The miracles of Amil

Latex with acrylic on acetate, 60x40

Series: Galician ethnography, (Valle-Inclán's work)

...the engraving based on the Pilgrimage of Nosa Señora dos Milagres, where the figures, in a devout procession, but obviously poor, carry on their shoulders an statue of the Virgin and the coffin of a living sinner. We are terrified due to the devotion and “primitive” sense of these celbrations...the beauty and wealth of the Virgin highlights the poverty of the people. The brightness of his crown contrasts with the black clothes of people and the serenity or her smile stands out the wrinkled foreheads and sad expressions of the people around. Anyone familiar with this celebration knows that many times, the mantle of the Virgin goes out of the church already covered with notes pinned in it by the parishioners who expect healing miracles as a reward. These contrasts and dichotomies suggested about Galician people are opened as a circus as we watch the engravings and they increasingly evoke our historical and political thoughts.

Carol Maier

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