Voces y Visiones
A Traveling Exhibit of Latino Art
Currier Gallery
of Art, Manchester, NH
March 10 - June
26, 2006
An exhibit review by Patricia
L. Cummings, April 25, 2006
“Voces y Visiones” is a traveling exhibit from the permanent collection of El Museo del Barrio in Manhattan. The display features more than one hundred objects, some of which are discussed in this article.
Thematic Similarities
“La muerte cantando,” or “Death singing,” is a small line drawing of a skeleton playing a guitar. The piece was created by Mexican artist, José Guadalupe Posada, (1852-1913). In viewing the image, a stunningly beautiful quilt designed by Jonathan Shannon, “Los Amigos Muertos,” came to mind. One of the two skeletons in that quilt was sporting a guitar that looks unbelievably realistic. That quilt resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of the American Quilter's Society (MAQS). Shannon's quilt, is both a tribute to two departed friends, and a nod to Mexico's traditional holiday, the “Day of the Dead.”
“El Día de Los Muertos” is explained nicely in an article that is provided online: “What Do Mexicans Celebrate On The Day Of The Dead?” by R.J. Salvador, in Death and Bereavement in The Americas. Death, Value And Meaning Series, Vol. II., J.D. Morgan, J. D. and P. Laungani (Eds.), (Amityville, New York: Baywood Publishing Co., 2003) 75-76. http://www.public.iastate.edu/~rjsalvad/scmfaq/muertos.html
Masks as Part of the Festive Celebration
According to an
exhibit sign at the museum, “Day of the Dead” masks are part of the
festivities and often include snakes which protrude from the nose. Hanging
on the wall was an example of a mask of this kind. The snake is used as a
symbol that is linked to water and fertility, as well as the ancient God,
Quetzacoatl, “the feathered serpent.”
Colorful Candelabra
In an adjacent
glass case, a “Tree of Life Candelabra” is displayed. This painted ceramic
creation features skeletons in white dresses, performing various tasks such
as playing instruments and drinking from a bottle. The leaves of the tree
are incised with gold paint that creates the illusion of “veins.” The
dresses also sport gold highlighting.
Film Advertisement Posters
In the same room there were two film advertising posters. The first one was made for the movie, “El Santero,” (“The Saint Carver”), in 1967. That poster is the work of Rafael Tufiño, who was born in Brooklyn in 1922. The accompanying exhibit card notes that the artist was “a central figure in twentieth century Puerto Rican art.” A second poster advertisement was created for the film, “La Buena Herencia,” in 1973, by Puerto Rico born artist, Eduardo Vera Cortez (1926- ?).
Painted Wood Carving is Intriguing
One carved piece
that seems very “different” is an upright hand that has five human figures, one added
to the tip of each finger. “La Mano Poderosa,” (The Powerful Hand), has
figures that represent St.
Anne; her husband, St. Joachim; their daughter, the Virgin Mary; her
husband, Joseph; and the child, Jesus. The work was made in 1950 by Norberto
Cadeño, a Puerto Rican artist (1897-1984).
Ancient Pots from the Taino culture
A few pots with
decorative handles, from the 1200-1500 A.D. period are on display. The
handles of these pots often were often worked in the shape of owls, bats,
frogs, and other shapes seen in the animal world.
Old Book
A glass case contains a very old book, A Relation of the First Voyages and Discoveries Made by the Spaniards in America as an account of their unparalleled cruelties on the Indians and the destructions of above Forty Millions of People. The book was published in 1699. A display nearby showed a few black and white plate illustrations from the book which delineated twenty-four types of torture, as outlined by Theodore Bry (1528-1598).
"Gallos”
Puerto Rican artist, Emilio Rosado Méndez, (1922-1996), is credited with making the rooster a strong symbol of masculinity in some parts of Latin America. Three examples of his beautiful carved “gallos,” made circa 1972, are on display.
Lithographs Based on "Popol Vuh" Legend
Carlos Mérida, who
was born in Guatemala in 1891 and died in Mexico in 1984, is the artist who
created ten color lithographs, in 1943, entitled, “Estampas de Popul Vuh.”
Seeing these works brought back memories of studying the story “Popol Vuh”
in a Spanish class, “Latin American Literature,” at the University of New
Hampshire. The epic tale upon which Mérida's art is based is the creation
story of the Mayan Indians and, as the museum sign states, “includes
transmogrification of animals, humans, and gods.”
