(b. 1964)
A
Spanish Market artist since 1991, Jerome Lujan found his first inspiration in
the art of his second cousin Luisito Lujan. But it wasn't until Lujan, who is
also an electrician, was wiring the workshop of artist Jerry Pete Sandoval that
he was able to follow the creative process from start to finish. Lujan now works primarily in the style of the historic santeros of the 1820s-1850s. His own process includes roughing out the body of the image and then finishing the face first. "The first thing I want to get across is the face. Each piece has to have its own identity," he says.
His work, titled Sangre de mi Jesus / Lágrimas de María (Blood of my Jesus / Tears of Mary) is an emotional piece that focuses on Mary as Nuestra Señora de Dolores (Our Lady of Sorrows) and Jesus after he was brought down from the cross. The deer hide draped over the cross bears phrases from two different alabados (hymns) about Mary and the Death of Christ.
In the mid 1990's Lujan initiated a series of ground-breaking thematic group shows in which Hispanic artists were invited to explore other subjects including Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), and corazones (hearts). The shows, held at his home, were integral in giving local artists more venues and visibility.
Lujan collects Spanish Colonial art and works by fellow Hispanic artists.
Sangre de mi Jesús/ Lágrimas de Maria
1999
aspen, pine, deer hide, natural pigments and piñon varnish
