Taking place in the 1960s, the Chicano movement was a civil rights movement that aimed to achieve Mexican-American empowerment. During this time, the United States was in a process of recovering from war, which led to a large inequality gap between the upper and lower classes, as well as racial inequalities. Discrimination against Mexican-Americans became a growing issue, where they faced laws and codes that kept them in an economic and social dependency to the white majority.
The Chicano movement aimed to reform socio-political rights for Mexican Americans, reform the education system, and energize cultural pride. Artists, musicians, dancers, poets, and writers formed together and created the Chicano Art Movement, which pursued the vital tasks of creating art forms that strengthened the will, fortified the cultural identity, and clarified the consciousness of the community. Essentially, the Chicano art movement was not only a form of protest, but a means of educating and encouraging Mexican-Americans to embrace their heritage.
Through the use of vibrant images and direct subject matter, Chicano art was quickly recognized and spread throughout the United States. One of the most popular art mediums used to celebrate Mexican-American culture was muralism. Artists were able to unite together and visually represent their history, aspirations, and values.
and struggles that they had endured. Muralists were most influenced by Los Tres Grandes, who include Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Sequeiros, and José Clemente Orozco. Los Tres Grandes created powerful political images depicting the historical and liberating struggles of the indigenous people and workers, which inspired Chicano painters to manipulate art. as a vehicle for change and rebellion.
The subject matter that was found in Chicano art primarily centered around cultural identity, religious imagery, and elements of artists Mexican, American, and Indigenous cultures. Combined with social and political symbolism, Chicano art was able to reflect the critical issues surrounding immigration, feelings of displacement, and need for liberation. Muralist David Botello, for example, created a piece, Read Between the Lines.
In the mural, a masculine Chicano man is held by bondages. This image depicts him as a powerful figure enslaved by modern society. His family and children, however, are unaware and are exposed to images of militarism and sex that is shown in the media.
In between the family is a boy who looks up to the Aztec god, Quetzalcoatl. This image symbolizes the encouragement and push to be exposed to Mexican history, a subject that was either glanced over or entirely ignored in the American school system. The overall message of the mural is to push the audience to question technology's role in society and its impact on suppressing Mexican culture.
With the various symbols of suppression and enslavement distributed throughout the mural, Botello is able to create a powerful image that inspires the Chicano community to be aware of their ancestral background and to seek liberation. Muralism, however, wasn't the only form of art that arose during this movement. Street art, graffiti, and the use of urban environments became extremely popular during this time.
Urban art was not only used to gather a large audience, but was a new form of rebellion. and was used to resist against societal norms. An infamous outside art that gained recognition in the United States was Chicano prison art, also known as baños drawings. Chicano prison art was a way that inmates were able to utilize their limited materials to create powerful images, whether it was from a pillowcase or a handkerchief.
Prison artists manipulated everyday objects to create art depicting religious faith symbols, Chicano political movement imagery, and the struggles of prison. Chicano post-art was also popular. It became a means to help preserve and promote Aztec gods, Mexican revolutionaries, immigrant farm workers, and the people's everyday experiences. This poster shown was created by Xavier and depicts an Aztec god squeezing grapes.
His intent was to remind people that Mexican farmworkers were suffering under harsh conditions and that they came from a rich cultural background that should be recognized as well as respected. The squeezing of the grapes symbolized the blood and sweat of the farmworkers and helped create a compelling protest that would be later used in the Farmworkers Union campaign. As shown, Chicano art has created an impression that goes beyond the civil rights movement in the 1960s.
Modern artists have transformed the rebellious and bold nature of Chicano art and have created a contemporary art that celebrates Mexican and Latin American culture. Those working under this label have established a collective identity that attacks and resists racial stereotypes, ignorance of one's heritage, and the loss of self-identity. Some of these artists include Natalia Enciso, Daphne Arthur, and Susie Gonzalez.
Natalia Enciso is a Tejano artist and educator born and raised in the lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. Her Pinches, Trinches series examines the lost history of Tejanos along the Texas-Mexican border, many of whom were lynched and killed by Texas Rangers. Her work explores the rich memories of those traumatizing events. Daphne Arthur explores the ideas of embodiment in her work by manipulating the human form. Her sculptures are chaotic and with blurred boundaries between the interior and exterior and require the audience to view them at various angles.
El juego de tra-tra is about life. and its incapacity to exist without the consequences of existent death and decay. Susie Gonzales investigates marginalized identities through her work by using animal-based food products and beauty pageants. The piece shown explores the relationship between the female human and the female non-human, as well as the inequalities of the female human and female non-human, thus touching on aspects of fashion, advertising, and gender performance. All three women use a different art medium and style, however, still aimed to visually portray themes that hold true to Chicano art.
They evoke passionate emotions and reflect the hard truths that we often disregard or refuse to absorb. Essentially, the Chicano art movement has allowed people to express historical counter-narratives, encourage political activism, and unite as well as educate communities. It is an affirmation of the complex identity and vitality of the Chicano people that is sure to be remembered in the future.