Exvoto Mexican Folk Art - Man, Skeleton with Third Eye and Virgin

12" x 9"

A vibrant exvoto folk art  painting by Christopher Rodriguez Contreras. A contemporary artist that tells a tale of gratitude. Contreras offers a window into the everyday life of the common people of Mexico through tales once told. Acrylic on tin. Signed "CR 24" bottom right. " on verso. Some minor scratches to painting. Unframed.

Translation: "Filemon Juarez pays this exvoto to the dark-skinned Virgin that the bony one with the human face wanted to take me to Mitclan but you liberated me with good and that is why I offer this miracle."

The term exvoto comes from the Latin referring to a vow or promise. It is an offering made to a divinity to give thanks for the assistance. In Europe, this tradition started in 15th-century Italy. During Spanish rule, Mexicans adopted a creative way to thank the saints, the Virgin Mary, or holy figures for their help with miracles or the supernatural. The  ingenious exvotos are often moving and sometimes express humor through gratitude. The tradition started in the upper classes, by the 18th century, it reached the rest of the population where it adopted a form of paintings on wood or metal sheets. 

Cuidad de Mexico

Contemporary