The folk art of Amate brings together the indigenous heritage of Mexico, says Saurav Kar

Paper that is thick and yellowing so much so that it reminds you of papyrus reeds used in Egyptian paintings. But then,  Amate, an exhibition of traditional Mexican folk art too uses a type of paper made from bark that pre-dates the Hispanic period in Mexico.

The exceptional art work exhibition, which opened on July 7th can be seen till the 17th of this month at the Indian International Centre. It was organised in collaboration with the Embassy of Mexico to display the forgotten art of Amate painting.

The Amate paper paintings combine paper crafting from San Pablito Pahuatlan, a small town in Puebla state with the Nahuatl folk painting from la Mezcala region on the Balsas River basin in Guerrero.

The Amate is painted by Nahuatl-speaking folk artists in the region called Mezcala, on the Rio Balsas Basin in Guerrero state. It is the most well-known and appreciated folk paintings from Mexico which are inspired from the natural beauty of the area.

Initially, the Nahuatl made pottery and painted on it. As the pottery was difficult to transport, they started painting on Amate paper and the art works resembled the pottery figures with colourful flowers, birds and other animals like deer and rabbits. But the talented artists soon developed new styles that included village and religious scenes.

Amate paintings are made on brown and white bark. For the Otomi people, the white paper represents nature and everything that is good while brown represents evil.

Brown paper usually features colourful paintings, made with acrylic colours, depicting flowers, birds, deer or rabbits and everyday stories from the community such as fishing, hunting and harvesting. White Amate paper is used in more intricate drawings made with pen and ink representing stories of community life.

The exhibition features paintings of birds, village scenes and of the indigeneous religion. One intricate painting depicts a village scene, which includes many aspects of rural community life farming, fishing, animal fights, celebrations, weddings and other religious festivals.

In the Mexican state of Guerrero, the native people learn the craft from their elders and start painting from a young age.

Other paintings are of birds and religion. The paintings of birds don’t have a structured frame as the bird design itself creates a special type of border. Religion being an essential part of the tradition in the small towns of Mexico, is depicted as a part of everyday life. In many of the paintings, the church is portrayed as an important place for the town’s people to attend mass. Amate paintings also illustrate various celebrations and ceremonies where people in the town take part.

The paintings in vibrant colours portray intricate details in a small canvas. There is no attempt to exclude details, keeping the size of the canvas in mind or balance the bright colours with ones which are lighter.