Calaveras

I've been a fan of this particular brand of folk art for many years now. It can be traced back to the works of Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada (1852 - 1913). An example of his work is the engraving above. He was a political cartoonist who often depicted his characters as living skeletons. Today you can find many examples of hand-made art, much of it probably intended for tourists, that continues this very interesting idea of blending together death and the mundane details of living. I've included some photos below of items from my own modest collection.