The Mexican Día de los Muertos – Day of the Dead – is a unique celebration of life and death, of eternal friendship, and the memory of those who have been lost. For several days, Mexico is transformed into an explosion of color and light: bright orange flowers, colorful decoration, candlelight... and the streets are full of ‘Catrinas’ – people dressed up as skeletons, with artfully painted faces in the style of the elegant skull ‘Calavera Catrina’.
Padre Azul wants to pay tribute to this wonderful tradition: From now on, we will honor the Day of the Dead with a limited special edition. We proudly present: the Día de los Muertos Limited Edition 2021.
High-end Tequila as a limited special edition
The Limited Edition 2021 definitely lives up to the Día de los Muertos: Tequila Añejo at its finest, 100% blue agave, matured for 18 months in hand-selected oak barrels, coming in a unique bottle designed by the Mexican artist José Parra. This limited special edition is a feast – for the eyes and the palate.
The artist: José Parra
The Mexican José Parra was born into a family of artists. That’s how he discovered his love for art and his own talent already at a young age. He immersed himself in the world of art at the Art Students League of New York, studied at the School of Arts at the University of Guadalajara, joined the atelier of Carlos Vargas Pons and the Studio Gallery Parrech, and also learned about the art of marketing at the ITESO University in Guadalajara. The work of José Parra has been published in various books in Mexico, the US, and Europe.
His paintings have been exhibited in Canada, the US, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, Colombia and South Korea. Since 2014 he has organized the exhibition ‘Lotería Mexicana’ together with the French group ’Libellule’ and the Black Coffee Foundation. He is also involved the projects “El Mural del Milenio” and “El Arte del Vino” of MILENIO Arte, and he is the creator of a striking portrait of Fernando del Paso, painted for the National College in Mexico City.
The motif:
Catrina de Velas from José Parra
The artwork ‘Catrina de Velas’ from José Parra shows the Day of the Dead’s most ubiquitous symbol: the famous Calavera Catrina, a traditional Mexican character based on the artwork of José Guadalupe Posada from the early 20th century. On the Day of the Dead, people in Mexico paint their faces to resemble this iconic skull.
But José Parra’s Catrina holds a secret: Is she really one of the many who celebrate the Day of the Dead dressed up as Catrina? Or could it be the real Catrina hiding behind the elegant costume, looking at the list of those who will be her guests on the Day of the Dead, in the flickering light of the candles, each candle representing the life of one guest? The answer is only known by José Parra, born in Guadalajara and artist behind this mesmerizing artwork.
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