I had the good fortune to be lured to Oaxaca, Mexico this winter by a fellow TravelGumbo contributor, and through her to an unusual and art-filled day trip organized by the Oaxaca Lending Library.
The library, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, is not only a large collection of books and periodicals, not all in English, but has become a connection linking locals, ex-pats, visitors and more, as well as sponsoring lectures, hikes and excursions across the Oaxaca area.
The excursion I joined visited the working ateliers of two prominent artists, working in very different media, but in the same small town, San Pablo Huitzo, about an hour’s drive from Oaxaca.
The first visit was to La Escuela de Muralismo de Oaxaca, the School of Muralism led by Jesús González Gutiérrez, who teaches as well as practices fresco mural painting and also works on restoration of frescoes. The school is new in San Pablo; gentrification and rising rents pushed it out of Oaxaca itself, leaving behind many murals in its former space.
The present location is meant to be temporary, but its tall bare walls offer plenty of space for new work. The work starts the base for painting; the essence of fresco is painting on wet plaster, but the right kind must be prepared. Lime mixed with sand and water and then aged eight months or more to be ready for the wall. Once on the wall, the artists have eight hours or less to paint before it dries.
Natural mineral pigments are used, ground up and mixed with lime water—no oil; it would prevent the paint from drying into the plaster, becoming part of the stone. That drying can often take years to be complete.
Gutiérrez is originally from Mexico City; he later studied and earned a degree at the Art Students’ League in New York. He worked in New York until 2008, when he was forced to leave by immigration rules and returned to Mexico.
I had always associated Mexican muralism with its famed 20th century artists like Rivers, Orozco and Siqueiros, but in Oaxaca the tradition actually dates back 1500 years or so, and continued through the colonial era, decorating churches and convents, often painted by indigenous artists.
Another aspect of the school’s work is developing and teaching techniques for the seemingly impossible: Removing and restoring paintings that have become part of the walls they are painted on. It’s not a pretty process, and requires restoration work afterwards. First, layers of fabric are carefully attached with soluble glue to the surface; then the whole area of wall is removed including the original plaster behind the paint. A new backing goes on, and cracks are filled and repainted.
Our second visit, not far away, was to the atelier of Enrique Flores Gonzalez, known both for his own paintings and prints, and as the lithographer for prints by other well-known artists, including the Japanese-Mexican artist Shinzaburo Takeda, who has lived and worked in Oaxaca since the 1960s.
The brightly-lit spaces with a wall of windows are filled with prints, materials and a number of different lithographic presses.
Work in progress around the room added vivid color…
Quite a few of the tour members bought pictures; several were buying to complete series of Flores works they already owned.
Nuts and Bolts
- If you’re planning a visit to Oaxaca, joining the Friends of the Oaxaca Library Facebook group is a great first step to be aware of activities and opportunities.
- Most activities are between November and March
- Members of the OLL get discounts on paid activities as well as library privileges; membership is about $20 for 3 months and $30 for a year
