¿Quienes somos?

The History of  Mexico: From the Conquest to the Future, Diego Rivera, 1929-1930

Mexico’s most popular and well known artist is Diego Rivera. He is famous because he helped Mexicans realize their identity. Rivera was a champion in the cause of Mexican Nationalism a movement which developed in wake of a long period of significant amounts of foreign intervention and meddling in Mexican affairs.  The Mexican government Rivera was commissioned by to paint murals depicting traditional Mexican culture to help create a sense of national identity. Many of his murals celebrated Mexican history instead of sweeping it under the rug and pretending it didn’t exist. Rivera’s mural History of Mexico is a non-idealized portrayal of the history of Mexico from the conquest on forward. This and other murals taught Mexicans to be proud of their indigenous and Mestizo heritage.

To Ace Out A Homeboy, Manuel Cruz, 1974

Manuel Cruz is a modern day Chicano artist who also paints murals with indigenous Mexican themes, though these are usually on the outsides of buildings. His mural To Ace Out A Homeboy,  like the murals of Rivera, is also a cry for Mexicans and Chicanos to remember their roots . It depicts a larger- than- life Aztec warrior holding the body of a young Chicano who was shot and killed by two gang member driving away in a car. The Warrior is looking sadly and intently at the viewer as if to say “When will this end? When will brother stop killing brother? When will Mexico’s descendants remember their noble past and take pride in it?”

The works of Rivera and Cruz both share a common message, and that message is identity. These two murals are important because they demonstrate the capability of art in the creation of identity. It can give people something to believe in. You can’t really have a firm understanding of who you are and what possibilities lie in your future unless you know where you came from. 

“Today the orchestra means for world, the only way that music can touch human souls, and change the individual. To transform all those feelings and our future, it is possible through music. Which art could do it better. That is what the orchestra means to our country…salvation and transformation”

Tocar y Luchar, directed by Alberto Alvero, 48:52-49:20

                Edicson Ruíz, the man who said this used to play the viola but switched to the cello. Music saved Edicson's life. From the humblest of Venezuelan roots, a country chock full of problem, he was able to rise above his circumstance and land the seat of the youngest member of the Berlin Philharmonic. Bringing honor, pride, and hope to himself but also to the people of his home city. He is living proof of the saving and transformative power of music.

In the 1999 movie based on a true story, Music of the Heart, Meryl Streep plays the role of Roberta Guaspari, a violin teacher who moves from a quiet middle class neighborhood to the middle of Harlem in the wake of her recent divorce. She gets a job teaching inner city elementary school children to play the violin, a frustrating task that was mentally, emotionally, and labor intensive. She faces many obstacles including racism, poverty, and ignorance, but was able to overcome them all and change the lives of her students. Ultimately she saved the futures of many of them. They broke free of social norms and expectations for inner city children and were able to fulfill their potentials and pursue the life their parents could only dream of for them.

Music speaks a language that everyone in the world can understand, regardless of social status, race, or income level. It can accomplish things that money, violence, or handouts would be hard pressed to accomplish. Music has the power to change the course of people’s lives; and as their lives are changed, the course of history is changed.

                                                       Trailer to Music of the Heart

Going the Distance

   

“Martim went out to hunt with Poty. He then separated himself from [Iracema] in order to have the pleasure of returning to her.”

          Iracema, José de Alencar, page 79

Martim and Iracema were in love. The days of their early marriage were bliss and they loved being with each other. Martim would leave home to hunt so he would be extra happy to see her when he returned. But after one long trip away later on, he almost dreaded returning to her.

This passage reminded me of the old adage, “Distance makes the heart grow fonder.” There are differing opinions as to the validity of this statement. Some agree, others are more inclined to think saying “Out of sight, out of mind” is truer.

I think both sayings are true. To a certain extent.

Despite the oath I swore to myself that I would never be in a long distance relationship I find myself...in a long distance relationship. It is not for everyone and it is definitely not for every relationship; I do it because he is worth it. But the 600 miles between us forces us to communicate and build a relationship not centered on the physical.

Scriptures say, if "[we] never had known the bitter [we] could not know the sweet" (D&C 29:39), and that we must "taste the bitter...to know the good" (Moses 6:55). Being apart from loved ones is definitely bitter. But I believe distance can draw a couple together if their relationship is a secure, meaningful one; and if their separation is not inordinately long. However, if their relationship is based on infatuation-which does not last-instead of a solid foundation of friendship and trust, distance can definitely destroy it.

Martim and Iracema's relationship did not last through their prolonged separation because it was immature and built on the shaky foundation of infatuation. It was purely physical. They declared their love for each other the minute they saw each other. In the end, Iracema was pathetically enamored with Martim, and he was selfish not 100% committed ; Evident by his longing to be elsewhere and the fact that he did not hurry back when he knew Iracema had given birth. What should have been sweet, resulted to be bitter.

                                

Lets Get Real

The Valley of Mexico, José María Valesco, 1875

To me, the brilliance of the Mexican painter José María Valesco, was partly due to his independence. He was able to think on his own and through his paintings convey his thoughts and feelings, which were different from the modern artistic trend. At the time most landscapes were romanticized and made to look more perfect than they actually were. Valesco did not buy into the idealization of art; he felt that the true beauty and character of Mexico lay in reality. 

                             

This take on the portrayal of reality reminds me of Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. For years movie and television screens and print media have shown tan, skinny women with impeccable skin and hair to be not only the ideal but the norm.  The purpose of Dove’s campaign is to fight against how the media portrays women. Through commercials, short videos, magazine and billboard advertisements Dove rejects the idealized illusion of beauty. Dove counters the distortion of reality by revealing the insane process of procuring these ‘ideal women’ and by displaying and celebrating women of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

Like Valesco, Dove is not in the business of making things seem like something they are not, rather they show the world reality and urges it to accept reality and prize it, because it is real, tangible, and ready to be experienced. It can be found in your backyard or just outside of the city, not just on canvas or in a magazine. Dove and Valesco’s intent isn’t to discourage anyone with the ordinary-ness of the world, but rather to rejoice in the natural beauty of the world, to be content with what is available and not long for something impossible. Valesco was trying to say that Mexico didn’t need changing. It it was different it wouldn’t be mexico. Dove declares that all women are beautiful, and that flaws and imperfections add to the beauty of a woman.