Week 8: Sonia Romero

This image which I believe is called Sacred Heart by Sonia Romero drew me in even before we started our presentations. The depth and immense detail Romero puts in this paper cut work is incredible and beautiful! The contrast of the black and white of the outer cholo to the red of the inner cholo's heart speaks volumes about humanity. There is life in all of us, whether we are abuelitas going to the market or we are cholos covered in tattoos; we all have beating hearts. Even though he looks tough with his tattoos he still is one of us.The cross on top of his heart signifies the importance of religion in his life and how it influences his actions. If you look closely, you can see this cholo has a tattoo of the Mexican flag which also symbolizes its importance in his life. Much of his tattoos depict indigenous figures from Mexican culture. If I'm looking at it correctly, one tattoo portrays a soldier, possibly Spanish(?), getting stabbed by something. This can represent the invasion of Spanish forces into Mexico. As mentioned earlier, Sacred Heart is a paper cut piece. I can appreciate this piece even more after completing the stencils in class. The way Romero connects the mouth to the head is genius! I wonder how long it took her to complete this?