Renowned artist Lalo Garcia of Mission Hills, widely known for creating sacred art and his depictions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, has unveiled a new painting dedicated to the journey of migrants as part of a multi-piece art installation at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Downtown Los Angeles.
“Protectora de Migrantes” (“Protector of Migrants”) is the centerpiece of the installation – titled “Guadalupe Tonantzin: Guía y Camino Hacia el Niño Jesús” (“Guadalupe Tonantzin: Guide and Path Towards the Child Jesus”) – currently on display in an alcove off one of the corridors at the downtown cathedral. The 30” x 40” acrylic on canvas painting portrays an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe “protecting monarch butterflies, which are a universal symbol of migration,” described Garcia.
La Virgen Monarca
The monarch butterfly is often met with wonder because of its own migration pattern. Every year, millions of monarchs travel as far as 3,000 miles from Canada to Mexico to escape the perils of winter and find warmth, just as people migrate to the U.S. seeking a safe haven.
Unlike the other art pieces in the installation, which were created at different stages of his career, “Protectora” – which Garcia dubbed “La Virgen Monarca” (“The Monarch Virgin”) – was completed two months ago and publicly revealed at the cathedral. The painting appears to show Guadalupe next to a wall, which Garcia said he painted to symbolize a border wall, but using an artistic style intentionally open to personal interpretation, “neither abstract nor classic realism.”
“It’s not realism, but it does give you the feeling like she’s sitting curled up, protecting those butterflies,” he said. “It is so simple, but … when you see the painting, you will interpret it in your own way. The intention was definitely to create a wall, but someone might just see stripes. Some people who do see it as a border wall have asked me, ‘What side of the wall is she on?’”
To which, he reiterated: “There is no right answer – it’s up to the viewpoint of each spectator.”
Among the monarch butterflies in the painting, Garcia painted one of them to somewhat resemble a flower with four petals, he noted. That flower represents Jesus, said Garcia, as a “symbol of movement, resurrection and new life,” which parallels the journey of migration.
Garcia said the painting is drawing an abundance of curiosity and attention because its sacred imagery is combined with a reality that “we are living on a daily basis here in the United States.”
“The work I have been doing throughout the years always has a message – whether it’s cultural or religious, it always carries a message,” he said. “This painting is my message to the migrants as a painter that they are not forgotten. That is my little grain of sand that I contribute to tell them: You are protected – Jesus is walking with you. Have faith, have strength, have fortitude and hope that you will cross over safely.”
Garcia’s message to migrants with his Monarch Virgin painting echoes his purpose for creating the traveling mural “No Mas Family Separations,” which was first installed in the City of San Fernando in early 2021. The mural was designed to bring awareness and urgency to the issue of migrant children being separated from their families at the border and being placed in detention centers as part of then-President Donald Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy.
An immigrant himself, Garcia is from Michoacan, Mexico. He has been combining his artistry, culture and faith for over 50 years. Garcia’s art has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the U.S., México, Spain and Poland. His work can be found at Catholic parishes and institutions across the Los Angeles area, including the cathedral, where he has had numerous art installations over the years and was the lead artist for the mural of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is located in the cathedral plaza and overlooks the Hollywood Freeway.
Devotion to Our Lady Guadalupe
“Guadalupe Tonantzin” opened to the public at the cathedral Dec. 3 to coincide with the start of Advent, a four-week period of preparation for Christmas in many Christian faith traditions. It was also timed to precede the Dec. 12 feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the image of a brown indigenous Mary as many believe she appeared to St. Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico in 1531.
Her image can be viewed as a revered cultural icon as much as a religious image, so much so, Dec. 12 is a national holiday in Mexico.
“The exhibition has to do with both the feast of Guadalupe and Advent, to help us meditate a bit on the coming of Jesus,” said Garcia. “There are a total of 10 paintings, six that narrate the apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego, and three [about] Advent – ‘The Annunciation,’ one of Mary pregnant, which is called ‘Creator of Light,’ and ‘The Nativity.’”
Over his decades as an artist, Garcia said he has been often asked about the validity of the “miraculous apparitions” of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in particular in response to his artistic renderings of the Guadalupan image. His response is always the same: the proof is evident in the people.
“To the anti-apparitionists who express skepticism and ask me, ‘Do you really believe in the [apparition of] Our Lady of Guadalupe?’ I answer them with another question. I tell them that I would love for them to go to any church on Dec. 12 and tell me if what they see is a lie,” he said. “All the people kneeling, singing, dancing, praying. … Why are they there? Because of the faith and devotion they have to this image, which is the biggest Marian icon in the world.”
Annual festivities held in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe are typically celebrated on the evening of Dec. 11 and on Dec. 12 at the cathedral and in churches across LA and the San Fernando Valley, which locally includes a mañanitas mass and celebration at Santa Rosa Catholic Church in the City of San Fernando. In fact, said Garcia, Guadalupanos can be found “around the globe.”
Our Lady of Guadalupe is known as the “patroness of the Americas,” but Garcia said he considers her the “patroness of the entire world.”
“Anywhere in the world where there is an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, this Dec. 12 there will be a celebration,” said Garcia. “She is a migrant with an international passport. She travels to all countries to protect us.”
“Guadalupe Tonantzin: Guide and Path Towards the Child Jesus” will remain on public display through Jan. 5, 2024. The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is located at 555 W. Temple St. in Downtown LA. To learn more about the artwork of Lalo Garcia go to: www.lalogarcia.com.
Editor Diana Martinez contributed to this article.
Is there a possibility there might be posters forthcoming. Great for non-profit fundraising. I would certainly get more than one original size painting.