Updated 6 September 2016
VISUALIZING A NATION:
Twentieth–Century Art from Mexico
Erin L. McCutcheon, [email protected]
Department of Art and Art History
11 Talbot Avenue, Room 109
Office Hours: Thursdays 12-2 and by appointment
FAH–1020–03, Fall 2016
Tues/Thur: 4:30–5:45
Aidekman Arts Center
Room 13
COURSE DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES
This course introduces students to the major artists, objects and themes of Mexican
art history from the late 19th Century through to the present day. Visual art has
historically been both directly and indirectly engaged in the collective formation of
national identities in Mexico. While students may be able to name the most famous
artists associated with Mexican nationalism – such as the muralists – this course will
expand their conceptualization of national narratives through the inclusion of a wide
variety of producers and discourses. We will continually consider “official” visual
narratives of citizenship and national identity, as well as counter-narratives posed by
artists along the lines of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity and belonging. In addition
to understanding key local discourses, students will also engage with the global
interconnectedness of art from Mexico, understanding it existed as a political,
intellectual and artistic center since the early part of the 20th century. Elements of this
discussion will be the inclusion of ex-patriot artists in Mexico’s local visual histories, as
well as the international presence of artists from Mexico around the world.
The course is organized chronologically, however readings and in-class discussions will
be focused on issues that pose these works and makers in a dialogue with critical
issues associated with Mexico’s visual projects. Some key issues relative to the study of
Mexican art from this period will be: the intersection of art and politics under the
conditions of revolution, dictatorship, and economic crises; the complexities of
identity formation in the contexts of “mestizo” culture, histories of colonization and
border migrations; the shift from traditional media to conceptual, performance and
site-specific methods of art making; and the visual participation of “marginalized”
subjects within dialogues of nationalism and citizenship. Students are encouraged to
bring in outside perspectives that expand the scope of class discussions and pursue
their own interests related to the concerns of the course in their final research paper.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES
After completing this course students will be able to:

Identify and describe major movements, artists and artworks as well as the
specific historical, political, social, and cultural contexts in which works from this
period emerged;

Locate the major questions and problematics associated with the study of
twentieth-century Mexican art, as well as utilize deconstructive methods of art
historical inquiry to examine these issues;

Apply skills in visual analysis and close reading of texts to interpret works of art,
both orally and in writing, using vocabulary fundamental to the discipline of art
history;
TEXTS
James Oles, Art and Architecture in Mexico (London: Thames & Hudson, 2013).
Additional readings will be posted on Trunk in the “Resources” folder. All texts should
be read before the class for which they were assigned and will be asked to bring in
questions for discussion.
EXPECTATIONS

Students will enter the classroom with an open mind, and remain respectful of
the opinions and perspectives of their classmates throughout the course.

No late work will be accepted without prior discussion. Please familiarize
yourself with the syllabus and due dates for individual assignments.

All students are expected to abide by the University’s Honor Code, which
prohibits any form of plagiarism, cheating, and incomplete citations.

Laptops are not allowed in class and cell phones must be turned off. That
being said, given proper documentation, I am committed to working with
students to address any special needs. Please inform me of any
accommodations you may need ASAP.

Do not hesitate to contact me concerning any problems you are experiencing
in this course. You do not need to wait until you receive a bad grade before
asking for my assistance. I enjoy teaching, I enjoy talking to you and I want you
to succeed! If you have questions or just want to explore an idea, send me an
email or drop by my office hours.
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS
ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION (15%): Attendance is mandatory and necessary for
doing well in this course. The class will be conducted as a mix of lecture and
discussion, and you will be graded on your participation daily. I expect you to come
with full knowledge of the readings (and/or questions about issues you are unclear
on), prepared to answer direct questions regarding the material and also share your
thoughts and opinions during group discussions. Short in-class writing exercises will be
periodically assigned and unexcused absences will affect your final grade.
