In this paper, I shall discuss artwork created in the 1970s by the group Las Mujeres Muralistas. In addition, I will be recounting the history of the women’s group and how from their social and political environment, that they were able to contribute to the Chicano art movement by making it more inclusive by demanding space for themselves, which eventually gave way for other aspiring Chicana artists. Las Mujeres Muralistas were reacting against the art norms created by Los Tres Grandes by showing history through women’s perspective and by denying the social expectations imposed on them. Las Mujeres Muralistas were an all female muralist group, originally composed of Patricia Rodriguez, Graciela Carrillo, Irene Perez, and Consuelo Mendez.
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Mujeres Muralistas created a manifesto describing their mission as artists and what they wanted their contribution to society to be. They wanted “to put art where it belongs: with the people, in the streets...to put art close to where it needs to be. Close to children; close to old people; close to everyone who has to walk or ride the buses… We want our art in the streets or in places where a lot of people go each day” (Ochoa, 33). For them, it was not enough for people to occasionally see their art when it was being featured in exhibits or when people went to museums. Mujeres Muralistas wanted their art to be in public spaces that were accessible to all people. While places like the National Palace in Mexico City had free admission, it was not a location that just anyone could enter, or that people had the time to go to. A majority of art was created for the people and about the people, so it was only fitting that it was in a place that people would see in their daily lives. Somewhere where they could genuinely interact with the murals, or at least see the art in passing on their way to work. Art was meant for the people so they could see their culture visualized and being represented in society. It is for this reason that a majority of Las Mujeres Muralistas work is located in the mission district of San Francisco; as a means of showing the …show more content…
They challenged Chicano nationalism and its dehumanizing portrayal of Chicanas by producing art through the lense of the latina’s view of history. Chicano art featured strong male central figures, and most notably, the depiction of a “pre-Columbian warrior holding a dead woman as an archetype” (Jackson, 151). Las Mujeres Muralistas, as explained by Ester Herńandez, “had the general feeling that men chose to deal with themes of social change through the portrayal of violence, heroes, and the glories of the past. In those days they were all princes and Zapatistas” (Davalos, 64) and as a group of women, they wanted to show history in another light. Instead of the traditional depiction of poor and working-class women, Las Mujeres Muralistas depicted women as strong beings and the backbone of society. They wanted Chicanas to see their murals and feel a sense of pride because the struggles of their lives were being recognized and validated. This is evident in their mural Latinoamérica painted on Mission Street in San Francisco, California. Latinoamérica is painted in vibrant colors such as red and orange, and is sectioned off into different scenes; each depicting different activities like the harvesting of corn and the thanking of pre-Columbian
Mujeres Muralistas created a manifesto describing their mission as artists and what they wanted their contribution to society to be. They wanted “to put art where it belongs: with the people, in the streets...to put art close to where it needs to be. Close to children; close to old people; close to everyone who has to walk or ride the buses… We want our art in the streets or in places where a lot of people go each day” (Ochoa, 33). For them, it was not enough for people to occasionally see their art when it was being featured in exhibits or when people went to museums. Mujeres Muralistas wanted their art to be in public spaces that were accessible to all people. While places like the National Palace in Mexico City had free admission, it was not a location that just anyone could enter, or that people had the time to go to. A majority of art was created for the people and about the people, so it was only fitting that it was in a place that people would see in their daily lives. Somewhere where they could genuinely interact with the murals, or at least see the art in passing on their way to work. Art was meant for the people so they could see their culture visualized and being represented in society. It is for this reason that a majority of Las Mujeres Muralistas work is located in the mission district of San Francisco; as a means of showing the …show more content…
They challenged Chicano nationalism and its dehumanizing portrayal of Chicanas by producing art through the lense of the latina’s view of history. Chicano art featured strong male central figures, and most notably, the depiction of a “pre-Columbian warrior holding a dead woman as an archetype” (Jackson, 151). Las Mujeres Muralistas, as explained by Ester Herńandez, “had the general feeling that men chose to deal with themes of social change through the portrayal of violence, heroes, and the glories of the past. In those days they were all princes and Zapatistas” (Davalos, 64) and as a group of women, they wanted to show history in another light. Instead of the traditional depiction of poor and working-class women, Las Mujeres Muralistas depicted women as strong beings and the backbone of society. They wanted Chicanas to see their murals and feel a sense of pride because the struggles of their lives were being recognized and validated. This is evident in their mural Latinoamérica painted on Mission Street in San Francisco, California. Latinoamérica is painted in vibrant colors such as red and orange, and is sectioned off into different scenes; each depicting different activities like the harvesting of corn and the thanking of pre-Columbian