Women Artists of Costa Rica

No matter how many, or few, art appreciation classes we have taken in our lives, it is almost a safe bet to assume that if you are a female you have been offended by the almost total lack of representation by women artists across the centuries.  It is so insidious that perhaps we take for granted the shocking imbalance. Or worse, perhaps we are so inured to this dearth of female representation in most of the arts that we don’t even question it.

Whatever your response to such gender disproportions, we are happy to announce that there is no shortage of women artists at Galeria Namu!  In fact, this article is going to focus precisely on some of the work by women artists that we have available in the gallery and on our website.

Women Artists: Traditional Ways Reflected

It is no coincidence that the traditional family values that still persist in Costa Rica are reflected in their arts; one only has to look at the Folk Art from rural women as they depict their daily life in a way that is unfiltered and unselfconsciously transparent.

The women’s group, Corazones Valientes, personifies both the ambiance of their rural landscape as well as the customs of its people. The family lifestyle is close and connected in a way that we do not find typically in North American cities and towns. The children grow up understanding their place in the family unit; they have roles to play and responsibilities to perform. Mothers, and indeed grandmothers, are matriarchal entities that in a benign way are supportive and caring as they watch over the family’s well-being.

Some interesting artistic representations of this particular dynamic can be seen in the proportions assigned to the mother figure compared to the diminutive size of the children around her. In addition, it is almost comical how men are represented; they tend to be small, almost child-like perhaps signifying equal dependence on powerful and competent matriarchs.

Primitive Caribbean She Artist

Caribbean Art: Eugenia Barrionuevo

From the rural farms of Costa Rica we turn our attention to the Caribbean coast, where once again we see the strong family figure of the mother or grandmother holding the family securely against all vicissitudes. Her family knows that she is a powerful figure, larger than life and keeper of a long line of the family knowledge, myths and secrets. It would be ill-advised to transgress her love and intelligence.

Eugenia Barrionuevo has captured the essence of the loving spirit and matriarchal integrity of the black families of the Caribbean.  Apart from depicting little boys, her emphasis is strongly on motherhood, including pregnancy and the training ground provided within the mother /daughter friendship and closeness. Barrionuevo’s style is primitive with a strong Caribbean flair for colour and light. Her subjects pose before us as if before the camera of a family member: slightly self-conscious but with an intimate freshness that takes us into their world.

Take a good look at the world through the eyes of Costa Rica’s women and feel the free and easy glimpse into a slightly different world order!  Your purchase of these works of original art sends a clear and strong message supporting the women artists here in Costa Rica and ultimately, around the world. Click here to view our Women Artists collection.

The earth laughs in flowers; a flower is love looking for a word. From bouquets to boutonnieres every wedding is marked by a profusion of flowers to remind all involved that love and marriage are joyful, fresh occasions and as wondrous as the blossoms of the earth. Not that such perfection can be outdone, but weddings are also a time to make some presentations that will be a proxy for the sentiments of love. We have had many opportunities to serve our clients with unique gifts and wedding ideas.

Galeria Namu offers distinctive options for all involved with the celebration: bride and groom, mother of the bride, bridesmaids, as well as unique wedding favours for guests. In the past we have helped wedding planners and families involved in the fine points of selecting gifts help to make the wedding unique and memorable. Be aware that purchasing from our art collections, apart from the universal approval for Fair Trade gifts, often means that the selection can be personalized. Herein are some ideas that have pleased and delighted past recipients.

Wedding Ideas: Jewelry

Bridal Jewelry customized

In last month’s blog we wrote about a very special fusion using tagua pendants made by renowned jewelry designer, Lucia Echaverría, whose specialty is Bridal Jewelry. This jewelry art is not only a thing of extraordinary beauty for the bride, but subsequently it would become a keepsake, a beautiful heirloom for the bride’s family. Another asset to working directly with these artists is that it allows for some degree of customization thus allowing bridal accessories be customized, making them distinctly personal.

