facebook
Close
Ver modo lectura
By the way, I am Orozco ‘s son

Courtesy: domingo7

Art Blog English
29 Jul 15

By the way, I am Orozco ‘s son

Orozco ‘s objective was to illustrate a universal truth instead of addressing microcosmic symptoms of the general disease…

First, this is a truly and sensitive essay abour José Clemente Orozco ´s legacy. Whenever I come back to Mexico City, I go visit my friends on the third floor of Palacio Nacional de Bellas Artes. I sit with each one, making eye contact with all of them while listening to what these very tall friends have to say, even if it is more of a monologue. Although I go see them whenever I get the chance, they never fail to welcome me with fresh areas of astonishment.

orozco_catharsis
Catharsis by José Clemente Orozco | Courtesy: Museo de Bellas Artes

I visit the murals that reside in the corridors of Bellas Artes not only because a day spent with these masters compensates for the longest periods of solitude, but because their voices say much more than anyone worth calling a friend.

On this particular occasion I went to see the murals with a fellow artist. We always go to museums and galleries together and it is not unusual to have heated conversations about the piece in front of us, agreeing to disagree if we are lucky. While commenting on one of the pieces by Siqueiros, we noticed an old man with a loud voice and bold adjectives was complaining about the title of the mural by José Clemente Orozco. We stared at the man and his theatricality but quickly carried on with our snobby discourse about stylistic choices and material handling in Siqueiros’ work. The man and his wife approached us and quizzed us about Orozco’s mural, Catharsis. My companion and I exchanged looks that echoed our skepticism. But after listening to the symphonies of rants by this man, we learned he is Orozco’s oldest son.


Catharsis, an Orozco’s masterpiece

Clemente Orozco, the artist’s oldest son, controls a great deal of his father’s work and its rights. Yet, he kept complaining about the mistaken title of Catharsis (1933-35).

I will abstain from describing this masterpiece because no words could do justice to its dynamism. But for the mere purpose of this note: Catharsis depicts universal chaos to comment on society’s decay and the mechanical nature of violence in the name of progress-to say the very least. Clemente Orozco claims that the title of this mural should be “Universal Prostitution” given that selling oneself is what triggers the deterioration of society.

In Catharsis, three prostitutes are laughing grotesquely at the bottom of the mural. They all look like puppets and mock the viewer with their seductive bodies and overdone faces. Clemente insisted that prostitution is the sharpest metaphor for a society that is fed off of corruption in all existing fields. José Clemente Orozco captures the temptation of exchanging dignity for power and wealth and that might as well be the parasite of society in the extensity of its timeline.


Orozco´s objective was to illustrate a universal truth

José Clemente Orozco was more ambitious than his contemporaries given that his objective was to illustrate a universal truth instead of addressing microcosmic symptoms of the general disease.

His son continued his rant by saying the characters in Siqueiros’ works seemed to be made out of cardboard. He then turned to look at the mural by Siqueiros, Nueva Democracia, and said the body of the woman looked stiff, whereas in Orozco’s Catharsis the body of the largest prostitute was credible enough to make the viewer want to touch it.

After criticizing Siqueiros’ lack of technique and referring to his work as craft rather than art, he began trashing Rivera. He said he grew up seeing these artists and that is why he can say the work by Rivera is idealist and decorative and that is why he is the most popular.

Clemente Orozco has an evident bias, but when he refers to his father as a genius there is truth. I disagree with Clemente, Siqueiros and Rivera were undoubtedly masters; but Clemente is right too, they lack the creative genius of his father.


Clemente says that to be a genius one must meet three conditions…

1. One must have the temperament to master a technique and then create a voice. Absolute expression is problematic and frustrating, only the people who have the character to overcome that frustration will be able to solve the problem of expression.

2. One must develop intriguing and relevant themes that are worthy of a masterpiece. The content is the backbone for any masterpiece and it will give life to form.

3. And most importantly, he says, one must have imagination.

But these three conditions simplify José Clemente Orozco’s genius and fail to justify it entirely. Of the three most important Mexican muralists, Orozco is the least popular and that is expected. No one likes to see oneself reflected in a mirror of explicit sincerity. Orozco painted people who were so dehumanized that they were barely recognizable as individuals.


One of the few who had ideas of his own

His depictions are mostly grotesque, but it is an intentional ugliness meant to ridicule what lies beneath any system. But what nurtured this aesthetic was his critical standpoint independent from any doctrine or popular belief; Orozco was one of the few who had ideas of his own.

In his autobiography he says, “When someone says Yes, one must say No, because if we would all agree civilization itself would be in danger” to demonstrate what he considered to be the most hygienic, intellectually speaking. Every piece by this genius reflects his meditations about what it to be a man and demonstrates an anxiety that questioned this not only artistically, but ethically and metaphysically as well.

Clemente’s wife was pressuring him to leave because they had to go somewhere. He left, gave us his card and said we could only contact him if we included a proper definition of Muralism. We did not write.