IMAGE PRESENTATION (10%): You will be assigned a date to give a short (5 min.)
presentation on an artwork of your choosing that relates to the readings assigned for
that class period. Rather than simply presenting information one might find in a
Wikipedia entry, this presentation is an opportunity to demonstrate critical thinking
skills. You will be expected to make connections between readings, contexts, and
the broader analytic concepts we will be working with in class. Your grade will be
based on the quality and depth of your analysis, your ability to connect the image
with specific concepts, and your ability to engage the class in discussion. You will be
required to hand in a 2 page (double-spaced, 12 font, approx. 500 word) summary
write-up of your presentation. Detailed instructions and examples will be provided
early in the semester.
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS:
SHORT VISUAL ANALYSIS (10%): This initial writing assignment will give you the
opportunity to develop your visual analysis skills prior to your midterm exam as
well as begin thinking about your final essay. You will be asked to write a visual
analysis of approximately 3 pages in length that will focus on one artwork and
a theme of your choosing. Papers should use Times New Roman 12pt. font,
double spacing, and have one-inch margins. Detailed instructions will be
distributed in advance of the deadline.
FINAL RESEARCH PAPER (25%): Your final paper will be in the format of an
exhibition catalogue, and will bring together a selection of artworks from three
temporal periods in Mexican art (Late 1800s–1930, 1930–1970, 1970–today) into
conversation surrounding a thematic topic of your choosing. You will be
expected to identify, relate and contrast the aesthetic/contextual specificities
of your chosen case studies, in order to develop thoughtful reflections and
comparative conclusions that take into account broader issues discussed
throughout the course. Emphasis will be placed on your critical thinking,
academic research and analytical writing skills. Papers will be roughly 6-pages
in length (Times New Roman 12pt. font, double-space, one-inch margins).
Detailed instructions and thematic suggestions will be given in advance. You
will submit a topic choice on Nov. 3, and a formal paper summary/abstract on
Nov. 29 in preparation for an in-class Peer Workshop on Dec. 6.
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MIDTERM (20%) & FINAL EXAM (20%): Two exams will be given, a mid-term and a final.
Precise formats will be distributed before the exams, however both will include a
combination of identifications, visual analysis, comparisons and short answers.
Questions will be based on lectures, readings, and discussions and will emphasize
critical analysis and reflection over memorization. Both exams will be administered inclass (Oct. 18 and Dec. 8).
EXTRA CREDIT: I will provide opportunities for extra credit throughout the course of the
semester. These will consist of attending special lectures, presentations, exhibitions
and/or cultural events and writing a 1-page reflection. The reflection will include a
brief summary that relates the presentation to our course material in a meaningful
way. Information regarding dates/times will be posted to Trunk throughout the
semester, so be sure to check the course site regularly.
GRADING
I view grading as a way to evaluate how successful you are at meeting the course
learning objectives. If you find you are not mastering the material and skills, please
see me to talk about how you might study/work in a way that gets better results, and
I will assist you in finding possible resources on campus that might be helpful.
15%
10%
10%
20%
20%
25%
Attendance and Participation
Image Presentation
Short Visual Analysis
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Final Research Paper
Final Grades are determined along the following scale:
94-100 = A
90-93 = A-
87-89 = B+
84-86 = B
80-83 = B-
77-79 = C+ 67-69 = D+ 0-59 = F
74-76 = C 64-66 = D
70-73 = C- 60-63 = D-
STUDENT RESOURCES
Academic Resource Center (Writing Support/Consultations, Tutoring, Study Skills,
Public Speaking, etc:
https://students.tufts.edu
Library Research Assistance, Chao Chen, Humanities Research & Instruction Librarian
([email protected]), 617-627-2057
Counseling and Mental Health Services (617-627-3360 or 617-627-3030 after 5pm):
http://students.tufts.edu/health-and-wellness/counseling-and-mental-health
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COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK 1 – CONSTRUCTING A NATIONAL IDENTITY
Sep. 6:
Introductions
Sep. 8:
The Academy of San Carlos – Visualizing History
READ:
> James Oles (TEXTBOOK), “Introduction,” pp. 7–17.
