Art Tigua (ecuador). Shamanic Celebration. 70s.

The frame is painted original. The chassis has warped. The history of this pictorial art, which is the painting of Tigua, dates back to ancient times, to the Inca and pre-Inca periods. Tigua culture has gone through the ages, tigua artists are the direct descendants of the Incas, their language is still the quecha, the language of the Incas and often live in the highlands of the Ecuadorian Andes, among the volcanoes and the highest peaks in the world . Here, the most original allegories endure. It's only since the 1970s that these artists began to make themselves known. Indeed at the beginning, their painting was only for the purpose of decorating objects, instruments ... It is Julio Toaquiza, painter of the village of Tigua, who would have diffused this culture. Since the art tigua is an important source of the local and even national economy. This naive native art is performed by the artist who paints on sheep skins stretched over a wooden frame. The techniques of this art seem ordinary, the materials used are most common. The frame is an assembly of 4 simple amounts of wood. The taut skin is that of a sheep. A curious and effective technique is used to take off the hair: on the back is poured wet cement, then we can easily peel the skin ... In his studio, the artist uses classical paint (the same used for the walls of houses ...). In order, he will paint the uniform background (the sky), the foreground (the fields) and the rest. Of course you have to let two or three hours rest between each coat of paint; as a result, the design of a painting can take eight days. Between technique and heritage, art tigua is transmitted within the family unit. It is therefore a real heritage. In this capacity he has already been represented at UNESCO. The symbolism: Tigua art draws on its secular roots, reflecting traditional local cultures, rituals and mythologies. The Inca-Ecuadorian history offers a multitude of themes. However, the scenes are very similar, delivering only the message of the traditional heritage, daily work in the fields, weddings, baptisms, celebrations, pagan communions, raising llamas, sheep, snow-capped peaks, weavers. But an eye warning can understand the deep symbolism of the drawings, so the volcano that is omnipresent is a particularly strong and important symbol, it represents life, fertility, strength, everything comes from the volcano. A shaman is often evoked, confirming the existence of syncretism, nothing will have been able to sweep the old doctrines. The couple, the woman occupies a major place, affirming the values of family and love.