Folk art is the product of untrained eyes and hands freed from convention, revered for celebrating the everyday. It’s an honest art form, born simply of the creator’s love of creating.
But don’t mistake “untrained” for “unskilled.” Folk artists have a deep sense of harmony, balance, sincerity and truth – characteristics classically trained artists also strive for. “Self-Taught Genius: Treasures From the American Folk Art Museum,” currently on display at the Saint Louis Art Museum, roundly rejects the notion of folk art as mere crafts through more than 100 pieces of uncommon – and sometimes anonymous – talent.
And with its charm and personality, folk art functions beautifully when brought into the home.
“It’s refreshing,” says Laurie Ahner, owner and director of Clayton’s Galerie Bonheur, who’s been buying and selling folk art for almost 40 years. “It’s real. It’s from the heart and soul. It’s not contrived. It comes from the artists’ need to express themselves.”
Although she’s studied art history in Rome, in New York and at Washington University in St. Louis, Ahner traces her interest in folk art back to when she first visited Haiti in 1978. She was drawn to the bright colors and inherent joy, calling the pieces she saw “sincere and full of hope…….click here to read the full story
With the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro upon us, and all the talk about Brazil in the news, Galerie Bonheur is proud to present our collection of folk art from this controversial country, with a special exhibit and SALE for the month of August.
Many of these rare works of art have been reduced in price to entice your interest in making a purchase for your collection. Most of these artworks are now nearly impossible to find or they reside currently in museums.
I first visited Brazil in 1983, as an art collector and new gallery owner. I found it to be an exciting, colorful, and upbeat place, with sights and sounds that captivated me daily. My travel companions and I had an airline pass that took us to almost every major city and part of the country. We were on a quest to find folk art, culture, beauty and unique experiences, which we found in abundance.
After my first visit to Brazil, having fallen in love with the country, I organized an exhibit of the marvelous artworks that I had been fortunate to find. The venue was a Citibank Branch in Manhattan, New York City, and our sponsor was the Brazilian Cultural Society. We sold out the show at the Opening Night Gala! I returned toBrazil many times, most recently in 2007, and never tire of visiting this sensational land.
Rio de Janeiro is probably the most beautiful city I have ever seen in my many years of global travel. The beaches are amazing, the mountains and major tourist sights are the stuff of dreams. The people are outgoing, cheerful, and fun. Native Brazilians are plucky and passionate folks, they love to talk, laugh, and have a good time. They are also fast drivers and love to argue, push the envelope, and go to the limit.
The culture of Brazil is of a richly diverse nature, combining an ethnic mix from the Colonial period involving Indigenous, Portuguese, and African people. Thus Brazil is a melting pot of races and history, resulting in a plethora of popular artistic expression in many traditions including dance, song, food, theatre, literature and of course folk art and crafts. A wealth of folk art and handicrafts has arisen from the different regions of this vast land and is celebrated time and again in museums, exhibitions, galleries, and private collections.
This month we present to our friends and clients some of the incredible, rich folk art that I have found during my 6 trips to Brazil over the past 32 years. These works of art show the passion, diversity, and spiritual nature of the people and talented artists ofBrazil. I hope that while watching the Olympians compete in this unique place, you will also relish a peak at Brazilian culture through the eyes of folk artists from this diverse nation.
Francisco Severino was born in 1952, in Descoberto, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He then moved to Sao Paulo in 1972, and began his full-time career as a self-taught artist in 1975 after quitting his job as a metalworker. He is well-known for his accuracy in details and technical perfection. He primarily paint rural scenes and nature in Brazil. Art critic Oscar d’Ambrosio wrote, “His great virtue is the way he works with green, with variations of one who is aware that the painting is much more than the subject matter; it is a way to develop a thought through colours and shapes. What is most impressive about his paintings is the blend of technical accuracy with the heavenly feeling that time stopped so that it could be painted in several scenes, primarily rural ones, immaculately depicted and permeated with essential details”. He has shown his work in numerous shows internationally.
Josiane Magloire creates traditional Haitian flags with beaded and embroidered depictions of everyday life, traditional Vodou (Voodoo) imagery, and the flowers, fruit, animals, and birds of Haiti.
Each bead and sequin is placed one at a time and hand stitched onto the piece. The unique combinations of embroidery and beadwork showcase the creative style of the artist. While traditional flags largely feature deities and Vodou symbols, Josiane and her fellow cooperative members are creating designs that represent their lives and the world around them. Through sales of her art, Josiane is able to support her family and pay for her children’s education. (From International Folk Art Alliance)
José García Antonio uses clay from the soil of his village to create life-sized sculptures of Zapotec women and mermaids. Known for his large creations, he has won many awards and has been featured in books about master folk artists of Mexico. After problems with his sight for 50 years, he is now nearly blind but continues to work daily. His wife assists in the finishing details of the sculptures.
He has passed his art onto his children who work in the family compound alongside him. Students from local schools often come to the workshop for demonstrations and hands-on sessions. (From International Folk Art Alliance)
Haydeé Paredes starts as an artisan at 9 years old, imitating the works of her mother, who was then a prominent artisan of Lihueimo. Is in this way, that from an early age the craftwork has been present in her life until this day, becoming in a fundamental part of it. Haydeé has a technical degree as a preschool assistant, and which she practiced for 6 years in a kindergarten school of the area, until she decides to retire and focus 100% of her work as an artisan. Since by that time, she was the only one who had managed to perfect the technique and improve the final results of her products, plus the rest of the artisans of the area were gradually leaving the work for various reasons. Thanks to the excellence of her works, the interest of people for purchasing her works was increasing over the years, and this has motivated to Haydeé to focus each day on performing of more and better shapes, this created an important source of income for his family, consisting of her husband, a farmer and school bus driver and two children. And it is this way like her life style, linked to the crafts which she has chosen, has given her the chance to spread the culture of the Chilean countryside for all over the country and the world, and also has permitted to earn the enough economic resources, which supports her right decision of dedicate her life to the traditional Chilean crafts.
