WEDNESDAY’S WOLF:
GEORGES LE CHEVALLIER’S “El LOBO LATINO”
Susan Brown
“The News & Observer”
Raleigh, North Carolina
Wednesday November 28, 2001, p. E1

Raleigh, NC- Nothing divides people like language. When somebody speaks words we don’t recognize, we strain our ears to understand – as if they’re in pig Latin and they’re going to start making sense in just a minute. They never do.

Then comes “El Lobo Latino” to remind us how much can be communicated nonverbally. Spanish is the native tongue of this Raleigh Red Wolf Ramble participant, but even people who no hablan espanol can get the gist of what he’s all about.

Artist Georges Le Chevallier has dressed his wolf in bright colors and festive patterns, which tells us that “El Lobo” is full of cheer. Then the artist added Spanish words and expressions that easily translate to English: “honor,” “musica,” and “arte,” not to mention “Que Sera sera y otros proverbios populares.” From there we can trust our instincts on “amor,” “paz,” and “Todos unidos hasta el final.” And if we ask for help with “hermandad” and “No dejes para manana lo que puedas hacer hoy,” we benefit from learning.

“El Lobo Latino,” who sits outside the Fresh Market at Cameron Village, comes by his Spanish naturally. The artist was born in France but has lived in Puerto Rico and Spain as well as New York. Before settling in Raleigh, Le Chevallier contributed a “Tattooed Bovine” to the Cow Parade projects in New York and Kansas City, plus “Livin’ La Vaca Loca” to Houston’s parade.