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Lives of the Dead
The Day of the Dead in Mexican and Latin American Art
Salvador Ventureño Solis
The Catholic celebration of All Souls Day is celebrated in Mexico as nowhere else in the catholic world. Better known as Dia de Muertos (the Day of the Dead), it is one of the most important celebrations in the yearly cycle. The observance of Dia de Muertos in Mexico is a fusion of the Christian holiday with indigenous rituals and celebrations honoring the deceased from pre-Hispanic times.
European observers of All Souls Day may visit cemeteries to remember departed loved ones, but in Mexico, this time is seen as more than just a remembrance. In much of Mexican culture, the souls of the dead are believed to return. An altar-like offering table(ofrenda) is set up with food, offerings, and decorations to receive these visitors. The ofrendas can be simple or incredibly elaborate depending upon the resources and location of the living relatives.
In Mexico, the urban and rural observances of Dia de Muertos can be very different experiences. The celebrations in larger cities often possess a more playful, festive air, with parades and parties, while those of rural communities are more closely linked to ancestral beliefs and usually follow rigid protocols of observance.
THE ART OF THE DEAD
Mexican popular art addresses the topic of death as a complimentary part of life. The origins of this view lay in pre-Hispanic cultures, for which death was seen as an evolution toward the eternal.
European art traditionally depicts death as either a finality or as a living entity only in the form of death itself (the Grim Reaper). However, scenes of the living and the dead are uniquely mixed in the arts of ancient and modern Mexico. Mexican popular art views the dead as fully animated in a parallel existence. In this alternate world, the dead partake in their former life’s activities. Skeletons are seen dancing, drinking, and making love into eternity.
These eternal beings are portrayed in a wide variety of artistic media, from skulls and offerings made of sugar ( Alfeñique) to Papier-mâché (Cartoneria) skeletons; much of the art of Dia de Muertos can be traced back to pre-Hispanic and colonial times.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, these popular art forms served as inspiration for printmakers such as Manuel Manilla and Jose Guadalupe Posada, whose depictions of skeletons with life-like appearances, as well as the Catrina cemented the images that we today associate with Dia de Muertos.
Claudio Jimenez
Carlos Arturo Hernández Dávila
Linares Family
Lives of the Dead Lives of the Dead
Lives of the Dead:
The Day of the Dead in Mexican and Latin American art
Guests will explore the animated world of Dia de Muertos through a unique collection of 2 and 3-dimensional artwork. From the work of early pre-Hispanic cultures to the 21st century, Lives of the Dead offers 1000 years of artistic visions of the dead. The exhibition emphasizes current and vintage Latin American folk art. From Papier-mâché(cartoneria) skulls and skeletons created by the famous Linares family to the ceramic tableaux and Catrinas of Metepec, Lives of the Dead brings together some of Latin America’s most renowned folk artists.
Other exhibition highlights include antique prints by Jose Guadalupe Posada, Manuel Manilla, and Dia de Muertos, as seen in contemporary paintings and prints from Mexico.
Visitors will also experience the celebration and beliefs behind Dia de Muertos with the inclusion of an elaborate Mexican style ofrenda.
Felipe Linares
Carlos Arturo Hernández Dávila
unknown
Leonardo Linares
Manuel Manilla
Jose Guadalupe Posada
Venustiano Tenorio Reyes
unknown
Carlomagno Pedro Martinez
Ignacio Rojas
unknown
unknown
Cecilio Sanchez Fierro
Alex Meza
Ricardo Linares
Alex Meza
Artemio Rodriguez
Carlos Arturo Hernández Dávila
THEMES
– Death vs. the dead
– The dead in the pre-Hispanic Americas
– The ofrenda in Mexico
– Cartoneria of Mexico City
– Manilla, Posada and Dia de Muertos in 2D art
– Peruvian retablos
SPECIFICATIONS
– Approximately 1,500 sq. ft.
– 8-10 foot minimum ceiling height recommended
– Recommended 2 month minimum rental
PRICING
Affordable rates with transportation included; please inquire.
TO BE PROVIDED BY THE HOSTING VENUE
– Lights and barriers
– Equipment required for access, installation and dismantling
– Storage facilities for transport cases
– Promotion and publicity
– Staffing during exhibition run
CARTONERIA (Papier-mâché) ARTISTS
– Pedro Linares
– Ricardo Linares
– Felipe Linares
– Leonardo Linares
– Enrique Linares
– Miguel Linares
– Ignacio Rojas
WOOD
– Panteleone Ruiz
– Venustiano Tenorio Reyes
– Rafael Mesa Olivia
CERAMICS
– Carlomagno Pedro Martinez
– Cecilio Sanchez Fierro
– Elisa Uribe
STONE
– Salvador Ventureño Solis
MIXED MEDIA
– Vincenta Flores
– Claudio Jimenez
– Angel Torijas
2D ARTISTS
– Artemio Rodriguez
– Alex Meza
– Manuel Tapatia
– Jose Guadalupe Posada
– Eduardo Robledo
– Dario Castillejos
– L. Barragan
– Daniel Hernandez
– Mario Guzman / Gallery Subterráneos
– Ivan Bautista
– Adrian Olmedo Sanchez
Artemio Rodriguez
ABOUT GDI
Gaston Design specializes in paleontology restorations, & traveling exhibits. Gaston Design Inc (GDI) was created in 1996, after founder Robert Gaston discovered the dinosaur Gastonia, named in his honor. Over the last 25 years GDI has reconstructed many newly discovered dinosaur skeletons for leading paleontological institutions. Since 2017, GDI has expanded beyond paleontology work producing cultural and natural history traveling exhibits .
SERVICES
Gaston Design Inc (GDI) specializes in the restoration, molding, and casting of fossil skeletons, as well as gift shop lines of smaller paleontological replicas (teeth, claws, skulls, etc.). In addition to cast replicas, Gaston Design offers museum services such as skeleton mounting, exhibit design and construction, and traveling exhibits.
MUSEUMS
Gaston Design Inc’s works is on display, or in the collections and gift shops of many museums world-wide. Some of these include the following;
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Utah Museum of Natural History
The Smithsonian Institution
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Science, Tokyo, Japan
The Field Museum, Chicago, IL
Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario, Canada
Museo Del Desierto, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico
American Museum of Natural History