Art Presentation

Art Resource Guide An Introduction to the Art of Mexico

Pre-Hispanic Art Pre-Hispanic: Used to refer to cultures that flourished in Mesoamerica before Spanish domination in sixteenth century

Preclassical Era c. 1800 BC – c. 150 AD

Olmec Figure Sitting, With Spread Legs (c. 2000 B.C. to 900 B.C.) • Low-fire earthenware; From the modernday state of Guerrero • Face fairly realistic (Olmec art was naturalistic in style) • Olmecs liked longer, flatter heads (bound infant’s heads) • Hollow & sexless • Pose – sitting upright with legs spread (common in Olmec art) • Long head, almond shaped eyes, broad nose, holes for pupils and nostrils and navel (holes acted as air vents), big ears, realistically proportioned lips, thick and short neck • Appears boneless, rounded forms, and little muscle tone • Surface was originally hard and porous, now it is smooth with some pitting (small holes)

Standing Females (c. 200 B.C.) From: Jalisco

From: Michoacán

• Similarities: flattened and stylized forms, complex headdresses, coffee-bean shaped eyes/mouth, feet that don’t provide support, inthe-round sculptures

•Jalisco figure: large nose, simple jewelry, long and elastic arms

•Michoacán figure: short arms, grooves for fingers and toes, earrings and necklace with 3 stones, scarification: 4 circles, visible genitals

Classic Period 150-900 AD

View of the Street of the Dead, showing the Plaza of the Moon & the Pyramid of the Sun (1-750 A.D.) • Teotihuacan • Pyramid above a cave (caves with flowing water symbolized wombs of gods) • Built on the site of a previous pyramid • Human remains at base – indicating sacrifices • Built from brick and rubble, once covered with volcanic stone and painted decorations • Dedicated to gods (unknown which) • Stairway divided into two sections, lead to temple for priests and rulers • Cerro Gordo to north, Avenue of the Dead to east, Ciudadela to south, Pyramid of the Moon to west • Height: 200 ft, base width: 700 ft, depth of cave below: 300 ft

Smiling Head (150-900 AD) • Hollow, ceramic piece originating from Veracruz • Triangular forms – traditional notions of beauty • Wide, elaborate headdress (1/3 of head) with symmetric geometric design (rectangles and v-shapes) • Pointed chin, filed teeth, lacking pupils, broad forehead, black asphalt eyebrows (no longer extant)

Beaker (600 A.D) • Maya civilization, polychrome ceramic • Two figures sitting cross legged, colorful decorations – Late Classic Period work • Figures: blue and red; long, hooked noses; wear jewelry and headdresses; textiles around lower bodies • First figure has wisp of smoke coming out of smoke – symbol for speech/communication • Hieroglyphs above their heads indicate date of vessel or the figures’ identities • Similar to a ceramic vase, in its ritual function

Temple of the Giant Jaguar (in Tikal— Petén, Guatemala) (731 A.D.) • Maya civilization, 144.4 ft tall • Dates from Late Classic Period; also known as Temple I • Tomb inside with carved pieces of bone, ceramic containers, jade jewelry, textiles and codices • Built from limestone blocks and rubble • Decorations: paint and plaster (gone), roofcomb, frescoes in passageways • 9 levels in pyramid; total of 6 templepyramids in Tikal • Jaguar associated with divinity and leadership

Postclassic Period 900 AD - 1521

Mosaic Skull and Jaw (1350-1521) • Aztec Civilization • Human skull with decomposed nose and teeth intact • Mosaic tiles in rose, white, and turquoise • Bands of rose tiles across forehead and under nose • White tiles around pupils (which are holes) • Skulls from ritual sacrifices used as gift to gods or burial item; skulls from battles/ballgames used as trophies • Tzompantli – skull rack (emerged in Epiclassic Period)

Colonial Art

Codex Huejotzingo 1531 • created before the Viceroyalty of New Spain was established • earliest known image of the Virgin Mary by an indigenous artist • record of tribute provided to member of audiencia Nuno de Guzman by town of Huejotzingo; used in court against him •Focal point – image of the Virgin Mary and Christ Child; modeled after European examples (except for the drooping position of the Child’s head) •Artist wanted to focus on the depiction of the banner because it was produced using feathers and gold leaf •Depictions are 2-dimensional and concise; the codex can be read quickly by someone with knowledge of pictographic symbol •paper – made of maguey fibers

