Arte Mexicano : Mi Colección

I have begun to collect Mexican art. I stumbled upon this beautifully textured oil painting in a second hand store and was immediately drawn to the bugambilia flowers (1).

Bougainvillea : Bugambilia

The aesthetics of the painting strongly suggested Mexico to me and upon further investigation I found that it was painted in Cuetzalan Puablo (sic) (1)

Cuetzalan is a mountain town in Mexico’s south-central state of Puebla

The Parroquia de San Francisco de Asís in Cuetzalan Puebla

The next piece to enter mi coleccion was a lovely watercolour. It was amongst a collection of watercolour paintings of the French countryside and was being sold as such on Facebook marketplace. The image simply screamed mexico to me so I purchased the painting and then set about chasing up the location.

I posed the question on a Facebook group “Mexican Folk Art and More” where the location was quickly identified as being in Taxco (1) with the building in question being the Parroquia de Santa Prisca y San Sebastían (commonly known as the Church of Santa Prisca)

Taxco de Alarcón. The word Taxco is likely derived from a Náhuatl word possibly relating to the ancient ballgame of Mesoamerica or a high waterfall in the area. “De Alarcón” is in honour of writer Juan Ruiz de Alarcón who was a native of the town.

The Parroquia de Santa Prisca y San Sebastían

The name of the town is (in my mind) likely to be the one derived from the Aztec ballgame as the current glyph (and the one “traditionally” used) to identify Taxco is one depicting the ballcourt that this game is played on.

Over a period of only a few weeks several more watercolours came my way. The first was of an unknown courtyard which , although I think it not likely Mexican, it has a Mexican vibe that appeals to me.

Bit of an update on the courtyard. I had dinner with a Chilango friend last night and he thinks the image to be reminiscent of architecture found in Guadalajara. It does have a somewhat hacienda feel to it.

Mexican “Hacienda” Style Courtyards

The second painting, although of the Hollywood hills, is of a certain style of architecture that speaks to me of México and, if we are going to be pedantic about it, actually is in Mexico (or land that once was part of the Republic).

The final painting is a beautifully and quite intricately rendered street view of the French Quarter in New Orleans depicting the Bourbon Hotel (on the left) with the St Louis Cathedral in the background all being broken in a 4th wall kind of way with what I can only assume is a self portrait of the artist (at the right of the image) who is himself being viewed and painted from a different perspective.

The Bourbon Hotel with the Cathedral in the background
(click image to expand)

The latest piece to enter my collection sashayed its way through my door only a few days ago. I was scouring second hand sales, thrift stores and the ever faithful Facebook marketplace and was absolutely giddy with excitement over finding a small collection of clay tourist items from México.

These pieces were part of a collection owned by a lady who had recently passed away and they had landed in the hands of one of her children. This family had lived in many countries including México, Indonesia and Japan and had amassed a large collection of art and artefacts from each of these countries and as a result their houses were overflowing. In my excitement over the figurines I was asked if I might be interested in other items she had available and it was this painting of San Bernardino in Xochimilco that caught my eye.

It was a muted watercolour of San Bernardino in Xochimilco signed by the artist Amendolla.

The Templo parroquial de San Bernardino de Sienna (or the San Bernardino de Siena Church) is located centrally within the Altepetl of the Xochimilca peoples, Xochimilco. The canals and waterways that once connected Xochimilco to Tenochtitlan (modern day Mexico City) have now largely been covered by the behemoth that is Mexico City and Xochimilco is now a “a gritty working-class neighborhood” in the southern “suburbs” of the CDMX (1).

CDMX = Ciudad de Mexico

The church is only a short walk from the Tren Ligero (light train) That brings you from the city via the Tasqueña Metro station

I have tried to find photographs of the building as it appears in the painting but have hit a wall. The painting was made in 1984 and on the 23rd of September 2017 the church was damaged by a temblor (earthquake) and required restoration.

Survey of the damage

This is how the buildings used to look. (circa 1950)

As an interesting aside, when they were restoring the foundations of the Church after the earthquake they discovered parts of pre-Hispanic aqueducts and remains of the Mexico-Xochimilco road from the 14th century. A caja de agua (water box) that was part of the Cihuacóatl pyramid was also found. This church was constructed by the Spanish atop the remains of the pyramid (and likely from the very stones the pyramid was constructed of)

The exposed foundations of San Bernardino

What follows are some images of the chinampa waterways during the time of the earthquake.

Video via Tavo Stone on YouTube

Lets have a look at the artist.

Most of this information was gleaned from art auction sites. I was not able to find a lot of information on Luis and am particularly interested in his exhibitions in other countries and his murals painted in the U.S.A. If anyone out there can aid me with such I would truly appreciate it.

