Week 4 Rasquachismo

 

Before I go into the definition of Rasquachismo, let me tell you what I know about the term Rasquachi, in general. Rasquachi became a popular character archetype seen on tv and in theater. These Rasquachi characters were known as the underdog characters who may not have necessarily had a higher level of education and are of the working class. Despite living in the barrio, they had what was called “street smarts” and were always witty characters. They often outwitted their Patroncito(boss) when it came to the exploitation of work. Though one of the things that make the Rasquachi a significant character was their ability to make do with their resources and the knowledge they have.

Now going back to Rasquachismo, it has a similar idea in that it’s an underdog aesthetic. Even if you come from lower class and not have every resource in the world that you have, with the things you do have, it’s something you can work with to produce something significant. A perfect example of how the aesthetic of Rasquachismo being applied to is through the use of art and clothes. Reading Davalos’ book on Yolanda Lopez, you see Lopez’s mother copying patterns from designers and how she used inexpensive fabric to make elaborate costumes. This idea of Rasquachismo also applies to Yolanda Lopez’s art as she finds images of events happening around her time or uses the faces of people from articles of photos she has and makes them into a collage to form a deeper message in her work. Each image she uses carefully and with purpose as the context of the images always matter to her when creating a new piece.