"The CHICANO School of Painting"
Statement by Cheech Marin
From its earliest roots in the grape fields of Delano, California - where Carlos Almaraz painted signs for the United Farm Workers - to the GRONK retrospective at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the CHICANO School of Painting has always been about reinterpreting a culture. That culture has been shown to be diverse yet unified, profane and spiritual, traditional and avant-garde whether through the autobiographical paintings of Carmen Lomas Garza, that depict her South Texas childhood, or the deeply psychological, urban-hones paintings of Patssi Valdez. While other "schools" of painting have been defined overwhelmingly by stylistic concerns, the CHICANO School combines stylistic innovation with elements of tradition. The blending of Mexican popular and religious iconography with modern images of urban angst reflects the continually evolving role of Mexican Americans, or Chicanos, within the larger American society. This mix of sophistication and naiveté, combined with a socio-political overlay, has produced a uniquely American school of painting based on CHICANO content that is at the same time universal in its aesthetics of the human condition.
Statement by Cheech Marin
From its earliest roots in the grape fields of Delano, California - where Carlos Almaraz painted signs for the United Farm Workers - to the GRONK retrospective at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the CHICANO School of Painting has always been about reinterpreting a culture. That culture has been shown to be diverse yet unified, profane and spiritual, traditional and avant-garde whether through the autobiographical paintings of Carmen Lomas Garza, that depict her South Texas childhood, or the deeply psychological, urban-hones paintings of Patssi Valdez. While other "schools" of painting have been defined overwhelmingly by stylistic concerns, the CHICANO School combines stylistic innovation with elements of tradition. The blending of Mexican popular and religious iconography with modern images of urban angst reflects the continually evolving role of Mexican Americans, or Chicanos, within the larger American society. This mix of sophistication and naiveté, combined with a socio-political overlay, has produced a uniquely American school of painting based on CHICANO content that is at the same time universal in its aesthetics of the human condition.
