Virgin Of Guadalupe Summary

Miguel Gonzalez’s piece titled The Virgin of Guadalupe depicts the Virgin of Guadalupe in the center, with a smaller image in very corner and a beautifully decorated frame encompassing her image. She is shown looking down with her head a bit tilted to the left, a pose that characterizes her and distinguishes her from different virgins. She is in the center, with a beige background that most likely represents Juan Diego’s tilma, where her image appeared for the first time. Emanating from her image are diagonal lines that have a yellow, goldish color to them, that not only emphasize her presence in the image, but also represent her power and higher status. The lines draw attention to the figure in the center and also connect the four images …show more content…
According to the curator of this piece, Ilona Katzew, “Throughout the colonial period there was a significant influx of Asian goods to Mexico via the legendary Manila Galleons that connected the East to the West.” Mexicans adopted foreign techniques and made styles completely their own, such as the enconchado style that was tailored after Asian practices. The original work imported from Asia showed the wealth and social standing of the owner, a message everyone sought to portray in their own way. Owning locally made versions represented the lower status of the owner, who could not afford to buy a product made abroad. Gonzalez’s work is not only a hybrid on the surface, but also below it. The image clearly depicts Christian symbols related to Europe, but also the Mexican symbol of the eagle and the cactus, pointing to the surface hybridity. Curator Katzew attests to the hybridity that goes beyond what meets the eyes, “The technique, which is inspired by Asian decorative arts, imparts a brilliant luminosity to the works due to the iridescence of the shell fragments.” Mexican art was shaped by adopting and later adapting foreign work, either in an attempt to get a close version of the original or to create a new style, completely their own. Mexican artists were inspired by the beauty and difference of Asian work, …show more content…
The Spanish conquest was justified because the Spanish were going to civilize the barbaric natives and bring them the religion that would save them. It can be difficult to connect to a different religion, especially when the characters look nothing like the natives. The Virgin of Guadalupe was a symbol of a new group; the Creoles who acknowledged their descent from European blood, but also admired the destiny of Mexico as the new holy site. The image of the Virgin allowed the natives to relate to her skin, but also to her via the story of her encounter with a humble native. Miguel Gonzalez’s The Virgin of Guadalupe brings life and radiance to an image and symbol that has persisted through