Gavazza, Emmalee (Week 5 - Carmen Lomas Garza)

I was really struck by Garza's painting "Sandia / Watermelon" (1986). The watermelon seems to act as a kind of unifying symbol; there are multiple generations, both men and women, and even suggestions of different societal/career roles in the image (with the man sitting down wearing overalls and a field hat while the standing man cutting the watermelon is wearing kakhis and a white button-down)—but everyone has a slice of watermelon. The enjoyment of this fruit is one thing they all have in common, at least in this moment. This may also suggest the strong communal undercurrents in Chicanx culture that Garza was seeking to illuminate.

At the same time, there is a kind of emphasis on the act of eating watermelon itself as a simple and pure source of enjoyment that everyone is really involved in, as if they're for the time being not really thinking about anything else. The little boy is hunched over his slice of watermelon, with another ready and waiting in his left hand. The girl at the table seems to have just gone back for another slice, and now she's looking at the watermelon as she eats it, like nothing else around her is of much consequence. The only real break from the pattern of people being consumed with consuming their watermelon is the young girl bringing a slice of watermelon to the abuela figure. The elderly woman fully extends her arm to accept it, as the young girl offers her a piece of the delicious fruit. To me this suggests reverence for elders and the idea that respecting older generations is one tradition powerful enough to break the spell of the watermelon.

I also enjoyed the way this painting literally shines a light on the home/porch as a site of security, togetherness and reassurance. It is dark all around, with a crescent moon shining somewhat dimly in the upper right corner of the image. Yet the porch light, just a little ways removed from that moon, is blazing out almost like a small sun. I like the sense of warmth this image has, and how it emphasizes to our eyes that this family is full of light and life when they're with each other.