maxwell, charlina week 5

 The art of Carmen Lopez Garza is both nostalgic and comforting, it is reminiscent of parts of life that we can all remember and connect to. From depictions of backyard barbeques, a village square, a family dinner, or a street fight. Her impressions of everyday life are undoubtedly special and unique, her flair for color and her approach to figure drawing all set her apart as a chicana artist. As a student of art history I really enjoy looking at Carmen’s work, for the feelings and memories evoked by these scenes. I also respect her mission, which is to make imagery of the relationships between family and community. Something else I noticed about her scenes is that different people are doing different things, which requires a lot of attention to detail to include in a still painting. There is always a sense of action, movement, a feeling of care. The painting I have chosen to discuss is called LAS PELEONERAS, and depicts a street fight between two women outside of a nightclub called el rio. The first thing that strikes me about this image, is that two women are not usually depicted as the ones fighting, though women do fight, and often hair pulling is a major aspect. It reminded me of a story my dad would always tell about how on his first day of middle school he saw two girls get in a major fight, and all that remained after the fight was broken up was a big clump of torn out hair. Everyone in this image is having their own reaction to the fighters, a woman trying to stop them, a couple who’s almost stumbled into their path, another couple looking on in horror, people watching unamused through the nightclub door. This painting is full of action, and a lot of fun to look at.