1. Julio Galan & Nahum Zenil

2. Julio Galan

3. Background Born in 1959 to wealthy family Child prodigy
Spends childhood in Muzquiz in Caohuila on grandfather’s mining estate
Studies architecture at the University of Monterrey
Monterrey art dealer Guillermo
Sepúlveda encourages him→
1st exhibition at Sepúlveda’s
gallery in 1980.
Moves to NYC in 1984
Andy Warhol prints his work
in Interview

4. His Style “ 2nd generation” Neo-Expressionist
1984 NYC ideas of collage, fragmentation, cultural borrowing and dreamlike suspension
Influenced by the self-scrutiny of Frida Kahlo
Under the influence of drugs?

5. Mientras Me Despierto ("As I Wake Up") (1985)
Young man looks
like Galan
Romanticized vision
of a cartoon boy-hero
→Romantic Child
Salvador Dali &
surrealism

6. Themes in His Art… Dichotomies: -realism vs surrealism
- sex vs religion
- humor vs tragedy
Multiple roles, sometimes androgynous
References to:
-Childhood
-Sexual identity
-Catholicism
-Mexican Baroque
-Pre-Columbian cultures
-Folk art

8. Los Complices (1987) What are the objects on the table?
What is the purpose
of the horse?
Phallus symbol
Folk art &
traditional garb

9. Nahum Zenil

10. Background Born in 1947 in the state of Veracruz Rural upbringing
1959 enrolled National Teachers’ School in Mexico City
Works in schools teaching all subjects for 20 yrs
1968 entered the Escuela Nacional de Pintura y Escultura (known as La Esmeralda) in Mexico City
-Cristobal Torres
-Benito Messeguer
"Ruptura" movement of the 1960s and 1970s
-abstraction
Since mid-1970s single subject: the artist himself
Active member of gay community

11. "I have always felt the need for self-analysis in my work in order to accept myself and the way I live. I have always felt marginalized in my life and have experienced a great sense of solitude. In my art I've tried to effect a communication between the members of society and myself."

12. His Art Issues of nationalism -icons like the Mexican flag
Opens himself up to the viewer
-object of scrutiny
-gazing back: inviting people into his personal dramas
Different definition of "family"
Religious imagery
-The Virgin of Guadalupe: pride
-Ambivalence/ Disdain
Dilemma of how to define his position as a gay man?

13. Sexuality, Religion, & Family

14. The Dartgame (1994) Mexican flag Heart is the target Crucified Christ
Da Vinci: man as
geometric perfection
Issue of being a gay
man in Mexico and a
mestizo

15. Comparison w/ Other Artists
Kahlo: -Self-portraiture
-Depiction of the self is cathartic
"Neo-Mexicanists"
-traditional Mexican themes w/ satire
International perspective
-not "erotic" in the conventional mode
(Paul Cadmus or Robert Mapplethorpe)
Self-concious and bold like David Hockney

16. Botero, Zuñiga, and Kahlo

17. Botero Beginnings Born in 1932 Medellín, Colombia
Born to a traveling salesman father and a housewife mother
Educated in the Jesuit school of Medellín until he was expelled
No formal art education
Frequently attended bull fights and later sold watercolors of the bulls at the entry to the stadium

18. Education Studied European Old Masters
Rejected modern European movements such as Cubism and embraced Baroque style instead
Latinos widely rejected his European-influenced art and he returned more to the Pre-Colombian art styles of Latin America

19. The Best of Botero

20. Fernando Botero Recap
Idealized the “Baroque” body, makes ample figure erotic
Uses 4 colors: cobalt, red, emerald green, yellow in addition to black and white
Rich colors reminiscent of pre-Colombian art
Plentiful flesh and bright colors celebrate life!

21. The Life of Zuñiga Born in 1912 in San José, Costa Rica
He tried to study art in Spain, but the Spanish Civil War impeded his studies
Wins the 1st Central American prize for his portrayal of an indigenous warrior
Lives in Mexico City, the most prominent Latin American center of art at the time

22. Essence of the Feminine
Sculpture is not an intellectual expression, but rather an ancient way of increasing spirituality
There is beauty outside of the Caucasian community; celebrate your heritage and traditions!
The indigenous and mestizo community is beautiful
The Indian woman represents the Earth mother, the healer, the child-bearer, and the comforter

23. La Mujer Large round bellies Buxom breasts Wide, curvy hips
Symbolism of the rebozo
pyramidal shape

24. Frida Kahlo

25. Formative Years
Born 1907 Frieda Kahlo to Wilhelm “Guillermo Kahlo & Matilde Calderón
The 2nd to youngest of 4 girls
Infected with Polio at age 6 which deforms her right leg
Unlike her sisters, Frida is sent to the National Preparatory
Involved in a terrible auto accident & receives permanent physical damage

26. “My Birth” What color schemes do you see?
What geometric patterns do you see?
What symbolism do you see?

27. Family Relations distinctively different from her sisters and mother
Dual identity: mexicanidad vs. European heritage
Multiple homosexual affairs with Dolores del Rio, Paulette Goddard, Georgia O’Keefe, and others
Infertile due to genetic problems and auto accident

28. Marriage & Motherhood

29. “What the Water Gave Me”

30. Conclusion Celebrating versus examining Latin American society
Personal versus societal conflicts
Foreign versus pre-Colombian influences