Knights to the Rescue - El Comercio de Colorado

Pictures/El Comercio de Colorado

“AGE OF ARMOR” AT THE DAM

Jesus Sanchez Alvarez/ El Comercio de Colorado

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We have all seen images of knights and armor. But would you like to learn more about them? Well, the new exhibit at the Denver Museum of Art can provide you with this opportunity with their new showing Age of Armor: Treasures from the Higgins Collection at the Worcester Art Museum. This exhibit is a great way to spend the afternoon with family, as its contents have something for all ages.

Younger kids will find this exhibit to quench their thirst for fantasy-type imagery, as much of our media culture today is inspired by knighthood. The exhibit also features interactive components, such as the chance to slip your hand through armor gauntlets. The armors on display are sure to attract younger children through their sheer complexity and size.

Knights to the Rescue Las armaduras que desatan nuestra imaginación

With a lot of value

Although the visual appeal of armor is undeniable, the exhibit goes beyond that to explore armor from a practical, historical, artistic, moral, and socioeconomic perspective. One of the diagrams in this exhibit touches on the function of each piece of armor in a concise manner.

The exhibit also goes beyond the practical to provide wonderful examples of beautifully decorated armor and how previous historical styles influenced them. In delving into intricately ornamented armor, visitors will learn about how armor evolved beyond the battlefield to become vessels of artistry. Lastly, the exhibit addresses what sorts of individuals became knights in this bygone era.

Memorable shows

I personally found this exhibit to be revelatory. For one, it shows us how the place of art has changed compared to our day and age, as this exhibit shows us how even functional items such as armor carried pictorial elements such as flowers, plants, humans, and animals. Due to the industrial revolution, these sorts of figurative designs have taken a back seat in our present-day aesthetics.

I find fascinating the effect that pictorial elements create in these armors, such as in the Close Helmet for the Foot Tourney, which combines the firmness of the metal of the armor with the delicateness of plant decorations. This exhibit truly creates a yearning for the past and was definitely one of the most memorable I have attended at the DAM.