The Art of Fernando Llort

Happy new year! I hope you had a fantastic time welcoming 2010. I thought I would kick off the year with some beautiful artwork by Fernando Llort.

As I have mentioned, I was born in El Salvador. My family moved to the U.S. when I was 18 months old. I was fortunate to grow up with parents who instilled in us a deep appreciation for our culture, language and for El Sal. My sister and I spoke Spanish at home and spent summers with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in El Salvador - it was quite a magical place as a child.

One of El Salvador's treasures is the artwork of Fernando Llort. It has come to symbolize the nation and is considered the epitome of the country's folk art.

Fernando Llort

Llort was born in El Salvador in 1949. After finishing his university studies, he continued his education in France and Belgium as well as the United States. Upon his return to El Salvador in the early 1970s, Llort saw the beginning of the unrest that would eventually lead to civil war in the 1980s. He left the capital city of San Salvador in 1972 and moved to a small town in the northern part of the country called La Palma.

Llort's time in La Palma would lay the foundation for what has become the nation's artwork. As he painted and explored his own art he also taught the citizens of La Palma (a humble, rural town) how to create crafts using his artwork which led to the creation of an artisan cooperative called La Semilla de Dios, or God's Seed. Through this cooperative, the citizens of La Palma were empowered with a skilled trade that provided sustainability for their community.

The facade of the San Salvador cathedral, designed by Llort

I am giving you a very digested version - this all happened against the backdrop of civil war and a very deep religious faith that Llort brought to and shared with the community. It is a beautiful story that came from a very dark period for the country.

 

Since then, Llort's artwork has gained in popularity and is ubiquitous throughout El Salvador. You'll find it everywhere - beach towels, pottery, linens, t-shirts, coffee mugs. The original crafts are still created in La Palma, but many now create crafts in this style throughout the country.

 

And although Llort's work is found all over your typical tourist fare, it never loses its beauty. The colors of his pieces are so dynamic. And perhaps I find his work so appealing as it reminds me of El Salvador every time I see it.

 

Fernando Llort stil creates his art today in many different mediums, although I don't think he creates as much as he used to. He maintains a gallery in San Salvador called El Arbol de Dios, or Tree of God, that showcases his work and sells some of the crafts.

 

If you are interested in work by Llort for your home, here are sites that sell some of his items (where I have gotten most of the images used in this post):

- Fernando Llort's official web site - www.fernando-llort.com

- Ella House Fine Art - www.ellahouse.com

- Ten Thousand Villages - www.tenthousandvillages.com

- All Posters - www.allposters.com

Carter and I visited El Salvador in May - it was his first time seeing the country and meeting most of my extended family. It was a great trip - and we picked up many items with Llort's artwork (as I usually do when I visit). This year, I decorated the kitchen with Christmas items that we got:

I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of Llort's work - I think his pieces are a beautiful addition to the home. Or at least to my home...I know art is personal and his especially reminds me of my family and our history, so I always love seeing it!

AO Christmas 2009: The Living Room and Kitchen

Today I'll give you a little tour of the other items I put up in the living room to go with the tree, as well as the small accents that are adorning the kitchen.

The tree usually takes full attention in the living room, so this year I kept the other pieces pretty simple. I think I'll decorate a bit more next year, but with a busy holiday season and plenty to do on the new house, I made it easy on myself :)

We picked up a live wreath at Home Depot when we got the tree and we finally hung our large silver mirror over the fireplace - it makes SUCH a difference in the room to have something large hanging on that wall - especially a mirror that opens up the room with its reflection.

I had a nice full faux garland that I used last year that was perfect draped over the fireplace to go with our stockings. Carter is not a fan of his stocking - and I do see his point. It's damask and it has a ruffle...but he puts up with it because he knows it makes me happy to have a decorative statement with our stockings. Both stockings are Ballard Designs purchases from a year or two ago.

I positively ADORE nutcrackers. I started collecting them two Christmases ago. These two make a really cute pair with some darling mini nutcrackers - a perfect centerpiece for the coffee table. I can't wait to have a real mantel over our fireplace as I certainly plan to display a nutcracker collection there next year.

This is a view of my family's nativity. Since Carter and I started hosting Christmas and other holidays, my dad let us "borrow" the nativity to display. My sister and I both love this set - it is beautifully made and has sentimental value as we always put it out growing up, usually at the base of the Christmas tree. You'll note that the baby Jesus is about five times the size of Mary...we broke the original baby Jesus many years ago and this was his replacement...adds to the character of the set. And doesn't every nativity need a blue pagoda birdhouse??

And finally for the living room, some views of the mirrored armoire. I didn't do much else to it except tuck some of those glittered magnolias between the items I usually display. These are the same magnolias I use on the tree - hard to tell here, but they are glittered and lovely.

And some views of the Christmas accents we picked up in El Salvador that are making the kitchen festive...

 

These items are classic examples of the folk art you will find in El Salvador made by different artisans and villages that specialize in these colorful crafts throughout the country. The designs are based on the work of one particular artist named Fernando Llort. I'll tell you all about the art of Sr. Llort in a future blog - it's so beautiful, and especially so at Christmas.

 Tomorrow I'll show you the best room of all (I think)...the dining room!