The vast experience and their ability to maintain their current work, have made Haydeé becomes one of the most outstanding cultivators of this art in Chile, positioning to Lihueimo´s craftworks as one of the most appreciated one. This has been reflected by obtaining several distinctions, among which we can mention: The Lawrence Berg award to, “Best Traditional Crafts” in 2000, an award that recognizes the best national artisan delivered by the “Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile” (PUC). In 2008 she won the award for “Best Craftsman” in the region of Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins delivered by the Governing of Culture and Arts of O’Higgins. In 2011 she received the “Seal of Excellence of Handicraft Chile” which distinguishes the excellence of the craftwork and was received twice, because their works “La Pollera” and “La Lavandera” obtained the distinction that delivers by the Governing of Culture and Arts (CNCA), the PUC (Chilean delegates of the WCC) and the UNESCO office Santiago. In 2012 she was the deserving of the “2012 Outstanding Craftsman” award was given by the CNCA, and finally 2015 to give the finishing touch to his career, she received the “Traditional Craftsman Master” award, which it is the highest recognition awarded in Chile to a craftsman by the government.
The diffusion of their works is made directly at her workshop which is at home and in her webpage, but she also has participated in several exposition throughout the country like the “Muestra Internacional de Artesania”, “Fiesta de la Vendimia”, Santa Cruz, the exhibition of craftsmen “Pura Cerámica”, to name a few. Her works are also found in museums such as “Lincunlauta”, The Rancagua Museum, Interactivo Mirador (Santiago), The “Museo de Historia Nacional”, “Museo de Colchagua”, “Museo de Arte Popular Americano” among others. She has also been known for performing important works that have represented Chile in various countries, as the representation of the birth of Christ exhibited in St. Peter’s Square, in Rome Italy. Also a replica of “EL Abrazo de Maipú” was made by her, to commemorate the bicentennial of Chile and it has been exhibited until today in Mexico City, in Mexico. Haydee also made a replica of the “Virgen del Camen” which has toured Latinamerica as the representative of the “Virgen Chilena”.
Different types of reports are also issued to highlight the works of craftsmanship Lihueimo both decorating magazines, and web portals and TV programs. Besides the workshops carried out they have attracted much interest from the general public, such as the workshops held at the Cultural Palacio la Moneda Center on winter vacation and classes conducted in various public and private schools, as school Lihueimo, Las Garzas and Huique, all belonging to the commune of Palmilla, school Trewela’s School of Providencia and Huelén of Vitacura. (Text by Haydeé Paredes)
I have visited Guatemala 10 times over a period of 20 years. It is one of my favorite countries, and I find myself returning as many times as possible. I have taken thousands of photos there, and I find it to be a photographer’s paradise. I have even published a book about this land: What Color is Joy? Guatemala. (*Can be ordered.) The textiles, arts and crafts that I buy there are treasures to be cherished forever. I happily share them with you!
HAND HOOKED RUGS
These colorful hand hooked rugs are specially designed and created in a small village in Guatemala by Mayan women. There are currently more than 20 artists making the rugs, which are unique and one of a kind. To make the rugs, the ladies take old T-shirts and dye them into bright colors, which are then used in the original designs which each individual artisan develops and fabricates on her own. As a result, each rug has its own particular character and personality.
Natural and organic textiles and art to wear created by Guatemalanvillagers on Lake Atitlan. These textiles…. shawls, scarves, ponchos, bags, and other accessories, are made exclusively by a coop of ladies who need the money to raise their families.
I visited this coop 6 years ago when it first got started, and I return every year. Their progress has been dynamic and amazing. Whenever I purchase their fine quality products, the ladies show me their genuine gratitude and tell me how important their success is to the health and welfare of their families. I buy from them because they excel at this particular work….. blackstrap weaving from natural cotton fibers dyed and woven into special textiles.
These lovely and unique beaded bracelets are created by these wonderful ladies in a small village on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Each bracelet is hand made, with special stones and crystals. The lady artisans use the money they make from the bracelets to feed their children and send them to school.
We gave them some T-shirts from the USA, collected by my grandchildren at their school, for which the artisans were very grateful.
The son of a French psychiatrist and a Haitian mambo, Jacques Enguerrand Gourgue (1930 – 1996) was born in Port-au-Prince in 1930. By age 17, he joined the Centre d’Art and finished a painting called The Magic Table, now in the permanent collection of New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. Haitian life and religion are common themes in his work, realized in a dark, rich palette that suggests a shadowy mysticism. His work can be either realistic or the product of Vodou dreams. (From: “Masterpieces of Haitian Art: Seven Decades of Unique Visual Heritage” by Candice Russell. Schiffer Publications Ltd, 2013.)
“Gourgue’s imagery is not easily interpreted by those not familiar with Haitian life, folklore, and religion. Juxtaposing familiar objects in a personal, always new and surprising way, his works seem to resist rather than to invite analysis. The artist’s intention is to force the viewer to meet him on the level of the subconscious, giving free rein to emotion and fantasy.” – Ute Stebich, Art Historian
