Week Two: CARA and La Virgen de Guadalupe

I was raised in a Catholic based household, although my parents weren't very religious they still informed us of icons like the Virgen de Guadalupe. Growing up I expressed my fears, aspirations, struggles, and sins to La Virgen. She has always been an important icon in my life because she represents the religion that I am a part of as well as a figure that has always been by my side. My family on the other hand see the Virgen as a representation of our religion rather than a person in their lives. 

Even though I cherish the original image of La Virgen de Guadalupe, Professor Gaspar de Alba's presentation of the CARA exhibition made me open my eyes to ways in which powerful women should be represented through the Arts. From reading the readings I was a bit skeptical of the way La Virgen was being portrayed, but actually hearing the presentation and seeing all the wonderful and inspirational ways women icons are expressed changed my way of thinking. Women have always been seen as submissive and passive and Chicana Art is giving women true meaning by expressing their power and strength through new representations. I never have thought about art and the body parts that are included and not included, just by giving someone legs to walk on changes the meaning of a painting and now I will look at art in a different way. I will now analyze what the artist was trying to display.