Las Trenzas
Size: 20cm X 15cm
Medium: Drypoint
Date of Completion: September, 2017
Medium: Drypoint
Date of Completion: September, 2017
Las Trenzas is a piece created to enrapture the sentimantality of broken traditions and forgotten history. Created out of the sweet ignorance of my own history and dismay for future generations Las Trenzas is a piece focused on the effects of the erasure of history by colonialism.
Inspiration
Las Trenzas was inspired by the time I spent on my mother's lap as a child listening to stories as she braided my hair. It was only at times such as these was that I was able to pry information from her about our family's tumultuous history. It was only recently that I was able to reflect upon the reasons why these stories were far and few in-between. This art work is the result of that reflection, a look into the frivolous efforts made to recount the forgotten and simultaneously disappearing history of my family and culture.
José Guadalupe Posada
José Guadalupe Posada was a Mexican 20th-century illustrator and printmaker known mostly for his famous La Calaca Garbancera which later became known as La Catrina. Though La Catrina is José Guadalupe Posada's most famous work during his lifetime in pre-revolutionary Mexico his illustrations and prints played a very important part in informing the common masses on the political injustices. Posada's work was often satirical and involved the use of calaveras or skulls, political figures, and stars.
José Guadalupe Posada's La Calaca Garbancera or La Caterina was meant to be a political comment on the countless beings who were ashamed of their indigenous culture and instead chose to take up lavish over the top European culture and practices to seem superior before the Mexican Revolution and re-immersion of indigenous culture and pride.
I wanted to create something that illustrated the frustration of losing ones past due to the destructive assimilation of Eurocentric ways. La Calaca Gabancera was a piece poking fun of those ways and in a way that felt comforting. In my piece, I wanted to illustrate a similar yet conflicting theme to Posada's which was revolved around the pretense beings erected in order to further themselves from their indigenous past therefore, in my piece I chose to focus on the effects those pretenses had on the recollection of our history.
I wanted to create something that illustrated the frustration of losing ones past due to the destructive assimilation of Eurocentric ways. La Calaca Gabancera was a piece poking fun of those ways and in a way that felt comforting. In my piece, I wanted to illustrate a similar yet conflicting theme to Posada's which was revolved around the pretense beings erected in order to further themselves from their indigenous past therefore, in my piece I chose to focus on the effects those pretenses had on the recollection of our history.
Sketches
In this sketch, I wanted to contrast the typical lavish and proud depictions of Spanish Conquistadors in history textbooks. I wanted this sketch to convey the savagery these textbooks don't portray. Ultimately I chose not to continue developing the sketch because I felt it lacked a variety of aspects I wanted to incorporate in my work. First, while it lacked the right approach to the eraser of history I was pursuing. I wanted to focus on the struggle of the victims rather than the perpetrators. Secondly, It lacked any specific reference to my original inspiration, Posada's La Catrina as it neither satirical nor depicted his famous clavier imagery. Finally, I gave up on this sketch because I lost interest while creating it.
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In this sketch, I tried to apply Posada's symbolism in my approach to the depiction of my theme. Here the woman is meant to depict Mexican culture. She is a stand-in for not only the culture but also the attitude of the people which has hardened and adapted over the course of colonialism. The skull is an obvious symbol meant to depict death and a direct reference to Posada's work. In the unification of these images, I was trying to present the struggle throught to maintain culture and history and the ever growing possibility that those things could disappear. However, in the end, I halted progress on this piece because upon examining and analyzing it further I was losing and adjusting the theme to fit the inspiration.
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In The final sketch, I chose to take the personification of culture in the previous sketch and further elaborate on it. In order to do so in this sketch, I focused on myself and my experiences. This lead me to reflect on my time as a child listening to stories while getting my hair braided.
Hair was something that has never been important to me but culturally long hair is one of many attractive characteristics. In my sketch, I utilized long hair as a way to convey a sense of time and in essence history. The braids in the hair (history) were meant to represent both care and turmoil as the hair is carefully compactly braided and yet there exists the individual turmoil of lone strands. The loose ends of the braids were a clear way to depict the loss of history as the braids were discontinued. In the end, I chose to move forward with this sketch despite it lacking a direct reference to my inspiration because it had the most fleshed out concepts. |
Process
After I had a fully developed sketch I moved on to actually etching it on the plastic slate. In order to so I first secured the clear plastic slate over the sketch in my sketchbook with tape. Next, I used the scratch-all tool to etch out the outlines before moving on to details like the shading. The shading was done last with quick straight flicks of the wrist. After I was done adding shading I was ready to print.
