Art is an important form of culture; it creates the picture of ethnicity, acting as a symbolic expression of the inner being of culture. Unlike other forms of culture, art is more directly and closely related to mental life. The soul of the era can speak from the works of a great composer, artist, or photographer. As the result of either collective or individual creativity, outstanding works appear as an expression of the work of a common spirit. Art expresses the outer and inner sides of the soul of a culture, presenting it in fullness and integrity. This paper aims to discuss how a Latinx artwork or artistic presentation communicates Latinx ethnicity.
Art is an evolving self-portrait of culture which can be seen from Oscar Castillo’s photos of Chicano life and protest. His photos of Mexican Americans protesting the Vietnam War during the Chicano Moratorium in 1970 have become iconic (Saldivar, 2015). These photos are realistic expressions of Latinx tradition and culture since they represent the Chicano movement, also known as El Movimiento, an extension of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. A major element of the Movement was the flowering of Chicano art, fueled by heightened political activism and aroused cultural pride. Latinx visual arts, music, literature, dance, theater, and other forms of expression flourished at that time.
During the 20th century, the emergence of Latinx expression developed into a full-blown Chicano art movement. It has developed a wealth of cultural expression through media such as painting, drawing, sculpture, and graphics. Likewise, novels, poetry, short stories, essays, and plays have flowed out of the pens of contemporary Chicano writers (Montoya & Salkowitz-Montoya, 2019). Mexican-American and Latin American cultural centers, theaters, film festivals, museums, galleries, and numerous other arts and cultural organizations have also grown in number and impact since this time. So, this art movement has established Latinx ethnicity and cultural practices.
Chicano artists created a bicultural style that included American and Mexican influences. The Mexican style can be found in their use of vibrant colors and expressionism. An example of a Chicano mural can be found in California called the Great Wall of LA or Tujunga Wash murals by Judith F. Baca. Another example is La Marcha Por La Humanidad, which is headquartered at the University of Houston (Montoya & Salkowitz-Montoya, 2019). During this time, Chicano artists and photographers were affected by political priorities and social values. They also became more accepted by society and more interested in creating artworks for museums (Saldivar, 2015). That is why Castillo’s photographs have become a part of exhibits.
As it can be seen from the works of Oscar Castillo and Chicano artists, art can visually express the structure of the spiritual world, going far beyond the limits of only artistic forms. Images of art show the life of the soul of culture in its fullness, contradictions, and multi-vector aspirations that do not destroy the original integrity. The most important and frequent in art is the image of a person; predominantly expressed is the spiritual, bodily, and social existence of the soul of a culture. Art is not only a way of self-expression; it appears to be one of the most important parts of the historical process, its inner side, being real and objective. Its peculiarity as a part of the historical process lies in its manifestation in the image. Art is history at the essential level of its realization and a figurative objectification of the experiences of culture and ethnicity.
References
Montoya, M., & Salkowitz-Montoya, L. (2019). A critical perspective on the state of Chicano art. In Chicano and Chicana Art (pp. 37-44). Duke University Press.
Saldivar, S. (2015). Why Oscar Castillo’s photos of Chicano life and protest are essential for understanding L.A.The Los Angeles Times. Web.