Paint Me Black Angels

Paint Me Black Angels

There´s this old classic Latinamerican song (“Angelitos Negros”/ “Little Black Angels”)_ it was created around the 40s, with music by M. Álvarez Maciste, and lyrics by Andrés Eloy Blanco, an important Venezuelan poet.
It has been sung not only by famous Latin American singers but by world-wide reknown artists such as Nina Pastori and Nana Mouskouri. Words reflect a sort of lament, a complaint: someone asking painters why they don´t paint black angels. Needless to say, it inmediately became an hymn to antirracism in its time.
I haven´t found any decent English translation of the song, here´s a verse for you to have an idea:
“Whenever you paint churches
You paint beautiful little angels
but you´ve always forgotten to paint
Little black angels”.

Here´s the link to a YouTube video where famous mexican singer Pedro Infante sing “Angelitos Negros” during a scene of a movie with the same title:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8V-EkTeX7U

Here´s the most (known) popular segment of the song in Spanish:

“Pintor nacido en mi tierra
con el pincel extranjero
pintor que sigues el rumbo
de tantos pintores viejos.
 
Aunque la Virgen sea blanca
píntame angelitos negros,
que también se van al cielo
todos los negritos buenos.
 
Pintor, si pintas con amor,
por qué desprecias su color,
si sabes que en cielo
también los quiere Dios.
 
Pintor de santos de alcoba,
si tienes alma en el cuerpo,
porque al pintar en tus cuadros
te olvidaste de los negros.
 
Siempre que pintas iglesias
pintas angelitos bellos,
pero nunca te acordaste
de pintar un ángel negro.”

I know this angel of mine is not so “little”; but it was the best way I could find to tribute this unforgettable song.

Paint Me Black Angels belongs to the following groups:

ART HOUSE PRODUCTIONS INTERNATIONAL, Multiracial Beauty, PixElations - The Art of Photoshop, The Graphic Room-Graphic and Digital Art and the love of Eerie and enchanting artwork Available for sale as

Greeting Cards and Matted Prints