The orgy of colors and array of avant-garde works on display at the special exhibition on Mexican Art from 1900 -1950 at the Dallas Museum of Art can arouse a sense of wonder even in the uninitiated. The exhibition "Mexico 1900 -1950: Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Jóse Clemente Orozco, and the Avant-Garde” is a show of more than 200 or so works including painting, sculpture, drawings, photography, and film display the prolific Mexican School of Painting from the first half of the twentieth century. The impressive exhibition tells the story of a people not only well-versed in the different art movements from around the world but more importantly who created a visual language that tells the story of their cultural heritage.
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| Tiburcio Sánchez de la Barquera, Portrait of the Escandón Arango Family (Retrato de la familia Escandón Arango), 1867
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Upon entering the first part of the exhition, the visitor is greeted by a 19th century portrait of the Escandón Arango Family painted in the traditional style of European aristocratic family portraits. The idealized group of fair skinned and blond children in fashionable clothing in the style of those worn in the French court depicted in the park of their family estate with neoclassical architecture and European sculpture is invaluable for seeing and comparing the evolution of Mexican art as well as the sociopolitical history of the country. Those with European ancestry had always been at the top of the social hierarchy of Colonial Mexico and this particular painting made during the reign of Maximillian I, who gained political power through the aid of Napoleon III, shows the influence of France on the ruling elite of Mexican society.
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| Jean Charlot, Dance of the Malinches, 1926 |
After the Mexican Revolution which began in 1910, a nation in search of itself utilized art in the formation of a cohesive Mexican identity that priviledged the cultural heritage of the country's Pre-Columbian past. José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Diego Rivera were the artists of the revolution who worked on major mural projects for the government to create a visual nationalist message. The exhition "Mexico 1900- 1950" focuses mainly on easel paintings which also use the same subject matter as murals, portraying
Costumbrista scenes depicting local and regional daily life with the archtypes of the indigenous society as the main protagonists. The brown skin of the local population that was seen as inferior for so long became the ideal that was celebrated in the work of the artists of the time. Everything from the traditional clothing, accessories and hairstyles to the daily activities and even poses recalling Pre-Columbian sculpture which became the elements of the visual language of Mexican art contributes to the excitement of this exhibition.
Although the exhibition is organized thematically, displaying the correlation and influence of Mexican Modernism to different art movements taking place in Europe and the United States, there is a very singular character to the art works on display. While Frida Kahlo is one of the big names that has top billing in the show with
The Two Fridas the most popular with art lovers and photo takers alike, this exhibit was particularly impressive for the amount of women artists as well as the representation of women included. Besides the wonderfully creativite and thought-provoking works on display, I was especially excited to note one of my theories regarding cultural heritage proven right - No matter how severely those in control try to superimpose a different religion or a culture on a society, the authentic culture of the land will always survive and appear in the rituals, traditions and the art of the people. Please join me in a tour of one of the most exhilarating exhibitions in America today... the way I experienced it.
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| Diego Rivera, Río Juchitán / Juchitán River, 1953-55 |
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Francisco Zúñiga, Group of Women, 1974
(Museo Nacional de Arte, INBA, Mexico City) |
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Roberto Montenegro, People from Tehuantepec, 1932
(San Antonio Museum of Art)
Head of the rain god Tlaloc and Two frogs, Mixtec culture,
Late Postclassical period, c. A.D. 1300-1500
(Dallas Museum of Art) |
THE ARCHETYPES OF INDIGENOUS SOCIETY
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Ramón Cano Manilla, Indian Woman from Oaxaca (India oaxaqueña), 1928
(Museo Nacional de Arte, INBA, Mexico City) |
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Abraham Ángel, The Indian Woman (La india) 1923
(Museo Nacional de Arte, INBA, Mexico City) |
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Mardonio Magaña, Man in Serape and Hat (Hombre con sarape y sombrero) c. 1935
(Museo Nacional de Arte, INBA, Mexico City) |
What a wonderful tour through an exhibit that I will probably not see in person. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteJudith de Zanger