La Negrita en Primavera

27 cm x 35 cm, watercolor, Spring 2014

"La Negrita en Primavera"

From my mind, onto which the composite of a multitude of images (all pretty much uniform) is still emblazoned.  It's because I did not use a reference picture that I was able to paint in a looser, mystical style.

I wanted to play with pearlescent watercolors, & I have long wanted to paint La Negrita.  The original statue is made of black basalt, so I thought she'd like to wear spring colors for a change ;P "The Little Black One" is Costa Rica's patron saint.  A huge proportion of CR's population + pilgrims from around the world participate in an annual pilgrimage to the basilica in which she is housed.  Many make the journey by foot; many crawl the last few kilometers or yards.  This website has an accurate description: http://pocketcultures.com/2012/08/03/costa-rican-annual-pilgrimage-to-honor-la-negrita/

La Negrita is one fascinating element of Costa Rican culture I learned while living there. 

~  The affection most Costa Ricans have for their patron saint is touching.  They speak of her like a good friend.  This is the most important take-home message.  

~  I was thrilled that this revered icon is black.  It begins to make up for the longtime distortion of the images of Jesus the Christ, the apostles, & other historical figures within non-Coptic Christianity.  Most of these people were not Scotch-Irish, Flemish, German, etc., as they are habitually depicted!  And the apostle Paul would not have ridden a horse, since only Roman soldiers were permitted to do so (and being a scofflaw had grave consequences).  I'm such a persnickety historian.  If you don't like it, just enjoy my picture & stop reading :)

~  I love the story that a little girl found her.  What would have happened if she hadn't given the "doll" to a priest?  

~  I have long been fascinated by enormous gatherings of humans for faith purposes.   "Miracle shrines" are also interesting.  In the basilica where La Negrita is housed, for example, numerous people have left behind crutches, neck braces, & other appurtenances of suffering healed.  Although science shows that some brains are more hard-wired for spirituality than others, this primal drive is undeniably encoded in our being.  Why?  What makes us do these things, especially when it often costs time & money?  How do "miraculous" healings happen?  Why don't other animals seem to share this propensity?  Why do many people insist that their faith's miracles are valid but those of other faiths are mere superstition?  How fast is this viewpoint shifting?  Why do we go on pilgrimage?  Could I consider it a "pilgrimage" to visit, for example, an illustrated copy of The Canterbury Tales in Middle English?  That was pretty special, too.  I was allowed  - under supervision -  to turn pages, but I had to wear white kid gloves.  In other words, what constitutes a "pilgrimage"?  For my fellow Montanans: What did John Wayne mean when he said, "Allright, Pilgrim..."?  That was the common nickname for homesteaders.

~  Despite what I know about history, theology, teleology, ontology, & other faiths/cultures, I still feel an overwhelming beauty in the power of sacred places, icons (including idols), music, gatherings, and so forth.  I sometimes attend various churches, & I always cry when we sing together.  My judgements based in history, etc. are suspended.

MAY YOU ENJOY THE COLLECTIVE VIBE OF FAITH GATHERINGS