> Dawn Ades, “José María Velasco,” in Art in Latin America: the Modern
Period (Yale University Press, 1989), pp. 101-109
> Allison Meier, “A Homemade Artist Train Runs on the Abandoned
Rails of Mexico,” http://hyperallergic.com/133636/a-homemade-artisttrain-runs-on-the-abandoned-rails-of-mexico/
> RECOMMENDED: Oles, Chapter 5
WEEK 2 – THE TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY
Sep. 13:
Reconciling Tradition and Modernism
READ:
> Oles, pp. 198 – 223.
> Stacie Widdifield, “Dispossession, Assimilation, and the Image of the
Indian in Late-Nineteenth-Century Mexican Painting,” Art Journal, Vol. 49,
No. 2 (Summer, 1990), pp. 125-132
Sep. 15:
Art During the Revolution
READ:
> Oles, pp. 223 – 233.
> Adrian Locke, “Mexico in Flames: 1910 – 1920” in Mexico: a Revolution
in Art, 1910 – 1940 (London: Royal Academy of Arts, 2013)
> RECOMMENDED: Watch The Storm that Swept Mexico (PBS, 2011),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVWcgOcvgV0
WEEK 3 – REVOLUTIONS IN STYLE
Sep. 20:
The “Mexican School” of Painting
READ:
> Oles, pp. 246 – 277.
> Karen Cordero Reiman, “The Best Maugard Drawing Method: a
Common Ground for Modern Mexican Aesthetics,” The Journal of
Decorative and Propaganda Arts, Vol. 26, Mexico (2010), pp. 44-79
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Sep. 22:
Introduction to Mexican Muralism – Styles and Ideologies
READ:
> Oles, pp. 234 – 246.
> Alejandro Anreus, “Los Tres Grandes: Ideologies and Styles.” In Mexican
Muralism: A Critical History (University of California Press, 2012), 37–55.
> “Manifesto of the Syndicate of Technical Workers, Painters and
Sculptors” (1923).
RECOMMENDED: Greeley, “Muralism and the State in Post-Revolutionary
Mexico, 1920–1970” in Mexican Muralism, pp. 13–36.
WEEK 4 – MEXICAN MURALISM: LOS TRES GRANDES
Sep. 27:
Diego Rivera
READ:
> Coffey, "All Mexico on a Wall": Diego Rivera's Murals at the Ministry of
Public Education," in Mexican Muralism: A Critical History, 56–74.
> David Craven, “The Ministry of Education Murals” in Art and Revolution
in Latin America, pp. 37–46.
RECOMMENDED: Leonard Folgarait, “Revolution as Ritual: Diego Rivera's
National Palace Mural,” Oxford Art Journal 14.1 (1991): 18-33.
Sep. 29:
Jose Clemente Orozco and David Siqueiros
READ:
> Jennifer Jolly, “Siqueiros’ Communist Proposition for Mexican Muralism,”
in Mexican Muralism: A Critical History, 75–89.
> David Craven, “Orozco’s Murals in the Escuela Nacional Prepatoria” in
Art and Revolution in Latin America, pp. 46–51.
> Orozco, “New World, New Races and New Art.” Creative Art (New
York) 4 (1929): xlv-xlvi.
> “Painting as Protest on Mexico’s Walls”
http://hyperallergic.com/180613/painting-as-protest-on-mexicos-walls/
RECOMMENDED: Coffey, “Angels and Prostitutes: José Clement Orozco's
"Catharsis" and the Politics of Female Allegory in 1930s Mexico” CR: The
New Centennial Review Vol. 4, No. 2, (Fall 2004), pp. 185-208
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WEEK 5 – TRAVELERS AND INNOVATORS
Oct. 4:
Los Tres Grandes in the United States
READ:
> Oles, pp. 263 – 277.
> “Rockefellers Ban Lenin in RCA Mural and Dismiss Rivera” (New York
Times, 1933).
