Mexian Miracle Paintings

Post­card Book _ 20 Post­kar­ten zum Heraustrennen
Zustand: neu­wer­tig _ makellos
Infi­ni­tas Gra­ci­as, the first major dis­play of Mexi­can mira­cle pain­tings in the world, shows indi­vi­du­als asking a saint for help or expres­sing thanks for being saved. The pleas ran­ge from the dra­ma­tic – life-saving sur­ge­ry – to the more pro­saic – a lost pair of don­keys and a slight­ly inju­red fin­ger. Mexi­can voti­ves are small pain­tings, often exe­cu­t­ed on tin roof tiles or small plaques, depic­ting the moment of human appeal for deli­very from disaster.

Usual­ly com­mis­sio­ned from local artists, they tell inten­se­ly per­so­nal sto­ries through which a mar­ked­ly human histo­ry of com­mu­nities and their cul­tu­re can be read. Through news reports, pho­to­graphs, devo­tio­nal arte­facts, film and inter­views, this exhi­bi­ti­on reve­a­led the depth of voti­ve tra­di­ti­on in Mexico.

Its con­tem­pora­ry lega­cy was illus­tra­ted by modern-day offe­rings from a Gua­najua­to church: a paper sho­wer of let­ters, cer­ti­fi­ca­tes, pho­to­graphs, clot­hing and flowers. The con­ti­nuing influ­ence of the­se ver­na­cu­lar pain­tings is seen in the work of Die­go Rive­ra and Fri­da Kahlo, who were avid collectors.