Alebrijes
Alebrijes originated in Oaxaca, Mexico by Pedro Linares. Linares said to have dreamed of them in the 1930s when he was very ill, he dreamed of a strange land while feverage and saw this fantastic colorful creatures, they were not quite fully animals though, they were a mixtures of everything in his dream; while in the dream he said the weird animals were yelling at him “Alebrijes!” once he recovered he started producing what he dreamed of and there we had Alebrijes.
Alebrijes are my childhood! I am of Hispanic descent and Alebrijes were part of my childhood growing up. Alebrijes were adapted into folk tale and are said to be the souls of our pets and our guardians. If you have watched or hurd of the Disney Pixar movie “Coco” you would have seen the introduction of the term Alebrije. Alebrije are depicted in this movie as they are in Hispanic Folk Art vivid, bright weird animal lookalikes.
Hispanic Folk Art Alebrijes had been depicted in a lot of soap operas and shows I grew up with as a child; watching them and then finding paint around my house to paint my animals all different colors brought this creature to life for me. My mom got so mad that I did that to the dogs, cats and birds but to me as a child this was what made my imagination grow and thrive. Alebrijes make me absolutely happy; my culture has taught me that my pets will guide and protect me as they do now once I pass. As annoying as they are sometimes.
Hispanic Folk Art Alebrijes had been depicted in a lot of soap operas and shows I grew up with as a child; watching them and then finding paint around my house to paint my animals all different colors brought this creature to life for me. My mom got so mad that I did that to the dogs, cats and birds but to me as a child this was what made my imagination grow and thrive. Alebrijes make me absolutely happy; my culture has taught me that my pets will guide and protect me as they do now once I pass. As annoying as they are sometimes.
These beautiful creatures are just so colorful and unique that you can’t help be drawn in by them. Every Alebrije has their own story, their own creator and just like a child no two are alike. Each one brings in a different meaning to your life, a different perspective to how you see the Alebrije. You give each Alebrije their own personality to guide and protect you.
The presentation for these sculptures can be different depending on the artist, every artist gives the alebrijes their own twist and for that no two Alebrijes are the same. Their animal or decorative prints can all be different. The only similarity they all have is that they are vivid and bright! I would most definitely love to own an Alebrije and actually might start shopping for one soon.
Works Cited
Daniel Barojas, “Alebrije-Mexican Folk Art Fantastical Creatures”, CreativePinellas.com, July 23rd, 2018, https://creativepinellas.org/magazine-items/alebrije-mexican-folk-art-fantastical-creatures/
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ReplyDeleteThis is a really cool piece! I love that you're incorporating your own culture into this class. I LOVED the movie "Coco" (I cried three times) and definitely remember hearing the term "alebrije"- nice connection! Perhaps next time you could format your blog in a way where it's easier to see which elements you discussed. For example, I wrote a few paragraphs in my blog and then listed each element with a brief description, rather than keeping it in paragraphs. Other than that I really enjoyed your blog :)
DeleteThis was a great blog read for me as I totally learned about something new here, the Alebrijes! I think it's crazy that Pedro Linares gathered the idea for the Alebrijes from his dreams, almost like it was a calling for him. I do have to agree with you that these creatures are indeed very colorful, showing great use of color as an art element. I find it intriguing how you mentioned that every Alebrije has their own story, and that no two are alike. Excellent post!
ReplyDeleteAlebrijes is awesome collection of artwork. I would love to own one someday. I really love colors and patterns on them and they actually drawn your eyes to them. I was wondering about what your opinion is on the colors and patterns?
ReplyDelete