For the bride, or mother-of-the-bride, the tagua fusion necklaces should not be missed. Not only are they utterly elegant, but they were specifically designed with brides in mind. Lucía is internationally celebrated as the ultimate choice for bridal necklaces, and, by the way, she also makes tiaras. A mother-of-the-bride recently ordered four pairs of delicate hummingbird earrings for her daughter’s bridesmaids and was completely delighted with the result.

Wedding Ideas: Favours

Wedding Favours: Pre-Columbian Pendants

Wedding favours can often be predictable clichés, but not if they are chosen carefully and perhaps personalized with the couples’ names. Some of our more popular wedding favour ideas include:

• Jicara maracas from the Brunka tribe with one name inscribed on each of the pair.

• Contemporary Chorotega tribal pottery plates with names and dates etched on the back.

• Tropical flora and fauna colourful ceramic tiles (coasters) perfect for customizing.

• Charming gold-dipped reproductions of Pre-Columbian amulets (pendants): shamans, frogs, jaguars and more.

• Attractive Lenca pottery candle holders, quite unique.
  

  Fair Trade Wedding Ideas

Many of these wedding favours are priced under $15, each in its own right an original work of art.

It would take too long to mention the vast possibility of wedding ideas and gifts available from Galería Namu. To select a special something of lasting beauty, which will include background information of the artists, not to mention the relevance of making your commitment to supporting Fair Trade will say a lot about your sensibilities as you support the new couple in their new life together. Please contact me with any questions or for more wedding ideas for gifts and favours.

Aisling

Hand Made Jewelry: Tagua Orchid Necklace

A polemic that has been going on for over 100 years is whether or not photography is truly an art form, but if you stop and think about it, a much greater conundrum is whether or not jewelry is an art form. Think about your jewelry box for a minute; in that box you may find tokens of love, memories of old romances, keepsakes from dear departed ones and so forth. But tell me, are they actually pieces of art? Let’s leave that question for your after-dinner conversation. For now let us consider a very particular kind of jewelry that is indeed, and without any doubt, an art form. The reason for that dogmatic statement is precisely this: the maker of a particular jewelry form is a consummate artist. Let me explain.

One of Costa Rica’s most celebrated jewelry designers, Lucía Eschaverría Sáenz, as a child loved to make dresses for cut-out dolls and would accessorize them with necklaces, tiaras and the like. Later in her twenty’s she was an art teacher and owned a gallery whereby she sold both her water colours and her jewelry.  The paintings proved less successful then the jewelry. Today, she will tell you they were mere trinkets and in no way special.

Suddenly her fortunes took a challenging twist and she lost both her teaching job and could no longer justify maintaining her rather non-dynamic gallery. By selling her business, she took the proceeds and propelled herself into what became her life’s work – to create fashion jewelry.

Pursuit of an Artistic Dream 

Lucía Eschaverría Sáenz, Jewelry Artist

Lucia began to travel, in particular to Mexico, to pursue her study of fashion jewelry. There was much to learn and she proved to be an apt student. In addition to mastering metal work (lost wax method) and creating settings for semi-precious stones and jewels, there was another important aspect to becoming a successful designer: she had to also learn how to acquire raw materials – a trying and costly mission, to say the least.

Then, as was destined to happen a few more times in her life, during travels in Mexico she met with a generous mentor whose counsel took years off Lucía’s quest as she guided her in finding the fundamental building blocks needed for this kind of jewelry making. Of course none of this practical knowledge replaces genius, and this is where Lucía shines. Knowing how to acquire the parts to express the ideas within her allowed her to launch herself in this new journey. She is forever reinventing herself and her art, and the final stroke appeared last year, an inspiring story of its own.

At one time Lucia felt that jewelry design was perhaps a step down from both her painting and art she had taught to her high school students – that it was somehow an inferior, superficial class of art. Her perspective was utterly changed by a photographer who, beyond all doubt, explained to her that the fusion of textures, shapes and colours of her jewelry pieces in their finished form actually does create Art.