Our Lady of Guadalupe Francisco Aguera Bustamante, 1796 • widely recognized image by end of the 18th century • the earliest known replica – 1606 image by a Spanish artist Baltasar de Echave Orio • Miguel Cabrera made a replica in 1751 • The engraving lacks in color and has simplified details, most notably the robe • Possibly made from a different copy, not from the original • Our Lady of Guadalupe is said to have first appeared in central Mexico in December of 1531 to an Indian convert Juan Diego at the top of Tepayac Hill (where later a church was built) • Our Lady of Guadalupe is a patroness of the masses • The image represents the bridging of the European elite and the majority class in Mexico and is the embodiment of mestizaje – mixing of races and cultures • The Virgin of Guadalupe was officially recognized as the Patroness of New Spain by a Papal bull issued by Pope Benedict XIV in mid-18th century • Miguel Hidalgo held up a banner with the image as a symbol for Church’s support for independence

Don Juan Joachin Miguel Cabrera, 1752 • life-size portrait • face shown in three-quarters view • emphasis on powdered wig, clothing, etc; little emphasis on individual characteristics • inclusion of hat and gloves creates the impression of a spontaneous setting • in keeping with rococo style in elite portraiture, dominant in 18th century Europe • similar to a famous portrait of Louis XIV by Hyacinthe Rigaud; both use curtains as a framing device, the three-quarters pose, emphasis on luxurious fabrics • oil on canvas – standard for works of this type; allowed artist to paint in detail

Don Juan Joachin • Sixth Count of Santiago de Calimaya • Seventh Marquis of Salinas de Rio Pisuerga • Wealthy landholder in Europe and New Spain; maintained power within the Church • Honorary title of High Governor-in-Perpetuity of the Philippines; might be alluded to by Asiatic patterns in Don Juan Joachin’s clothing

From Spaniard and Black, Mulatto Jose de Alcibar, c. 1760-1770 • 6th of a series of 16 paintings • features a simple household setting (kitchen) • The black woman wears a simple rebozo; indicates middle or lower class status • The Spanish man wears a dressing coat called a banyan; made of indianilla, a popular textile imported from India, most often used by middle or lower classes to imitate expensive silks • Features tobacco and chocolate (important American products, focus on New Spain’s culture) Jose de Alcibar • Mexican artist Casta paintings • Recognized as one of the most • illustrate the mixing of races in the context of new important painters in New Spain during Spain; illustrate couples and children in everyday life • popular throughout the 18th century his lifetime • Usually produced in series and patronized by the elite • One of the founding members of the •placed more Europeanized people in a superior position Royal Academy of San Carlos • Student of Cabrera

Shawl (Rebozo)

• Silk and silver thread • Fringe of knotted silk threads • Intended for a wealthy woman •Embroidered figures illustrate people of various cultural and ethnic backgrounds • Embroidery is reversible •Embroidery depicts people of various ethnicities, backgrounds •Textiles served an important role in indicating status •Rebozos were given as gifts to wealthy women for special occasions; probably used as wraps • Women of middle or lower classes used rebozos to protect clothing, keep warm, or carry babies or things •Rebozo has become a symbol of Mexican identity by independence

Late 18th century

Metropolitan Cathedral Claudio de Arciniega and Others Mexico City, 1573-1817

• Located in Mexico City’s central square (zocalo) • Incorporates Renaissance, baroque, rococo, and neoclassical styles • Original design created by Arciniega about 1569 • Finished by neoclassical architect Manuel Tolsa • Largest building constructed in New Spain during the colonial period (over 360 feet in length) • Low and wide to increase stability (because of frequent earthquakes) • Based on a plan similar to that of St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, but lower and wider • Central feature of the interior is Altar of Kings (Altar de los Reyes), designed by Jeronimo de Balbas; built 1718-1737 • Placed on the site of the central Aztec temple in Tenochtitlan

Art after Indepdence

Valley of Oaxaca Jose Maria Velasco, 1888 Jose Maria Velasco:

Valley of Oaxaca:

-enrolled in Academy of San Carlos; learned landscape tradition from Eugenio Landesio -Landesio had strong influence on Velasco -Velasco dedicated himself to painting recognizable landscapes -challenged European landscape tradition by emphasizing naturalism, rejected idealism -later artists such as Diego Rivera recognized him as a forerunner of nationalist art

