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History and Art of Santo Statues

Santo are religious artworks found in colonized parts of Spain depicting saints, angels, or figures from Christianity. A santero is someone who carves these wooden or ivory statues, which were important for converting indigenous people to Catholicism. The tradition began in Spain and spread to Latin America and the Philippines, where detailed santo statues became popular religious artforms. Major santeros like George Lopez were recognized for preserving the folk art of santo carving in isolated villages in New Mexico.

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24 views1 page

History and Art of Santo Statues

Santo are religious artworks found in colonized parts of Spain depicting saints, angels, or figures from Christianity. A santero is someone who carves these wooden or ivory statues, which were important for converting indigenous people to Catholicism. The tradition began in Spain and spread to Latin America and the Philippines, where detailed santo statues became popular religious artforms. Major santeros like George Lopez were recognized for preserving the folk art of santo carving in isolated villages in New Mexico.

Uploaded by

Yadge Ong
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Santo (art)

Santo (English: Saint) are various religious artforms found in colonized parts of Spain consisting of wooden or ivory statues that depict various saints, angels, or Marian titles or one of the personages of the Holy Trinity. A Santero refers to a wood-carver who makes the image, but has also come to be known as someone who collects Santo images either as a religious devotion, or artistic hobby, or both. History Icons and other religious images were crucial for the conversions of indigenous peoples to Roman Catholic Church, which was itself an integral part of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. However, long distances, inefficient methods of transportation, and high demand for such artworks limited the ability of ecclesiastical authorities to supply parish churches, especially those in remote outposts, with works of religious art from the Kingdom of Spain. The practice of creating Santo objects began in Spain, where mannequin style religious images were commonly vested in ornate religious clothing, often expensive and funded by religious devotees. An early known example is the 1555 statue of Infant Jesus of Prague, already vested during the time of Saint Teresa of Avila. Customarily, jewels are various accessories were also added onto the image, a tradition still presently carried today. Santo images are also common throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, while the tradition of santo carving was preserved as a folk art in Northern New Mexico, whose isolated villages remain secluded to this day. Of particular note is the village of Cordova which has produced several well-known Santeros (carvers of santos). A major one was George Lpez, who was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1982. Santo statues are commonly known as revultos or informally as bultos. They are usually carved from cottonwood root, pine or aspen. A Santero carves a bulto with a knife and then covers it with gesso, a mixture of native gypsum and glue, to prepare it for painting. Some contemporary santeros still use paints from homemade pigments. Description English: The image of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila in Sto. Domingo Church, Quezon City, Philippines during the Grand Procession. Often cited as the Grandest Marian icon in the Philippines, the image of Our Lady of La Naval de Manila is an ivory statue, with gold bullion embroidered vestment and jeweled crowns fit for a regalia Queen and is venerated by many Filipino Catholics. Santero collectors also own medium-replicas of this image and the like.

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