Final Post

This course has been very eye-opening for me. Although I had some knowledge of the somewhat similar themes of Mexican art, I was completely unaware of the fascinating realm of Chicana art. This class helped me to gain a deeper understanding of the role of art in society, especially in relation to the struggles of the Chicana/o movement.  I was surprised to learn about the extent and variety of artistic expression and the differences between each artist, as well as the common themes that bring them together. 

One theme that I found especially important was the relationship between Chicana art and tradition. I found that for some artists, as for example Carmen Lomas Garza, representing Chicana/o traditions is an important part of expressing a collective identity and of empowering members of the community. In this sense, tradition in combination with art can be a positive force. However, for other artists, especially those with feminist messages, tradition often becomes a barrier to progress, something that needs to be questioned. I found it interesting to think about this dual role of tradition in relation to art, and I’m glad that I got a chance to explore this connection in this class.

Chicana Printmakers

Holly Barnet-Sanchez’ essay Where Are the Chicana Printmakers? Presence and Absence in the Work of Chicana Artist of the Movimiento discusses the role of Chicana printmakers in the construction of Chicana/o identity. She argues that “they have constituted or reconstituted their identities as mestizas, bicultural and bilingual, as women who are renegotiating their conceptual and physical presence and territories individually and collectively, redefining what womanness means in terms of self, family, and community” (118). The artists that she talks about deal with themes that aren’t just exclusive to Chicana women. They go beyond the boundaries of the movement to address issues of social inequality, racism, and gender.

I chose to write this post about Yolanda M. López’ print Who’s the Illegal Alien, Prilgrim? because I find it to be an extremely powerful image that makes a political comment using satire. The image features an enraged Aztec warrior who addresses “Pilgrims” while crushing modern immigration legislation. The pointing finger makes reference to the “Uncle Sam” imagery used for army recruitment, which López inverts to communicate a message about territorial legitimacy and the absurdity of the modern immigration situation. I found that López’ use of text along with the image creates a very strong effect. This combination of text and image is common in activist printmaking, and I found this to be a particularly effective example. López’ message goes beyond the immediate goals of the Chicana/o movement and addresses the injustices of European colonialism all over the world. 

La Feria en Reynosa

One image that struck me from Carmen Lomas Garza’s work is La feria en Reynosa. I really like the details, composition, and bright colors that fill the image with an atmosphere of happiness and harmony, like a little girl might experience it. The image feels timeless: the dolls, embroidered shirts, and regional dishes could be found at any feria in Mexico. However, if one looks closer, the complex reality of living on the U.S.-Mexico border is revealed by details such as the barbed-wire fence in the background (which represents the border) and the pensive expression of the two women sitting at a table in the foreground.

            In this piece I can see the social injustices, economic inequalities, and everyday struggles that many people at the border have to deal with. For me, the facial expressions of some of the people in the painting represent different stories and feelings. The painting transports the viewer into their stories, and makes one reflect on their own experience of parties and similar festivities. While on the surface everything is bright and happy, there are always hidden struggles and sad stories. Garza’s work is very subtle because the first impressions it brings are happy and nostalgic feelings. She can capture the joy of these important family gathering moments, but at the same time she hints at a much deeper meaning behind the festivities.

Comment about Lucero Duran's post “The Human Body: Isis Rodriguez and Laura Aguilar”

I really liked Lucero Duran's post from last week about Isis Rodriguez and Laura Aguilar. She explained very well how both artists use the human body, especially the female body, in their art as a way to empower people. Isis Rodriguez uses cartoon representations of sensual women to criticize the exploitation of strippers and to expose gender stereotypes. Laura Aguilar uses her own naked body to question our society's stereotypes about beauty and our relationship to sexuality.

I completely agree with Lucero's position, and I think that in general the human body is a very effective subject to communicate a message in art. Our society teaches us to be so preoccupied about our own appearance, and we are so used to seeing “pretty” faces and bodies in advertisement and movies. When we see a work of art like Laura Aguilar's, it really makes us stop and think about our own stereotypes. It is really empowering when art can take something that society considers “unpleasant” and turn it into something beautiful. In Aguilar's works, her body becomes something solemn, almost sacred. Isis Rodriguez uses a strategy that is sort of the opposite, by drawing cartoon bodies that are exaggerations of the stereotypical idea of female beauty. Rodriguez reveals and criticizes these stereotypes through the use of irony. Both are empowering because in their art the body becomes a way of communicating a message that makes us reflect about ourselves and our culture. Thanks to Lucero for pointing out the connection between the two artists.

Week 5 Laura Aguilar

Laura Aguilar is the artist that I would like to talk about from this week’s presentations. I found her work really emotionally charged and evocative because she talks about themes that in our society are kind of taboo. I think that she represents all her struggles about sexuality, her body, depression, and identity in her art in a very direct but also delicate way. The elements that she uses in some of her compositions, her body and the natural landscape, are combined to produce a sensitive and emotive work of art.

The image that our classmate Edwin Arzeta showed in class, Three Eagles Flying, is extremely powerful. It is a self-portrait of Aguilar including the Mexican and U.S. flags. Aguilar is standing in the middle, with the Mexican flag over her face and wearing the American flag as a skirt. She has a rope tied around her neck, wrists, and legs. I think that this rope symbolizes the fact that, as a Chicana, she is literally tied to her American and Mexican identities, but at the same time they suffocate her and prevent her from expressing her own self. Her breasts are exposed, representing her struggle about being comfortable with her own body. Is very clear that in this image she is represented her identity. I like the fact that it is a black-and-white photograph, because this creates contrast and also a sense of simplicity and directness.

Margarita Cabrera

Margarita Cabrera is the artist that I chose to talk about from this first week’s presentations. I found her work to be very powerful because it makes you reflect about deeper meanings behind ordinary objects. 

The Soft Sculptures series is very intriguing to me. The pieces themselves are not very visually striking, but I find the hidden context and meaning behind them to be very powerful. One of the pieces that our classmate Kaelyn Rodriguez showed in class was the pink sewing machine. I immediately connected this object with women’s struggles, but also with maquiladora workers and the female homicides of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. First of all, the subject matter is the main tool of the thousands of women who work in sweatshops on the border to produce clothing for export. Sewing machines are generally associated with female labor. In this case, the sewing machine is also pink, which is a “feminine” color. The fact that Carbrera left the threads attached to the machine also is a reference to the process of using the machine. And finally, the material she used is vinyl, which for me refers to the idea of “cheap” mass production and consumerism. The “soft” quality of the sculpture inspires curiosity in the viewer, and also gives the object the life-like presence of having a body.