Art & Art History ETDs

Publication Date

5-1-2013

Abstract

This dissertation concentrates on the key 1947 portfolio Las Estampas de la Revolución Mexicana' ('Prints of the Mexican Revolution') produced by El Taller de Gráfica Popular (The Popular Graphics Workshop) or TGP, a graphic art collective founded in Mexico City in 1937. The album's eighty-five prints recount Mexican history from the l870s to the 1940s, as well as address the human condition and denounce social and civil injustices. These images are anchored in the diverse narratives and legacies of the Mexican Revolution (1910 and 1920). My analysis of the visual, textual, and historical components in the TGP's 1947 portfolio, a seemingly singular and one-dimensional narrative of the Mexican Revolution, reveals the presence of numerous, and at times conflicting, narratives within the graphic series. This study interrogates how nation-building and social activism motivated many of these narratives. An exploration of the visual representation of gender, race, and class magnifies the role of national and transnational institutions and mechanisms in dictating parameters that shape, if not dictate, identity via concepts of nationalism and citizenship, as well as power dynamics established through systems of differentiation that traditionally legitimate the power of elite males. Examination of the illustrations of iconic figures of Mexican history, such as Francisco Madero, Emiliano Zapata, and la soldadera works toward unraveling how distinct narratives of the Mexican Revolution operate and interact within the portfolio, as well as elucidates the significance of the institutionalization and construction of these historic figures. My dissertation concludes with an address of the TGP's assessment of the post-war political regimes', policies and practices.'

Project Sponsors

The Wallace Endowed Scholarship in Latin American Art History through the Department of Art and Art History, UNM, a Dean’s Dissertation Scholarship from the Office of Graduate Studies, UNM, a Ph.D. Fellowship from the Latin American & Iberian Institute, UNM, Graduate Research, Project, and Travel Grants from the Office of Graduate Studies, UNM, The Friends of Art Award, Albuquerque, NM, a Field Research Grant through the Tinker Foundation and the Latin American & Iberian Institute, UNM, a Hispanic Scholarship Fund Award, and a Student Research Allocation Committee Grant from the Graduate Professional Student Association, UNM

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Art History

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

UNM Department of Art and Art History

First Committee Member (Chair)

Kirsten Pai Buick

Second Committee Member

Holly Barnet-Sánchez

Third Committee Member

Linda Hall

Fourth Committee Member

Suzanne Schadl

Keywords

Mexican Art, Mexican Graphic Art, Taller de Grafica Popular, Estampas de la Revolucion Mexicana, Mexican Revolution

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