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| Felipe Lettersten |
We recently visited Puerto Rico. My personal highlight was at the 'Museo las Americas' in San Juan. They had an exhibit, a permanent one, titled 'El indio en America:'
It included a series of statues of native Americans, Indians, mostly from South and Central America. The statues were so lifelike! Then on exiting there was a television display of how they were made--and the philosophy of the artist.
It ends up that the statues are made from life--the models, the natives, are coated with plaster of paris from head to toe. The moulds were then taken back to the studio where the statues were created. The
Wonderful... but so little is left of our knowledge of Felipe Lettersten. I thought I should spend a little time to tribute him. So sorry there is no more...
Felipe Lettersten
Birthdate: June 16, 1957
Death: Died November 11, 2003 in Lima, Peru
Cause of death: Liver Failiur
Occupation: Sculpturer
Felipe Letterston, a
Swedish-Peruvian artist who dedicated his life to the
knowledge and protection of the "Hijos
de Nuestra Tierra" or "Sons of our Land".
He was a total
artist, but mainly through sculpture he tried to capture in bronze the physical characteristics of the indigenous people of the
Americas.
Most of them in danger of extinction.
Born in Lima, Peru
from Swedish parents... He studied
at Markham College
in Lima and later in Europe.
He was a multi talented artist, besides sculpture he painted and played the piano and the
saxophone. He also had a great affinity with plants and animals.
His sculptured have
been exhibited in Spain, Hawaii, Japan,
Thailand, Sweden, USA,
Italy, Mexico, Canada,
Cuba,
and All of South America
The most
interesting thing about Lettersten’s sculptures are that they
are made from ‘life’. Technique:
He would have to
convince the person to trust him,
this was the most difficult part.
Then he would
make a frame or structure with steel rods and wire and then
completely cover the model with plaster of paris (fast dry). Once dry
he would split open the mould and
let the model free. After that, in
his workshop in Lima,
he would pour plaster in the mould
and get a plaster statue which he retouched and added the
details. Another mould was made and
this was casted in bronze or polyurethane fiber.
He reproduced
many aboriginal Indian individuals with their
native clothes, ornaments and tools
and in typical everyday attitudes.
Sioux, Navajo,
Apache, Algonquian, Cheyenne,
Hopi were some of the North American tribes he portrayed.
Quechua and
Aymara from the
Andes
Bora, Campa,
Machiguenga, Ezeja, Iquitos, Jibaro, Conibos,
Shipibos, Cashinaua...from Peru
Camayura, Tumbe,
Yanomami, Parakanas, Araras...from Brasil
Caribe, Llanero,...from Venezuela,
among many other tribes that were visited and their members posed for Felipe.
Felipe would
return to the tribes he visited with
a replica of the statue made in
fiber glass as he promised the natives so it could be displayed in the middle of their
village.
Other
links: http://tulliopeschiers.tripod.com/felipelettersten/
6 comments:
Hi,
I've just come back from Puerto Rico where I visited the Museo de las Americas and was totally stunned by the movie showing how and in what wonderful spirit Felipe Lettersten created his sculptures of so many native Indians all over the world. So sad the man died so young! In any case people visiting Puerto rico should not miss that particular exhibit in that marvelously located museum in Old San Juan.
Hello, my name is Arnest Dijkstra from The Netherlands. I am 47 now. When I was 24, I visited Peru and I spend several weeks on the boat of Felipe. I saw him making the statues from the natives and I made a lot of pictures. I just found out that Felipe died in 2003. So sorry to hear that. Spending a few weeks with him on his boat and visiting these natives deep in the jungle was the absolute highlight of my visit to Peru. His work was indeed so wonderfull.
Best regards,
Arnest
arnest.dijkstra@gmail.com
I knew Felipe well and was one of his biggest fans. I was greatly saddened when I heard of his death. We displayed one of the largest collections of his work in South Florida many years ago. I would be willing to put part of his collection together to travel all around the world if his family or those in possession of his work were willing. Please call me at 314-703-6886. Thanks, Charles Zidar
We put together exhibitions featuring his creations and housed the exhibitions in tropical greenhouse environments in Sweden,Austria and Israel.We also showed a National Geographic film about him and his work.He was particularly happy about exhibiting in Sweden as his family originated from there.I got to know him rather well.A great shame that he died so young but he has left behind him lots of inspiration for others, which I am sure is keeping Felipe smiling !!
I first met Felipe as I was walking through the harbor in Manaus looking for a boat to go down the Amazon River. He approached me and began the conversation by asking me where I was from. When I told him I was Swedish I was quite surprised as he answered me back in Swedish.
He offered me to come with him on his boat, Inca Pachacutec, up the Río Madeira instead of following my original plan, which as I said was to go down the Amazon. When he showed me his work on the boat and also a video of how he worked, I was so impressed and thrilled to have the unique opportunity to accompany him first to Porto Velho and in the long run to the Kayapo tribe in the Xingu National Park.
Well, I did and it could be a long story and it is quite fascinating, but I can't write it all here. Let me just sum up saying his work and the idea of "Sons of our land" ("Hijos de nuestra tierra" in Spanish and "Filhos da nossa terra" in Portuguese) is/was astonishing. Sadly, his attitude towards his employees, seven Peruvians and one Brazilian when I was with them, were not all that nice, but that is another story.
We seem to be our own funny little 'tribe' of people. I met Felipe in Pucallpa in late December 1988. A good friend of mine and I spent a few weeks with him traveling down the Ucayali. The motor broke on boat and the nearest replacement parts were in Stockholm. We tied up in Iquitos and made a few side trips from there. It was mostly great fun and I remember Felipe quite fondly. I was studying in Colombia at the time, and at some point in January I went down to Leticia and flew up to Bogota to start the next semester.
Several years later I was working in Lima, for an Amazonian indigenous peoples' group. I looked Felipe up and visited him at his home in Lima. We reminisced about the times on the Ucayali. He had pilfered my diary from when I was on the boat (I wasn't offended). He pulled it off his bookshelf and embarrassed me by reading me some of my 19-20 year old observations about life on the Inca Pachacutec.
I regret that I have never fully understood the circumstances of his death as I've read a version or two and seen another implied.
I'm back in Peru now for the first time in many years, visiting places with my daughter who is now the age I was when I knew Felipe. Thinking about him is bittersweet. He died far too young and deserved far more recognition for his work. But he was such a unique and strong spirit that he also still brings a smile to his face.
Edward Hammond
jose@chupacabron.com
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