Molas
Two molas made by Kuna Indians were on display in a case. One of the molas was a political piece that featured the name of presidential candidate, Marco A. Robles. The Kuna people live on small islands that form an archipelago, off the coast of Panama. For more information about molas, see our extensive article online: http://www.quiltersmuse.com/Mola2.htm
as well as,
“Molas: Indigenous Wearable Art of the Kuna
Indians,” by Patricia
Cummings that was printed in The Quilter magazine (NJ: All-American
Crafts, November 2004) 86-90.
The mola
shown below is reminiscent of tribal masks.
Collection of Patricia Cummings. Photo copyright - James Cummings.
Please click on image for a larger view. Then, press "back button" on your browser, to return to this page.
Arpilleras
The exhibit
featured one arpillera from Chile, circa 1980s. Arpilleras are
charming three dimensional, small works that show people going about their
daily tasks, and often feature animals, such as llamas. The sun is always
shining in these mini-works of art. The arpillera in our
collection is shown below. To read more about it, please click on this link:
http://www.quiltersmuse.com/displayhanger.htm
photo by James Cummings
Unusual Art Tribute
One adorned bed, in the middle of the last room of the exhibit, is highly decorated. Remembrance ribbons are attached to the entire surface of a lacy bedcovering. The bed posts are covered images of flowers, owls, and more. A snake curls around a frontal piece, and colorful, medallion-like photos of the Virgin Mary are encircled with gold trim and are attached to pillowcases that appear to have been fashioned out of white plastic.
A large oval shape surrounded by “sun rays,” holds a large photo of three individuals on the bed's headboard. Heart and dove motifs are featured on this tribute piece. "La Cama," ("The Bed,") is a very elaborate token of affection to a woman who had cared for the artist, Pepón Osorio, when he was a child. See a distant shot of it at this online review: http://tinyurl.com/ffcfp
Mexican Revolution Recalled
Examples of art created with linoleum block prints are mounted onto a wall. The ones featured are part of a greater collection of eighty five prints by sixteen artists. As a unit, they are called, “Estampas de la Revolución Mexicana.”
"Los Desaparecidos”
After a military junta took over Uruguay in 1973, there began to be a phenomenon of disappearing men. Antonio Frasconi, born in Argentina in 1919, who relocated to Uruguay, recalls and denounces the murder and torture of “los desaparecidos” in his book of four hundred seventy-five offset lithographs.
Latin American Art
The artistic works in this exhibit possess many levels of meaning, and serve as spiritual, religious, political, and social expressions. Some of the art that is related to the struggles of war, aggression, and degradation of humans is not inherently “pretty” but conveys a strong message.
The tradition of presenting historical art is rooted in the works of the old Spanish master, Francisco de Goya, (1746-1828), whose famous paintings are located in The Prado in Madrid.
Goya's oil painting, "The Third of May" depicts an execution of Spaniards in 1808 by emissaries of the French Army. During the Napoleonic Wars, unrest had been stirred up, in Madrid, by rumors that the Spanish royal family had been lured to France to be murdered. This powerful work of art is realistic and clearly shows a central figure, dressed in a white shirt, ready to accept his fate at the hands of a firing squad. http://www.abcgallery.com/G/goya/goya70.html
Pablo Picasso, (1881-1973), is a Spanish painted who based some of his works on the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39. Picasso is well known for "cubism" and his abstract paintings, particularly, “Guernica.” http://tinyurl.com/yppso
While visiting this exhibit, I felt very happy to possess such an extensive background in Spanish and Latin American history, literature, culture, and textiles. This knowledge facilitated my understanding and appreciation of the works of art on view.
The above descriptions of art objects by no means exhaust the contents of the exhibit. Please visit the exhibit yourself, if at all possible, or purchase the exhibit catalogue that is offered by the Museo del Barrio. As always, we hope that you have enjoyed reading this file. Below, you will find additional links.
The Currier Museum of Art of Manchester, New Hampshire is currently undergoing expansion renovations. For more information about the museum, please visit their website at: http://www.currier.org/
More images from
the exhibit shown here:
http://www.artknowledgenews.com/node/1525
To read more articles related to Latino/Hispanic culture, check out our Hispanic Issues, Arts, and Writings section.
Comments?
Questions? Please write to:
pat@quiltersmuse.com