Jean Charlot and Luz Jiménez JOHN CHARLOT Summary 1March 5, 1922, is Charlot’s When Jean Charlot discovered Luz Jiménez among the Indian models at first non shorthand diary entry the art school of Coyoacán, she became for him the woman he saw in all that mentions Luz. 2Karttunen 1994: 197. Later, the women of Mexico. Studying her body enabled him to develop a truly Fernando Leal, another close Mexican esthetic. Following her into her daily life allowed him to participate friend of the family, would be- in the age-old activities of the Aztec household, child rearing, pilgrimage, come the godfather of Luz’s first and prayer. The language of those prayers brought him into living contact grandson, Alfonso (Villanueva Hernández 2004). Charlot did with the condices he had studied as a youth and revealed the continuity of his best, within his own strait- Mexican Indian culture that was the ultimate and heroic achievement of Luz ened circumstances, to help Luz and her people. and her family financially. Their Jean Charlot (1898 1979) and Luz Jiménez (1897 1965) each had an needs were real. Mary and Ruby McKibbin wrote the Charlots independent career; he as an artist and writer, and she as a model, informant, on September 9. 1948: “one and author. They also had a long relationship that was important for the day when she [Cornelius Ruht- history of art and culture. They first met in late 1921 or early 1922, when enberg] was with Ricardo Mar- Charlot was either twenty three or twenty four years old and Luz was a tinez and they were discussing 1 Luz and who should they see at year older. Luz became his model and visual inspiration. She also became the same moment but Luz sell- his teacher of Náhuatl and Aztec culture, bringing him into her family in their ing embroideries to the tourists village of Milpa Alta and taking him on their pilgrimage to Chalma. Eventu- around the Geneve”. ally, Luz asked Charlot to be the godfather of her daughter Concha, which I call Luz Jiménez by her first name in this article because placed him in a compadre relation to the family, with important obligations she used it as her professional for its spiritual and material welfare.2 Charlot and Luz maintained that special name. Concha’s full name after connection throughout their lives, and their respective descendants remain her marriage was Concepción Hernández de Villanueva. close today. Charlot’s letters to Anita The relationship of Charlot and Luz was, therefore, not the normal, Brenner are in the Harry Ransom unequal one between artist and model or researcher and informant. Luz Humanities Research Center at was Charlot’s model, but also his teacher. At times, Charlot employed her; at the University of Texas at Austin. I am grateful for access to those others, she and her family received him as a guest. Charlot was always aware letters. Undated letters are cited 3 of what he owed Luz: by incipit. All other unpublished materials are in the Jean Char- She’s been a great influence on my art. She’s been a great influence in introduc- lot Collection, Hamilton Library, ing me to what I could call my ancestors, that is, the Aztec Indians, because I University of Hawaii; including copies of the Charlot Jiménez am part Indian. correspondence, being edited by Jesús Hernández Villanueva, Beyond his own debt to Luz, Charlot was well aware of her broad cul- Luz’s grandson and Concha’s son. 4 Charlot 1970- 1978 will be cited tural contribution, which is being increasingly recognized. as “interview” and date. Charlot 1970-1979 will be cited as ‘Table- she was a person of importance in her Indian world, certainly, and this seeped talk” and date. Charlot n.d. will be out, I would say, to the other circles in Mexico, and she was considered like quite cited as “checklist” with number. an important person. I think that when she died there was, by Anita Brenner, a I have not corrected Charlot’s mistakes in Spanish. sort of summary of her life in Mexico This Week that suggests that she had put I am grateful for the com- over that quality as a person that she had that was outstanding... She had certain ments, criticisms, and information things that were obviously important things, one of them the mastery of the of Frances Karttunen and Susan- Náhuatl language, so that she was considered by the ethnologists and archeolo- nah Glusker, daughter and biog- gists as an important, we could say, “living link” with the Indian past. And as a rapher of Anita Brenner. Jesús person she was a grand person. That’s the only thing one can say. Hernández Villanueva provided 6 Luz most obviously transcended the role of artist’s model in her exten- me with valuable family and vil- sive work in language and culture: lage information and revealed his latest research discoveries in She spoke beautiful Aztec. In fact, later on, when she was older, she was what is his email to me of December 19, called an informant on Aztec languages in the School of Ethnology. 