Michelle Stuart. Nazca Lines Star Chart. Nazca Lines Southern Hemisphere Constellation Chart Correlation. 1981-82. Earth from Nazca, Peru, rubbed on paper, 10' 1/4" x 14' 1/2" (305.3 x 428 cm) and 17 x 22" (43.2 x 55.9 cm). Gift of William S. Paley. © 2013 Michelle Stuart
This is one of a series of works Stuart made using earth from Nazca, Peru. Nazca is an enigmatic archeological site where, between 500 b.c. and 500 a.d., lines depicting living creatures, stylized plants, imaginary beings, and geometric figures—hundreds of feet long—were scratched into the land. This work features similar lines in the main panel (drawn by rubbing the Peruvian earth on paper), juxtaposed with a star chart of the area and another drawing by the artist on the smaller panel. Related to the work of other Land artists working in the 1960s, Stuart’s process involves direct contact with and intervention in the natural environment, juxtaposing natural and human formations. Her choice of essential substances (such as earth pigments) and an ethereal subject (the linear paths of the stars) indicate a concern for natural history and the systems governing nature.