A very academic person, Lucia is always studying to expand her knowledge in all areas of her life and so this proclamation by the photographer resonated with all that she knew about art.

Unique Jewelry Fusion

Butterfly Necklace

In a recent conversation, Lucia explained that as Costa Rica does not have the natural resources for the jewelry she chooses to make, she is always looking afar for pieces that will inspire her creations. When she first visited Galería Namu and saw our hand-carved, painted vegetable ivory (tagua) pendants she knew she had found something she simply had to incorporate into her fashion necklaces.

Selecting a few tagua pieces, she returned some time later with the synthesis of her precious jewelry: lacy, matte German silver necklaces (with earrings) cradling a focal tagua creation, embedded with semi-precious stones and beads. The fusion was breathtakingly brilliant. Initially, it was hard for me to imagine how she would work with this mélange, but that’s where the aspect of art enters, and the result was magnificent. You will see this magic for yourself if you explore the tagua jewelry section of our website. There can be no doubt that you will have to agree that most certainly jewelry can truly be art.

Brunka Used Ceremonial Jaguar Mask

Now is one of the richest seasons for the gallery in that one of our most prized categories, the used ceremonial mask, has been replenished thanks to the recent arrival of masks purchased from the recently held ceremonies in the Brunka villages.  We are excited to share about the mighty jaguar animal but let me first preface with a little background.

One of the exciting bonuses to the gallery is that for a few weeks after the ceremonies, we unexpectedly get masks that are late comers to our collection, and somehow, just coming our way unsolicited, they seem like such a stroke of good fortune; it is almost as if the artist is not sure whether he really wants to part with his creation, but then realizes his art is how he earns his living and he is well equipped to make more in the future – and we all benefit!

To give you an example, German Morales, one of the finest Brunka artists, arrived in the gallery as expected with the collection of his latest ecological-cultural masks that we had been anticipating. The mask I was not expecting was presented to me out of the blue, an amazing jaguar in full “battle roar” posture. The image that flew through my mind was that of a backdraft – the raw power of this mask just about blew me away! Click to view the two photos of this extraordinary jaguar mask, but let me assure you the images don’t come close to the potent animal magnetism captured in this mask.

Invoking the jaguar animal, actually any member of the feline family, in the vernacular of the mask is to address the supreme deity in the animism of the Brunka forefathers. Just perusing through our mask collections will attest to that. Most frequently the presentation of this animal is that of a noble, wise and protective being. German’s jaguar mask, however, is startlingly enraged and wrathful; it skillfully sums up the vehement indignation that the native people felt at the abuse by the conquerors.  Moreover, it encompasses everything they felt and the power they wished they could have projected. Truly this is one of the most expressive masks that have come into the gallery.

Brunka Arts Evolve onto Canvas 

The Mighty Jaguar

 Another of Brunka’s great artists is Melvin Gonzalez who leans heavily on his tribal legends and mythology, as well as the artistic attributes of his ancestral people, the Diquis, whose renowned gold work and enigmatic stone spheres inform much of Melvin’s art. The loving and protective embrace of the jaguar can be seen in his beautifully moving mask, where his tribe is seen as a human face with a forest overlay above which is the ever-watchful jaguar guardian.

No one who sees this mask fails to remark on the remarkable intensity of the deep-set eyes of the feline, it is indeed a spiritual statement. Mask-making is not Melvin’s only forte – and, incidentally, he is one of the few mask artists who both sculpts and paints his own masks.

Panther by Melvin González

He is also a remarkable two-dimensional artist creating canvases that bring to life the spiritual message that Melvin is expressing. For example, in his panther-dominated painting, it is only upon closer inspection that the mystical presence of the Diquis stone spheres can be seen in every aspect of the painting, from the head of the panther, to its cheeks, eyes and claws; all bespeak the perfect symmetry of the enigmatic spheres. In yet another canvas, the panther of righteousness is seen through the shape-shifting shaman as he delivers justice to the breaker of tribal laws.

