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Chicano Art & Inspiration

Chicano art is not a well-known genre, perhaps because the form is usually viewed as political, folklore, too vibrant, unrealistic, and abrupt.

However; to me, that just sounds like a lot of fun. To experience Chicano art at it's fullest, one must know the heritage of people of Mexican ancestry. I lived in Corpus Christi, TX, briefly with some family, some of whom are of Mexican-American descent. This is probably where my love for chicano art has sprouted from. Some believe that this type of art started when our war with mexico started and thousands of Mexicans became U.S. citizens overnight. Their art was created to confront discrimination, racism and exploitation. This type of art, also expressed inspiration from hereos from their indigenous, Mexican and American past. One of my favourite Mexican artists, an inspiration to Chicano art is Frida Kahlo. Many people do not like her because of the disturbing imagery she portrays in her paintings. She creates many self-portraits in which she has a unibrow, a well-defined feature of her culture. My Uncle, Joe Peña is a very talented Chicano painter. View this video featuring Cheech Marin dedicating his house to be a shrine of Chicano art, and when you get to the 4:46 mark and you will be viewing Joe's meat still-lifes.

Here are some of Peña's artworks...

Peña & his piece, "Lengua" (cow tongue); after photographing the meat, Joe prepared the tongue for dinner & then painted the work below...

 

Here are some artworks that serve as inspiration to our Chicano artists, today...

I really love Frida Kahlo's self-portrait of "The little deer," I feel there is a humorous aspect to her work. Here it is below, with a few others.

Photographer Cindy Sherman at the Tate Modern

A museum I visited in London called the Tate Modern had a series of portraits in the “States of Flux” exhibit, created by Cindy Sherman. This series stood out to me among the other pieces of art, and I thought I’d share it with all of you. This work of art is a series of portrait, black and white photographs, in which Cindy Sherman is the subject in each image. However, it seems like the subject of each image are different people. Sherman changes her makeup and facial expression in each portrait so much that each portrait looks like people of different ages and gender.

According to the “cindysherman” website, her biography says, that or a work of art to be considered a portrait, the artist must have intent to portray a specific, actual person. This can be communicated through such techniques as naming a specific person in the title of the work or creating an image in which the physical likeness leads to an emotional individuality unique to a specific person. While these criteria are not the only ways of connoting a portrait, they are just two examples of how Sherman carefully communicates to the viewer that these works are not meant to depict Cindy Sherman the person. By titling each of the photographs "Untitled", as well as numbering them, Sherman depersonalizes the images.

Wikipedia says: Sherman works in series, typically photographing herself in a range of costumes. To create her photographs, Sherman shoots alone in her studio, assuming multiple roles as author, director, make-up artist, hairstylist, wardrobe mistress—and, of course, model. Bus Riders (1976/2000) are a series of photographs that feature the artist as a variety of meticulously observed characters. The photographs were shot in 1976 but, like another series entitled Murder Mystery People, not printed or exhibited until 2000 and are among the artist's earliest work. Sherman uses elaborate costumes and make-up to transform her identity for each image, but is photographed in a sparse, obviously staged setting with a wooden chair standing in for the bus seat. In her landmark 69 photograph series, the Complete Untitled Film Stills, (1977–1980; although the 1997 traveling MOCA retrospective included five straight-on head shots dated 1975) Sherman appeared as B-movie, foreign film and film noir style actresses. When asked if she considers herself to be acting in her photographs, Sherman said, “I never thought I was acting. When I became involved with close-ups I needed more information in the expression. I couldn’t depend on background or atmosphere. I wanted the story to come from the face. Somehow the acting just happened.”

Although Sherman does not consider her work feminist, many of her photo-series, like the 1981 Centerfolds, call attention to the stereotyping of women in films, television and magazines. When talking about one of her centerfold pictures Cindy stated, "In content I wanted a man opening up the magazine suddenly look at it with an expectation of something lascivious and then feel like the violator that they would be. Looking at this woman who is perhaps a victim. I didn't think of them as victims at the time... But I suppose... Obviously I'm trying to make someone feel bad for having a certain expectation."

 

 

 

 

Have you found an image on our website that you love, and must have a copy of?

Here is how you can download and print that photograph and then charish it for the rest of your life!

 

 

1. Go to Univerity of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences website home page at: http://www.as.uky.edu/

2. If you haven't already taken a look at our recent photographs, take a look by choosing the Photos option on our homepage.

3. After you have made a decision on any photographs that you would like to have, return to the A&S homepage to find the FLICKR button. This link will bring you to our photostream on flickr, called UK College of Arts & Sciences. Below is an image of where the flickr button is on our A&S website homepage.

 

4. When you have successfully surfed to our flickr website account, UK College of Arts & Sciences, find your desired image by searching through the photostream, or more efficiently by clicking on the sets link shown here...

 

 


 

 

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5. After you've found the photograph you want, select the photo and open the actions menu, then click the '"View all Sizes" link inside the menu.

Here is where you can find the actions link...

 

 

 

6. On the next page, choose the size you want to download and click the link in the "Download" section. Now print it, if you have ink and paper, and a printer...

ENJOY YOUR WONDERFUL IMAGES, be sure to come back to the A&S website to find more photographs for you!

Love,

Dana