Arts & Entertainment A weekly guide to music, theater, art, movies and more, edited by Rebecca Wallace
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Clockwise from right: A vessel to the Tlaloc rain god, circa 1-300 A.D.; José Guadalupe Posada’s etching “Calavera de la Catrina”; 20th-century clay lion banks by Julian Acero; a human effigy vessel, circa 1300 B.C.-A.D. 1500; Felipe Linares’ “UntitledCalaca Enramada (Skeleton with Flowers).” by Rebecca Wallace
hile pumpkins park on porches and mummies roam vegetable gardens, another emblem just as evocative of the season grins on a wall at the Palo Alto Art Center. A skeleton in a fancy ostrich-feather hat beams, almost maniacally, in a relief etching on zinc by José Guadalupe Posada. The figure may be laughing at us — or just pointing out that even couture can’t ward off death. The etching, made around 1910 and titled “Calavera de la Catrina,” has become a symbol of El Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. The Mexican holiday, celebrated at the beginning of November, centers on remembering past ancestors and friends, but its icons are more animated than gloomy. That mood is much in evidence these days at the art center. Near the Posada etching, several other works with Day of the Dead themes pop against yellow walls. Felipe Linares’ papier-mâché “Untitled-Calaca Enramada (Skeleton with Flowers)” seems to dance, entwined with blooming cacti and petals. A frog puts a froggy hand on one of the skeleton’s feet. A scorpion perches on its head. Somehow, the surreal nature feels less wild and more matter-of-fact and cheerful. As art center curator Signe Mayfield wrote in an essay, “The ceremony and art of Day of the Dead reflect a central metaphor at the core of Mexico’s spirituality: The supernatural may coexist with humankind.” Visitors have many opportunities to explore Mexico’s spirituality and cre-
THE SPIRIT OF
MEXICO Vivid images of Day of the Dead, revolution and tradition light up Mexican Museum show
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