Latin Murals, Essay Example

In analyzing the murals, writings and photographs of the Mexican revolution, pictures are worth a thousand words.  This is true, photographs capture what happened, the killings and destruction; however, the murals give a better representation of the culture and characterization of the Mexican people during the Revolution.  For instance, the murals created by Aurora Reyes show women with stern and angry faces.  This represents the hard times of the Revolution, as well as the treatment of women during those times.  In the mural, “Woman of War (1937)”, the woman stands nude holding a rifle in one hand and what looks like a dead child in the other.  The woman’s face is filled with anger.  This mural represents the courage women had during the Revolution in order to protect their children and families.  In addition, it shows the hurt they have been put through and perhaps the abuse, hence the nude woman.  (Comisarenco Mirkin, 2005-2006)  The text of the Revolution describes the political side of the Revolution and the history; however, the pain and suffering of the Mexican people is better represented and captured in the murals.

The photograph, “Las Soldaderas Women of the Mexican Revolution” by Elena Poniatowska, shows insight to the life of the woman in the photograph.  The woman looks as if she is in her early teenage years, perhaps 15 years of age.  In addition, she is standing looking at the camera with somber, hurt and tired eyes.  There is no emotion to the picture.  She is holding a Mexican flag in one hand and a rifle in the other, with bullets around her neck.  It seems as if she is forced to be participating in the Revolution.  This photograph is completely different than the mural mentioned previously, where there is strong emotional representation from the woman.  This current photograph shows a woman that may have already been through loss and is just going through the motions of the Revolution.

After reviewing the text and examining the photographs and murals, I have a better understanding of the Las Soldaderas during the Mexican Revolution.  For one, I feel that the current stereotype of Latin women comes from the legacy of the soldaderas as feisty and promiscuous.  However, I have found that the soldaderas were brave women who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of their family.

References

Comisarenco Mirkin, D.  Aurora Reyes’s “Ataque a la Maestra Rural”: The First Mural Created by a Mexican Female Artist.  Woman’s Art Journal, Vol. 26, No. 2. (Autumn, 2005 – Winter, 2006), pp. 19-25.