Votos (Votive Offerings)

Portfolio/Seriesfrom the portfolio Photographs by Manuel Alvarez Bravo

Date1969

Artist Manuel Álvarez Bravo (Mexican, 1902 - 2002)

Publisher Acorn Editions, Ltd. (Geneva, Switzerland )

CultureMexican

MediumGelatin silver print, printed 1977

EditionEdition 27 of 100

DimensionsSheet: 8 × 10 1/16 in. (20.3 × 25.6 cm)
Image: 7 1/2 × 9 5/8 in. (19.1 × 24.5 cm)

Credit LineGIft of Dr. Lawrence Goldmantz

On View

Not on view

Period20th c

Classification(s)

Photograph

SignedOn verso, signed lower right corner in pencil: M. Alvarez Bravo.

InscribedOn verso, by artist, lower right corner in pencil: Mexico. / 27/100

Vassar Exhibitions

Care Everywhere: Photography and Print as a Lens on Care

Highlights from the Loeb’s Mexican Art Collection

Label TextSpirituality and religion can be a realm in which one receives and gives care. Often, care manifests in spiritual spaces through communal worship or through praying for the wellbeing of others. There can also be an exchange of care between the living and the dead, and more personal forms of devotion to a higher power through the use of votives and offerings. Both Manuel Álvarez Bravo and Audrey Flack explore the theme of religious devotion. Bravo’s photograph depicts an Indigenous Mexican votive offering, while Flack’s print shows a weeping Madonna she encountered at the Cathedral of Seville in Spain. Both artists represent figures or objects used for worship. Bravo’s use of light and shadow creates a stark contrast to highlight the careful beadwork and stitches of the votive offering, while Flack focuses on a figural subject, using rich colors to adorn and highlight the Madonna. In many religions, worshipers offer candles, flowers, and other items as votive offerings, hoping for their prayers to be answered. Making an offering in the hope of having a prayer answered represents an exchange of care. Even prayer itself may serve as an act of care; one may pray for their own wellbeing or that of another person—offerings may also be made in place of or for another person. Care is then reciprocated when the worshiper’s prayer is answered.

DescriptionBlack and white image of a stone archway covered with decorative stylized forms of angels, flowers, and animals, all made from organic material. A string of fibrous leaves or stalks hangs below.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email loebcollections@vassar.edu