Course Reflection

Taking this class was an eye-opening experience, and I am really grateful for the opportunity to learn about Chicana artists. At the beginning of the quarter, I really only knew Frida Khalo, Diego Rivera, David Siqueiros, and José Orozco. I knew very little about Chicanas and their art, so to get to push aside the grip patriarchy has on Chicanx history, experiences and art community to solely focus on women and their voices was captivating. The highlights of this class for me were the discussions about Chicana iconography, specifically the Virgin Mary, learning about the Chicana artists my peers selected, and using watercolor in my sketchbook. The discussion and reoccurring themes around the Virgin Mary were incredible. At first, I thought it might offend my more religious side because, as the professor mentioned, Catholicism is more of a cultural thing, but I also identify as religiously catholic. I actually thought the revisioning, adapted images and narratives of the Virgen were inventive by adding legs and heels, boxing gloves, or simply taking her out of the iconic outfit as if out and about in everyday life were really awesome takes on womanhood, resiliency and Chicana power. I think it was brilliant that they reimaged her role and appearance regardless of backlash because it let Chicana artist share their narrative. I enjoyed being introduced to artists Camille Rose Garcia, Lady Pink, Laura Aguilar, Thalia Gochez, Ester Hernandez, Sonia Romero, and Tamara Santaibañez, to name a few. I also liked that our sketchbook project had us use watercolor because I usually stick to black ink or led and paper. It got me drawing out of my comfort zone. I liked that the professor gave a kind of crash course on using them, it gave me a chance to experiment with a medium I never thought I'd use because I always liked the classic look to a black and white image. I naturally stick to black and greys, but now that I have watercolors and how to use them, I definitely want to start incorporating more color into my drawings.