Discussion-History
casey7677
Dis2_replies.docxDrew Von Zweck
YesterdayAug 25 at 1:03pm
The Mexican Muralism movement, in a way, provided the layout and foundation for the Chicano art movement in the 1960's and 70's. The Mexican American people were tired of being underrepresented and having little to no respect shown for their culture. As in Mexico post revolution, the country was highly capitalistic and modernizing, using the lower class and labor workers as tools to gain more money and power. The influence of the Tres Grandes in Mexico served as inspiration for the Chicano movement as they sought to spread their ideas and concerns through large, captivating public art. These murals, just as they did in Mexico, served to reinvigorate Mexican Americans cultural heritage and combat the racism they were constantly faced with.
The way the Mexican muralists were able to spread such politically charged content under the supervision of their own government definitely also inspired the Chicano movement to get their message through, even if it means making murals that would eventually get taken down. They were focused on spreading their message and benefiting the oppressed through art, the same way Orozco, Rivera, and Siqueiros were.
YesterdayAug 25 at 6pm
The Mexican Muralism movement played a major impact on the Chicano art scene in the United States. In the mural, ‘‘Homage to Siqueiros,’’ a trio of muralists quite directly placed themselves as heirs of the Mexican mural art tradition. It was not purely in media and technique either. These muralists also countered the participatory role of their patron, the Bank of America in a move mirroring Siqueiros' own experience in Los Angeles. Cordova writes, “For Campusano, Rios, and Cortazar, the parallel between Cuauhtemoc fighting the conquistadors and themselves fighting American cultural and political imperialism would have proved an easy comparison. The artists inserted Siqueiros as their contemporary hero and spokesperson, dressing him in a business suit, much like Cuauhtemoc appeared in Spanish armor” (371). This trio were directly influenced by the political ideology of their idol as well.
These three men were not the only artists influenced by politics of the Mexican mural movement. It was a wider movement embracing the new Left largely influenced by Latin American politics confronting the foreign policy of the United States (Cordova 374). Another influence can be seen in the theme and subject of the murals themselves. Los Tres Grandes shifted the focus of the work from Catholic and Greco-Roman mythology towards a much stronger focus on the indigenous elements of the Mexican people. In the same way, Chicano artists shifted their focus to their indigenous or mestizo heritage. For example, one famous mural, Latino America, strongly expresses this element. Cordova writes, “The bottom of the mural is framed by a host of maguey plants and cornstalks. The emphasis is entirely on the indigenous or mestizo heritage of Latin America, and as a result, not only reminds local residents of their homelands, but also celebrates the survival of various cultures in spite of Spanish colonialism. Ultimately, this emphasis creates a parallel between the peasant or Indian classes in Latin America and the inner city poor in America” (368). In media, politics, and subject, the Mexican Muralism movement impacted the Chicano art movements of the 1960's and 1970's.
