Carmen Lomas Garza

One of Carmen Lomas Garza’s images that stood out to me the most is Figure 33, Tamalada, 1988. This image by Garza is painted with oil on linen mounted on wood and is 24 x 32 inches, also part of her private collection. This image depicts Garza’s childhood memories of her and her family in her childhood home making tamales together. The image portrays the great of amount of labor that goes into making tamales and shows what each individual is doing. Each of Garza’s family members are shown doing different tasks in order to make the tamales, which shows the amount of organization and dedication that goes into making a famous Spanish dish.

Looking at this image, I can see the love and intimacy that is held within Garza’s extended family and it shows the closeness they have with one another. This image also portrays the visualization of a family bond, which in this case is cooking together and spending quality time together as a family. It is evident that Garza had a big family who loved spending time with one another, and through this image she shows one of her favorite memories growing up, making tamales with her family. This image also portrays the importance of family in Garza’s household, which I myself can greatly relate to.