THE MAYAX CIVILIZATION 87 



Dragon thai bears symbols of the planets. Over all is 

 Been the great Serpent Bird with outstretched wings. 

 Upon the throne is seated a human being who may 

 safely be called a king and a lino of footprints on the 



front o( the throne may symbolize ascent. On other 

 monuments the commanding personage wears the 4 mask 

 of a god and wields a club to subdue or scatters grain to 

 placate. On the great majority of monuments the 

 human beings, richly attired in ceremonial regalia and 

 carrying a variety of objects, possibly present the great 

 warriors and priests of the day. Many of the early 

 sculptures are stiff and formal, but in a number of in- 

 stances the quality of actual portraiture is convincing. 



Design, Composition and Perspective. It is 



difficult to compare directly the graphic and plastic 

 arts of different nations where the subject matter is 

 diverse unless we compare them in accordance with 

 absolute 4 principles of design, composition, and perspec- 

 tive drawing. The Mayas produced one of the few 

 really great and coherent expressions of beauty so far 

 given to the world and their influence in America was 

 historically as important as was that of the Greeks 

 in Europe. Set as we are in the matrix of our own 

 religious and artistic conventions, we find it difficult to 

 approach sympathetically beauty that is overcast with 

 an incomprehensible religion. When we can bring our- 

 selves to feel the serpent symbolism of the Mayan 

 artists as we feel, for instance, the conventional halo 

 that crowns the ideal head of Christ, then we shall be 

 able to recognize the truly emotional qualities of Mayan 

 sculptures. 



It i- generally recognized that design to be successful 

 must contain order of various soils (in measurements, 

 shapes, directions, tone-, colors, etc.). In the simpler 

 form- of decorative art the restrictions of technical 



