His grandfather started by shining shoes on movie sets at the age of eight; however, his passion for the cinematic arts led him to specialize in the technical aspects of film production.
With much luck and without any formal education in the field, Jesús Trejo achieved the unthinkable: becoming part of a film production team, and what’s more, during the golden age of Mexican cinema.
This background was more than enough for his grandson, Ulises Mendicutty, to honor his grandfather’s legacy through a design commissioned by Google.
Mendicutty is the illustrator responsible for the new doodle design on the search engine, celebrating Mexico’s Independence Day. The design incorporates national symbols and elements from the era of cinema that thrived from 1936 to 1956.
“I always grew up with stories of my grandfather, especially because he was a very particular character. His stories were not so much about how films were produced or directed because he actually belonged to a different class within the film industry,” Mendicutty said in an interview.
He had to film his movies under a pseudonym because he lacked the necessary qualifications and wasn’t allowed to make films.
The illustrator added: “He always worked at Churubusco Studios, and from there, common stories of daily life emerged, which he transmitted to me as I was growing up.”
In this instance, the word “Google” is positioned within a film reel with six frames. Each frame displays a letter designed with a different element. For example, the “G” is a green filmstrip, the first “O” is a green hat, alluding to the first part of the Mexican flag.
The second “O” is a reel of old film, while the second “G” represents a clasp, part of a charro suit, both in black and white. The “L” forms the base of a film light, and the “E” depicts the hair of the actress shown, both in red. Surrounding the main design are tricolored fireworks, the Mexican flag, stars, a video camera, red roses, and a cactus.
“I’ve been an illustrator for 10 years; initially, I combined my profession with curatorial work and art direction. During the pandemic, I couldn’t practice my profession by painting walls or paper, so I turned to digital media, which is a much easier technique and allows me to share my work with people more easily.”
“For the past two years, I have been fully dedicated to illustration. Getting to this point hasn’t been easy; I’ve created many drawings and dedicated hours of practice to produce this type of work (the doodle) that makes me so proud,” he said.
The doodle will only be available on September 16, as part of the Independence Day celebrations. You can find more of Ulises’ illustrations on his website: https://mendicutty.com
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