Printmaking in Mexico, a revolution in the arts
Artemio Rodriguez, (Mexican 1972–), La piñata que no se cae, 2010. Linocut 13×18. Artist Profile: Artemio Rodriguez Mexico has the longest and richest print tradition in the Americas. From woodcuts to engravings to lithographs and linocuts, Mexico has enjoyed a long history of prominent print makers. The first book published in the Western Hemisphere was...
David Alfaro Siqueiros
Courtsey of MOLAA (Museum of Latin American Art)
Artist and political activist, David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896 -1974), was a vital member of the Mexican School of Painting along with Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco. He continues to be viewed as one of the most important Mexican artists of the twentieth century while his artistic influence spread far beyond Mexico’s borders. Siqueiros was...
Diego Rivera
Faithful…to his art and politics
It is with delicious irony that Diego Rivera was born in Guanajuato. In the indigenous Tarascon dialect, the name Guanajuato means: place of frogs. Often endearingly and sometimes not, Rivera, with rounded chin and eyes bulging with imagination acquired the nickname ‘Frog’. Rivera’s claims to history include his tumultuous two marriages with Frida Kahlo and...
Fredrick Catherwood’s Lasting Legacy
In the early 1840’s, two haggard men on mules emerged from Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula telling stories of a lost civilization discovered and unknown cities explored, long before the days when Nikon cameras and National Geographic magazine told us of these things. Between the years of 1839-1842, American John Lloyd Stephens and Englishman Frederick Catherwood, spent...
Alebrijes from Oaxaca
Beautiful and Whimsical Mexican Art Sculptures Made from Copal Wood
The valley surrounding Oaxaca is known for archaeological sites and a variety of artistic handicrafts. The most stunning are the intricately painted wooden alebrijes. Tourists have no trouble finding reason to visit Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca. Wildlife, archaeological wonders, unique handicrafts and a mixed culture resistant to modernization draw visitors from around the world....
Magic Carpets, Oaxaca’s Master Weaver Preserves a Zapotec Tradition
When you enter The-Bug-in-the-Rug store in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, you are greeted by the master weaver himself, Isaac Vasquez, a friendly, soft-spoken man with salt and pepper hair. He invites you into his workshop, housed in the sunny courtyard of his family compound. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the carpets on the adobe...
Museo Dolores Olmedo
Tranquillity in the Big City
You can travel thirty-two kilometers from the zocalo (town square) to the quaint canals of Xochimilco and still be in Mexico City. Just short of this is a retreat, the sixteenth century monastery/hacienda/Museo Dolores Olmedo, home to the largest private collection of original Diego Rivera paintings, Frida Kahlo works and the largest private collection of...
Mosaic Murals of the UNAM Central Library
Nowhere is Mexico´s love of their pre-Hispanic heritage more apparent than in the stunning central library of the UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico), in the southern part of Mexico City. Ten stories tall, the building is covered in its entirety by mosaic stone murals depicting the history of Mexico. The building was built by...
¡Viva Mexico! ¡Viva La Revolucion!
Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution
Mexico’s history is laden with severe social and economic challenges. In the beginning of the twentieth century under the rule of Porifirio Diaz (1867-1911), political corruption and the ever widening gap between rich and poor caused the country to erupt in a bloody revolution that lasted from 1910 until 1920. Once the Constitution of 1917...
Alfredo Tapia
The passion of the artist and teacher
When one gets into conversation with Alfredo Tapia, it does not take long to realize how much his work is his life. Not only is he prolific, he has the desire and the gift to impart his knowledge to budding artists. Born, bred and living in Zihuatanejo, he is determined to shape culture in the...
Magic Carpets, Oaxaca’s Master Weaver Preserves a Zapotec Tradition
When you enter The-Bug-in-the-Rug store in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, you are greeted by the master weaver himself, Isaac Vasquez, a friendly, soft-spoken man with salt and pepper hair. He invites you into his workshop, housed in the sunny courtyard of his family compound. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the carpets on the adobe...
Wearable Art, Neckpieces by Arthur Koby
For those of us lucky enough to be on La Ropa beach at sunset on December 30, we were treated to models dressed like classic Hellenic statues. Each wore one spectacular neckpiece by New York jewellery artist, Arthur Koby. What better setting than sand, sea and last light of day to see this exquisite new...
