Columbian America and, in modern times

http://www.donquijote.org/culture/peru/history/inca-empire

• Culture of Peru | Discover Peru

http://www.discover-peru.org/culture-peru/

Our interview continues with feedback from fellow members of Globalization ICAS

Vered Terry • Israel

OUR HERMINIA !!!!!

Herminia Haro •  Peru

Thank you so much, Sunil, for giving me the opportunity to show my work and let the world know more about Peruvian ancient pottery.

Thank you, dear fellow members, for your kind words.
Ranjan, glad to hear you’re interested in other Peruvian Arts. I’ll do my best to let you all know.

Sunil Vilas •      England  UK  –

Good morning Nikolas and Herminia. It is wonderful to discover the connection that existed between the two civilizations and the similarities between art and cultural development.
Perhaps a question to Nikolas is whether ceramic pottery is still important in Greece?
Another question to Herminia not long ago, I interviewed Shiho Kanzaki Japanese ceramic potter where pottery was a symbol of the Japanese people. Their pottery provided many functions to develop their culture and tradition and still continues to play an important role today.
Do you believe this may be also the answer to reviving and developing ceramic pottery within the Peruvian people?

                

Sunil Vilas

Founder

Good morning to all our GICAS members around the Globe… Welcome to our creative lounge, a doorway to escape to another WORLD OF ART ..,
Enjoy and experience first-hand as we go back in time to one of the Greatest Civilization The INCA Period

 

Herminia Haro

Independiente at Taller propio

Thank you, Sunil, for posting this interview and for to invite to take a look at the Great Ancient Peruvian Civilization, Inca and Preinca. It’d be interesting to know wich period the majority likes the most.

Sunil Vilas

Founder

Good morning to all our members around the Globe, hope you had a restful weekend… Yes!! Herminia, all our interviews are special in their own way to bring forward ART from every sector. Same time, share and involve our GICAS members to exchange their culture that is rooted also in their ART.

It’s a lovely gesture for our members to get to know about WORLD ART.., perhaps once again going through our interview to appreciate the different forms, shapes and colours that changed through the period. As Herminia suggested, which period would you select as being the BEST.., GT ancient Peruvian, or INCA or PreINCA? We could add further discussion on the range that you select..,

So lets us all participate in this mini census to get your views!!!

 

Pushkin E H

Artist, Writer at Freelance

A very beautiful and important presentation. Herminia’s decision to quit her management career and become an artist is successful now because her artistic creations are probably treasures to the art world. Herminia is too an excellent model to the new generation struggling to make better decisions about their professions. If we study Herminia ceramic works carefully, we can find those are not only creatively generated but also aesthetically ‘infused’ with the fabulous Peruvian tradition and culture. Mr Sunil’s splendid talk to Herminia about her life and art is too touched as excellent. Congratulations!

Sunil Vilas

Founder

Good morning to all our members around the Globe, hope you enjoying a fine lovely morning into Tuesday. Still, lots to do before the weekend!!!…,

Pushkin, welcome to our creative lounge. Thank you for your comments on Herminia… As I was born and grew up in Africa, I also understand the struggle Herminia has to go through to establish a name for herself plus receive true value for her ART. As members of Globalization ICAS, we all have a role to play to help anywhere possible to support and spread ART to the wider market. The main area that concerns me is Peruvian pottery should be taught and encouraged to the younger generation to better understand their culture & heritage. Working closely with members like Herminia, we hope we can help to develop a long-term program to reverse the problem.

Pushkin, if you could participate in a small census by answering which period of ceramic pottery you enjoyed the most, add your reasons for your decision… Thank you

Herminia Haro

Independiente at Taller propio

Thank you, Pushkin and Sunil, for your opinions about my work and the works my ancestors from ancient Peruvian cultures had given to the world.. Thank you both for lighting up my day.

 

 

Pushkin E H

Artist, Writer at Freelance

The existence of ‘ceramic art’ by our ancestor’s thousands of years ago is now a teeming artistic prospect. For example, the ‘Venus of Dolni Vestonice’, created Before 25,000 BCE by an unknown artist ‘, Pieza ceramica 1’ by Herminia Haro of Peru, is an amazing transfiguration of the history of ceramic art.

‘There is a long history of ceramic art in almost all developed cultures. Often, ceramic objects are all the artistic evidence left from vanished cultures, like that of the Nok in Africa over 2,000 years ago. The oldest ceramics known in the Americas — made from 5,000 to 6,000 years ago — are found in the Andean region, along the Pacific coast of Ecuador at Valdivia and Puerto Hormiga, and in the San Jacinto Valley of Colombia; objects from 3,800 to 4,000 years old have been discovered in Peru.

I like all ceramic art, especially by individual ‘creative/artists’ (rather than mass products by factories for decorative determinations). Introduce ‘Ceramic Evolution’ as a brilliant subject/activity to the existing and coming generations to understand the wonders our ancestors have created, possibly in hostile circumstances and limits, rather than wasting precious time and wealth for ‘marketed’ visual junks and devices. The world should be proud of Herminia Haro for her creativity and the long struggle for the well-being of Pottery and Ceramic Art.

Sunil Vilas

Founder Welcome back, Pushkin, to our creative lounge. Thank you for adding a broad historical reference to the exciting story of the World of Ceramic Art. With our advancement in computer technology, we are able to share knowledge as we do today!!! But things were different 3000 to 6000 years ago… While we can still trace the skills and creative artefacts of South America with ancient Egypt to across Europe with Roman & Greek empires to Prussian, Indian and finally, Chinese & Japanese dynasties all produce hand made pottery that today are all priceless works of Art..,

To follow our EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS with International art Dealer – SUNIL VILAS:

WE  WELCOME  ENQUIRY ABOUT HERMINIA HARO GUZMAN ‘S  CERAMICS;

INCLUDING  PRIVATE  &  CORPORATE  COMMISSION

contact: SUNIL VILAS

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