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 pacifist, Spanish artist Pablo Picasso created huge paintings to promote peace. Guernica, his most famous, showed the horrific aftermath of the 1937 German bombing of the Spanish city of this name and cast him as an influential political spokesperson against war.
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.
watch video
Carlos Hernandez Chavez
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.
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Take Notes
You can watch the video clip again before responding to each of the following questions:
What kinds of subjects and colors in Chavez’s painting help us to appreciate the beauty of Puerto Rico’s tropical forests, and what subjects in his art suggest the oppression of minorities?
How have Chavez and other artists cited here used their diverse art to address the exploitation of their people and the importance of human rights everywhere?
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