During a trip to Mexico in 2016, my mexican grandma baptised me « La Calaca ».
In mexican folklore, the Calaca is the skeleton figure. It is celebrated during the Fiesta de los muertos, the day of the dead in Mexico. Why this nickname ? My grandma thought I was too skinny ! She even sometimes said « Calaca flaca« , « skinny skeleton« , which made us laugh a lot with my cousin Ana.
I like the absurdity of the name and I like that it reminds me of my grandma’s affection. It brings me closer to her and by extension, to my ancestors.
Mexican people try to celebrate death and it is not necessarily macabre, it is rather a transcendence. I find that very inspiring. Thinking about death is not easy but I try, with small figurines and icons placed here and there at home, to welcome it to my life. One of my favorite Van Gogh paintings is the Skull.
Van Gogh’s Skull, 1887
It might have been my mexican sensitivity that encouraged me to admire this painting. Ever since I was a teen, I found it graceful. I love the urgency of the brush strokes and the bright colors that depict an object of death.
It moves me deeply in its audacity and its freedom. I love Van Gogh for his capacity to sublime the mundane with ardor: Irises here and there, various trees, an incredible Crab on a green background, farmers, landscapes. Every brushstroke is as if part of a spontaneous dance, almost thoughtless, and yet everything appears to be at its place. Every line and color are obvious.
Van Gogh’s Calavera, The Skull, is refined and contrasted with its complementary colors. est épurée et contrastée avec ses couleurs complémentaires. The red lines enclose touches of green, the grey blue tones echo the orange tones in the upper left side of the skull. It reminds me of mexican iconography: the moon and the sun that share each other’s half. Images that are simple and strong.
