Carrillo to lecture on santero art
By MARIBEL MOREY
Assistant News Editor
Hidden just below the lobby of the Snite Museum, several figures of saints in deep reds and blues stand within clear cases. Just because these santos (saints) were created before 1848 and are now in a museum does not mean the art is just part of history.
Charles Carrillo, noted santero, author and anthropologist, will present a lecture today at 7:30 pm in the Snite. After explaining some of these pieces, a workshop and demonstration on creating a santos will follow on Friday at 2:00 pm. The series is called "Santos: Yesterday and Today, Devotional images in 18th-, 19th-, and 20th-century New Mexico."
The art of santero has existed for almost 400 years within the Hispanic culture of New Mexico. These works of art have connected deeply with the Catholics in the area.
"From village churches to private chapels to the sacred moradas of the Penitente Brotherhood, the works of individual santeros have provided generations of New Mexicans with inspiring symbols of a shared identity and faith, and a collective hope for the future," wrote Carmella Padilla, vice president of the Spanish Colonial Arts Society.
As a saint maker, Carrillo will be able to present the Notre Dame community with more insight on its own collection, including the importance of color.
"The color both captures the eye of the observer and the colors are very traditional," said Douglas Bradley, curator of arts of the Americas, Africa and Oceania. "There weren't a wide variety of colors available to each artist."
Since color was not plentiful, artists had a very limited palette; thus, many of these santos exhibit less variety of colors. This New Mexican collection includes 12 santos in two groups, six bultos (painted sculpture), six retablos (paintings on wood).
Unlike many artists who keep their artistic secrets to themselves, Carrillo enjoys to share his wisdom. He could be selling more art, but instead, he teaches people about the history of the art.
"A key figure in this new generation of santeros is Charlie Carrillo, a man whose reverence for the art and the history behind it has helped elevate what was once considered a folk art form to a fine art form," wrote Padilla.
All News Stories for Thursday, February 22, 2001
