Alfredo Murillo grew up in poverty. Having lost his mother at an early age, he and his three siblings, along with their father, lived in humble conditions in the hard scrabble silver and tin mining camp of Ingenio Machaca Marca in Oruro, the poorest of Bolivian states. They lived with the daily adversity of the boom and bust cycles of mining camps.
Poor economic conditions and political turmoil eventually forced the family to the neighboring area of Cochabama. They obtained a small lot of land in a sprawling urban settlement that had grown on the outskirts of Bolivia’s third largest city.
Murillo finished high school and then he studied economics at the state university in Sucre. He had fond memories of the city. During his last visit when he was 10, he became captivated by the colonial architecture and historic sites. One unique artistic feature that caught his eye was the antique furniture dating to the 16th century that he found in the city’s museums.
Scraps of Wood Become Art
As a college student, Murillo had the opportunity to recapture his earlier fascination with the architecture and mural paintings of several noted Bolivian artists. He also met a local carpenter in whose workshop children converted pieces of scrap wood into collages.
As the health of his father declined, the student returned to Cochabamba. He scoured the city’s dumps to find scraps of discarded wood to create collages inspired by the Andean scenes and landscapes in the art form known as marquetry.
Marquetry, or versions of it, can be traced to the Egyptians and Romans. It is the art of inlaying different kinds of wood, and other natural materials, to create a picture. To inlay is to set a material onto another surface, recessing it so that the added material is positioned at the same level as the surface. Besides wood, ivory, mother-of-pearl, tortoise shells, bark, straw, stone, gems and other materials are used to create an image.
Ties to Maryknoll
At about the same time, Murillo was introduced to the Maryknoll Society, the foreign mission society of the U.S. Catholic Church. Maryknoll operates a mission center and language institute in Cochabamba. Permitted to use the books at Maryknoll’s library, Murillo expanded his education. He also was encouraged by the Maryknoll priests and Brothers to attend classes in philosophy at Bolivian Catholic University.
By learning more about the world, Murillo was able to improve the content of his marquetry. Now, demand for his art rises each day, allowing him to care for his wife and three children.
Murillo’s appreciation for the assistance provided by Maryknoll is reflected in two mural marquetry panels he crafted for the society’s special Bolivian anniversaries. One commemorates Maryknoll’s 50th anniversary in the country that occurred during 1992 and the other represents the accomplishments of Bolivian women for the 40th anniversary of the Maryknoll Language Institute during 2005.
This year, for the first time, Murillo’s marquetry will be available in the U.S. Through his association with Maryknoll, Murillo's delicate creation of the nativity scene, each one unique and able to rest in the palm of the hand, is available by in-store purchase only at the Maryknoll Gift Shop in New York. Designed to be placed on a table or on a sturdy branch of a Christmas tree, the nativity in marquetry is Murillo’s gift to the world.
Sources:
- Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers
- Father Stephen M. Judd, M.M.
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