Carmen Lomas Garza

Carmen Lomas Garza is a Chicana narrative artist known for portraying the everyday experiences of the lives of Mexican Americans.

"Tamalada" (1988)

In this image, for instance, Garza depicts a family having a "tamalada," or a tamale making session. She takes care to infuse small hints at a larger Mexican American culture in every inch of the portrait, from choosing a painting of the Last Supper to place on the wall (signaling a strong Catholic faith), to a characteristically Mexican-American calendar (probably received at the local panaderia). Something I find particularly notable about Garza's paintings is the sheer number of people in each one--while other artists we've studied have largely focused on the individual, Garza places strong import on the sense of community in Mexican-American culture.

"Curandera" (1989)

Even in paintings like Curandera, where there are less people physically present, we see the spiritual presence of others as being important in Mexican-American culture, with old paintings of relatives hanging on the wall, and and altar to La Virgen de Guadalupe. Thus, even in an intimate scene of a mother caring for her sick daughter, the presence of a larger spiritual community aids in the healing.