2004. 1 am grateful for his per- mission to use them and await their publication in the article he Luz worked as an informant, among others, for Benjamin Lee Whorf, is preparing. Tatiana Flores pro- Robert Barlow, and Fernando Horcasitas.5 Luz was important also as a trans- vided helpful criticisms. 3Charlot 1972. Tabletalk, July mitter of traditional Náhuatl stories and as a writer of original narratives in 6 8 9, 1971. Unusual relationships that language. Ascensión H. de León Portilla writes: “Posiblemente ha sido of many kinds between collabo- la persona que más ha contribuido con su palabra al rescate de relatos en rators of different cultures can náhuatl”. She has possibly been the person who has contributed most with be found in Karttunen 1994. 7 4Interview August 7, 1971. her language to the rescue of tales in Náhuatl. Charlot followed Luz’s lin- Karttunen 1994: 192 214. Luz guistic work throughout her life and after her death, remembering his studies Jiménez, símbolo de un pueblo with her and Barlow in the 1940s:8 milenario, 2000. 5 A. de León Portilla 1988: Horcasitas me mandó el libro nahualteco, los recuerdos de Luz en Milpa Alta; y 178 f, 200, 237. Karttunen, 2000. 6Horcasitas 1968. Horcasi- me dio gusto ver tus bellos dibujos, recordándome nuestros tiempos en Etno- tas and Ford 1979. grafia, tratando de aprender —en mi caso en vano— el náhuatl. 7A. H. de León Portilla 1988: Horcasitas sent me the Náhuatl book, the memoirs of Luz in Milpa Alta; and 213. See also M. de León Por- I was pleased to see your beautiful drawings, remembering our time in the tilla, 2000. School of Ethnography, trying to learn Náhuatl in my case, in vain. 8Carta a Alberto Beltrán, 17 de abril, 1969. Tabletalk, De- cember 6, 1978: Charlot studied with Barlow while Luz was one Charlot appreciated also her compositions “The last tales written by of the informants. Luz are very beautiful” and asked Brenner to send him the Náhuatl text of 9“Your last letters are some- her poem.9 thing sad”. Poem: “Received a Charlot worked with Luz and Anita Brenner on a publication of her good letter”; “Me hizo mucho la 10 noticia muerte Amado”: “Muy im- tales in English, The Boy Who Could Do Anything. Discussions “on Luz book” portante: Mandame texto azteca fill Charlot’s letters to Brenner beside those on her concurrent project Idols del poema Luz, el del comal”. Behind Altars.11 Charlot considered Luz a true collaborator:12 10Brenner, 1952. Later Char- iot and Brenner collaborated on 1 am very desirous myself to publish the story book, specially because Luz Brenner 1966. 11Brenner, 1970. Mentions writes me that she badly needs the money. I about arranged with Sheed and of Luz´s cuentos project in Ward, 63 5 th Ave for it. They have the drawings. You could go or write there to Charlot’s letters: e.g., “I did not Miss. M. Hunt who knows about it. My only change from the original plan would write you for a little while”; “Just be to include a few stories that you had excluded, because I am very fond of a word about the size”; “Como my drawings for them (the choice of drawings that Sheed has is my choice for que nunca escribes”; March 29, the stories). 1925; April 8, 1925; May 8, 1925. Also to split whatever money would be coming in 3 parts, so as to send some In Brenner 1970, illustration 188 on page 359, is a drawing by to Luz. Charlot described on page 351 I would like also to have a hand in designing the book, having done pretty well as “to illustrate native tale.” with the Amelia del Rio book. 12Charlot to Brenner “I am Ultimately, beyond her accomplishments, Luz impressed Charlot as a human very desirous myself.” Charlot being, “a grand person”. I myself knew Luz when my father was in Mexico from told me he thought Luz should 1945 to 1947, working on his book The Mexican Mural Renaissance: 1920- have been listed as an author of the book. 1925 (1963). Luz and sometimes Concha lived with us, helping with the family, 7 Jean Charlot, 1926, plata sobre gelatina, Colección Familia Charlot. Foto: Edward Weston. especially with us children. Luz had unusually large eyes, bright and active. Her face was expressive and animated, and in the kitchen with her friends, she was constantly, talking and laughing.