Luis Ricardo Amendolla Gasparo, born on March 30, 1928 was a Mexican Postwar & Contemporary painter and is considered to be one of the best watercolour painters of the Modern Era in Mexico.

Examples of Luis’ painted signature

His name is know to have been spelled Amendola and Amendolla although on his signature it always shows a double “ll”.

He achieved great status in the art world for his beautiful representations of landscapes and popular life where “El Tepozteco”, one of his most notable works, became the symbol of Tepoztlan. This place became so important to him that he lived there for many years.

The Mexican painter Luis Ricardo Amendolla Gasparo, a watercolorist who achieved his greatest works with landscapes and drawings of popular themes, among them, El Tepozteco, dies. He was born in 1939. In the background one of his watercolors (of Patzcuaro).

It is even difficult to find images of the man. On a page dedicated to the anniversaries of the passing of significant individuals in Mexico, Efemérides Mexicanas e Internacionales, the anniversary of Luis’ passing is noted but it is also the only one on the page that has no photograph attached.

Luis’ favourite subject matter was the people and places that represented Mexican culture

He was awarded for his work in Mexico and abroad. His artwork became known in New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Guatemala, Japan, Korea as well as Mexico.

A native of Mexico City, Amendolla was praised for his large watercolours showing images of his countrymen at work and play in Mexico’s scenic settings

Examples of Amendollas style.

Other examples of Amendollas work in advertising.

Luis passed away at the age of 72 in his home in Cuernavaca, Mexico on the night of August 21 of 2000, from pneumonia. The Los Angeles Times notes (in Luis’ obituary) the he was married to artist Sarita Felix (Sara Martha Celis Massieu).

Amendollas art on public display.

The Spirit of La Fonda. This book describes the 50-year history and culture of the venerable La Fonda Restaurant in Lafayette, La.,(1) one of the state’s most popular eating establishments. The book is also an autobiography of the restaurant’s founder and owner, Leebob Cox, and a showplace for the art of Luis Amendolla and Phyllis Malzyk Giardano. Leebob died in February 2008.

Lafayette is a city in southern Louisiana in the United States of America located in the heart of Louisiana’s Cajun & Creole Country. Lafayette is named after Marquis de Lafayette. Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834) was a French aristocrat, freemason, and military officer who volunteered to join the Continental Army, led by General George Washington, in the American Revolutionary War. He was wounded during the Battle of Brandywine but still managed to organize an orderly retreat, and he served with distinction in the Battle of Rhode Island. In the middle of the war, he sailed for home to lobby for an increase in French support. He returned to America in 1780 and was given senior positions in the Continental Army. Lafayette returned to France in 1787 and was appointed to the Assembly of Notables. In 1824, President James Monroe invited him to the United States as the nation’s guest, where he visited all 24 states in the union and met a rapturous reception. During France’s July Revolution of 1830, he declined an offer to become the French dictator. Instead, he supported Louis-Philippe as king, but turned against him when the monarch became autocratic. He died on 20 May 1834 and is buried in Picpus Cemetery in Paris, under soil from Bunker Hill. He is sometimes known as “The Hero of the Two Worlds” for his accomplishments in the service of both France and the United States.

La Fondas menu is quite Texmexican (the Tequila selection is a little poor though)

Websites

Images

Ballcourt in Xochicalco – By Madman2001 – self-made, based on w:en:Image:Maxico xochicalco ballgame.JPG from the English Wikipedia, originally taken by e:en:User:Maxtreiber, uploaded under “PD-self” template, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3135806

Church of Santa Prisca y San Sebastián, Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico (photo: Luidger, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Clearing rubble – https://www.debate.com.mx/mexico/Se-derrumba-parroquia-de-San-Bernardino-en-Xochimilco–20170919-0217.html

Mesoamerican water management – https://www.infobae.com/america/mexico/2022/01/25/hallazgo-en-xochimilco-encontraron-una-obra-hidraulica-de-hace-500-anos-en-la-catedral-de-san-bernardino/

Temblor amongst the chinampas #1 – https://www.metroworldnews.com/hub/noticias/2017/09/19/impresionante-asi-se-vivio-terremoto-xochimilco/

Temblor amongst the chinampas #2 – https://www.publimetro.com.mx/mx/noticias/2017/09/19/asi-se-vivio-terremoto-xochimilco-tradicional-paseo-turistico-mexico.html

Temblor amongst the chinampas #3 – https://www.debate.com.mx/mexico/Video-Xochimilco-asi-fue-sacudido-por-el-sismo-de-7.1–20170919-0223.html