After completing the etching on the slate I moved on to prepping for printing. In order to print, I needed a pallet knife, oil-based ink, newsprint paper, watercolor paper, water, and gloves, and a printing press. After placing down newsprint to keep my area clean I tore another sheet into several strips. Then I put the watercolor paper in water to soak for about three minutes. After three minutes I retrieved the watercolor paper from the water and patted it till damp and set it aside. Next, I placed the clear etched slate on the newsprint and used the pallet knife to layer on a thin coat of oil-based ink over all the etching. After this, I put on gloves and took the previously torn newsprint and gently scrubbed the excess ink off the slate. Once this was done I was ready to print so I took the damp watercolor paper I set aside and placed the slate ink side to the textured side of the paper. Finally, I sent the etching through the printing press and when the result was revealed I set it off to dry.
Experimentation
After the initial first print, I noticed the lines were faint and not as dark as they could be so I experimented with using different amounts of ink. Less ink produces neater fainter line work while more ink produced darker but less detailed line work. I also experimented with the coloration of the piece. Initially, I knew I wanted the end result to be in black and white just as the work that I derived inspiration from, however, I couldn't help but wonder what it would look like in color. The result of the watercolor coloration was sloppy, blurry line work. In conclusion, The experimentation with the amount of ink concluded that while more ink provided a higher contrast less ink allowed the line work that provided value and form to the piece to be more visible. The experimentation with watercolor concluded that the piece becomes unbalanced when color is added due to the amount of heavy detail in the face in contrast to the simplicity of the hair made up of clear bold lines.
Reflection
In general, I feel discontent with the outcome of the print. I felt the execution design could have been superior. The work feels unbalanced and the space in the piece is filled in an awkward manner with the strands of hair. This and the extreme detail in the face and lack thereof in the hair create a sense of awkwardness in the work. Though I would have loved to change this I chose to deliberately leave this in the piece as a reference to the piece that inspired me. In using only lines to create value and form I was trying to emulate Posada's use of line in La Catrina. I believe this is the only apparent connection between our pieces as I was inspired by his work to in a sense create the opposite of his La Catrina. Where he sought to depict the assimilation of European traditions and beauty in Mexico, my work dealt more with the effects of that as it relates to the erasure of the old ways.
Despite my discontent with the design I believe I was successful in executing my design as it pertains to the etching but not as it pertains to the printing. When printing many of my prints bled or warped due to my inexperience an impatience when soaking the watercolor paper in water. In the end, while I am discontent with the work I felt it embodied what I needed it to.
Despite my discontent with the design I believe I was successful in executing my design as it pertains to the etching but not as it pertains to the printing. When printing many of my prints bled or warped due to my inexperience an impatience when soaking the watercolor paper in water. In the end, while I am discontent with the work I felt it embodied what I needed it to.
ACT Responses
1) Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your work?
The cause of my inspiration was my culture as an effect I looked toward artist of my culture to pinpoint a specific inspiration.
2) What is the overall approach(point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors who wrote the work I conducted research for my work with used objective language in their works. They presented factual historical evidence in a professional tone that led me to produce my own conclusions.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
From my research I can generalize that throughout time illustration has been a unique and consistent way to educate and rally masses to a cause.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The Central Idea for my research was the critical observation and reflection by Mexican artists on the assimilation of European ways of life and ideas.
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
While conducting research I came to the conclusion that throughout time assimilation and intertwining of different cultures will always be criticized.
The cause of my inspiration was my culture as an effect I looked toward artist of my culture to pinpoint a specific inspiration.
2) What is the overall approach(point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors who wrote the work I conducted research for my work with used objective language in their works. They presented factual historical evidence in a professional tone that led me to produce my own conclusions.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
From my research I can generalize that throughout time illustration has been a unique and consistent way to educate and rally masses to a cause.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The Central Idea for my research was the critical observation and reflection by Mexican artists on the assimilation of European ways of life and ideas.
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
While conducting research I came to the conclusion that throughout time assimilation and intertwining of different cultures will always be criticized.
Bibliography
“JOSE GUADALUPE POSADA, illustrator & engraver.” MEXonline.com Cultural Directory - Jose Guadalupe Posada, Artist & Engraver - Mexico, www.mexonline.com/jose-guadalupe-posada.htm.
“La Catrina.” Copal, Mexican Folk Art at its best Online., www.mexican-folk-art-guide.com/catrina.html#.Wd2u8K3My8V.
“La Catrina.” Copal, Mexican Folk Art at its best Online., www.mexican-folk-art-guide.com/catrina.html#.Wd2u8K3My8V.