Latin American Visual Arts in the 1920S

On the Cusp: Latin American Visual Arts in the 1920s (Spine Title: Latin American Visual Arts in the 1920s) (Thesis Format: Monograph) by Andres Villar Graduate Program in Visual Arts A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Andres Villar 2011 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-89521-4 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-89521-4 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distrbute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. Canada THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION Supervisor Examiners Dr. Bridget Elliott Dr. Juan Luis Suarez Supervisory Committee Dr. Veronica Schild Dr. Sarah Bassnett Dr. Odile Cisneros Dr. Juan Luis Suarez Dr. Cody Barteet The thesis by Andres Villar entitled: On the Cusp: Latin American Visual Arts in the 1920s is accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy Date Chair of the Thesis Examination Board u Abstract This dissertation examines how the visual arts of the southern Americas were transformed during the 1920s, a period that was understood by the artists of the time as one of cultural openness and opportunity. In contrast with other studies of the so-called called vanguardias or avant-gardes, this thesis approaches the artworks of early 1920s as epistemological tools that were used by artists to represent the cultural complexity of the continent. The argument is developed by concentrating on four artists from the regions with the largest and arguably most important urban centres in the southern Americas: Mexico, Brazil, and the Southern Cone. The first two chapters of the thesis establish a framework and a context for the study: chapter 1 examines some of the underlying key terms of the methodology, which is contrasted with other approaches to the vanguardias; and chapter 2 presents a brief historical prelude to the ruptures and continuities that characterize the art of the 1920s. Chapters 3 to 6 are devoted to specific case studies: chapter 3 looks at the work produced by Jean Chariot during the early years of the Mexican muralist movement; chapter 4 analyzes the paintings created by Pedro Figari after he retired from Uruguayan politics; Chapter 5 explores the art made by Xul Solar in the periods before and after his return to Argentina; and chapter 6 examines the artworks produced by Tarsila do Amaral during her so-called "Pau-Brasil" phase. The artists mentioned above, all of whom have become enshrined in the canon of Latin American art, are associated with the changes in the visual culture of the 1920s. iii This study suggests a new approach to the visual arts of the period by proposing that their work is emblematic of a continent-wide response to cultural complexity. Keywords: visual arts, painting, avant-garde, Latin America, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay. iv Acknowledgements Many people helped bring this thesis to fruition. As my advisor, Bridget Elliott has been one of the most important in making this happen. She provided the necessary support and freedom of action that made it possible for me to explore the issues the way that I did. I would also like to thank the other members of my committee, Sarah Bassnett and Juan Luis Suarez. They have been helpful teachers, guides, and constructive critics throughout the years I have known them. I also want to thank the faculty, staff, and fellow students at the Department of Visual Arts, all of them essential members of a creative collective. During my research trips I received much help from scholars and staff at various institutions. In many instances the interactions were brief—the retrieval of a file, a referral to an appropriate person— but every interaction was an important step of the journey. I thank all those anonymous benefactors at libraries and archives who are unobtrusive but essential participants in the research process. A few other