The Art of Mexico

Striking adaptations of authentic native art depict, among other subjects, a Mixtec circular design from an incised gourd rattle, religious figures from a Metepec candlestick, and images of jaguars taken from a Guerrero lacquered chest. An exciting challenge for coloring book enthusiasts, these 30 illustrations will also inspire artists, designers, and craftspeople.

In Mexico in the early 1920s, a growing, collective social consciousness gave rise to a revolutionary furor focused on liberating the country's workers from harsh conditions and poverty. In 1921, Mexican artists Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros were all commissioned by the government to create educational paintings on the walls of public buildings. After that initial experience, they devoted themselves almost exclusively to painting these large-scale murals--forming the foundation of a movement that would last 50 years. The muralists' work took up the themes of society and revolution. Often the paintings depicted historical vignettes like the story of Cuernavaca and Morelos crossing the barranca, or Mexico's ancient Indians. They satirized contemporary society, created ideal visions of peaceful families, and built up dark, imposing industrial cityscapes then leveled them by depicting the debauchery and death of the capitalist industrialists.

The paintings themselves reflect diverse artistic influences--surrealism, cubism, and illustration, most notable among them. Their bold colors and strong imagery practically bound out of the 150 color plates in this book. Mexican muralist and scholar Desmond Rochfort lucidly traces the development of the movement to place the work in context and provides a solid history of each of the artists' social and artistic influences. This is an excellent overview of work that should appeal both to fans of the individual artists and Mexican art in general. --Jordana Moskowitz

A Guide to Mexican Art, a survey of more than twenty centuries of art, has a double purpose. It provides an ample version of one of the great national arts by a leading art historian, and it serves simultaneously as a practical guide to the art's outstanding masterpieces. The Guide will thus be of value to specialists and students of Latin American art and to sightseers as an introduction and guide to the art and architecture of Mexico. To facilitate its use for the latter purpose, Professor Fernandez has based his exposition on the sensitive analysis of works to be found almost exclusive in museums and public buildings accessible to the tourist.

The book was originally published in Spanish in 1958 and revised in 1961. This English translation, from the second edition has been brought up to date by the author and translator.

This beautiful reference introduces contemporary Mexican folk art by featuring prominent artists from Oaxaca in southeastern Mexico. Their unique artworks are introduced and illustrated. Crafted from natural materials, their ceramics, weaving, woodcarving, embroidery, tin work, toys, jewelry, candles, dried flower crafts, basketry, and celebrations of Day of the Dead handicrafts incorporate unique blends of indigenous myths with ancient patterns from Zapotec ruins. These folk art traditions have been preserved for hundreds of years. This sampler features 87+ artists belonging to 45+ families, many useful maps, and over 500 color photographs of their distinctive works. A useful resource section includes a list of shops and markets of Oaxaca City and 12 of its surrounding pueblos, and a glossary identifies the frequently-used Mexican terms that apply to these folk arts. This will be a treasured source of reference and inspiration for all who love folk art.

In the spring of 2004, the Denver Art Museum opened the largest exhibition of Mexican colonial painting ever assembled outside of Mexico. It included sixty masterpieces from public and private collections in Europe, Mexico, and the United States. This catalogue of the exhibit provides a much-needed basic yet comprehensive text on the subject.

The paintings featured in this fully illustrated volume reflect Aztec traditions, imported Asian arts, and artistic styles from various regions of Spain and its territories. They depict the rich diversity of people and cultures in Mexico during this period and have been selected to demonstrate the complexity of Mexican colonial art and society. The writers and scholars contributing to this work are the leading experts in the field today, and they bring fresh insights and concepts to these fascinating and beautiful works of art.

Many of the stylistic traditions found in Mexican colonial painting have their roots in the artistic currents of the early modern era, such as the latent maniera of Michelangelo and his followers, the tenebrism of Caravaggio, the classicism of the Carracci school, and the full-blown baroque of Rubens. Many of these imported artistic traditions were creatively assimilated and altered to include distinctive American and Asian characteristics and iconography that resulted in an art of the New World. The contributors discuss these artistic innovations and also draw analogies to the contemporary colonial experience in the United States.