> Shifra M. Goldman, “Siqueiros and Three Early Murals in Los Angeles,”
Art Journal, Vol. 33, No. 4. (Summer, 1974), pp. 321-327
> Audio tour by Mary Coffey of Orozco at Dartmouth College (40 mins):
http://hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu/explore/news/jose-clementeorozco-epic-american-civilization
View mural here as you listen:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/digitalorozco/app/
SHORT VISUAL ANALYSIS DUE
Oct. 6:
New Technologies – Photography and Cinema
READ:
> Ruben Gallo, “Cameras,” in Mexican Modernity: The Avant-Garde the
Technological Revolution (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2005), 30-65.
> Adriana Zavala, “A Chronicle in Light and Shadow: The Photography of
Lola Alvarez Bravo,” In Lola Alvarez Bravo: The Photography of an Era
(Mexico City: Editorial RM, 2011), 17-25.
RECOMMENDED: Watch ¡Que Viva Mexico!, Sergei Eisenstein (1931):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjDNmSJBgNk
WEEK 6 – WHOSE ART IS REVOLUTIONARY?
Oct. 11:
Collectivism, Modernisms and the Politics of the Avant-Garde
READ:
> Oles, pp. 278 – 295
> Karen Cordero Reiman, “Appropriation, Invention, and Irony: Tamayo's
Early Period, 1920-1937” in Tamayo Revisited
> James M. Wechsler, “Propaganda Grafica: Printmaking and the
Radical Left in Mexico, 1920-1950” and “Taller de Grafica Popular: The
Life and Drama of Mexico,” in Ittman, ed. Mexico and Modern
Printmaking (Philadelphia: 2006), pp. 55-77, 208-223.
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Oct. 13:
Modernistas: Kahlo and Her Contemporaries
READ:
> Oles, pp. 295 – 310
> Dina Comisarenco Mirkin, “To Paint the Unspeakable: Mexican Female
Artists' Iconography of the 1930s and Early 1940s,” Woman's Art Journal,
Vol. 29, No. 1 (Spring - Summer, 2008), pp. 21-32.
> Robin Greeley, “Painting Mexican Identities: Nationalism and Gender in
the Work of Maria Izquierdo, Oxford Art Journal (2000): 51-72
EXTRA CREDIT: Read Linda Nochlin’s “Why Have There Been No Great
Women Artists?” and write a 2-page response paper (due in class)
WEEK 7 – MIDTERM
Oct. 18:
MIDTERM EXAM (material covered in class up to and including Oct. 11)
Oct. 20:
Visit to MFA
READ:
> PRI, “Frida Kahlo's Breakthrough Work is Coming to Boston”
http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-01-27/new-showcase-frida-kahlosbreakthrough-work
> Reading TBD
WEEK 8 – FROM MIRACLE TO MASSACRE
Oct. 25
Architecture and Infrastructure – Mega Modern Mexico City
READ:
> Oles, pp. 312 – 331
> Adriana Zavala, "Mexico City in Juan O'Gorman's Imagination,"
Hispanic Research Journal 8:5 (Dec. 2007), 491-506
> Reading TBD
Oct. 27:
The Generation of “La Ruptura” and Midterm Review
READ:
> Oles, pp. 331 – 349
> Luis Carlos Emerich, “La Ruptura: The Turning Point of the 1950s,” Latin
American Art (Fall 1990): 70-75.
> Jose Luis Cuevas, “The Cactus Curtain” (1959)
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WEEK 9 – 1968 – NATIONAL IMPACT and VISUAL AFTERMATH
Nov. 1:
Visualizing 1968
READ (please note these are all quite short readings!):
> Oles, pp. 350 – 366
> Emmet Byrne, “Radiant Discord: Lance Wyman on the ’68 Olympic
Design and the Tlatelolco Massacre”
> Mathias Goeritz. "'The Route of Friendship': sculpture." Leonardo
(Oxford) 3 (1970): 397–407
> Helen Escobedo. “Reflections on My Work in Mexico.” pp. 25–28
> “The Fight to Save a Land Art Masterpiece in the Heart of Mexico City”
> LISTEN: NPR, “Mexico's 1968 Massacre: What Really Happened?” (22
mins.) http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97546687
Nov. 3:
Conceptualism and Collectivism – Los Grupos
READ:
> Oles, pp. 366–371 (through 2nd paragraph re: Grupo Suma)
> Ruben Gallo, “The Mexican Pentagon: Adventures in Collectivism
during the 1970s,” in Blake Stimson & Gregory Sholette, eds., Collectivism
After Modernism. The Art of Social Imagination After 1945 (Minnesota):
165-190.
