Stories without words: Folk art depicts Peruvian culture

Before there was written communication, there was visual communication. Pictures, sculptures, tableaux were used to tell the stories words could not. In Peru, that led to the retablo.

"Santero" boxes, portable altars filled with figures that told a story, were used by pilgrims and soldiers in Europe in medieval times. Some 500 years ago they were taken to Peru by the Spanish Conquistadores and used by the traveling fathers to teach natives about the Catholic faith.

In the Peruvian highlands, the boxes gradually evolved into an integral part of the culture, used to depict not only religious stories but also other aspects of daily life.

Jeronimo Lozano learned about retablos as a boy growing up in the village of Huamanga, Ayacucho, Peru. "This is an area rich in ancient Inca culture and traditional beliefs," he says.

Early in his life, Lozano showed a natural inclination toward art and was encouraged by his teachers to pursue this talent. After being admitted to the School of Fine Arts at the University of Peru, he was encouraged to do a systematic study of folk art traditions and traveled throughout the country to visit the folk artists of the Andes.

In 1979, Lozano returned to his hometown and founded an artist's studio. He and his students produced a variety of folk crafts indigenous to all parts of the country. But Lozano became particularly interested in the retablo.

"I wanted to rescue some of the forgotten crafts of the past. The retablo has long been loved by the common people of Peru, as it reflects their customs, beliefs and personalities in a concise, visual narrative. I began to make it my specialty."

Little did he know where that interest would take him.

Fast forward several decades and visit Lozano in his Salt Lake apartment. He is surrounded by retablos and the pieces of retablos. Molded figures await drying. Dried figures await painting. Painted figures await mounting in boxes. Finished retablos are stacked on floors and shelves and worktables.

His retablos range in size from about a half-inch up to 4 or 5 feet. He has used Chicklets gum boxes, match boxes, gourds, bamboo, sea shells, handmade wooden chests and more to house his colorful figures.

It is the scene of a man who loves what he is doing and is eager to share one of his native art forms with the world.

Some of his work is sold at the Art Access Gallery in Salt Lake City, but Lozano has taken his retablos to art shows and cultural festivals throughout the west. He recently returned from the Trailing of the Sheep festival in Ketchum/Hailey, Idaho, where his retablos depicting the Good Shepherd and his sheep were a particular hit.

"I make many, many sheep," Lozano says with a laugh.