Cristina Cardenas

For my presentation I have chosen to write about the Mexican artist Cristina Cardenas. Her art works include large scale paintings and murals that have been showcased in numerous museum collections throughout the years. The main reason why I decided to choose her was because I was drawn to the unique way of painting she has. I thought her paintings and murals were beautiful and had a compelling way of drawing in the viewer. I found it even more interesting that she used Amate paper, which dates back to the Aztecs, as a way to connect her art to her ancestors. I hope to learn more about the political aspects of her work as I continue to learn about her for my presentation. There is so much to uncover from her work that will be interesting to connect to issues during the Chicano movement and even today. 

Reading Alicica Gaspar de Alba's article is very critical to understanding how Chicana artists are left out of art and the Chicano movement. Gaspar de Alba made a lot of strong points on the reasons why men during the Chicano movement did not want to give up their power. I also thought it was very informative on the perspective that men had of women during this time, especially because some of those views can still be seen today. The explanation of the symbolism behind the rebozo was very interesting to me since it was the first time I heard of this. Something as simple as a rebozo can create so much meaning behind how it is used. A simple piece of clothing can reinforce these categories into which women are forced into and really shows how Chicanas are constantly being limited to certain roles.