> Alvaro Vazquez Mantecon, “Los Grupos: a Reconsideration” in La Era
de la Discrepancia (Mexico City: Turner/UNAM, 2007), pp. 197–199
PAPER TOPIC WORKSHEET DUE
WEEK 10 – IDENTITY AS RESISTANCE
Nov. 8:
Feminist and Queer Interventions of the 1970s and 80s
READ:
> Oles pp. 371–374
> Andrea Giunta, “Feminist Disruptions in Mexican Art 1975–1987”
Artelogie, n° 5, October 2013, pp. 1 – 31 * lots of images!
> Douglas, Eduardo De Jesús. "The Colonial Self: Homosexuality and
Mestizaje in the Art of Nahum B. Zenil." Art Journal 57.3 (1998): 14-21.
Nov. 10:
Post-1960s Chicanx Art
READ:
> Holly Barnet–Sanchez, “Radical Mestizaje in Chicano/a Murals” in
Mexican Muralism: A Critical History, pp. 243 – 262
> TBD from Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation, 1965 – 1985
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WEEK 11 – DECONSTRUCTING THE NATION
Nov. 15:
Neomexicanismo
READ:
> Oles, pp. 374 – 386
> TBD from Teresa Eckmann, Neo-Mexicanism: Mexican Figurative
Painting and Patronage in the 1980s
> Anna Johnson, “Interview: Coco Fusco and Guillermo Gomez-Peña”
BOMB 42, Winter 1993: http://bombmagazine.org/article/1599/cocofusco-and-guillermo-g-mez-pe-a
Nov. 17:
Art at the Border
READ:
> Ila Sheren, “Performing Migration: Art and Site-Specificity at the
U.S.-Mexico Border,” The International Journal of the Arts in Society 4.2
(2009): 354-364.
> Claire Fox, “The Portable Border: Site-Specificity, Art, and the U.S.Mexico Frontier,” Social Text 41 (Spring 1994): 61-69
> Gloria Anzaldua, “La Conciencia de la Mestiza: Towards a New
Consciousness” in Borderlands: La Frontera (San Francisco: Spinsters,
1987), pp. 77–98.
WEEK 12 – NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING
Nov. 22:
Class Cancelled (Work on your paper/study for your final)
Nov. 24:
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY – NO CLASS
WEEK 13 – CONTEMPORARY PRACTICES
Nov. 29:
Internationalism and Urbanism
READ:
> Oles, pp. 388 – 407
> Ruben Gallo, “Urbanism,” in New Tendencies in Mexican Art: The 1990s
(New York: Palgrave, 2004), 91-133.
FINAL PAPER SUMMARY DUE
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Dec. 1:
Participation and Publics
READ:
> Robin Greeley, “’The Space of Appearance’: Performativity and
Aesthetics in the Politicization of Mexico’s Public Sphere” in Sabotage
Art: Politics and Iconoclasm in Contemporary Latin America (London: IB
Taurus, 2016) pp. 188 – 213
> Reading TBD
WEEK 14 – COURSE WRAP UP
Dec. 6
Research Paper Workshop & Final Review
READ:
> Come prepared with written comments on your classmates’
abstracts/summaries as well as any questions you have for the final exam
Dec. 8
FINAL EXAM (material covered from class on Oct. 13 through last day)
FINAL PAPER DUE: Tuesday, December 20th by NOON
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