Michelangelo once modestly claimed
that his only function was to free the statue that was imprisoned in
every block of marble. Similarly, the craftsmen of Ocotlan, Oaxaca use
the natural contours of ordinary scraps of wood to create animals, reptiles
and birds in a fantastic array of shapes and colors. These are not made
from single blocks, however, but legs, tails, ears and horns are separately
shaped and attached with nails or pegs to the torso. From aardvarks
to zebras, large or small, grimly realistic or whimsically amusing,
they carve them all, including a number of delightful specimens Noah
would never have recognized.
A visitor to this village will find workshop
after workshop with shelves crammed with wooden menageries. If he shows
the slightest interest, he will soon be mobbed by men, women and children
from all over town eager to show off their masterpieces, all of them
so enchanting they are almost impossible to resist.
The collection shown here is the result
of several such visits (and lack of resistance) over a period of 25
years. Some early examples are crude, dyed in realistic colors with
details painted in ink. Yet, however naive in execution, each has its
own unique charm and personality. Gradually, as they were discovered
and gained a well-deserved popularity among connoisseurs of folk art,
they have grown more sophisticated in style and finish until the most
recent, though still recognizable as animals, are glossily enameled
in dazzling colors and patterns Mother Nature never thought of.
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