Federico Vigils Dichos - El Palacio Magazine

Federico Vigils Dichos
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By Laura Addison
Curator of Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts
It is said that “a picture is
worth a thousand words.”
Frederico Vigil took this
Hispanic cultural narratives in
both his monumental murals
and these smaller works on
dicho, or saying, to heart when
paper. The messages in both
he began to create images
mediums, however, are equally
based on popular sayings from
profound and universal. Like
Spain and New Mexico seven
many of us, Vigil remembers
years ago. An exhibition of
life lessons from his childhood
Vigil’s paintings of dichos on
through the sayings that his
view at the Museum of Fine
parents and grandparents
Arts showcases this ongoing
used. “They become embedded
project of putting visual images
in you,” he notes of our uncon-
to spoken words of wisdom.
scious absorption of a saying
Through the dichos, Vigil
and its associated meaning. A
found an effective way of com-
dicho such as En boca cerrada
municating his strong sense of
no entran moscas (“Flies don’t
cultural heritage and this
enter a closed mouth”) advises
region’s historical connections
us not to talk too thoughtlessly
to Spain, as well as the univer-
or to gossip. El bien no es conosality
of sayings as a teaching
cido hasta que es perdido (“You
method in all civilizations.
don’t know what you’ve got
Dichos communicate the
until it’s gone”) is a truism we
values and customs of a given
have all experienced at one
community—focusing on its En boca cerrada no entran moscas. (“Flies don’t enter a closed mouth,” point or another.
morality, social dynamics, or, “if you keep your mouth shut, you won’t put your foot in it.”)
One of the experiences that
individual responsibility, and Frederico Vigil, 1999, aqua crayon, gouache, and ink on handmade
prompted Vigil to paint
relationship to the rest of the amate paper, 23 x 15 in. Courtesy of the artist.
dichos was a visit to the
world. They are bits of knowl-
Museo del Prado in Madrid,
edge that prolong collective
Spain, where he saw
memory and teach life lessons across generations. “Elders use Francisco Goya’s powerful series Los Caprichos (1799). Goya’s
dichos to instruct children,” says Vigil. “Dichos come so natu- etchings, translated as The Caprices, were done in response to
rally in an appropriate moment to convey an important the social ills and political abuses and repression that the
message. They are a sort of shorthand used during a dialogue Spanish artist observed around him. They are incisive com-
to teach a lesson. They make us look at our own lives.” mentaries about human nature, with its frailties and follies.
Although better known for his fresco work (such as his 1998 Viewing these works made Vigil think about other ways in
Exodus, Influencias Positivas y Compadrazgo in the Museum of Fine which language and images could be combined to express
Arts patio), Vigil employs the same social realist style and pearls of wisdom about humanity. The Spanish-language
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dichos that he grew up with provided precisely that
opportunity.
When a particular dicho becomes the impetus for one of
Vigil’s paintings, executed in crayon, ink, and gouache on
handmade amate, or bark paper, he may create a literal representation
of the dicho, or imagine a scenario that might cause
someone to invoke the saying. There is humor conveyed by
some, sadness by others, a sense of justice or injustice served
by still others. In viewing Vigil’s Dichos, one begins to recognize
that the entire spectrum of human emotion and experience is
covered in these pithy sayings, which have become such a
familiar part of everyday life.
Through the works in this exhibition, Vigil explores the
similarities that exist between Spanish and New Mexican
Bañarse en agua de rosas no pudo remediarlo; viendo satisfecha la justicia, se baña en
agua de rosas. (“Bathing in rose water couldn’t solve the problem; seeing justice met, he
bathed in rose water.”) Frederico Vigil, 1999, aqua crayon, gouache, and ink on hand-
made amate paper, 23 x 15 in. Courtesy of the artist.
ON EXHIBIT
El bien no es conocido hasta que es perdido. Nadie sabe lo que tiene hasta que lo
pierde. (“You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.”) Frederico Vigil, 1999, aqua
crayon, gouache, and ink on handmade amate paper, 23 x 15 in. Courtesy of the artist.
dichos. He finds great continuity in this linguistic form, despite
theocean that separates the two places. Like other Spanish
colonial artistic practices still thriving today in New Mexico,
such as saint making, Vigil’s Dichos trace the transmission and
transformation of culture from Spain to the New World, from
past to present. As the old saying goes, “the fruit doesn’t fall far
from the tree.” ■
EXHIBIT NOTE: Frederico Vigil’s Dichos, an exhibit of vivid images and dichos
(Spanish words, poems, and proverbs), is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts from
June 23–September 17, 2006. Based on dichos he learned as a youth growing up in
northern New Mexico, Vigil’s works on paper are a powerful way of conveying the
artist’s strong sense of his Hispanic heritage. The exhibition explores the similarities
that exist between these pity sayings from both Spain and New Mexico that have
become such a familiar part of everyday life. This exhibit has toured in Spain since
2001, including the cities of Grenada and Salamanca.
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