Eagles are impressive beings. You might even say that they’re the kings of the skies, and with reason. They are powerful predators, with majestic wings and feathers. They make their nests high in the mountains, far away from land animals and men, and from where they can see their territory and look at their prey. Their eyesight, powerful talons, and ability to soar high have made them creatures of worship and admiration by men for centuries.
It’s isn’t a wonder that many cultures, both modern and ancient have chosen the eagle to represent them. In the United States of America, for example, there are eagle drawings that represent the country itself. Some of these eagle drawings used to include a bear, to represent the struggle between the United States and the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics during the cold war. Other eagle drawings show the eagle dressed with the clothes that Uncle Sam wears, most importantly a top hat with stars and stripes. Yet other types of eagle drawings depict an eagle standing in front of an American flag. In this situation, the eagle is used to represent the country’s vision and power.
However, it isn’t the only country that has linked itself to the eagle. In Mexican culture, the eagle is also an important element. Old Aztec eagle drawings show men dressed in costumes that represent eagles. They believed that dressing in eagle attire will give their warriors and hunters the powers of the eagle, such as agility, ferocity, and power.
Other Aztec eagle drawings depict the very start of Aztec and Mexican culture. In this type of eagle drawings, the Aztec’s ancestors were told by their god to look for a place to establish their civilization. Much like Moses and the Jews, these ancient Aztecs wandered through the land in search of the sign foretold by their god. The sign in question was an eagle on top of a nopal (a type of Mexican cactus) eating a serpent. They eventually found it in what is called today the Valley of Mexico and founded Tenochtitlan, which became Mexico City with the centuries. Whether this event really happened or not, it’s an important part of Mexican culture. So important that eagle drawings depicting this sign have become the coat of arms of all Mexican flags.
In addition, several other kingdoms and cultures have adopted the eagle as its symbol. For example, many of the provinces of Spain feature it in their coats of arms or flags.
Drawing is an activity that has been a part of human culture for many centuries. Even pre historic men engaged in that activity, and it has always been considered as one of the main cultural expressions there are.
Drawing started on cavern walls, and it depicted life in those times. Hunting and surviving were common themes back then and drawing materials were simple, consisting of a mixture of vegetable liquids applied by hand or rudimentary instruments. Some of these murals have survived to this day, and they’ve been a great help in understanding how man lived and survived back then.
As time advanced, drawing became a religious and political icon. Priests and leaders used it to represent ideas, concepts, and power. Special drawings were made in people’s clothes to identify them with an organization or religion. And even within those, different drawings would symbolize a different status class or level.
Some of these powerful icons survive to this day, like the star of David, the moon and the star, and the Christian cross. It’s remarkable how a few traces can hold so much history and meaning and create the most passionate reactions, both in favor and against.
Nowadays, drawing is still part of our culture. However, as with most things in human life, technology has substituted a lot of human hand tasks.
Great movies like Shrek and Monsters Inc. are done with computer animation, replacing frame by frame drawing techniques. In this way, not only a single person can create as many drawings as a team would in the past, but it also lets him or her to use applied math in order to keep the diverse elements in the drawings at scale, as well as to rotate the image or picture it from any angle.
In addition, he or she can also zoom in and out, according to the specific needs of the film or cartoon that is being made. This allows for a much bigger versatility, as directors and writers have a wider range of options for filming. Moreover, since each detail has to be entered in the computer only once, much more details can be inserted in an image, and they can even be given properties. For example, a hair in a drawing can be programmed to move and fall, whereas a horn is programmed to stay still. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. Drawing and technology are sure to prepare us some surprises in the future.