people were especially important and deserve to mentioned by name. I received a warm welcome and outstanding support from Bronwen Solyom at the Jean Chariot Collection, University of Hawai'i. Bron's knowledge of the material was invaluable, as was her help in securing copies of documents even after I had returned to my home in Ontario. It was a pleasure to meet John Chariot, who gave me a tour of his father's work in Honolulu. Bron and John embody the best of the Aloha Spirit. I would also like to thank Clara Bargellini and Julieta Gaitan Ortiz for being very generous with their time and providing me with valuable information to guide my research; Patricia v Artundo for making room in her busy schedule to meet with me; William Penfield Rey, who received me as a friend and suggested lines of investigation with respect to Uruguayan visual culture; and to Judith Crosignani at the Museo Pedro Figari. vi Table of Contents Certificate of Examination ii Abstract iii Acknowledgements v List of Illustrations viii Introduction: Vanguardias and Change 1 Chapter 1 - Spectre of Change: Towards a Theory of Latin American Visual Culture in the 1920s 19 Chapter 2 - Image of the Nation: The Birth of the Latin Americas 46 Chapter 3 - Arrival and Redemption: Jean Chariot's Massacre at the Templo Mayor 80 Chapter 4 - The Projection of Memory and Duration: Pedro Figari's Painterly Pursuit of the Ideal 104 Chapter 5 - A Negative Phantasmagoria in the River Plate: Xul Solar and a Neocriollo Image for the Americas 128 Chapter 6 - Art for Export: Tarsila do Amaral's "Pau-Brasil" Paintings 149 Epilogue: The Avant-Garde Artist as an Apprentice Tourist 174 Illustrations 182 Bibliography 229 Vita 253 vii List of Figures Fig. 1 Jose Clemente Orozco, Cortes and Malinche (1923-1926) 182 Fig. 2 Eighteenth-century illustration depicting a phantasmagoria 183 Fig. 3 Eighteenth-century illustration of a magic lantern 183 Fig. 4 Juan Cordero, Columbus Before the Catholic Sovereigns (1850) 184 Fig. 5 Jose Obregon, The Discovery of Pulque (1869) 184 Fig. 6 Felix Parra, Bartolome de las Casas (1875) 185 Fig. 7 Felix Parra, Scene From the Conquest (1877) 185 Fig. 8 Leandro Izaguirre, Torture of Cuauhtemoc (1893) 186 Fig. 9 Plan of San Juan de la Frontera (Mendoza), Argentina (1562) 186 Fig. 10 Jose Maria Velasco, The Metlac Ravine (1893) 187 Fig. 11 Jose Maria Velasco, View of Mexico City From Cerro Santa Isabel (1892) 187 Fig. 12 Saturnino Herran, Flora (1910) 188 Fig. 13 Saturnino Herran, The Tehuana (1914) 188 Fig. 14 Saturnino Herran, Frieze of the Ancient Gods (1914) 189 Fig. 15 Saturnino Herran, Coatlicue (1918) 189 Fig. 16 Juan Manuel Blanes, The Two Roads (c.1875-1878) 190 Fig. 17 Juan Manuel Blanes, Yellow Fever (1871) 191 Fig. 18 Angel Delia Valle, The Return From the Raid (1892) 191 Fig. 19 Argentina's pavilion at the 1889 Paris Exposition. Picture of the building in Buenos Aires in 1900 192 Fig. 20 Victor Meirelles, Moema (1866) 193 Fig. 21 Jose Maria Medeiros, Iracema (1884) 193 viii Fig. 22 Rodolfo Amoedo, The Last Tamoio (1883) 194 Fig. 23 Victor Meirelles, The First Mass in Brazil (1861) 194 Fig. 24 Pedro Americo, Battle of Aval (1877) 195 Fig. 25 Pedro Americo, The Proclamation of Independence (1888) 195 Fig. 26 Victor Meirelles, Battle of Guararapes (1879) 196 Fig. 27 Almeida Junior, Departure of the Expedition (1897) 196 Fig. 28 Almeida Junior, Man From the Countryside Cutting Tabacco (1893) 197 Fig. 29 Almeida Junior, The Guitar Player (1899) 197 Fig. 30 Jean Chariot, The Massacre at the Templo Mayor (1922-1923) 198 Fig. 31 Diego Rivera, Creation (1922-1923) 198 Fig. 32 Jean Chariot, Don Pancho (1922) 199 Fig. 33 Jose Guadalupe Posada, Calavera of the Streetsweepers (n.d.) 199 Fig. 34 Xavier Guerrero, Masthead for El Machete (1924) 200 Fig. 35 Diego Rivera, Portrait of Adolfo Best Maugard (1913) 200 Fig. 36 Adolfo Best Maugard, Self-Portrait (1923) 201 Fig.

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