The morning after my up close and personal encounter with the Luchador I had something more sedate planed. A visit to the Instituto Cultural Cabanas, which houses murals by Mexican artist Jose Orozco, something I had missed on my first visit 3 years prior. The Hispicio Cabanas, originally named the House of Charity and Mercy, or whatever that translates to in Spanish, is considered one of the most important examples of neo-classical architecture in Mexico. It, and the murals it contains, are so valued that they were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. The building opened its doors in 1810 to provide care and shelter to the poor. It had to close several months later when it was converted to military barracks, a sad irony. After 17 years it was reopened to continue it's original mission. Eventually it was turned over to the state. In 1937 the state of Jalisco invited the artist to paint the inside of the main chapel.
Marimba music fills the air as I stroll across the long plaza in front of the building. Stalls vending local crafts sit side by side along the plaza's edges. After paying a modest entrance fee I cross an inner courtyard to the main chapel. The murals are an assault to the senses. They are brutal in both tone and narrative, dark and disturbing, yet breathtakingly beautiful. His style is simultaneously primitive and complex.
Despite the dark visions the chapel is quiet and peaceful. Diffused sun streams in from the windows which surround the dome. A cool breeze flowed through the open doors as I sat on a bench, astounded by the angry message of the murals juxtaposed against the beautiful, deceptively simple looking lines of the early 19th century architecture.
Beyond the chapel the rooms surrounding the many courtyards of this architectural masterwork have been converted to galleries devoted to the work of Mexican artists. Their is a small collection of abstract works by a painter named Mathias Goeritz. His creates pieces with a 3 dimensional quality by applying layer upon layer of paint. Later I discover, in another of the galleries, the same works on paper, presumably studies for the first canvases I encountered. Several courtyards feature the work of Francisco Gazitua. He recreates mechanical tools, a compass, a scale, a calibrator, in large scale metal works which are set among the palms and citrus trees which dot the courtyards.
Gallery after gallery of beautiful works enrich and renew my soul as I work my way through the building. There is a passion exhibited by the works that seem, somehow, distinctly Mexican, both a tribute and mirror to the long history and rich culture of their country. I make a final, return stop at the chapel before heading out into the afternoon.
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