Worthy of mention is the rising awareness in these gifted Brunka artists of their role in being the spokespeople for their rich ancestral canon. Keep informed of this artistic evolution by subscribing to our RSS feed or our Namu Newsletter and you will not be disappointed.

In the meantime, I’d be curious to know which of the jaguar animal masks or artworks found throughout our website speaks to you? Please leave your comment below and share, if you will. Thanks for your support of indigenous arts.

Aisling

Folk Art: Original Painting

In order to appreciate any folk art it is necessary to clear your prior understanding of all other kinds of art that you have read about or learned in art appreciation classes, for it is neither scholarly art, nor is it art learned in classes.

At Galería Namu, practically all of the artists have no formal training at all and it is for that reason we say that the gallery is an Indigenous and Folk Art gallery. Actually, tribal art is, by definition folk art; the folk art in this case being the culture expressed through art of the people of Costa Rica’s eight indigenous tribes.

In upcoming blogs I hope to shine some light on the amazing talent and versatility shown in our folk art collection. But in this article, I am going to focus on the wonderfully expressive art from a group of women known as Corazones Valientes, or Brave Hearts, a group of 8 campesinas (countrywomen) who live near Arenal volcano in the village of Union de Monterey.

Forward Thinking: Moving Past Barriers

Twenty-five years ago these women were introduced to six months of art instruction as part of a Peace Corps initiative. And what an amazingly forward thinking project that was! It was the poverty level of this group of women which received the Peace Corps’ attention in the first place. Low income-producing agriculture practices were their mainstay; the area offered little in the way of better paying jobs.

Rebecca Hart, the Peace Corps leader of this initiative, recognized that the women were greatly supportive of one another; the idea was that this mutual caring and support, useful in so many aspects of their daily subsistence living, could be invaluable with this new artistic endeavor.

The first stage of the project was very difficult for the group because of their low income and the lack of comprehension on the part of some of their families who did not support them. Frankly, it must be said that the men did not appreciate their women being involved in such a project, particularly when it exposed the women to publicity, exhibitions, etc. Culturally it was very discordant to the norm in their lives, yet the women rejoiced in their acclaim and the empowerment they felt with their newly found talents.

Unbridled Creativity: Folk Art

Workshop – Studio

When we talk about Corazones Valientes in the gallery, we often mention the amazing experiment these women were part of. The enormity of what they accomplished is astounding as they express in their own aesthetic language the landscapes of their exuberant tropical humid forest and their message about the need to protect these natural resources. They also paint subjects such as the relationship between man and woman and other every day events in rural living. They delight in this activity of creating art and together are their own advisors, critics and cheerleaders. They empower each other while encouraging and teaching their own children, mothers and others in their artistic expression.

Luz Rios, one of the most prolific artists of the group, has taught her two daughters and mother how to paint. Toribia Mairena, the eldest member, has a most primitive expression in spite of a severe astigmatism in one eye (doesn’t that recall the theory of the particular expression of el Greco’s art!). She paints highly imaginative animals and offers us unique perspectives on her daily life. Her paintings are fantastical and other worldly. Toribia says, “I love to paint and make new designs. Once I’ve done a new design and have started, I want to finish it quickly. When I paint I forget my problems and my debts. Four hours go by so fast.”

Mother, Child & Art

The gallery offers many opportunities to appreciate naïf, primitive art. But perhaps none so innocent and revelatory as the art from these earnest and forthright women who have poured so much of themselves and their daily life into their art. That they have had no formal training or exposure to the ‘Masters’ of Western art that informs much of the aesthetic that we have become so used to, allows them to show us their way of life without self-consciousness or filters. What we see, then, in their artistic expression is a window into the soul of these Brave Hearts.

Click here to shop from Galeria Namu’s collection of Corazones Valientes original paintings and for all Folk Arts available.

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Aisling