Week 5: Carmen Lomas Garza

Among Carmen Lomas Garza's intimate and vivid depiction of Chicanx cultural memory, I was particularly fascinated by her painting entitled Cakewalk. Personally, I believe this image epitomizes her pursuit of honoring the Chicanx community, both present tradition and future progress. As the children and adults fundraise and connect together, they are not merely celebrating the present, but also ensuring the prosperity of the future generation. The painting is intimate with its distinct variety of people and actions, thus depicting each person with a profound sense of authenticity. The amount of elaborate detail, including the suspension of physical movement and personal interaction, makes this piece appear nearly life-like to the viewer. The mixing of generations during an event seeking to fortify the education of Mexican children reinforces the collaborative and loving essence of community. The precise depiction of each figure also conveys her effort to highlight the complexity of her community. Though they are literally 2-D images, Garza effectively portrays them as much more than superficial characters. They are based on real people who made real decisions, which is shown through they depiction in activity. They are not only actively celebrating in casual fun, but also actively protecting the future of the children in the image.  Another aspect of the image that I enjoyed was the familiarity of the color scheme. As a Chicana woman, the images of yellows and reds reminded me of my home, my grandmother, and my cultural atmosphere (i.e. familiar decorations). The large amount of people (all doing different things) reminded me of every family gathering I went to as a child. Upon first seeing the image, I was in awe of her ability to sincerely illustrate the Mexican culture and the personal feelings often associated with this distinct cultural memory. There is a prosperous and thriving energy to the image that reflects the event portrayed and the Mexican-American culture as a whole.