Final Blog Post

This quarter, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to a history and art form that I was not aware of previously. Before this class, I was unfamiliar with La Virgen de Guadalupe, and all of the work she influences in Chicana Art. Like most people, 10 weeks ago, most of the artists I was familiar with were white, European males. However, the majority of artists I know now are from Chicanas. I have always been intrigued with Latin culture, and this class taught me the significant meaning behind social and political art, behind different perspectives of Chicanas. My eyes have been opened to a whole new world, and I am happy that I had the honor to be taught by Professor Lopez.

In addition, before this class drawing terrified me and I did not know what I was getting myself into by enrolling in this class. Drawing hands might have been one of the most difficult things I endured in this class. However, with thy help of Professor Lopez and my will power, I conquered my fear of drawing hands, and I feel that I made tremendous improvement through out the quarter, look at my sketchbook for proof.  I actually want to get a second sketchbook and draw for fun to aid in relieving my stress next quarter. I truly enjoyed this class and I am so upset is has to come to an end.  

Thanksgiving 2015

This year I celebrated Thanksgiving on two separate days to celebrate my thanks for separate groups of people. On the 26^th, I celebrated thanksgiving with my family. However, this year we did not eat traditional thanksgiving foods, because my cousins dislike the taste of turkey. So they opted to have a barbecue and make traditional Persian foods such as, beef kabobs, chicken kabobs, rice, grilled vegetables, and salad. I was disappointed because I was looking forward to all the delicious foods that remind me of autumn. However, I still had an amazing time catching up with my family since I left home to start my journey at UCLA. 

On the 27^th, I celebrated thanksgiving with my close group of friends from high school. We decided to have a potluck, and bring leftovers from the day prior. Today, I was so excited to eat thanksgiving foods, even though they were left overs. Since I did not have any left over thanks giving foods, I made a fresh bowl of garlicky green beans and an apple crisp dessert, where I received a positive response from my friends. After dinner we played out favorite video game, Super Smash Bros, and had a great time talking about our experiences this fall. This thanksgiving was a refreshing break from studying, where I recharged with the positive energy I received from my family and friends.

Ester Hernandez

For this week’s blog post, I decided to comment on the artist Ester Hernandez and her piece Sun Mad. In 1981, Hernandez learned that commercial farming often uses heavy amounts of pesticides and insecticides to keep produce fresh. Therefore, in this piece, Hernandez expresses her rage about the environmental cost and pesticide use on commercial grape farming in California. She makes a highly daring, political, and social statement, by creating an image that the public already created strong associations with nostalgia and innocence.  I definitely remember eating Sun Maid brand raisins in elementary school innocently, without understanding the implications associated with modern farming practices. By creating a similar image, it attracts audience attention where she can effectively share her message. By replacing the lively woman with a skeleton, emphasizes the long-term effects chemicals have on the human body.

It almost been 35 years since this image was released, and society still demonstrates this issue. However additional dangerous farming techniques have been introduced, sun as the idea of genetically modified foods. After all these years consumers still are not aware the methods their foods are produced, which can be detrimental to their health. The work of Ester Hernandez stands the test of time because her message is still relevant in modern day.

Laura Aguilar

For this week, I decided to comment on the photography of Laura Aguilar. Although Aguilar suffers of depression and experiences suicidal thoughts from time to time, due to her negative body image, I admire that she uses these forces as inspiration. In her adult life, she ultimately realizes she must accept her current body state. and in result, she uses photography to document battles with body image. In the majority of her photography, she focuses on the naked human body, either her own or of others. For example, in the year 2001, she released the photograph Center 100.  In this black and white photograph, Aguilar sits in the center of the photograph, nude. She sits in the middle of a landscape of rocks of different shapes and sizes. I enjoyed the fact that she compares her curvaceous figure to rocks, and I respect she posed nude for the photography.  She covers her face with her hair in order to keep sole focus on her body as being apart of nature. The black and white filter is minimalistic, so extraneous colors do not interfere with her ultimate message. I can relate to Laura Aguilar because I too, like many other individuals, have experienced negative body image through out my life, and had low self-confidence. However, I applaud Aguilar to showcase one of her insecurities not as a flaw, but as strength.

            Aguilar’s work is unique to the works we have discussed because she addresses a topic that our class has not discussed thoroughly: body image. However, her work does address empowerment of women’s natural bodies, which is similar to Yolanda López’s work. López focuses on empowerment of women due to discrimination of patriarchal forces while Aguilar focuses on empowerment of women due to body image.

La Malinche

In the fall of 1992, Garza created a three-part, multi-gallery installation for the Smith College Museum of Art, called Homenaje a Tenochtitlán: An Installation for the Day of the Dead. Garza showcases several images of influential figures in her life, in one of the rooms, La Malinche, the Virgin of Guadalupe, her grandmother, and two of her friends. The installation is decorated of a table decorated with papel picado, flowers, cavaleras, candles, and doilies, are framed images. By placing three influential people in her life together, Garza comments on the importance of family and loved ones in the community. 

I find this piece interesting because Garza expressed can relate to La Malinche, and comments, “ I as a Chicana, and a lot of Chicanas, see ourselves in certain ways as Malinches, in that we are liaisons between two groups of people.” (76). Garza can relate to La Malinche because activist Chicana art can appear “ anti-Mexican”; therefore, many Chicana’s are seen traitors to their country. However, Garza embraces that her work is unique and different, but that is completely acceptable. Garza empathetic perception of La Malinche is demonstrated through her placement on the altar, directly in the middle. The art she produces can get negative reviews from antifeminists, but negative words do not stop her drive to make a difference in the world. 

In my own life, I have noticed that the majority of my decisions are to benefit other people and not myself, because I do not want to anger others. I look at Lomas Garza as a role model to not solely care about what others think, but to do activities that please me. And if I offend others, that alright because at least I was true to my beliefs.