Ironically but rather appropriately potatoes become political statements in the work of Peruvian retablist artist Nicario Jimenez Quispe. Working in the tradition of a rural, religious art form, he depicts his culture's lively traditions and stories and makes powerful comments about Peruvian history and government.
Retablos, the name of the type of art Jimenez creates, are wooden boxes filled with brightly colored figurines arranged into intricate narrative scenes. His compositions range in subject matter from stories of modern political unrest in Peru to biblical scenes of saints and the nativity.
A variety of the artist's pieces were on display and for sale yesterday in the student lounge on the second floor of Carpenter Hall. The exhibit and sale continues today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In a presentation titled "Art and Politics in the Andes," given yesterday afternoon in Carpenter Hall, Jimenez demonstrated how he creates expressive figurines from a mixture of boiled potatoes and plaster of paris. The artist followed this up with a slide show and lecture about the history of retablos, which developed from Cajon San Marco, decorated boxes which Peruvian peasants have traded for centuries with the hopes that they would bring good fortune and fertile farm animals. He also explained the social and political statements in his own work.
Jimenez, an artist from the rural town of Ayacucho in the Peruvian Andes, spoke in Spanish through a translator.
While kneading his dough-like concoction and molding it into a small representation of an unsuspecting member of the audience, the artist described his sculpting process, in which the only tool is a small piece of wood resembling and enlarged toothpick. "It's all in the hands," Jimenez said.
Ideas and instinct, not calculation, are clearly the forces behind his work. "I don't make sketches or drawings of the scenes; it is all done in my head," he said. "First, I think of the general theme, then determine the size of the figurines according to the size of the box." The boxes range in height from two inches to two feet.
The scenes Jimenez creates are as diverse and colorful as the boxes themselves. Destruction of the environment, torture of innocent women and children and corrupt government officials are just a few of the social issues he touches on. For a change of pace, religious processions, festivals and artists studios, appearing in some of his retablos, are an indication of the rich Peruvian culture.
In "Ecology" Jimenez shows how "with heavy machinery, colonists wreak havoc in the rain forests, leaving destruction and deforestation in their wake," as an explanatory label states. The box is divided into two levels, with the upper depicting lush vegetation and thriving animal life and the lower revealing the present burned and leveled condition of the forests.
One of Jimenez's favorite pieces, which he pointed out in the slide show, reveals the artist's impression of Garcia, Peru's former president who was charged with illicit funding and imprisoned. "Garcia was a great inspiration for my work," the artist said jokingly after explaining his depictions of Garcia's corrupt exploits.
In various retablos, Jimenez takes a break from covering violence and corruption in his society to show vibrant Peruvian artists' studios and shops. In this category, he shows the workplaces of mask makers, weavers and musicians' workplaces, but, by far, the most captivating are his retablists' shops, in which artists sit at tables creating and painting figurines while miniature retablos decorate the walls an infinite series of art within art.
For Jimenez, retablo art is a family tradition. The artist is a third generation retablist; his grandfather began by making the boxes of Saint Mark, his father continued the trade but by modernizing the retablos, and he took it "one step further by addressing contemporary and social issues" through his work. He spoke with pride as he showed slides of some of the work his son, now age 14, who, like his father, uses retablos to express social and cultural concerns.
Jimenez is presently traveling to several colleges and galleries throughout the eastern U.S. to show his work and share his culture. His visit to Dartmouth is sponsored by the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Department.
