Illustration of a Village by the River - Amate Bark Drawing by Cristino Florez Medina

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Illustration of a Village by the River - Amate Bark Drawing in Ink

Illustration with people in a village by … Read more Illustration of a Village by the River - Amate Bark Drawing in Ink

Illustration with people in a village by Cristino Florez Medina (Mexican, 1937-2007). This piece is divided horizontally into two sections. In the top portion, there are people gathering supplies and farming in the jungle. Along the bottom portion, there is a village with a river running next to it. People are swimming in the river. The entire piece is surrounded by an elaborate border.

Signed "Cristino Florez Medina" in the lower right corner.
Presented in a new black mat.
Mat size: 24"H x 30"W
Paper size: 16"H x 24"W

Cristino Flores Medina (1937- 2007) was born in Ameyaltepec, a small village in the region called La Mezcala, on the Balsas River basin in Guerrero State. The area is inhabited by Nahuatl speaking people sharing traditions and culture.

Ameyaltepec had a pre-Hispanic pottery tradition that later evolved to the painted clay from the Balsas folk art style. Like most of the activities in the community, craft making was a family matter. Everyone helped in the painting process. From a family of artisans Cristino began painting at a young age.

In 1962, his neighbor Pedro de Jesus invited him to Mexico City to paint wooden figurines in Max Kerlow's gallery patio. There Cristino and Pedro met Felipe Ehrenberg, an eclectic Mexican artist.

Ehrenberg fully appreciated the talent these young artists had and was able to see the cultural value of their artwork. He suggested that they paint on Amate paper, a Pre-Hispanic paper that was used by Mesoamerican cultures.

Flores Medina eventually switched from painting colorful landscapes to drawing detailed narrative pieces in pen and ink like his beautifully balanced depiction of the Ascension of Jesu, where Christ rises to heaven on a beam of light, blessing both humans and beasts ranged in rows below in a typical Mexican landscape. See less