Latino and Hispanic artists like Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Francisco Oller—to name just a few—have been influenced by their cultural roots and their desire to communicate on behalf of their people and all of humanity.
A Mexican painter, Kahlo mostly painted self-portraits and was inspired by popular Mexican culture. She was deeply concerned about her people and culture, and her simple folk-art style looks at their identity and lives after colonialism, as well as gender, class, and race in Mexican society. She was twice married to Diego Rivera.
The Mexican painter Diego Rivera, who was married to Frida Kahlo twice, used large murals that depicted Mexican history and society to tackle grand themes of the history and the future of humanity. In the 1930s, Rivera saw the struggles of the working class, who suffered from the war and industrialization. (From American Master’s Diego Rivera: Rivera in America)
The most celebrated Puerto Rican artist of the 19th century, Francisco Oller denounced colonialism and slavery. Over his lifetime he founded ten short-lived art schools, which he encouraged minorities and young women to attend. He was said to often provide free tuition when people were unable to pay.
Similarly, contemporary artist Carlos Hernandez Chavez, who came to the United States from Mexico in the 1970s, has had a strong influence as an activista, a líder in the arts community, and a dedicated humanista.
Now, watch video portions of an interview with Carlos Hernandez Chavez. Notice what he paints to express his gratitude to the Puerto Rican community in Hartford, CT. that welcomed him when he came to the U.S. Also notice other subjects in his paintings that express oppression and injustice.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Space | Pause/Play video playback |
| Enter | Pause/Play video playback |
| m | Mute/Unmute video volume |
| Up and Down arrows | Increase and decrease volume by 10% |
| Right and Left arrows | Seek forward or backward by 5 seconds |
| 0-9 | Fast seek to x% of the video. |
| f | Enter or exit fullscreen. (Note: To exit fullscreen in flash press the Esc key. |
| c | Press c to toggle captions on or off |
You can watch the video clip again before responding to each of the following questions: