Coming into this quarter, I was fatigued by online school and had very little motivation or excitement for the classes I was enrolled in, except for this one. Though I grew up learning about and seeing the work of Mexican visual artists, I knew little to nothing about Chicanx artists and their work, besides the occasional trip to Chicano park and its murals. The perspective that comes with being a racialized and oppressed group, often alienated from the country of origin, really interested me, and after ten weeks of this class it has surpassed all expectations. Through this class I have discovered many artists and works that I will follow and admire for years to come, but the section that left the biggest impression on me was the one on La Virgen de Guadalupe. As I have said in previous posts, La Virgen was ever-present in my rural mexican upbringing, and I had already formed many personal meanings and associations with the image and what it represents. Seeing the interpretations and allusions made by Chicana artists has given this icon a depth of meaning it didn’t previously have for me. The work that stood out the most to me was that of Ester Hernandez, La Virgen de Guadalupe Defendiendo los Derechos de los Xicanos (1975), which shows La Virgen in martial arts attire kicking from her altar atop the moon. Seeing her as a mobile figure was fascinating, but seeing her kicking and posing as a strong figure in active defense of something has stuck with me since the image was shown in lecture. This work along with the work of Professor Lopez and Yolanda Lopez, who also have strong and culturally radical reinterpretations of the Virgen figure, have changed my perspective on the possibilities of La Guadalupana as a radical icon for feminist and indigenous movements, despite the colonial and misogynistic values that tend to be attached to her image. This class has introduced me to many talented and transcendental artists whose work has deeply influenced my view of chicanismo and the icons I grew up seeing.
I love the piece of artwork you used because it is imperative we, as a community, focus our energy into self-defense. However, at the time of the artwork itself there was an ever greater need for self-defense. It reminds me of the Black Panther Party, who were able to mobilize their communities to defend themselves and be conscious of their rights.
ReplyDeleteYour reflection for the course completely resonated with me. As students, we've had to endure so much trying to survive this pandemic, but I agree that this class was well worth it. Also, this picture also caught my attention, it provides a completely new perspective about how we approach the Virgen of Guadalupe. Thank you for sharing your insights!
ReplyDeleteHi Emilio, this is a very profound reflection on the course material and artwork by Ester Hernandez. I enjoyed the way that you compared your own relationship to the icon with how it was presented by the artist; I believe Hernandez would have been intrigued and excited by the way it impacted your interpretation of the figure and how it will continue to shape your critical understanding of Chicanx artwork.
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