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Ex-votos: a way to say thank you
Arts & Activities, Jan, 2007 by Michele Joyce
Frida Kahlo collected them, and her husband, muralist Diego Rivera, called them "the only pictorial expression of the Mexican people." What are they? Ex-votos.
In Mexican Catholic churches, these paintings are one of the traditional ways that people thank Jesus, the Virgin and the saints for the favors they receive. These paintings have been made in Mexico for centuries. In fact, there is a record of the conquistador Hernan Cortes making an ex-voto to give thanks for being able to walk away from a scorpion bite without becoming ill.
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These paintings are generally small in dimension. Often, the person whom they are dedicated to is depicted in one of the corners of the ex-voto (Jesus and the Virgin are often used). The central image tells the story of what the painter of the ex-voto is giving thanks for (surviving a car accident or a robbery are two examples). A text describing the central image and giving thanks is usually found below this image, often separated by a line.
This craft tradition has influenced artists like Diego Rivera, Juan O'Gorman, Roberto Montenegro and Frida Kahlo. The influence of ex-votos is very clear in Frida Kahlo's Portrait of Wilhelm Kahlo, in which she writes about her father in text under his portrait, separated by a line. Because of this influence, ex-votos are mentioned in Jonah Winter's children's book Frida (Scholastic, Inc.; 2002). I often use this book as a way to begin describing ex-votos in my art class.
I teach art history to primary school students in Mexico City and even here, many of the children I teach have never seen or heard of ex-votos before we begin our work. I explain to them that these paintings are taken to churches and hung on the walls inside, often next to pictures and other mementos--locks of hair, photos and crutches are common.
Catholics sometimes pay to have their ex-votos painted for them when they are unable to paint them themselves, but it is obvious that the ex-votos are usually not created by trained artists. They are often painted with no clear idea perspective, with figures in the background sometimes appearing to be floating in the air.
Sometimes they also mix together different moments in time. For example, a woman thanking Jesus for her recovery from an illness might paint herself on a hospital bed fight next to another image of herself walking out of the hospital door.
The painters also don't tend to fuss over their spelling--there are often errors in their text as well. I point this out to the children and explain to them that the most important part of making an ex-voto is not painting or writing beautifully, but giving thanks for the things we have. It's the spirit of the thing.
After discussing the ex-voto tradition in Mexico and viewing some images of this craft, I have students create their own ex-voto to give thanks for something positive in their lives. Some students have painted pictures of themselves opening Christmas presents, along with text thanking their parents for the present, while others have painted pictures of their vacations accompanied by text thanking their families for the experience. Some students even used them as thank-you cards. Another student painted a scorpion to thank the creature that ran across his living room floor, distracting his brother just as he was about to hit him!
This is a quick and easy art assignment. You can use any kind of paint and any kind of paper you have on hand and the students enjoy it.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Elementary students will...
* learn about a Mexican art tradition.
* reflect on what they are thankful for.
* learn how to create their own images to express gratitude for the positive things in their lives.
MATERIALS
* Book: Frida by Jonah Winter (Scholastic, Inc.; 2002)
* Pencils
* Paint (any kind)
* Paper (any kind)
WEBSITES
* http://kalarte.com/latin/retablo/exvototext.html
* http://crl.nmsu.edu/Research/Projects/retablos/indexintro.html
* http://infodome.sdsu.edu/about/depts/spcollections/exhibits/1102/ retablos6.shtml
Michele Joyce has lectured on the history of Mexico at the Universidad Panamericana and has written about Mexico for several publications.
COPYRIGHT 2007 Publishers' Development Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
