Presentation: Arlette Lucero

For my presentation I have chosen to research Arlette Lucero. Her work stood out to me as it utilized a variety of features, such as vibrant colors as well as symbolism that I look forward to researching and going into greater detail in. I personally don’t work with vibrant colors and much of my own work utilizes simplistic elements, focusing on realism; In contrast, Lucero’s art is very expressive and drastically different than my own work, which drew me to her art. Lucero expresses her emotions, feelings, and desires in her work and often paints powerful icons. She works with various mediums; however, her paintings stood out most to me. In addition to being a professional artist and working in varying mediums, such as commercial art and publishing books, Lucero also teaches children. She teaches various mediums to children and even created a mural at an elementary school. I found her painting, “Chicana”, particularly fascinating. It shows a woman holding a heart with a tree in the background branching out to various images, which appear to symbolize a multitude of factors with a constant theme. Lucero describes the painting as representing a unification of diversity. Additionally, she describes the woman in the painting as someone who is strong and proud of her heritage. It appears to be a simplistic painting yet is meticulously crafted with elements that come together to form a powerful message. I look forward to exploring her background and finding out more about the inspiration and stories behind her work.

Khan, Shabaz

My name is Shabaz Khan and my preferred pronouns are he/him. I am a fourth-year psychology major and I intend to pursue a PhD after graduating this year. I have been involved in art my entire life and was always fascinated by the varying degrees of style and inspiration that artists exhibit in their work, which may be influenced by one’s experiences, culture and upbringing among many other factors. With that being said, I am excited about the content of this class and look forward to expanding my understanding and awareness of Chicana art.

With respect to one of the readings from this week, I found Alma Lopez’ essay, It’s not about the Santa in My Fe, but the Santa Fe in My Santa, interesting as it provided a very thorough analysis of La Virgen de Guadalupe as well as touched on her own work, which entailed a great degree of controversy. Lopez provides a historical overview of La Virgen de Guadalupe and also suggests that La Virgen de Guadalupe represents a revolutionary cultural icon. Additionally, Lopez provides perspectives into how her work, Our Lady and Our Lady of Controversy II, was inspired and came about, as well as details the controversy over her work. Lopez re-envisioned La Virgen de Guadalupe in a manner that promoted rights and the feminist movement. Her work outraged many individuals, and protests and hate mail ensued. Personally, I feel an individual as an artist has a duty to express themselves, thus I feel the outrage towards Lopez’ work was excessive; however, I do understand the individuals outrage. If art is expressed in a manner in which the intent wasn’t to enrage or attack individuals, rather simply to express oneself or promote the well-being of others, then I feel it is justified.