What is an Ex-voto Painting ?
The Latin term Ex Votive, describes the Italian paintings of this style, and Retablo is the Mexican term. Traditionally a picture which is naively painted on wood or metal, more recently on paper. For good reason, they continue to hold artistic, cultural and historical value because they are a record of their time. This ancient tradition can be traced back to early Christianity in Greece. More recently this practice is more likely to be observed in the Catholic Church.
These paintings are often described as a primitive offering. Quite small in size, about 203 mm x 254 mm , the commissioned subject matter is a very public and intensely personal expression of faith, showing gratitude or prayer for spiritual help . I think of them as a visual prayer, usually hung in a church where they continue their purpose in a holy space.
There are many reasons I have been drawn to this traditional genre of painting over the years . The most compelling Ex votive’s offer an immediacy , spiritual depth and authenticity that can be more difficult to find in the ‘conventional art world’.
Each Ex votive shares a narrative of what it is to be human , in the best and worst of times. Through these painted stories we are able to create structure and acknowledge dramatic events and miracles. They give us hope , that through these, we might rid ourselves of evil while giving thanks to God for improved circumstances or the end of our suffering and fear. I think of them as something tangible , proof of a sort which envisions our important experience or our need to pray. Someone described them as humble gifts, a sign of faith and superstition, so true .
Between 2013 and 2019 I began working on the series One Hundred Painted Vows , here I would like to share with you some of the works I made. I still make Ex votives, as it sometimes suites the way I gather and develop my ideas, often inspired by the stories I hear and the people in my life .
More Ex-voto’s can be found on this site and on the Environment page.
