My overall experience in this class has been truly worthwhile. At first I was concerned with the length of the readings, but I genuinely enjoyed them. The reading I enjoyed and learned the most from was Alma Lopez’s It's Not about the Santa in My Fe, but the Santa Fe in My Santa essay. The topic of la Virgen de Guadalupe and why so many Chicana artists incorporated her into their art was so interesting to learn. Growing up I saw la Virgen everywhere. Being Mexican American and growing up Catholic in a predominantly hispanic community, I can relate to the comparison and the pressure that comes with having la Virgen in your life. She was not only present in my home and church, but her image was painted on many liquor store walls around my hometown. I appreciated how the reading touched on this same topic. Most importantly, I appreciated learning about a different interpretation of the emergence of La Virgen. I love how Lopez acknowledged the capability of indigenous people to create the image of La Virgen. Many people understand the image as appearing miraculously because the materials and painting techniques supposedly weren’t around or practiced during the time of its appearance. However, the arguments used to contradict this idea really opened my eyes, especially knowing that Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is considered a masterpiece but was painted around twenty five years earlier than La Virgen. The reading then poses the question, “Why do we question the painting skills of the artists who might have rendered La Virgen de Guadalupe and not those of the painter of the Mona Lisa?” I thought this was very interesting and was an angle of history I would have never thought of to question. This was the reading where I was also introduced to the works of Yolanda Lopez and Ester Hernandez. This is just one of the many weekly readings I enjoyed, but this particular one stood out to me because it really made me question my culture and my own relationship with La Virgen. I also really enjoyed listening to everyone present their artists in class. It’s amazing to me how all the artists presented didn’t have a wiki page. The wiki assignment is so important because there are many Chicana artists who deserve to be recognized and learned about. Although I’m not a Chicano major, I’m really happy I took this class because I learned so much about amazing artists I never heard of and their powerful work.
I think you raise a great point when asking “Why do we question the painting skills of the artists who might have rendered La Virgen de Guadalupe and not those of the painter of the Mona Lisa?” I also enjoyed studying this topic as it made me reflect on my own personal history with religion, and how it has come in and out of my life throughout my 20 years.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you talked about the difficulty it can be to have La Virgen in your life as a catholic. I can also relate to seeing the image all around my city in such beauty but other people may not think so.
ReplyDelete