Volume 10 - Issue 1, February 15, 2008 - Lake Chapala Review

Page 48 Lake Chapala Review
February 2008
Maestros del Arte
by Marianne Carlson Art-Hippocrates to Oscar Wilde
If Hippocrates or Oscar Wilde said to you, “Hey, if you’re
shopping for unusual and unique art, be sure you go to
Galería Maestros del Arte,” would you listen to them?
Well, I know I might‑would‑well, probably would‑should!
Galería Maestros del Arte has moved (yet again) to join
Galería La Puerta in bringing to Ajijic the most eclectic
collection of art to be found at Lakeside. All this can be
found at Colon #13, Ajijic.
Here is what a few famous people from history (and
one friend) had to say about art. Hopefully, they will
entice you into our galleries, to explore and learn more
about the vast array of art available in Mexico, and more
particularly, here at Lakeside.
“The color! The color!” A friend visiting me for the first
time..
She was referring to the Mexican art in my home
that surrounds my everyday life.
“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the
world has known.” Oscar Wilde
The artisan (he or she) has always been an
important factor in the equation of their society
and culture. He earned for himself a certain status
and a responsible position in society. He made
things mainly for the use of the people around him
and not so much for sale in a distant marketplace.
He was an heir to the people’s traditions and he
wove them into his craft, making it into an art.
“Art hath an enemy called ignorance.” Ben Johnson
I don’t think I would be inaccurate to assume that
most of Mexico’s visitors do not know very much
about folk art. Most tourists do not realize that
pottery they purchased may have been made in
the same family for generations. Neither do they
know it can take a month to weave a rebozo.
And it’s almost certain they are unaware that
the woman who wove the huipile they believe
is priced “too high” may give up weaving these
indigenous garments to weave placemats for
tourists because she cannot get a “fair” price for
her work.
“Art is long, life is short.” Hippocrates
Craftsmanship has no boundaries and systems of
government, it outlives republics and empires: the
pottery, basketwork, and weaving have survived
Mayan priests, Aztec warriors, and Mexican
presidents. They will also survive American
tourists. Craftsmen have no country; they are from
their village. What is more, they are from their
neighborhood and their family. The craftsman
does not define himself in terms of nationality or
religion. His workday is not ruled by a rigid time
schedule but by a rhythm linked more to his body
and sensibility than to the abstract necessities of
production. As the artisan works he may talk with
others and sometimes sing.
“Art is a deliberate recreation of a new and special reality
that grows from your response to life. It cannot be copied;
it must be created.” Anonymous