The Story Behind the Image: Tree by Eleonora Arroyo
Pablo Picasso once said: "Every now and then one paints a picture that seems to have opened a door and serves as a stepping stone to other things."
We want to peek through the door and see what’s behind the image. We asked Toi’s artists to tell us the story behind the picture, what motivated it, what ideas or events produced it. Because every representation has it’s own story, it’s own world for us to discover.
This is what Eleonora told us:
During a trip to Mexico for the presentation of a book fair in Guadalajara (at the Guadalajara Book Fair), I was asked to design a poster for the reading campaign for CONACULTA, (Mexico’s National Council for Culture and Arts) and I got to spend a few days in Oaxaca. The whole city is like a great folk art market. I was delighted. Among such wonderful things I’ve found the “alebrijes” those brightly colored Oaxacan-Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical creatures. One day, I visited the Museum of Popular Art in Mexico City. Upon entering, the first thing I saw was a giant Tree of Life in the garden, it was spectacular!
And just like that, I’ve got the idea for the National Council’s reading campaign: it would represent different alebrijes reading on the top of a tree.
The poster was ready! When I got home and started to work on that, it didn't take me too long, I had it all in my mind, waiting to happen.
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
