Cultural Identity in Chicano Art
Kelly Zahorski
CHIC 3221
10/25/11
Cultural Identity Through Art: Literary Critique
With the start of the Chicano Movement, not only did the rebellious youth of the 20th century create a drastic change in the connotations associated with Mexican-Americans but they also sculpted, painted, sang and danced to form a cultural identity unique and distinctly their own. Mainly focusing on Southern California during the 1940’s to the present, Chicano Art took its roots from Mexican painters like Rivera, Siqueiros, and Viramontes. The struggle for a Chicano identity, one that was not instilled by the dominating Anglo community, was the goal of muralists and painters alike. It was this search for identity that led to the Chicano Movement. By comparing images from the mid 1900’s and understanding the political, social, and economic pressures of that time period I argue that Chicano identity in both the private and public sectors was depicted in various art forms, not exclusive but limited to murals, paintings, music, and fashion, and that during the breadth of the Chicano movement these forms of artistic expression were an integral part of forming the cultural identity of the Chicano people. Jazz music, the Zoot suit, and urban graffiti also added to this formation and these elements combined created the revolutionary Chicano Movement.
The search for the Chicano “identity” started around the 1920’s. The Mexican government commissioned Diego Rivera, David Siqueiros, and Jose Clemente, known as “Los Tres Grandes” or “The Big Three” to paint murals in major areas of certain cities. The goal was to introduce the public to art and widen the scope of knowledge about Mexican painters and muralists alike. The murals depicted historic events, Aztec gods with famous symbols like snakes and the Virgin of Guadalupe, and religious ceremonies. It was the birth of these murals that soon inspired young Chicanos in Southern California to slip out from the oppressive grip of
CHIC 3221
10/25/11
Cultural Identity Through Art: Literary Critique
With the start of the Chicano Movement, not only did the rebellious youth of the 20th century create a drastic change in the connotations associated with Mexican-Americans but they also sculpted, painted, sang and danced to form a cultural identity unique and distinctly their own. Mainly focusing on Southern California during the 1940’s to the present, Chicano Art took its roots from Mexican painters like Rivera, Siqueiros, and Viramontes. The struggle for a Chicano identity, one that was not instilled by the dominating Anglo community, was the goal of muralists and painters alike. It was this search for identity that led to the Chicano Movement. By comparing images from the mid 1900’s and understanding the political, social, and economic pressures of that time period I argue that Chicano identity in both the private and public sectors was depicted in various art forms, not exclusive but limited to murals, paintings, music, and fashion, and that during the breadth of the Chicano movement these forms of artistic expression were an integral part of forming the cultural identity of the Chicano people. Jazz music, the Zoot suit, and urban graffiti also added to this formation and these elements combined created the revolutionary Chicano Movement.
The search for the Chicano “identity” started around the 1920’s. The Mexican government commissioned Diego Rivera, David Siqueiros, and Jose Clemente, known as “Los Tres Grandes” or “The Big Three” to paint murals in major areas of certain cities. The goal was to introduce the public to art and widen the scope of knowledge about Mexican painters and muralists alike. The murals depicted historic events, Aztec gods with famous symbols like snakes and the Virgin of Guadalupe, and religious ceremonies. It was the birth of these murals that soon inspired young Chicanos in Southern California to slip out from the oppressive grip of
Bibliography: 1. Griswold, Del Castillo, Richard., Teresa McKenna, and Yvonne Yarbro-Bejarano. Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation, 1965-1985. Los Angeles: Wight Art Gallery, University of California, Los Angeles, 1991. Print. 2. Noriega, Chon A., and Holly Barnet-Sánchez. Just Another Poster?: Chicano Graphic Arts in California = Sólo Un Cartel Más? : Artes Gráficas Chicanas En California. Santa Barbara, CA: University Art Museum, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2001. Print. 3. Marin, Cheech, Max Benavidez, Constance Cortez, and Terecita Romo. Chicano Visions: American Painters on the Verge. Boston: Little, Brown and, 2002. Print. 4. Lee, Anthony W. Painting on the Left: Diego Rivera, Radical Politics, and San Francisco 's Public Murals. Berkeley: University of California, 1999. Print. Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5