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| Mexican Handcrafts of Guanajuato. Mexico
Popularized by José Guadalupe Posada, this Catrina is
the skeleton of an upper class woman with large breasts and
one of the most popular figures of the Day of the Dead celebrations, which
occur during two days, November 1 and November 2, corresponding with the Catholic holy days of All Saints
Day and All Souls Day.
Although these holy days have a long cultural history reaching into the
prehistoric traditions of several European cultures, many aspects of the
Mexican festival have indigenous origins in an Aztec festival
dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl.
After the conquest of Mexico, the Spanish superimposed their cultural
traditions upon the similar Aztec festival and a synthesis occurred.
La Catrina, as it is commonly known, was a popular
print in Posada's day, but soon faded from the popular memory. Along with the
rest of Posada's prints, it was revived by French artist and art historian Jean Charlot shortly
after the Mexican Revolution in the 1920s. La
Catrina soon gained iconic status as a symbol of uniquely Mexican art and
was reproduced en masse.
The image was incorporated into Diego Rivera's
mural Dream of a Sunday in Alameda Park, which also includes images of his
wife Frida Kahlo,
Posada, and a self-portrait of Rivera.
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Monday, October 31, 2011
La Catrina
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Quinceañera
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Quinceañera (lit. meaning One (f.) who is fifteen),
sometimes called Fiesta de Quinceañera, or simply quince, is the
celebration of a girl's
fifteenth birthday in parts of Latin America and
elsewhere in communities of immigrants from Latin America. This birthday is
celebrated differently from any other birthday, as it marks the transition from
childhood to young womanhood.
In Mexico, the birthday girl is fixed up with fancy makeup. Traditionally,
this was the first time she would wear makeup, but more recently this is no
longer the case. She also has her nails and hair done especially for this
occasion and dresses up with a fancy dress that she had chosen in advance.
In the Mexican tradition - and if the teenager is Catholic - the quinceañera
festival begins with a Thanksgiving mass. For this mass, the
teenager wears a formal dress, usually quite creative in fashion and reminiscent
of what a western bride or princess would wear. Traditionally, the quinceañera
would wear a pink dress to symbolize her purity; however, in recent decades,
white has become the color of choice to symbolize this treasured quality.
She arrives at the celebration accompanied by her parents, godparents,
damas, and chamberlains. She is also awarded a tiara as a reminder that
to her loved ones, especially her immediate family, she will always be a
princess. [Wiki]
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Saturday, October 29, 2011
The Swing of Life
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Zen and the Art of Photography
Driven by a passion for photography and a fascination with the Zen Buddhist
philosophy, the author conceptually and experientially examines the relationship
between Zen Buddhism and the art of photography.
Among the subjects discussed:
What is the relationship between haiku and photography?
What is the relationship between the mind of the photographer while creating a photograph
and the Zen concept of the Empty Mind?
What role does intuition and feeling play in
photography?
In Zen?
Through examination of these concepts and relationships,
the author explains the heightened awareness, joy, and enlightenment he has
experienced through photography and suggests ways that others may share in
the creative process.
Wayne Rowe. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
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Friday, October 28, 2011
Solar Dance
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When it is
dark enough, you can see the stars.
~Ralph
Waldo Emerson
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Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Fire From Within
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⇓
If we could see the miracle of a single
flower clearly, our whole life would change.
~Buddha
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Monday, October 24, 2011
Water Games
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| Chapultepec Lake |
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| Detail |
Harold Pinter
There are some things one remembers even though they may never have happened.
Enjoy this magnificent Drum Solo by Mark Walker!
(Mark Walker (drums) with Andy Narell "The Long Way Back" (head out and drum solo)
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Heart
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“You see things; and you say, 'Why?'
But I dream things that never were;
and I say, 'Why not?'”
“Life isn't about finding yourself.
Life is about creating yourself.”
~George Bernard Shaw
Dedicated To All Of You!
Thanks
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