Orozco in Gringoland: The years in New York, 1927-1934, 1940.
Item
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Title
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Orozco in Gringoland: The years in New York, 1927-1934, 1940.
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Identifier
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AAI9838820
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identifier
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9838820
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Creator
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Anreus, Alejandro.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Marlene Park
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Date
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1997
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Art History | History, Latin American | American Studies | Biography
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Abstract
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This dissertation investigates the life and work of the Mexican artist Jose Clemente Orozco (1883-1949) during his extended stay in New York City in the years 1927-34, and in later, shorter visits in 1940 and 1945-46. It begins in 1927, when Orozco, lacking mural commissions, decided to leave Mexico and come to New York, leaving behind a country embroiled in both political and religious strife. I will examine chronologically and briefly summarize Orozco's career up to the point of his departure, as well as his reasons for leaving Mexico. I will also examine his encounter with "the modern," as exemplified by the city of New York, not just in the general environment of the urban center, but also in his first experiences with European avant-garde art, which he found in the city's galleries.;This study concentrates on Orozco's artistic production while in New York City, in the mediums of easel painting, drawing and lithography, as well as his murals at The New School for Social Research and The Museum of Modern Art. I examine and interpret these works not just in the light of previous literature on the artist, but also through Orozco's own words, and in juxtaposition to the works of some of his contemporaries, both Mexican and North American.;I also place a special emphasis on Orozco's view of the Mexican Revolution, and Mexican reality in general, as expressed through his easel and graphic works, even in New York City. I examine the murals at The New School for Social Research from a contextual perspective, going beyond the usual formal interpretations based on the theory of Dynamic Symmetry. A pivotal work, Dive Bomber and Tank, the 1940 portable mural at The Museum of Modern Art, is discussed and interpreted thoroughly here for the first time in either Spanish or English. The work concludes with the artist's last visit to the city in 1945-46 and an overview of his influence on American artists.;Orozco's work during his New York period has either been ignored or misinterpreted, while greater emphasis and in-depth research has focused on his murals in California (Prometheus, Pomona College) and New Hampshire (An Epic of American Civilization, Dartmouth College). I have undertaken this research to remedy this omission within the Orozco literature. My contribution lies in the contextual examination of the artist's New York work, in the light of his changing political outlook and aesthetic concerns. My methodology is eclectic, synthesizing both formal means and sociopolitical concerns to arrive at a clearer reading of the works. This dissertation locates Orozco in the crossroads of politics and art, grounded in the period between the two World Wars.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
