Hormigas

In Carmen Lomas Garza’s paintings Hormigas, she presents us with an image of a girl and boy who are feeding ants to a small animal. This image is significant to Lomas Garza’s development because it was an impetus for some of her other laser-cut artworks. While the technological shift is significant, for me, the work is special because it is so familiar. It reminds me of the many times that I have played with ants and other animals in nature. It reminds me of times that my brothers, neighbors and I would play baseball, climb trees, play tag and have adventures. In that sense, the painting is meaningful to many people.

The image also highlights the cactus plant and its pears, which underscore life and nature. Moreover, the painting captures a moment in nature. Additionally, the composition within the image points us to the hormiga. The girl in pink is highest while the boy kneels down; the stick in his hand makes us look at the single red ant he picked up. Lomas Garza uses angles to draw our eye to the smallest of creatures in nature: the ant.

I believe the critique of Lomas Garza’s works as folk or kitsch is reductive and fetishizing (and possibly racist and sexist). The assertion that her work is not sophisticated relies on the hegemonic rhetoric that asserts that art should look a certain way: there are “wrong” and “right” ways to paint. Lomas Garza moves beyond artistic hegemony by painting in her own style while she privileges her own memories and experiences. While the painting is simple in its depiction of youths looking at ants, it is significant to many.