Gonzalez, Annette (Week 8: Presentations)

 This week we started seeing the presentations of the wikipedia artists that everyone in class has been working on throughout the entirety of the quarter. Each individual had to make sure that the artist chosen had no wikipedia page created already so that then, the page could be created to help the artist have more concrete established information that highlights their life and the different forms of art that they may focus on. All the presentations this week were very well put together and learning more about different backgrounds of artists and their work was interesting and informative. I, myself, did not know about many of these different Chicanx artists, so this helped me become more familiar with those who contribute to this medium of art. The presentation that stood out to me the most was that of Mel “Melo” Dominguez. Dominguez is an artist from Los Angeles whose focus is primarily creating murals. His work highlights important issues regarding topics such as social issues and the Chicanx culture. The piece that I enjoyed learning about was called Fiesta en el Cielo, as it highlights the Day of the Dead and the meaning/significance behind this day in Mexican culture. The title itself was well orchestrated, as it is a celebration of those who have passed away and are being commemorated this day. In the back there are skeletons eating and drinking, showing the way in which the way that the food is set out for them on their ofrenda is transmitted to them on the other side, el cielo. Although death has a negative connotation to it, this painting highlights the optimism and celebrates the inevitable, which is a perspective that I enjoyed viewing.