Guadalupe and Conquistadora Madonnas as Symbols of Reconciliation

Native American Indigenous Symbols Intertwine with 

The Virgen of Guadalupe and La Conquistadora  

 

When I paint a retablo of a Madonna, the way I create my images is very internal as I mostly feel as though the image comes through me more than it comes from me. If I have any kind of preparatory sketch, it is usually very cursory and I often don't rely on it as I build the image. Inherent in this process is surprise, serendipity and destruction.

Detail - La Conquistadora

Destruction, in tandem with construction, is a necessary part of creating. Often, destroying the parts of the painting that don't work opens up a passage in the process that results in new images replacing them. Because I don't work with a strict plan I often riff with the image of the Madonna, following tangents of feeling and thought that reveal to me a new vision of the Divine Feminine in the Madonna's image.

The result of my process is that I often learn more about my image after I've painted it. Both from myself and from others.

Quite a few people have shared their experiences of seeing my Madonnas. Several have said they saw my series of Madonnas as being symbols of reconciliation between cultures and genders. For example, La Conquistadora's personage is intertwined with the Dine tribes' Spider Woman and the Puebloan's Corn Maiden.

One aspect of creating images of the Devine Feminine is my effort to rebalance the perception of God/Creation as being solely male. Another aspect is the reconciliation between cultures. Each North American Madonna I make is layered with symbols of her Native American counterparts.

Cristina Acosta
www.AmericanMadonnas.com
www.CristinaAcosta.com