Huichol Art

First I have to admit that this drawing is a copy but a really nice one. 

Some years ago, according to a report on television, I researched for Huichol art on the internet and found pictures that cast a spell over me then for the first time.

This fascination lasts until this very day. The Huichol art does not only light up walls, clothings, masks etc., they also light up my life. The use of extreme bright and contrasting colours reflects excactly my preference for using them in paintings. I chose to copy this painting also because of having a particular liking of stag beetles, and I painted it only by using coloured pencils. Unfortunately, I did not found any interpretation on it and well, I keep in mind that it is not always possible to explain paintings in a logical way, nor are the explanations  themselves logical.

The Huichol or Wixáritari are a small ethnic group of around 12,000 people, living in Mexico's Sierra Madre mountains. They are agricultural people and dependant upon corn which they plant, raise and harvest always with relegious ceremonies. The Huichol religion is a major motivation for most of their art, and their daily life is devoted to their gods like Tatewari´ - the Grandfather Fire, the God Káuyúmarie - the Blue Deer or Tatéi Kukurú'Uimári - the Mother of Maize. Especially the Blue Deer is quite often illustrated in the paintings and a very sacred animal for them (here in brown and green). The Huichols are also known for using Peyote (a hallucinogenic cactus) in their rituals to provide ideas, motifs and visions for their artwork. Maybe that is why there is always an explosion of colours combined with symbols of the Huichol mythology and shamanistic traditions.

A lot of Huichols have moved to cities now making their special yarn paintings, created by pressing strands of coloured yarn into warmed beeswax, available for a larger number of people. And even the influence of the US and Christian Church is getting stronger and stronger what I regard with skepticism. I am aware of that modernisation and commercialisation will always find their way but I deeply hope that these Indians can keep their culture and traditions quite unchanged. I appreciate having heard of the Wixáritari but their special visionary art belongs to them. It's magical and unique.