"folk" art traditions to join the realm of "fine" art; their works challenge these conventional distinctions.
En Calavera: The Papier-mache Art of the Linares Familypresents the colorful and humorous sculptures created by three generations of this world-renowned Mexican family of artists with nearly 150 sculptures dating from the 1950's to the present day. Treasured as symbols of Mexican heritage, the family's creations expanded upon Mexican "folk" art traditions to join the realm of "fine" art; their works challenge these conventional distinctions.
As evidenced by the objects included in the exhibition, the Linareses' works are deeply rooted in Mexican culture. Grinning skulls and large-scale, clothed skeletons, or calaveras, many inspired by the engravings of turn-of-the-century printmaker Jose Guadalupe Posada, reveal a Mexican attitude toward death. The Linareses' calaveras have become synonymous with the Day of the Dead, Dia de Los Muertos, one of Mexico's major celebrations. It is believed that on this day, the souls of the dead return to earth to visit their families, to partake of food, drink and other earthly pleasures. For Mexicans, death is often considered a continuum of life; it is viewed with irony, daring and even affection. This sentiment is embodied in the card-playing, music-making, and even skateboarding calaveras that capture and mock aspects of life.
Led by patriach Pedro Linares, and joined by his three sons, Enrique, Felipe, and Miguel, and his three grandsons, Leonardo, Ricardo and David, the Linareses began as cartoneros--traditional makers of papier-mache objects--for the many fiestas that comprise Mexico's calendar year. Based in Mexico City, the Linareses made masks, pinatas and figures for ephemeral use on holidays such as Mardi Gras, Holy Week, Day of the Dead, Christmas and patron saint fiestas. Prompted by economic forces in the late 1950's--a sudden, disastrous fallout in the cartoneria market--and encouraged by the unexpected and ardent patronage of several art collectors, including artist Diego Rivera, the Linareses expanded their repertoire of anonymous festival objects to include unique, signed works of art. Although Pedro Linares died in 1992, his legacy lives through his descendants, who continue to create works for both festival and "fine" art markets.
"In addition to celebrating the vibrant, artistic genius of the Linares family," said the Fowler Museum's visiting curator Susan Masuoka, "this exhibition questions our conventional notions of what separates 'folk' art from 'fine' art. It underscores how patronage fosters these designations, and it expands our prescribed ideas of the sources that artists may draw upon for inspiration."
Current events shape the Linareses' calavera creations, providing contemporary meaning and relevance to the traditions of the Day of the Dead celebrations. In 1985, an 8.1 earthquake hit Mexico City and caused widespread damage and tremendous loss of life. Commemorating and satirizing this event, the Linares family created a large-scale tableau made up of 12 skeletons with specific details resonant of the experience: skeletons clutching a doctor's bag or wearing a fireman's helmet, crumbling bricks and rubble, skeletons carrying and injured victim away on a stretcher, a blanket covering a skeletal fatality, and a looter stealing a television.
A major, popular event during the traditional Holy Week celebrations served as another creative springboard for the Linareses; the burning of papier-mache Judas figures to serve as a reminder of Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus. In the past, crowds gathered as the sometimes enormous, firecracker-laced effigies of Judas were lit and exploded. The tradition was not only a religious expression against the apostle, but it often became a means for popular satire of contemporaries and a general protest against injustice. Linares-sculpted Judases are included in this exhibition, including a gigantic, 18-foot-high figure in the form of a cowboy, charro.
The making of Judas figures, in turn, led to the creation of a genre of fantastic creatures called alebrijes. The exhibition includes both early and contemporary examples, 23 in total. The earliest alebrijes were variations of Judas figures, but other sources of Mexican art and thought appear to have fueled their inspiration. Over time, these simple, horned creatures took on wild forms--a capricious mix of serpent, lion, scorpion or butterfly parts. The term alebrije was coined by the Linareses to refer to objects that needed additional adornment or decoration; brilliantly colored, detailed painting is characteristic of these creatures' surfaces.
The forms on view in the exhibition are constructed of papier-mache using traditional cartoneria production methods: layers of paper are covered with wheat-paste flour, then molded together and hardened when dried. Larger forms are constructed over a bamboo frame and wads of paper and paste are applied to fill out a form. Their dried surfaces are prepared with a layer of white paint, or gesso, and then painted.
The exhibition was organized by the Fowler Museum and includes objects selected from the museum's holdings as well as from several private collections. Exhibition labels appear in English and Spanish. The presentation is accompanied by a 175-page catalogue, written by Masuoka.
The Fowler Museum has planned extensive public programming to complement the exhibition, including a lecture series, gallery talks, teachers' workshops and a variety of performances to be announced at a later date.