Written by Nicole Chaputo

Snoop Dogg starts Esports League
ACC Network ACC Network Blog
28 Aug 19

Snoop Dogg starts Esports League

Snoop Dogg starts a free anti-doping tournament! Snoop Dogg starts a new facet as a gamer. Because Snoop doesn’t just rap, he’s a video game fan. Proof of this is his new project that focuses on Esports. For those of you who still don’t know, Snoop Dogg has a media platform that specialized in the […]
Jimi Hendrix illustrated by the artist Moebius
Blog Art Music
1 Feb 19

Jimi Hendrix illustrated by the artist Moebius

Jimi Hendrix immortalized in Moebius’ illustrations Moebius is an illustrator and creator of the series Electric Emotions. Namely, he depicts the musical environment of the rock icon, Jimi Hendrix. As a result, a psychedelic cocktail made of 60’s rock and roll and illustration emerges. Hendrix’s career, as well as his LSD “experimentation,” not only changed the rock […]
Pow Wow Asia Tour 2015 by Chop’ Em Down Films
Blog Art
8 Feb 16

Pow Wow Asia Tour 2015 by Chop’ Em Down Films

A walk through the 2015 Pow Wow festival POW WOW HAWAII started this weekend!! So, the guys of Chop’ Em Down Films made this cool reel with their live coverage of the Pow! Wow! Asia Tour. Jasper, Kamea, Jeff and the whole team is gathering of contemporary artists who engage with the broader community through […]
Diego Rivera Lectures on Architecture and Painting
Art
12 May 20

Diego Rivera Lectures on Architecture and Painting

The Ministry of Culture released two audios of Diego Rivera’s lectures dating back to 1955 The Mexican Ministry of Culture has released a couple of recordings of lectures by Diego Rivera that he gave in 1955. In these, he addresses an analysis of architecture and values in plastic art, as well as reflections on painting. […]
Crossroads solo show by Rune Christensen
Exhibitions Art English
13 May 16

Crossroads solo show by Rune Christensen

Rune Christensen opens Crossroads, his first solo show at Galerie Wolfsen with more than 50 artworks Our dear friend Rune Christensen is having Crossroads, his first solo show at Galerie Wolfsen and we couldn’t be more happy for him. Rune is a a Danish artist “well known for his graffiti and paintings, as well as his […]
Hot news
CONTEMPORARY ART NOW LAUNCHES ITS FIRST EDITION WITH A LOT OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Art Festivals
12 Jul 22

CONTEMPORARY ART NOW LAUNCHES ITS FIRST EDITION WITH A LOT OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Renowned and emerging artists will participate in the first edition of CAN Contemporary Art Now The city of Ibiza will be filled with art from July 13 to 17 with the launch of the first edition of Contemporary Art Now or CAN. It is a contemporary art fair that will bring together the best national […]
SAID DOKINS REVEALED HIS NEW MURAL THE MAGIC SQUARE IN DOHA
Street Art
12 Jul 22

SAID DOKINS REVEALED HIS NEW MURAL THE MAGIC SQUARE IN DOHA

The Magic Square by Said Dokins is part of the international festival POW! WOW! Qatar Museums has commissioned a series of urban interventions by local and international artists, and among them is the Mexican Said Dokins, who has just completed his new piece entitled The Magic Square. It was all possible thanks to the Department […]
MADEME, THE STREETWEAR BRAND RETURNS AFTER TWO YEARS OF ABSENCE
ACC Network Streetwear
8 Jul 22

MADEME, THE STREETWEAR BRAND RETURNS AFTER TWO YEARS OF ABSENCE

MadeMe is officially back to give doses of streetwear to all lovers of urban fashion! Cult streetwear designer Erin Magee returns with her signature MadeMe after two years without showing any signs of life. The official return was announced in a post on the brand’s Instagram account where we see the back of a white […]
SAILOR MOON AND VANS: A VERY STELLAR COLLECTION
ACC Network Sneakers Streetwear
21 Jun 22

SAILOR MOON AND VANS: A VERY STELLAR COLLECTION

Attention anime fans! Sailor Moon and Vans just released this collection as a homage to the moon If you’ve not seen at least one episode of Sailor Moon in your childhood, you did not have a real childhood! And for all those anime fans, this Vans collection will fit like a glove. First off, this […]
QUANTUM SPACE: JUSTIN AVERSANO’S PHYSICAL NFT GALLERY
Art
20 Jun 22

QUANTUM SPACE: JUSTIN AVERSANO’S PHYSICAL NFT GALLERY

In Quantum Space other NFT artists will be able to exhibit and sell their works The iconic Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California has become the site of NFT photographer Justin Aversano’s new project called Quantum Space. Said venue is the latest in a growing trend of physical NFT galleries. That is to say, […]
DR. BOMBAY’S SWEET EXPLORATION, SNOOP DOGG’S NFT DESSERTS
Food
20 Jun 22

DR. BOMBAY’S SWEET EXPLORATION, SNOOP DOGG’S NFT DESSERTS

And it is a fact! Snoop Dogg will open his NFT’s dessert restaurant, Dr. Bombay’s Sweet Exploration Snoop Dogg and Food Fighters Universe announced the launch of a dessert restaurant called Dr. Bombay’s Sweet Exploration, inspired by the rapper’s NFT from the Bored Ape Yacht Club collection. NFTs are here to stay and their foray […]