-oil painting -high vantage point selected for painting -foreground: great attention to detail -figures in foreground represent indigenous peasantry -depicted harvesting of coffee beans, staple crop of Valley of Oaxaca -cross in the background – Velasco a devout Catholic, Catholicism firmly rooted in life of peasant class -city grid in valley below represented rapidly modernizing infrastructure -linear perspective, atmospheric perspective used to create depth & an illusion of recession -colors in distance less saturated than colors in foreground

http://www.philamuseum.org/collections /permanent/50796.html

La Calavera Catrina Jose Guadalupe Posada, 1913 Jose Guadalupe Posada: -popular printmaker whose images were often satirical- his work often considered subversive -extremely prolific; produced at least 2000 plates during his lifetime -images published in more than 50 newspapers, reproduced in affordable broadsheets -most conventional images were religious prints, well-known figures -images of Emiliano Zapata especially enduring -calaveras (“skulls” in Spanish) among his most interesting works – often vehicles for satire or simply for amusement -many calaveras sold for Day of the Dead – Mexican holiday pays homage to deceased

La Calavera Catrina: -relief etching on zinc -fashionable lady -dramatic image intentionally absurd -one of Posada’s most famous prints today -accompanied by popular song called a corrido: intended to be moralizing, song said that no one will escape death -image is a parody of wealthy women who imitated expensive European fashions -in the end, everyone dies; death is the great equalizer

The Flower Carrier Diego Rivera, 1935 Diego Rivera: -trained at Academy of San Carlos -traveled around Europe, lived in Paris from 1909-1921 -Picasso, Matisse, Cezanne all had an influence on him; also strongly influenced by Renaissance art -great supporter of Mexican Revolution, although he was in Europe for most of the period -from 1920s onwards, mural paintings glorified Revolution -member of Communist Party, critic of Catholicism -murals glorified communism, its leaders -had a long & tumultuous relationship with Frida Kahlo

The Flower Carrier: -painting, oil, and tempera on masonite -painted in response to Albert M. Bender, who wanted to donate money to San Francisco Museum of Art for the purchase of one of Rivera’s paintings -both people depicted are members of the peasant class through clothing (ex: woman’s rebozo, man’s simple white clothing) -figures represent a “type” of glorified peasants rather than individuals -fresco painting: unnecessary details eliminated in favor of solid, blocky forms -harmonious, clear composition -muted earth tones punctuated by magenta flowers

Frieda Kahlo: -suffered a great deal of physical pain: accident in 1925 caused life-changing injuries -Kahlo’s work intimate, intended for a smaller audience -went through many marital problems with Diego Rivera (affairs, infertility) -Kahlo consciously rejected European fashions, dressed in a more “Mexican” manner -work exhibited more frequently outside Mexico

Frieda & Diego Rivera Frieda Kahlo, 1931 Frieda & Diego Rivera: -wedding portrait painted nearly 2 years after their marriage -Inscription at top: “Here you see us, me Frieda Kahlo, with my beloved husband Diego Rivera. I painted these portraits in the beautiful city of San Francisco for our friend Mr. Albert Bender, and it was in the month of April of the year 1931.” -stiff rendition of figures, blocky style reference popular arts -Rivera depicted in his role of a professional painter, though Kahlo does not refer to her own artistic career -Kahlo portrayed as submissive, feminine -painting fits into appropriate gender roles of time period: women of Kahlo’s social classes expected to be wives, mothers -Although Kahlo shows herself as traditional, devoted wife in painting, she declares her role as a professional artist in inscription -both acknowledges & rejects traditional gender roles

Figure in Illuminated Doorway Rufino Tamayo, 1960 Figure in Illuminated Doorway: -figure is female, indicated by soft curves of body & skirt -work has a universal quality which distinguishes it from Kahlo or Rivera’s work -figure represents common experiences at key life stages -doorway symbolizes passage from one stage to another in life -ultimately encourages viewer to think about universal experiences rather than particulars of national politics

Rufino Tamayo: -work often small in scale, personal -muralist early on, but made his mark with easel paintings & prints -work was not overtly political, may have contributed to his lack of popularity in Mexico in 1940s & 50s -experienced international acclaim -avid collector of pre-Hispanic art -experimented with prints, lithographs -strongly influenced by European modernist artists like Picasso, Cezanne, but his work had a specifically Mexican character