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):
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!
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