Picturing the proletariat
Subtitle: artists and labor in revolutionary Mexico, 1908-1940
By: John Lear
Edition: First edition.
Series: Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long series in Latin American and Latino art and culture; Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long series in Latin American and Latino art and culture
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 366
ISBN-13: 9781477311240; 9781477311509
Subjects: Arts and revolutions; Politics in art; Labor movement; Criticism and interpretation; Artists; Working class; Political activity; History
Description: "In the wake of Mexico's revolution, artists played a fundamental role in constructing a national identity centered on working people and were hailed for their contributions to modern art. Picturing the Proletariat examines three aspects of this artistic legacy: the parallel paths of organized labor and artists' collectives, the relations among these groups and the state, and visual narratives of the worker. Showcasing forgotten works and neglected media, John Lear explores how artists and labor unions participated in a cycle of revolutionary transformation from 1908 through the presidency of Lazaro Cardenas (1934-1940). Lear shows how middle-class artists, radicalized by the revolution and the Communist Party, fortified the legacy of the prerevolutionary print artisan Jose Guadalupe Posada by incorporating modernist, avant-garde, and nationalist elements in ways that supported and challenged unions and the state. By 1940, the state undermined the autonomy of radical artists and unions, while preserving the image of both as partners of the "institutionalized revolution." This interdisciplinary book explores the gendered representations of workers; the interplay of prints, photographs, and murals in journals, in posters, and on walls; the role of labor leaders; and the discursive impact of the Spanish Civil War. It considers "los tres grandes"--Rivera, Siquieros, and Orozco--while featuring lesser-known artists and their collectives. The result is a new perspective on the art and politics of the revolution." -- Backcover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 319-352) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : allegories of work; title: Saturnino Herrán, José Guadalupe Posada, and the working class on the eve of revolution; title: Workers and artists in the 1910 revolution; title: El Machete and cultural and political vanguards; title: Consuming labor : Revista CROM, art education, and La lectura preferida; title: Cardenismo, the popular front, and the league of revolutionary artists and writers; title: The Mexican Electricians Union, the art of the strike, and the Spanish Civil War; title: "Unity at all costs!" and the end of revolution; title: Conclusion.